The Characteristics and Translation of English for Science and Technology (EST)25.doc

The Characteristics and Translation of English for Science and Technology (EST)Acknowledgement The preparation of this paper has been a long and hard but exciting and meaningful project and one, which would not have been possible without the help and encouragement of my teachers, parents, and friends.Throughout the process of writing my thesis, I obtained much help and encouragement from my supervisor Professor Tan Weiguo and all my respectable teachers in the Foreign Languages College of Shanghai Normal University during my four-year collage studies. I have benefited a lot from their meticulous scholarship, great attainment, and patient encouragement. I want take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to them. Then, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to my dear parents. They worked very hard to raise me up and give me this opportunity to be educated in Shanghai Normal University. They show me all their love and offer me a great deal of encouragement in the process of writing the paper. I love them endlessly. In addition, I would like to thank my best friend Sun Hefei, who provided his PC to support me to write this paper. Finally, I want to acknowledge the contribution of my beloved friends who brought me a lot of happiness during the process of my writing.AbstractWith the worldwide dissemination of science and technique, English for science and technology has been developed into an important language in the scope of science and technology. Since the 1970s, it has aroused extensive attention and led to much research among different nations. English for science and technology plays an important role in scientific and technical communication all over the world. In order to put it into more common use, translators have translated many scientific and technical documents. This paper discusses the translation of English for science and technology according to my own experience.The paper is divided essentially into four parts. Firstly, it introduces the development of English for science and technology, what the English for science and technology includes and the characteristics of scientific documents. The first part covers the basic conceptions and principles of translation, including what translation is, what the principles of translation are, the literal and free translation approaches, and basic information about translation of English for science and technology.The second part, the most important part of this paper, shows the main characteristics of English for science and technology and their translating methods. The third part introduces the elegance in the translation of science and technology. And it also includes my own opinion about the topic. Finally, the paper sums up some key points about translation of English for science and technology on the basis of what is introduced previously. I hope that readers will obtain some knowledge about the translation of English for science and technology from this paper. And I hope this paper will serve as reference and guidance for the students who are interested in English for science and technology. 摘 要随着科学技术在全球范围内的广泛传播，科技英语已经发展成为一种重要的英语语体，七十年代以来引起了国际上的广泛注意。科技英语是各国进行科学技术交流的重要工具。为了更广泛的让大家知道更多关于科技英语的知识，科技英语语体的特点和翻译方法成了翻译者们的热门研究课题。我将在这篇论文里，根据自己学习掌握到的科技英语的特点和一些翻译方面的理论知识，谈一谈科技英语的翻译。 论文大致分为四个部分。论文首先介绍了科技英语的发展、科技文献的特点和科技文献的内容。第一部分简单介绍了翻译的基本理论，如翻译的概念、翻译得原则标准、直译和意译以及翻译与科技英语。论文的第二部分是主要部分，介绍了科技英语的主要特点及各个特点的主要的翻译方法并举例说明。最后简单介绍了科技英语翻译中的文采问题同时也表达了自己的观点。在论文的最后通过以上的介绍总结了科技英语汉译要点。 通过这篇论文的介绍，希望读者对于科技英语有一个初步的了解，能掌握一些科技英语翻译的简单方法，给今后科技英语翻译的学习作一个借鉴和参考。CONTENTS PageAcknowledgement 2Abstract . 3I. Introduction . 6II. Brief Discussion of Main Characteristics of EST . 2.1 The Vocabulary of EST 2.2 General Use of Nominalization . 2.3 Extensive use of the passive voice . 2.4 The Long and Complicated Sentences . 2.5 More Non-Finite Forms of Verbs . . III Basic Translation Theory 3.1 Definition of Translation . 3.2 Translation Standards3.3 Major Translation Approaches3.4 Translation Process . Translation of English for Science and Technology(EST) . 