A Brief Analysis of the Translation Skills in English News Headline英语专业毕业论文.doc

A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH NEWS HEADLINE ContentsAbstract.i摘要.iii Introduction.1Chapter 1 Definition and Functions of News Headline.21.1 Definition of News Headline.21.2 Functions of New Headline.21.21 Summarizing the Story.31.22 Evaluating the Content .3 1.23 Arousing the Readers Interests .31.24 Beautifying the Paper.3Chapter 2 Requirements of English News Headline.5 2.1 Being Accurate.5 2.2 Being Concise.5 2.3 Being Vivid and Attractive.6Chapter 3 Features of English News Headline.73.1 Word Features of English News Headline.73.2 Rhetorical Features of English News Headline.93.3 Grammatical Features of English News Headline.10Chapter 4 Translation skills of English news headline .124.1 Functional Equivalence Principle.124.2 Translation skills of English news headline.13 4.21 Literal translation.13 4.22 Liberal translation.144.23 Addition .154.24 Omission.17Conclusion.18Bibliography19AbstractThe use of news headline is to introduce the main content of a piece of news to readers with brief words. As the pace of life is getting faster, many readers do not have enough time to read the whole article. And they acquire news main information from the headlines. A good news headline could demonstrate the readability of a piece of news and attract readers to read the whole article. This thesis aims to search some strategies that make the Chinese headline smoother and could stimulate the readers to read the whole article. The translation of English news headline plays a vitally important part in the understanding of English news. Due to the linguistic and cultural differences between English and Chinese .E-C news headline translation process is not so easy.This paper first provides the definition and functions of English news headline, which can summarize the story, evaluating content, arousing the readers interest, beautifying paper. Second, it illustrates the requirements of translating English news headline. Third, this paper introduces the features of English news headline. Namely, word features of English news headline, the rhetorical features of English news headline, and the grammatical features of English news headline. Fourth it provides four translation methods, namely literal translation, free translation, addition and omission that can be applied in E-C news headline translation and explain how and where to use these translation methods though some concrete examples. Finally, it comes to the conclusion. The author thinks the translator must focus on the habitual expression differences and cultural differences between English and Chinese news headline and select effective strategies to produce a quality translation.Key words: English news headline, requirements, features, translation skills.摘要新闻标题的作用是以简洁的话语向读者介绍一则新闻的主要内容。随着生活节奏越来越快，很多读者并没有足够的时间来阅读整篇文章。他们一般从标题中获得新闻的主要信息。好的新闻标题能显示一条消息的可读性并且吸引读者阅读整篇文章。这篇论文的目的是搜集一些能使中文标题更通顺，吸引读者阅读全文的一些翻译方法。英语新闻标题的翻译对读者理解整篇文章起着至关重要的作用。由于英语与汉语的语言和文化差异。英汉新闻标题翻译并非如此简单。首先，本文介绍了英语新闻标题的定义和功能，其功能有总结故事，评价内容，吸引读者的阅读兴趣和美化文章等。第二，本文说明了翻译英语新闻标题的几项要求。第三，本文介绍了英语新闻标题的特点。即英语新闻标题的措词特点、修辞特色和语法特点。第四它提供了四种能运用在英汉新闻标题翻译中的方法，即直译法、 意译法、 增词法和省略法，以及在具体事例中该如何使用这些翻译方法。最后作者得出结论：译者必须注意英汉新闻标题翻译中的习惯性表达差异和文化差异，选择有效的翻译方法才能产生高质量的翻译文章。关键词：英语新闻标题，特色，要求，翻译技巧IntroductionIn recent years, the step of globalization is getting faster, so it is necessary for people to know what is happening around the world. The English news is an important source for Chinese people to know what is happening in the world. At the same time, the pace of Chinese people life is getting faster, so people do not have much time to read the whole news and tend to acquire the main content of news from the headline. So the translation of English news headline is an important topic in translation practice. In order to translate English news headline into Chinese correctly, some effective strategies are necessary to be explored. Generally speaking, a good E-C news headline translation could help the target language (TL) readers acquire the source language (SL) headline content and attract the TL reads to read the whole article. This paper combined with case analysis the characteristics and translation skills of the headline of English news, hoping to give readers some help and insperation in English news reading.Chpter1Definition and Functions of News Headline1.1 Definition of News HeadlineNews headline is an important part of a piece of news. Collins school dictionary (2000) states, “a newspaper headline is the title of a newspaper article printed in large, bold type” Xu (2003: 213) point out news could exist without lead or background but headline. Zhu (2008: 68) claims that news headline describes the most important information of news and help readers understand the whole news and attract readers attention.Headline is a journalist jargon. It is the title of a news report or an article on newspapers especially of news. Headline is one of the main procedures of news editing. Headlines are used to summarize and advertise the content of the news report to help readers to better understand the report.)