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As an English major with a direction of international trade, the pe nman gained quite much theoretical knowledge as well as some useful experiences via the study of the features and translation strategies of financial English words. Nevertheless, as the study in this field is still in its infancy, there is still quite a bit room to be explored for further researches. By this essay, the translators would be provided with preliminary references of financial English translation in theory. In a consequence, it could support the teaching of the financial English and lower the incidence of the errors made by translators in practice.
2 The Features of Financial English Words
Being a significant part of the economic activities, finance can be defined in a broad sense as well as in a narrow one. In the broad sense, the finance is referring to the process about how the financial system achieves the coordination and the dredge of the currency between the debit and credit sides and the process about how the new currency is created in the debiting and crediting via financial intermediaries (Jerry M. Rosenberg, 1996: 145). In the narrow sense, according to the definition in the English-Chinese dictionary of banking and finance, finance is the theories and material objects describing the confidence in the currency, banking industry and other facilitated approaches in the fields of investment, speculation, credit and negotiable securities and so on (Maureen Burton, Ray Lomba, 1998: 5).
As an ESP (English for specific purpose), financial English involves the macro economic operations, financial regulations, banking institutions, monetary markets, financial supervisions, commercial bank managements, credit, banking accountings, foreign trades and other industries. Its language performance acquires professional language characteristics and style. Being a main school of the study of financial English, financial English words are of distinct characteristics. By the contrast of other community dialects, it contains large quantity of professional terms and can be applied to a wider scope. The main system of the financial English words is composed of the financial terminologies, frequently-used financial words and the other basic words and non-basic words of national common languages.
2.1 The Polysemy of Financial English Words
A large amount of common words are being frequently applied in the financial activities with perse meanings differing from those of being widely accepted by the public. This it due to the fact that financial activities are being involved in multiple fields such as macro economic operations, financial regulations, banking institutions, monetary markets, financial supervisions, commercial bank managements, credit, banking accountings, foreign trades.
As each area has its own specialized vocabulary, the explanations of common words vary from each collocation. Hence, the financial words are of polysemy in nature. For instance, the term “current” in the phrase “current account” means “at any time”, in “current assets” means “capital-flowing”, while in the phrase “current yield” it is explained with meaning of “at present”. The word “balance” is another example. More precisely, it could be explain as “assets and liabilities” in the phrase “balance sheet”. Nevertheless, its meanings were shifted when it is used in “balance of payment”, which means a written statement of the amount of money and property that a company or person has, including amounts of money that are owed or are owing. And in the collocation “the balance of account”, it carries the explanation of “remaining sum”.
2.2 The Oneness of the Terminologies
The most standing feature of all scientific terminologies is that one term could only be used to express its own corresponding concept. In other words, the meaning of terminology is sole as well as regular. Being an ESP (English for specific purpose), financial English is not exceptional. Therefore, in specific practice, one should fully be aware of the oneness of terminology.