论文总字数：30471字

摘 要

众所周知，每年，中国召开两会，国务院总理会在全国人民代表大会上作《政府工作报告》，总结上一年的政府工作情况，汇报下一年的政府工作计划和目标。《政府工作报告》属外宣材料，政策性强，行文和用词具有中国特色，所以《政府工作报告》的翻译必须准确反映原文，译文的好坏将直接影响国家的国际形象及声誉，因此，探讨政府工作报告的翻译显得尤为重要。

本课题以奈达的功能对等理论为指导，以《2013年政府工作报告》的英译本为例，从词汇和语篇层面对其中出现的中国特色政经用语的翻译进行分析、探讨，总结政府工作报告的特点，翻译过程中出现的常见问题以及解决这些问题的策略和方法。课题的研究对外宣材料的翻译有一定的指导作用。

关键词：政府工作报告；功能对等理论；中国特色政经用语

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

3. Introduction of the Functional Equivalence Theory 3

3.1 The Definition of the Theory 3

3.2 The Significance of Applying the Theory to Political Translation 4

4. Features of Government Work Reports 5

4.1 Vocabulary Features 5

4.2 Syntax Features 5

5. The Functional Equivalence Theory Applied in the Translation of the Economic and Political Terms with Chinese Characteristics 5

5.1 Political Vocabulary 6

5.2 General Words 7

5.3 Big Words, Degree Words 8

5.4 Macro Vocabulary 9

5.5 Words with Parallelism 10

6. The Functional Equivalence Theory Applied in the Translation of the Sentences 11

6.1 Adjustment of Word Order 11

6.2 Combination 11

6.3 Repetition 12

7. Conclusion 13

Works Cited 14

1. Introduction

Government work reports in China can be mainly defined as important speeches and remarks given by the leaders, policy documents, official reports, or newspaper editorials in the fields of foreign affairs, cultural exchanges, business and trade, science and technology, etc. Peter Newmark has divided the texts into three types——the expressive text, the informative one and the vocative one (Newmark, 2010: 12). The speeches and remarks of the political figures basically belong to the category of “expressive texts” while the official documents and reports of the government can be categorized, to a large extent, as “informative texts”. Most of the political documents are usually a combination of at least two types of functional texts, mostly “expressive texts” and “informative texts”.

Government work reports serve as one of the most important channels of external propaganda. Objectively speaking, government work reports are typically political materials. It is worthwhile to make a research on the translation of government work reports because such research can not only make a summary analysis but also put forward some new ideas contributing to the future translation of government work reports. From a subjective point of view, doing research on translation of government work reports may help English-major students to master more political vocabulary and learn more about political translation. Besides, such kind of research is of great use for them to take part in exams like Shanghai Higher Interpretation, CATTI, CETI, and etc.

The purpose of this research can be listed as follows. First of all, the research aims to make a summary analysis of political translation, which helps the readers comprehend the features and translation strategies of government work reports. Secondly, the research focuses on the application of functional equivalence theory to the translation of government work reports. Its purpose includes pointing out the advantage of using this theory. Last but not least, in terms of the phenomenon of Chinglish, the research lists some examples in 2013 Government Work Report, gives some suggestions put forward by famous translators, and at the same time, offers some ideas of the author.

External propaganda has three “getting close to” principles. It should be close to the reality of China’s development, to China’s information needed by foreign audience, and to thinking habits of foreign audience. The same is true in political translation. (Jia Yuling, 2013: 110) However, at present, political translation has some problems such as redundancy and Chinglish. Foreigners may have difficulty in understanding Chinese government work reports because of poor translation. Nida’s functional equivalence theory is definitely appropriate for the research of political translation including economic and political terms with Chinese characteristics. This theory emphasizes on vocabulary, syntax and passage equivalence, which is suitable for political translation. This thesis will focus on how to apply functional equivalence theory to political translation, the existing problems in political translation and relevant solutions.

This thesis comprises seven chapters. Chapter one serves as an introduction and presents the significance, purpose and opinion. Chapter two reviews the former research achievements and current status. Chapter three proceeds to introduce the functional equivalence theory. Chapter four summarizes features of government work reports. Chapter five discusses equivalence in the translation of economic and political terms with Chinese characteristics by giving examples, analysis and solutions. Chapter six briefly discusses equivalence in the translation of the context. Finally, chapter seven concludes the whole thesis and points out the significance and limitations of the present thesis.

2. Literature Review

Throughout the history of translation in China, the translation of government work reports is still in its infancy. Since the May Fourth Movement, many scholars have made great contributions to translating Marxist Classics into Chinese. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the formal C-E translation of government work reports emerged. In the 1950s, senior translators like Qian Zhongshu and Wang Zuoliang, together with other English scholars, successfully translated the first three volumes of the Selected Works of Mao-Tse-tung. After the implementation of reform and opening up policy, political translation has boomed and played an increasingly important role.