(辞海, 1980:1280). As we see from the above definitions of the headline, we can get two points: First, a headline is the jargon of the whole news. Second, a headline summarizes or makes comments on the news content that follows.1.2 Function of New Headline1.21 Summarizing the StoryGenerally a piece of newspaper consists of 4 to 8 printing plates, and the number keeps increasing now in China. While in abroad, this number can amount to hundreds. Still the kinds of newspaper are countless. Meanwhile, readers may find it difficult to read them all through due to their limited time, thus readers have to choose something from the ocean of news. We read a book from its cover and news from its headline. It is through the direction of headline that readers choose what they need or they are interested in. And usually, the most valuable part of news is mostly the collection of the report and readers care it the most, which is always hidden and may be neglected. Then, a headline makes its way to hint the most important and most fresh part in the news to the readers in most brief words.1.22 Evaluating Content Apart from the content, a headline can also show the attitude of the editors towards certain case. Then we know that a good news headline should not only summarize the content, but also aid readers to understand the meaning or significance of the case. 1.23 Arousing the Readers InterestWhile making a headline, hinting and evaluating is essential, still we need to attract readers to read the news in vivid and beautiful words. Thus, vividness is a facet that should not be neglected.1.24 Beautifying paperBesides, headlines can help to beautify the space of the paper, which is exemplified in the following two ways: First, clarifying the arrangement and consecution of the paper. Headline is just like a pair of twinkling eyes, which helps readers to get a clear idea at a glance. Similar kinds of news are usually put together to form a column and a more general headline is given, then it functions as classifying news. The paper would be such a mess if no headline is used for news and no clear clues for news would be found then. Second, enrich the outlook and appearance of paper. Headlines have quite variable kinds and forms, which is realized with the help of wordage, letterform and style, as well as beautifying process by beaux-arts means. Applied in proper way, beauty would be easily got.Chapter 2Requirements of English news headline2.1 Being AccurateThe first requirement of the headline is to be accurate. This is mainly from close and careful reading of the story. It is possible for a person to gain an accurate picture of the days news by reading only the headlines of a newspaper produced by copy-editor who pride themselves on the quality of the headline. While in fact, the copy-editor does not understand the story, fails to give the full dimensions of the story, or fails to shift gears before going from one story to another (Bai Huili, 2008:78).2.2 Being ConciseA headline should be concise so that the essence of the news could be fully displayed. Long headlines will only stifle the important parts of the news, reducing readers interests toward the news. According to the psychology experiments, people read the word when his eyeballs stop beating, on which circumstance, a headline within 10 words could be seen clearly. The longer a headline is, the more frequent the eyeballs stop. Thus people will get tired easily. It is not appropriate for making a headline too long as people usually sweep their eyes across headlines, so long headline will be hard for them to understand in the twinkling of an eye.2.3. Being Vivid and AttractiveThat is to say, a headline should be vivid and attractive through a series of ways used in it, such as using something typical in a headline, or quoting some sentences well-known, some words more than one meaning. Different sentences forms could be applied, such as interrogative sentences, retorting sentences etc. Thus readers could have a better understanding to the content of the news. Chapter 3Features of English News Headline3.1 Word Features of English News HeadlineIn the English language, news headlines living in above the main content of news reporting, in newspapers and