A Report On The E-C Translation Of The Arts Of China To AD 900(Chapters Ⅷ-Ⅹ)

Chinese painting art goes back to ancient times,which formed a unique system of arts and humanities.Many western scholars have been studying Chinese art for a long time.The Arts of China to AD 900 written by William Watson elaborates the Chinese art from the Neolithic Age to the Tang Dynasty.The translation of it provides another stream of thoughts,enabling Chinese readers to understand the connotations and lingering charm of the works of Chinese art from different angles.Three chapters of the book are translated concerning the painting styles and craftsmanship in the Han Dynasty.Guided by the theory of “the translation-oriented text analysis model” of Christiane Nord,this report analyzes and summarizes the implementation process and experience of the translation project.Nord’s theory includes four steps: translation brief analysis,source text analysis,translation problem classification and the choice of translation strategies.According to this theory of Nord,the present report begins with the analysis of the translation brief which means the prediction of the communicative situation of the target text.The primary function of the translation is the referential function,and the secondary function is the appellative function after the analysis of the translation brief.Secondly,the source text analysis is made by discussing the external factors and internal factors of the present translation project to determine the text functions of the source text and the translation.The referential function and the appellative function of the source text are determined through intratextual analysis.The translator further ascertains the intended functions of the translation are referential function and appellative function through extratextual analysis.Thirdly,the functional hierarchy of translation problems in the translation process is divided into pragmatic,cultural and linguistic translation problems according to Nord’s theory.Pragmatic translation problems and the solutions mainly focus on the usage of the description of artifacts and content in parenthesis in the source text.Cultural translation problems and solutions mainly are related to the translation of culture-loaded words and allusions to the field of art.Linguistic translation problems and the solutions are reflected in discussions of technical terms,compound words,passive sentences and subordinate clauses.Based on the previous analysis,the translation should be based on the domestication strategy,supplemented by foreignization strategy.Besides,literal translation,free translation,transliteration,variation translation,and paraphrase are adopted to realize the primary referential function and the secondary vocative function.This translation practice indicates that it is necessary for the translator to accurately analyze the intended functions of the target text and the characteristics of the source text under the guidance of the Nord’s translation-oriented text analysis model.Then the translation strategies and methods for different translation problems are determined by comparing the intended functions of the translation and the functions of the source text.The translator hopes that this translation process can provide a reference for researchers who apply the “translation-oriented” text analysis model to the translation of the artistic text,and promote the spread of the Chinese painting style and craftsmanship.