In terms of the previous works and papers in this field, there are a few to be listed. Wang Nongsheng, working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, points out that “Chinglish is one of the major problems affecting the quality of C-E translation”(Wang Nongsheng, 2000: 31). Jia Yuling, senior translator from Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, stresses the problem of Chinglish in political translation based on the translation of government work reports( Jia Yuling, 2003: 26-28). Xu Meijiang, puts forward the idea of “innovation in translation” and “standardized translation”(Xu Meijiang, 2003: 2-4). Guo Jiading, language expert in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mentions “political meaning” in his article (Guo Jiading, 2002: 59-60). In recent years, people have begun to study political translation from different perspectives. Wang Xiaoping applies text analysis to the C-E translation(Wang Xiaoping, 2008: 151-155). Yang Mingxing proposes the concept of “politically equivalent” (Yang Mingxing, 2008: 90-94) when discussing the translation of Deng Xiaoping’s works.

To sum up, these scholars have pointed out major problems of political translation such as redundancy and Chinglish and also put forward some useful suggestions.

3. Introduction of the Functional Equivalence Theory

3.1 The Definition of the Theory

Eugene Nida is one of the most distinguished contemporary linguists and translation theorists in the west. Representative of Western translation, Nida is known as “The Father of Modern Translation Theory”. From the 1960s to 1980s, Nida put forward functional equivalence theory based on his translation of Bible. His two major works in the 1960s are Towards a Science of Translating (Nida, 1964) and the co-authored The Theory and Practice of Translation (Nida and Taber, 1969).

In terms of Nida’s view of language, each language has its own genius, and to communicate effectively one must respect the genius of each language; anything that can be said in one language can be said in another, unless the form is the essential element of the message; to preserve the content of the message, the form must be changed.

According to Nida’s concept of translation equivalence, “equivalence” cannot be understood in its mathematical meaning of identity, but in terms of proximity, i.e. on the basis of degrees of closeness to functional identity. The translator must strive for equivalence rather than identity. In a sense, this is just another way of emphasizing message reproduction rather than conservation of the form of the utterance. To reproduce the message, one must make a good many grammatical and lexical adjustments. For example, the Hebrew idiom “bowels of mercies” cannot be literally rendered into English if one really wants to communicate the message of the source language, for though we have the words “bowels” and “mercy” in English, we simply do not employ this combination. A meaningful equivalent is “tender compassion”, and it is precisely in this manner that many translations attempt to reproduce the significance of this source-language expression.

As the core of Nida’s translation theory, “dynamic equivalence” is reader-oriented. The relationship between the receptor and message should be substantially the same as that which existed between the original receptor and message.

Above all, Nida’s translation theory is one of the most influential translation theory among all the modern western translation theories and has remained as a hot topic in China for almost two decades.

3.2 The Significance of Applying the Theory to Political Translation

First of all, Nida has classified vocabulary into four categories: object word, event word, abstract word and relational word. (Nida 1964) This classification overcomes the restraint of traditional grammar on translators. As a result, when literal translation is impossible, translators can change the part of speech in order to convey the most appropriate and natural feeling to the readers. For example, “标本兼治” can be translated as “seek both temporary and permanent solutions to the problems”.

Secondly, Nida maintains that meaning is the most important, while form the second. The functional equivalence theory believes that the relationship between the translation and audience should be fundamentally identical to that between the original text and its receiver. There are some differences between Chinese and English language. Therefore, translators should pay more attention to equivalence of meaning.

Thirdly, government work reports are full of Chinese characteristics. Translators must respect and learn about cultural differences, with the purpose of making audiences from different countries understood. According to Nida, a good translator must be more familiar with two cultures than languages, and attach importance to context.

To sum up, functional equivalence theory emphasizes on vocabulary, syntax and passage equivalence, which is suitable for political translation.

4. Features of Government Work Reports

4.1 Vocabulary Features

First of all, government work reports are formal. Generally speaking, government work reports refer to fundamental policies of the nation and party. Therefore, formal choices of words can display its solemnity. For example, modal adverbs, four-character phrases and terminologies are common in political documents.

Secondly, government work reports are accurate. When involving statistics, uncertain words like “about”, “nearly” seldom appear.

Thirdly, government work reports contain Chinese culture-loaded words. Phrases like “socialism with Chinese characters”, “Deng Xiaoping Theory” are typical of Chinese characteristics and have no relevant translations in English.

4.2 Syntax Features

As we all know, Chinese is a parataxis language and the Chinese people tend to use repetition to realize coherence. In contrast, English is hypotaxis in structure by using the conjunction words. Government work reports are characterized by short sentences. The structure of sentences is similar. Parallel sentences with few conjunctions are often used.

5. The Functional Equivalence Theory Applied in the Translation of the Economic and Political Terms with Chinese Characteristics

As Nida said, to preserve the content, you must change the form. When translating government work reports, equivalence is a fundamental principle. However, loyalty never means word-for-word translation. Translators should compare the differences between Chinese and English, pay attention to Chinglish and translate with flexibility.