4.1 Literal Translation of EST 4.2 Free Translation of EST4.3 . . Conclusion . . . References .IntroductionThe English for Science and Technology (EST) emerged in the 1950s (冯梅，2000：加页码) It was the outcome of the swift development of science and technology after World War.Since the 1970s, the EST has aroused worldwide attention and led to much research among different nations. With more and more science papers published in English, the EST, a major variety of English, which is different from the daily English and literary English, has emerged as the times require with its own typical characteristics. And now it has become a significant language variety.The EST generally refers to both written language and spoken language about science and technology. It includes scientific books, papers, reports, experimental records and schemes; various scientific intelligence and scripts; the practical scientific handbooks (operative means including instruments, machines and tools); scientific films, videos and sound materials with the caption, etc. An important and perhaps surprising feature of English for Science and Technology is that its normal style is common to both written and spoken communication (刘宓庆，1998: 加页码)The EST has its own characteristics such as high-level specialization, new concepts, complicated structure, simple and clear language, more declarative sentences, extensive use of the passive voice, many complicated and long sentences, etc. Compared with other literary forms, it has higher-level scientific nature, organization, accuracy and closeness. Translation and English for Science and Technology1. Brief Introduction to Translation 1.1. What is translation?Translating is rending from one language into another, i.e. the faithful representation in one language of what is written or said in another language. Translation covers a very broad range. Some people believe it is a science, others take it as an art; and yet many consider it a craft or rather, a skill. Nida, a famous American translator, says that translation is not only an art, a technique or a creation of literature but also a science. (冯梅，2000: 加页码) If the word “translation” refers to a subject, namely, the study of translation theory and skills, it is no doubt a science, just as any subject is, with its own rules, laws and principles for the translator to abide by. 1.2. Principles of Translation The main principles of translation are faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance (信、达、雅) which were first proposed by Yan Fu(严复) in1898. (作者名字，2001：加页码) The English for Science and Technology (EST), which will be discussed later, emphasizes particularly the principles of faithfulness and elegance. 1.1.3. Literal Translation and Free Translation Literal translation and free translation are two familiar approaches of translation. The so-called literal translation, lterally speaking, means, “not to alter the original words and sentences”; strictly speaking, it strives “to keep the sentiments and style of the original”. For example, crocodiles tears(鳄鱼的眼泪), chain reaction(连锁反应) and gentlemens agreement(君子协定) are translated in a literal way. Free translation is an alternative approach which is used mainly to convey the meaning and spirit of the original without trying to reproduce its sentence patterns or figures of speech(比喻). For example, the following are translated by acting on the approach of free translation: Adams apple(喉结), at sixes and sevens(乱七八糟), It rains cats and dogs.(大雨滂沱) Do you see any green in my eye? (你以为我是幼稚可欺的么?). Literal translation and free translation are relative concepts. In other words, there is no absolute “literal” or entirely “free” version in the practice of translation. They are usually adopted simultaneously in the process of translation.1.3. The Characteristics of EST TranslationThe translation target of EST is scientific documents. The scientific materials are characterized by preciseness. So the EST requires accuracy and logicality of its translation. So EST translation is marked by objectivity, standardization, distinctive feature in literary form, regular syntax and realism. Objectivity means that the translator cannot change the original ideas, neglect the information or put own comments in the process of translation. He must translate the original into Chinese version accurately. By standardization it is meant that he should always use some professional expressions like technical terms. The translators are required to use the official translations to the original?. By realism, the translation of EST is closely related to our daily life. As we know, newly created technical terms are pouring into English for science and technology. The accumulation of new words is quite important. The characteristics of EST will be discussed in following chapters. For the translation of EST, two criteria are almost always accepted, namely, the criterion of faithfulness/ accuracy and that of smoothness. In the process of translating the EST, translators acquire adequate knowledge of EST and the relevant background. And then according to its characteristics, the translators convey the information to the readers or the audience by using standard, professional and logical target language. It is quite necessary to make better translation of the English for Science and Technology.2. The Characteristics and English-Chinese Translation of EST2.1. The Vocabulary of ESTWith rapid and remarkable advances in modern science and technology, an increasingly large number of English technical terms have arisen in our daily life, giving rise to a new genre of register with vocabularies outside the range of ordinary educated man English for Science and Technology (EST).The development of science and technology provides an extremely abundant vocabulary for EST. This is also the main and most essential source of the modern new words. (Preface, 6,000 Words, A Supplement to Websters Third New International Dictionary)不是夹注！