2.3.3 OmissionGreat disparities exist between English and Chinese in vocabulary, grammar and rhetoric, so if the words or some elements of the sentence that are indispensable in English are translated directly into Chinese without any adjustment, the translation may turn out to be redundant, and the translation may be found to lack smoothness. Such case calls for the omission of the redundant words or phrases. However, omission does not mean to omit some content of the original text; instead it aims to avoid unnecessary repetition or redundancy so as to make the translation conform to the idiomatic expression of Chinese.2.3.3.1 Omitting Conjunctions汉语倾向于注重意合（paratactic），以意统形，词句之间往往以意联结，没有一定的连接词，比较灵活；英语则倾向于注重形合（hypotactic），以形统意，词句之间有一定的联结关系，比较呆板。
English is characterized by hypotaxis, so a lot of conjunctions are used to make the logical relationship between sentences clear. However, Chinese emphasizes parataxis. It does not care much about the completeness of the form; as long as the meaning is clearly expressed, some elements in the form can be omitted. Thus some conjunctions are omitted in E-C translation.(39) The soft can overcome the hard, and the weak can defeat the strong. 柔能克钢，弱能制强。
(40) If my thin smile didn’t match father’s full-fledged grin, it was because I had prayed for aguitar or a piano. 我淡淡一笑，满不像爸爸那么喜笑颜开，因为我一直巴望着有一把吉他或一架钢琴。
2.3.3.2 Omitting PronounsOne of the devices to achieve cohesion in English is to use pronouns to refer to the nouns previously mentioned, but the use of pronouns is not as common in Chinese as in English. Therefore, so long as the meaning is clearly expressed, the pronouns are always omitted in E-C translation.(41) I wrote a letter to him last week, but I wonder if he has received it. 我上周给他写了一封信，不知收到没有。
(42) The significance of a man is not in what he attains but rather in what he longs to attain.人生的意义不在于已获取的，而在于渴望获得什么样的东西。
2.3.3.3 Omitting ArticlesArticles are a special English word class. There are no articles in Chinese, so when translated into Chinese, they are always omitted. For example:(43) Any home appliance must be handled with care whether it is a TV set, a VCR or amicrowave oven. 家电都需要轻拿轻放，不论是电视机、录像机、还是微波炉。
(44) Autumn is the truth. It had to be autumn (unless the fabled apple fell unseasonably) thatinspired Newton to discover the law of gravity. 秋天就是真理。
只有秋天才能激发牛顿发现万有引力定律的灵感，除非那只传说中的苹果落得不合季节。
But it should be pointed out that when the indefinite articles “a”and “an”are used to express the meaning of “one”, it shouldn’t be omitted. Similarly, when “the” is specially used to indicate something or somebody, it should not be omitted. For example:2.3.3.4 Omitting Prepositions2.3.3.5 Omitting “it”2.3.3.6 Omitting Link V erb “be”2.3.4 RepetitionBrevity is highly valued in both writing and translation in English and Chinese. However, sometimes the author or the translator may repeat some words or sentences purposefully for emphasis or enhancement of the artistic appeal. Repetition is different from redundancy; it is a kind of rhetorical device. In addition to repeating what is repeated in the source text for rhetorical effect, the translator needs to repeat what’s omitted in the source text to make the translation clear.2.3.4.1 Repetition to Reproduce the Rhetorical EffectRepetition is an important rhetorical device in English and Chinese. It is used to lend emphasis to the things described or appeal to the readers’feelings, so what is repeated in the source text should be repeated in the translation too. For example: (1) When I go into a bank I get rattled. The clerks rattle me; the wickets rattle me; the sight of themoney rattles me; everything rattles me.我走进银行就心里发慌。
办事员使我心慌；柜台窗口使我心慌；我看到钱也心慌；一切都使我心慌。
(2) A housewife is a housewife. That’s all.家庭主妇终归是家庭主妇，就是这么回事。
2.3.4.2 Repetition for Semantic CompletenessSome words that should be repeated semantically are often omitted syntactically in English, yet the whole sentence or text remains natural in expression and complete in meaning, but it won’t be the case if it is translated into Chinese directly for it does not conform to the idiomatic usage in Chinese. Thus, the translator should repeat what is omitted to make the translation achieve semantic completeness.A. Repetition of NounsNouns are repeated in the following cases: first, when a noun is modified by two or more modifiers, then it is usually repeated in the version (such as sentences (1) and (2)); second, when the noun used before a repeated preposition is omitted for syntactic brevity in the source text, it is repeated in the translation (such as sentence (3)). Sometimes it’s necessary to convert the noun into the verb or other parts of speech. (1) The chief effects of electric currents are the magnetic, heating and chemical effects.电流的主要效应是磁效应、热效应、和化学效应。