5.1 Political Vocabulary

Accuracy is a fundamental requirement of political translation. It is after careful considerations and comparisons that every word with its accurate meaning can be adopted. In particular, there are many political vocabulary, involving guidelines, policies, and national sovereignty. In order to make a good translation, translators must fully understand the original text, especially the political connotations and implications of words and expressions. Translators must take a serious attitude towards such kind of vocabulary. Below are some examples.

例1. 坚持反对腐败，加强廉政建设

初译：construct clean politics （十三届五中全会词汇，《中国翻译》，1990年第2期）

改译：strengthen political integrity

Nida believes that accuracy is very important in the translation of political vocabulary. The word “construct” means engineering, and “politics” has a derogatory sense. Therefore, the former translation is not appropriate. The latter translation pays attention to the meaning and sense of the vocabulary, contributing to equivalence in the translation. In this way, the foreigners can have a better understanding of the word “廉政建设”.

例2. 确定了全面建成小康社会和全面深化改革开放的目标 build a moderately prosperous society in all respects

“全面”once was translated as “across the country”. This translation emphasizes on “across the country” which is obviously wrong and breaks the equivalence of meaning.

例3. “一国两制”“港人治港”“澳人治澳” “one country, two systems”, the people of Hongkong governing Hongkong, the people of Macao governing Macao

These words refer to the policies regarding Hongkong and Macao affairs. They should be translated with accuracy on the basis of a right understanding of the meaning. For example, “一国两制” means “一个国家，即中国；两种制度，即社会主义制度和资本主义制度”. The translator should make sure the meaning is correctly received by target readers.

例4. 工业化 industrialization

城镇化 urbanization

信息化 application of information and communication technologies

利率市场化 make interest rates more market-based

The word“化” is common in government work reports. The former two examples can be translated with “-ization”, however, the rest can just be translated with addition because the meaning is covert and abstract. In this way, the functional equivalence of the translation is realized, which means the target readers can understand exactly the source text.

例5. 支持少数民族和民族地区发展的政策体系更加完善 ethnic minorities

From the 1950s to 1980s, the word“民族” was translated as nationality, “各种少数民族” as the minority nationalities. However, after the second world war, the word nationality began to refer to 国籍. Therefore, translators must focus on the international situation and choose the appropriate vocabulary.

From the above examples, we can see that accuracy is of great significance in the translation of political vocabulary. Translators should make clear the meanings of each word and choose the most appropriate vocabulary. For example, the translation of “精神文明”as “ethical civilization” is better than “spiritual civilization”, because “精神” stresses more on 道德. Only in this way can translators realize the equivalence of meaning to an utmost extent.

5.2 General Words

In Chinese, many policies and new social phenomenon can be summarized in a few words, which are easy to spread. When translating this kind of words, translators should complement new words to represent its hidden meaning literally or politically. Adding words should conform to the principle of “xin” and also make the translation clear and easy to understand, which realizes the aim of equivalence in the translation.

例1. 全面贯彻两岸关系和平发展重要思想 cross-Straits relations

“两岸”refers solely to Relations across the Taiwan Straits, however, foreigners are not familiar with it. Therefore, the author thinks the translation should be “relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits”.

例2. 毫不放松地抓好“三农”工作 our work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers

“三农” refers to “农村、农业和农民”. If we just aim for outward equivalence when translating, nobody would know what “三农” is about. So addition is employed here. This translation conforms to the equivalence theory and makes the foreigners have a right idea about this figure-based expression.

例3. 我们圆满完成“十一五”计划 the Eleventh Five-Year Plan

“十一五”计划 means 第十一个五年计划. If translated word-for-word, it will inevitably give rise to confusion to the foreigners who might not be familiar with the social background knowledge. Therefore, this translation successfully achieves the equivalence of meaning and makes the foreigners clear about what “十一五”计划 actually means.

例4. 义务教育学校实施绩效工资 The pay of teachers in compulsory schools is now linked to their performance.

“绩效工资” is a new word put forward in recent years. It is a jargon to Chinese readers but unfamiliar to foreigners. To explain this word, the translator paraphrases the content to give the target readers a full picture of the policy.

From the above examples, we can see that the equivalence of meaning is more important than that of form. For example, “三农” is a policy, which will cause misunderstanding if translated as “ three nong”. “十一五”计划 cannot be translate as “eleven five” either. As Nida said, to preserve the content of the message, the form must be changed. Translators should let the foreigners understand the connotations of such kind of words.

5.3 Big Words, Degree Words

Chinese rhetorical words are usually stronger than English in degree. The reasons are as follows. First of all, the use of high-sounding word is frequent. Secondly, tautology is common. Thirdly, some conventional words in Chinese don’t have actual meanings, for instance,“程度”. When translating these kinds of words, literal translation leads to repetition. Therefore, translators should reduce unnecessary words.

例1. 各种风险不断暴露的情况下 constantly encounter new risks

例2. 始终处理好保持经济平稳较快发展 strive to maintain a balance between ensuring steady and rapid economic development

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