3.1 Types of Text
To some extent, translation is a kind of communication, which is semiotic in nature. Text is the basic units of semiotic analysis. A text is the basis upon which a translator can be engaged in translation. So in the process of translating, the translators should take the types of text into consideration, which impose some constraints on the translator. We can say that different types of text should be translated with different translation strategies. Thus the type of text is the first influencing factor we will analyze.本文来自辣;文*论-文~网
So far, many attempts have been made to set up a typology of texts. According to Buhler, the three main functions of language are the expressive, the informative and the vocative functions: these are the main purposes of using language (Newmark, 2001:39). The text type is associated with the main functions of language, so Newmark classified the texts into the following types: expressive texts, informative texts and vocative texts. Serious imaginative literature, authoritative statements, a毕业论文http://www.751com.cn utobiography, and personal correspondence belong to the first type; scientific and technical reports, textbooks, commercial papers, industrial and economical articles, memorandums and minutes or agenda of a meeting belong to the second one; and persuasive writing, publicity, notices, instructions, laws and regulations, propaganda and popular fictions belong to the third one. Different types of texts have different characteristics and require different translation strategies.
When we translate expressive texts, which are considered to be vehicles of a culture, translators should reproduce the original form and content as literally as possible, even with some transliterations when necessary. Thus foreignization is applied in order to preserve the cultural flavor. For example:
(1) 心较比干多一窍,病如西子胜三分。 (《红楼梦》第三回)
She looked more sensitive than Pi Kan (A prince noted for his great intelligence at the end of the Shang Dynasty.), more delicate than HisShih (A famous beauty of the ancient Kingdom of Yueh). (杨宪益译)
She had more chambers in her heart than the martyred Bi Gan ; And suffered a tithe more pain in it than the beautiful Xi Shi. (David Hawkes译)
(2) “难道这也是个痴丫头,又像颦儿来葬花不成?”因又笑道:“若真也葬花,可谓东施效颦了;不但不为新奇,而是更是可厌。” (《红楼梦》第三十四回)
Can this be another absurd maid come to bury flowers like Taiyu?” He wondered in some amusement. “If so, she’s ‘Tung Shih imitating His Shih,” which isn’t original but rather tiresome.” (杨宪益译)
“Can this be some silly maid come here to bury flowers like Frowner !” He wondered. This reminded him of Zhuangzi’ s story of the beautiful Xi - shi’ s ugly neighbor , whose endeavors to imitate the little frown that made Xi - shi captivating produced an aspect to hideous that people ran from her in terror. The recollection of it made him smile. “this is imitating the frowner’ with a vengeance”, he thought, “If that is really what she is doing. Not merely unoriginal, but down-right disgusting!” (David Hawkes译)
In these two examples, “比干”, “西子”, “东施效颦” are culture-bound phrases in Chinese. Translators all adopted foreignization, keeping the classical Chinese culture.
When translators translate informative texts like journalistic writing, reports, scientific and technological writing, contracts, etc., they always choose domestication, because these texts are constrained by the accuracy or standard format and therefore need to be rendered in standard languages and terminologies to ensure the transmission of information and immediate comprehensibility. Thus the information is more accessible and can be obtained as much as possible.
It is the same case on vocative texts like notices, instructions, publicity, propaganda, persuasive writing and possibly popular fictions, whose purpose is to sell the book, entertain the readers, in order to achieve the vocative function, translators always adopt domestication, by using idiomatic expressions of the TL. Look at the following example of tourism advertisement:
(3) 当你步入沟中，便可见林中碧海澹荡生辉，瀑布舒洒碧玉。一到金秋，满山枫叶绛红。盛夏，湖山幽翠。仲春，树绿花艳……，四时都呈献出它的天然原始，宁静幽深。
Mystic lakes and sparkling waterfalls captivate your eyes as you enter the ravine. The trees are in their greenest in spring when intensified by colorful flowers. In summer, warm tints spread over the hills and lakelands. As summer merges into autumn, the maples tree毕业论文http://www.751com.cn s turn fiery red. Splashing color through the thick forest hills…Tranquility pervades primitive Jiuzhaigou throughout the year. (《神话世界九寨沟》，中国翻译“汉译英练习”答案) 本文来自辣;文*论-文~网
(4) 西湖如镜面，千峰凝翠，洞壑幽深，风光绮丽。
The West Lake is like a mirror, embellished all around with green hills and deep caves of enchanting beauty.
As we know, the Chinese language is euphuistic and full of rhetoric, especially when used for description, characterized with four-character phrases, which makes the text beautiful and rhythmic. However, it is not the case in English, for it uses much fewer flowery words to describe a scene. So when the above texts are translated, some adjustments are made to measure up to the linguistic norms of the TL, the hyperboles and similes in the ST are left out, the author’s evaluative words are omitted, and parallel structures are reduced. The translations are concise and objective description of the scenery and really effective in appealing the readers, for this kind of translation meets the aesthetic expectation of the westerners and is likely to attract them.
If such kind of texts were translated literally, they would probably produce negative effect. Now look at the following example: