Translation Techniques
Translation Techniques


Speaking of translation techniques, we differ from those who tend to ignore them, or dismiss them lightly as something inconsequential. On the other hand, we also differ from those who tend to exaggerate the importance of translation techniques, or to look upon them as “panacea”(万灵药). Generally speaking, the basic translation techniques that merit our attention and are to be applied in English-Chinese or ChineseEnglish translations include:



Tension is building up. Without context, both “tension” and “build up” may have various explanations. Thus this sentence may be translated into different Chinese expressions accordingly: 形势紧张起来。/电压在加强。/张力在 增大。/ 压力在增强。
4) Equivalents Interwoven with One Another

Say Speak
Talk Tell
说 讲
谈 诉








这可说不得。 我代他向你说 话。 他说他很忙。 他说英语。 别胡说。 我说不好。



It must not be mentioned. I appeal to you on his behalf. He says he is busy. He speaks English. Don‟t talk nonsense. I am unable to express myself.
1) Word-for-word Correspondence




This is most evidently shown in proper nouns and technical terms. Eg. Marxism 马克思主义 Aspirin 阿斯匹灵 Laser 激光 Leukemia 白血病
1 Correspondence Between English and Chinese at Word Level

In most cases, there is no existing pattern for sentence translation, nor are there fixed rules for word transformation. Generally speaking, the correspondence between English and Chinese at word level may be categorized as follows:
Warming-up exercises:



1. The School of the Air (the school of the air) 2. Last evening I went to a do held by our China Study Group. 3. The see of Sydney 4. He’s unhappy now, because he had a blue with his friend just now. 5. She told me that her 18-year-old son was the baby. 6. Her mother is a sister in a Melbourne hospital. 7. 王教授精通小学和《大学》 8. 毛泽东同志的思想和学说是永存的; 关于社会注意建设总路线的基本思想; 破除迷信,解放思想; 毛泽东军事思想的一个重要组成部分,是关于人民 战争的思想; 政治问题和思想问题。

词的正确选择首先取决于对原文词义的 确切理解，而对原文词义的确切理解又 取决于对原文上下文的推敲。用词要忠 于原文，不能凭“大概”“差不多”。 这就要弄懂汉语的意思和所用英文词汇 的真正准确含义。如：




1他们省吃俭用，为的是替国家多积累资金。 They save food and expenses to accumulate more funds for the country. (save food: “把食物放起 来”) 改译：They live frugally to accumulate more funds for the state . Note:不要进行字对字的死译。要考虑中英文 的真正含义。



6. 她母亲是墨尔本一家医院的护士长。 （sister: n. senior nurse in a hospital护士长或 者市资历高的护士） 7. Professor Wang is a master of the study of ancient forms, phonology and meaning of written languages as well as the book The Great Learning. 小学不能译为primary school and elementally school,《大学》不能译为university之类。因 为 “小学”的意思“指研究文字古字形、训 诂、音韵的学问；《大学》时我国的古代经 典著作《四书》之一。”


1) Word-for-word Correspondence 2) One Word with Multiple Equivalents of the Same Meaning 3) One Word with Several Equivalents of the Different Meanings 4) Equivalents Interwoven with One Another 5) Words without Equivalents
2 Distinguish the meaning

总体说来，在英汉翻译中要真正准确地 理解英语词语的意义，往往要从以下四 个方面入手：（1）根据上下文进行判 断；（2）根据搭配来进行判断；（3） 根据语法形式来进行判断；（4）根据 词在句中的词类来进行判断。
1) Distinguish the original meaning of an English word by means of context





1. 广播学校（通过电台对各地的学生授课的学校） 误：空军学校 2. 昨晚我去参加了我们中国研究组的集会。 （do: n. social function 集会，娱乐宴聚活动）误： 把do译成了“从事活动” 3. 悉尼教廷 （see: n. the official seat, or centre of authority, of a bishop教廷） 4. 他正闷闷不乐，因他刚才和朋友吵了架。 （blue: n. an argument, quarrel or fight争吵或干 架） 5. 他对我说她那18岁的儿子是她子女中最小的。 （baby: n. a person of any age, who is the youngest of a family among brothers and sisters兄 弟姐妹中最小的）
5) Words without Equivalents


这种情况必须改变。 现在的情况不同了。 他们的情况怎么样？ 前线有什么情况? 我 state of affairs must change. Now things are different. How do matters stand with them? How is the situation at the front? We may go there, but that depends.
1. Diction


By “diction” we mean the proper choice of words and phrases in translation on the basis of accurate comprehension of the original. In the practice of translation, what perplexes us most frequently is how to find an equivalent in the language to be translated into. Great care is called for in the translation of “familiar” English into Chinese, as their meaning vary with the change in collocation or context.


8. Comrade Mao Zedong‟s thought and teachings will live for ever. The ideas underlying the general line for building socialism. Do away with all fetishes and superstitions and emancipate the mind. An important component of chairman Mao‟s military thinking is his concept of people‟ war. Political and ideology question