magazines, the layout space is quite valuable, and should as far as possible with a minimum length to accommodate the maximum amount of information, language of the English news titles make high demands. First, the widely used noun term in English news headlines and a brief minor term (Midget words). To save ink and space, in the header of the function words (including the verb be) is saved, the rest are mainly substantive, especially nouns. And ideographic function of the noun has a strong, informative, and compatibility with a wide range of syntax (grammaticality), it can act as multiple parts, such as adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and other roles, can also be expressed in a clear and concise form and structure of a complete syntactic concepts, such as The Columbine Tapes (影带惊魂). The Population surprise 人口下降 (the decrease of the population surprises people). Superkids 超级儿童之谜(can supermen creat Superkids?) Sought to use a limited number of words to express the content of news, not only with nouns of English news headlines but also prefer to select those short or less-letter words. These short, straightforward, vivid word not only strengthening the news of the wording of the simplicity and readability, but also mediation beautify the layout to save space, for example: Aid=assistance (帮助)Body=Committee/Commission (机构，委员会)Blast=explode (爆炸),Ban=prohibit/forbid (禁止),End=terminate (结束，终止)Nod= Approval (批准，同意)Poll=election poll/public opinion poll (选举民意调查，民意测验) Second, there are lots of English news headlines using the " Vogue Words " (时髦词). "New" is the life of information, but also news of life. This is determined by the nature of news. News reported to open horizons, times, everything new and new phenomenon, novel thought, new wave transmitted to general audience through various media time. First reflected on the news headline，beauty of buzzword in English News are numerous, for example: Year 2000 Bug Unstoppable for some companies. 计算机千年虫问题迫在眉睫 American Online: Often down, Never Out. 美国在线: 屡挫不败。Fashionable word is a product of the times, is a crystallization of the socio-economic transformation and the scientific and technological revolution. One is the old word of new ideas, such as: copy (复制), mouse (鼠标), Web (网站), and so on. Another one is the new Word, such as com, e-mail, e-commerce (电子商务), cyber bank (网上银行), the cyber chat (网上聊天), and so on.3.2 Rhetorical Features of English news headlineRhetoric is a skill to use accurate and vivid language to express sentiments. For the sake of form of novelty to attract readers, English news titles often used rhetorical. Example: UK Writers Fly High on World Book Day 英国作家在世界图书日独领风骚(using image language).Top Iranian Reformist Says U.S. Iran In Secret Talks (China Daily May 9 2002) 伊朗高层改革家: 美以举行秘密会谈(quotes used to readers to realism and party or authority) Love For Labor Lost? (Newsweek, Oct.16, 2000) 工党失宠了吗？-British Prime Minister Blair support rate fell (By using of asking questions can seize readers eyes and attract them to see what happened on earth ) Thank Heavens For Brussels 欧盟有救了 (use of metonymy, Brussels is the capital of Belgium, where EU headquarters is located) Accusers Accused 告人不成，反被人告 (use of humor and witty can attract readers and have reading interest) Stay Away From Birth, Gulu Tells Dads-to-be权威人士告诉准父亲们, 无须一旁伺产 (use of metaphor, Gulu for ancient Hindu leaders, original means bulk Division, here means authority persons, By using metaphor in the title can make the news of character and event more highlight) Chrome-plated Independence 电镀的独立 (use of irony, in each year chromium export volume only 80 tons of a small national, was threatened to "full self-reliance", Use the ironic title of thought-provoking, meaningful) Microsoft Opens a New Window (U.S.News&World Report Feb.26, 2001) (use of puns, "window" has both the intention of "Windows", also means new products with Microsoft WindowsXP) 3.3 Grammatical features of English news headline Present tense widely used in the English News, give the readers the feelings of fresh baked, vivid and full of life. Present tense instead of past tense is often used in English newspaper headlines. Thus can make your readers to read, such as in the field of events for news, called Journalistic Present tense (新闻现在时) English news titles commonly used verb tenses are: 1) Present tense, often used to represent the things happened in the past. 2) Future tense, infinitive to indicate. 3) Present progressive, present participle commonly used to represent, for example:Husband And Wife Team Unlock New Gene Secret夫妻联手解开新的基因奥秘French Culture Is In Doldrums法国文化颓然不振Two Beirut Hostages To Go Free贝鲁特最后两名人质“获释在望 Signs of Rift