2.1.1. The Characteristic Vocabulary of EST The most remarkable characteristic of EST is extensive use of technical terms. There are several characteristics of EST vocabulary. 2.1.1.1. Specialization of the Words in Common Use Technical terms are used widely in EST. A great number of them come from the words used commonly in our daily life. But they have strict technical meaning in EST. EST borrows words in common use to explain the professional technical concepts. This was called “building 词义理据 by imagination” in semantics. That means 以引申或扩展（包括借助于各种修辞格）的基本词义来给新的概念命名，符合英语一词多义和词性转化的历史传统。In modern English, 新兴科学在传统科学的影响下，尽量利用传统旧词，赋新意于旧词。For example, 遗传工程学的发展给旧词template( 刻印模版，pattern or gauge usu. A thin board or mental plate used as a guide in cutting or drilling metal, wood, etc. ADD) 带来了新义：“遗传密码载体分子”（a molecule in a biological system that carriers the genetic code for another macromolecule-WTNID, 6,000 Words）(刘宓庆，1998: 326). After careful research, we will find that the new meaning origins from the basic meaning of a word. It is the extensive meaning of “pattern” and “gauge”. Chinese is different from English in this aspect. In Chinese, new meanings give rise to new words. 2.1.1.2. One Word with Multiple Meanings 一词多义 is another characteristic of the EST vocabulary. One word with multiple meanings means that many may adopt a common-used word subjects or has different meanings in one subject.? For example, “transmission”, in radio engineering, it means “传送” or “播送”; in mechanics, it means “传动” or “变速”; in physics, it means “透射”; in medicine, it means “遗传”, etc. But there is no such a word with multiple meanings in Chinese for science and technology. Besides these two, there are several other word-building methods for EST vocabulary. That is what we will talk about next.2.1.2. Translation Methods of EST VocabulariesGenerally, there are two methods in the translation of EST vocabularies: literal translation and free translation. The literal translation includes transplant, transliteration and pictographic translation, etc. The free translation includes deduction, extension and explanation, etc. By transplant, we find the meanings of morphemes of a word and put them together. By transliteration, we translate the word by its pronunciations in English. By pictographic translation, we describe the shape of the article indicated by the English word. By deduction, we conclude the meaning of words by both contextual meaning and the explanation in dictionary. By extension and explanation, we translate the word in its extensive meanings. We will have further discussion with the word building of EST in the followings.2.1.3 Word-Building of EST and TranslationThere is no special requirement for the translation of EST in comparison with general English except wording and characteristic structures. From the respect of linguistics, the vocabulary of EST was formed by way of functional shift, borrowing, deriving, compounding, acronym, blending and so on.(科技英语实用教程，人民解放军总装备部队训练教材编辑工作委员会，国防工业出版社，2003.1)? The word building methods include compounding, blending, affixation, acronym and borrowing. Beside, there are some other ways of word-building like clipping, back-formation, coinage, functional shift and borrowing from the foreign words. (文体与翻译，刘宓庆, translation theory and practice series,，中国对外翻译出版公司，1998.8)? 2.1.3.1 Affixation Affixation is an important way of coining new English words and technical terms, with prefix and suffix as inseparable elements of the words being coined. The advantage of affixation is evident: it is the most flexible means of forming new words and its potential of creation is almost boundless, therefore it is extensively used in the formation of technical terms. Besides prefix and suffix of English origin, there are some foreign borrowings, noticeably the Latin ones, e.g. mini- (微) ，bio- (生命、生物) ，thermo- (热), electro- (电), aero- (空气), carbo- (碳), hydro- (水), -asis (表示疾病), -mania (狂热), etc. if we are familiar with these prefixes and suffixes, many technical terms can be translated appropriately. We can use the translation method of transplant. Her