A Critical Commentary On The E-C Translation Of Chapters 13 And 15 Of The Cambridge Companion To Native American Literature

Written by Robert M.Nelson and Catherine Rainwater respectively,the source text for the translation practice is chapters 13 and 15 in the book The Cambridge Companion to Native American Literature: “Leslie Marmon Silko: Storyteller” and “Louise Erdrich’s Storied Universe.” The two essays introduce two famous Native American women writers and their works.As both are essays of literary criticism,the translator needs to focus on the accurate convey of information while maintaining the aesthetic value of literary criticism.Based on the translation practice,this commentary analyzes the translation process including a detailed case study of how certain translation methods are adopted and applied in the translation practice under the guidance of Reiss’ text typology theory.According to the theory of text typology,the source text is an informative text with certain features of expressive text.Thus,in translation,priority should be given to accuracy,and the linguistic style of the source text should also be considered.This commentary consists of four parts: introduction,theoretical guidance,translation methods and case analysis,and conclusion.The main body of the commentary discusses the translation methods used at both lexical and syntactic levels.Lexically,the translation methods include semantic translation,annotation,conversion,and addition;syntactically,there are division,reinventing sentence structure and converting passive into active.The translation practice helped the translator accumulate some translation experience and enhance the understanding of Native American Literature.It also proves that the theory of text typology is an effective guidance in the translation of literary criticism.It is hoped that this commentary will give references and suggestions for future translators engaged in the translation of Native American Literature.