Basic Knowledge of Translation TheoryI.Translation1.Definition1)The definition in the old days●“译即易，谓换易言语使相解也。
”——贾公彦(618-907) 唐朝●“夫翻译者，谓翻梵天之语转成汉地之言。
音虽似别，义则大同。
”——法云(960-1279) 宋代It means that translation is a rendering from one language (Source Language) into another (Target Language), remaining the meaning.●The British scholar Dr. Samuel Johnson once said: “To translate is to change into another language, remaining thesense.”2)The current definition●The American translation theorist Eugene A. Nida wrote in 1964: Translation consists in reproducing in thereceptor language the closest natural equivalence of the source language, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style.（所谓翻译，是在译语中用切近而又最自然的对等语再现原语的信息，首先是意义，其次是文体。
）1)再现原文的信息(message)而不是保留原文的形式结构(formal structure)2)对等(equivalence)不是同一(identity)3)对等是最贴近、自然的对等4)意义是优先考虑的因素5)文体很重要●The British translation theorist Tytler’s definition in 1970 about translation: “A good translation is one which themerit of the original work is so completely transfused into another language as to be as distinctly apprehended and as strongly felt by a native of the country to which that language belongs as it is by those who speak the language of the original work.”●Prof. Huang Long TranslatologyTranslation may be defined as follows:The replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL) （翻译可以作以下界定：用一种语言（目的语）的文本材料对等地再现另一种语言（源出语）的文本材料。
）1)部分地替代2)对等概念In summary1)Translation is the information transferring between two languages and the cultural communication betweentwo language families.2)Translation is a rendering from one language into another. Translation is a science, an art, a bilingual art, acraft, a skill, an operation and communication.3)Translation is a representation or recreation in one language of what is written or said in another language.4)Translation is a kind of science because it was a whole set of rules governing it and certain objective laws to goby in the process of translating.2.Varieties of translation1)Interpretation and written translation2)In terms of SL and TL, Interlingual translation语际(不同语言之间)，Intralingual translation语内(同一语言rewording)，Intersemiotic translation符际(eg.把语言符号用图画、手势、数字或音乐来表达)3)In terms of style, political essay政论，practical writing应用文，science and technology科技，literary translationII.Translation Criteria or Principle●Tytler’s: Essay on the Principles of Translation, 17911) A translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work.译文应完全复写出原作的思想。
2)The style and manner of writing should be of the same character as that of the original.译文的风格和笔调应与原文的性质相同。
3) A translation should have all the ease of the original composition.译文应和原作同样流畅。
●Yanfu’s: Faithfulness, Expressiveness and Elegance (信、达、雅)1.“Faithfulness” means the full and complete conveyi ng of the original content of thought.2.“Expressiveness” demands that the version should be clear and flowing without any grammaticalmistakes or confused logic and sense.3.“Elegance” refers to the use of classical Chinese before the Han Dynasty.In summary, the first two words as translation criteria are acceptable. The original meaning of “Elegance” is unacceptable for today, but we can give it new sense -----elegant style in translation.●Others:Lu Xun’s (鲁迅)translation principle:Rather be faithful (in thought) than smooth (in language) in opposition to Liang Shi-qiu’s translation principle in 1930s. (宁信不顺)Fu Lei’s付雷translation criteria: TL should be similar to SL both in Form and in Spirit. (形似、神似)Liu Chongde’s刘重德translation criteria: faithfulness, expressiveness and closeness. (信、达、切) faithfulness: to be faithful to the content of the original; expressiveness: to be as expressive and smooth as the original;closeness: to be as close to the original style as possible.Liang Shiqiu ‘s and Zhao Jingshen’s (梁实秋，赵景深) translation principle in 1930s: “It’s better to have a smooth version than a faithful one.”宁错务顺Eugene A. Nida’s translation principle: Dynamic equivalence or Functional equivalence or Equivalent-effect theory. The main idea is that the translator is to produce as nearly possible the same effect on his readers as was produced on the readers of the original.Peter Newmark’s translation principle: From the angle of contextual analysis, he puts forward two translation approaches: Semantic translation and Communicative translation.Semantic translation: The translator attempts, within the bare syntactic and semantic constraints of the TL, to produce the precise contextual meaning of the author. Semantic translation focuses primarily upon the semantic content of the source text.Communicative translation: The translator attempts to produce the same effect on the TL readers as was produced by the original on the SL readers. Communicative translation focuses essentially upon the comprehension and response of receptors.In summary, translation criteria: faithfulness and smoothness忠实与通顺.Faithfulness refers to that content and style of TL should be faithful to the SL.Smoothness requires that version should be clear and distinct, flowing and easy to read without signs of the mechanical word-for-word translation, of obscure language, of grammatical mistakes, confused structure and logic.III.Prerequisites of a translatorAs Zhou En-lai said: To be a good translator we should strengthen our “basic training” in the three essential aspects:1)The enhancement of our political consciousness2)The betterment of our command of the relevant languages3)The broadening of the range and scope of our general knowledge.IV.Translation strategies: foreignization and domesticationForeignization:If the translator’s preference is placed on preserving the language and cultural differences of the Source Text, we call this kind of approaches or its translation foreignizing or foreignization.Domestication: It refers the method or practice of adapting the translation to the norms and values of the Target Language and culture is called domesticating or domestication.For example,C-E谋事在人，成事在天。