It is preferable and advisable to employ the literal method in translating Chinese political texts on condition that the translated version can be understood by or have the same impact on the target readership as the original does on its readership. The first appearance of such a translation sometimes might be strange and exotic to the target readers, but it will be gradually accepted by them or even be established in the target language such as the case with “paper tiger”. However, the translator shall take cautions against “false friends”, including words and grammatical constructions which seem to be very much alike but which in fact have quite different meanings and functions. For example, the Chinese word“社会的”and English word “society”(or social)do not always parallel in their associative meaning. Though“社会科学”can be literally rendered into “social science”, “社会秩序”shall not be translated into “social order”, since the word “social” implies something related to political system in English. So it is better rendered into “public order”. Therefore, if literal translation fails to be contextually intelligible and linguistically acceptable to the target readership, other methods shall be employed.
4. 3 Literal translation plus explanation
Some terms in Chinese political text may be difficult to render, so the translator has to alter the form to some extent to achieve the same effect. Nida says, “ to translate precisely out of the source language is not to observe the number of words, but the perfect sense and meaning.”[8] The following three techniques are concerning the ways of how to make adjustment.
“There is a tendency for all good translations to be somewhat longer than the originals….This tendency to greater length is essentially due to the fact that one wishes to state everything that is in the original communication but is also obliged to make explicit in the receptor language what could very well remain implicit in the source-language text, since the original receivers of this communication presumably had all the necessary backgrounds to understand the contents of the message.” [9] Therefore, in cases when the terms are basically novel and illegible for the target readership, it is preferable to add an explanation to the literal translation. Many foreign readers have no or insufficient background on Chinese politics, history, society and culture, so there is a need for additional notes or for extra information in a form of explanation, which is of course unnecessary in the Chinese original. For instance:
“三讲”讲学习讲政治讲正气emphasis on three things: study, politics and integrity
市政府要办的X件实事X major projects that should be given top priority as designated on the municipal government’s working agenda
把改革开放说成是引进和发展资本主义认为和平演变的主要危险来自经济领域这些就是左。
To regard reform and opening as introducing and developing capitalism and to see the danger of peaceful evolution coming mainly from areas of the economy are“leftist” tendencies.
The English version of example “‘三讲’三讲讲学习讲政治讲正气”does not completely give up the original form; instead he literally reproduces this culturally unique form followed by explanation of them. In this way, the translation does not only maintain the brevity of the original, but also get the meaning of“三讲”across to the target language readers. Compared to the explanatory rendering of“三讲”(emphasize the need to study, to have political awareness and to be honest and upright), the literal translation plus explanation shows its superiority of maintaining the form and content of original version over the latter one.
While in example “市政府要办的X件实事”, the translator renders“X件实事”literally since the target readers have no difficulty in perceiving it. However, though a literal rendering of“市政府要办的”into “which the government is designated to do” is also understandable, it is unsatisfactory in reflecting how the municipal government attaches priority to the X major issues just as the Chinese readers can perceive from the context. Translation of this kind will lose its due impact on the target readers. Therefore, the translator chooses an explanatory translation “that should be given top priority as designated on the municipal government’s working agenda” at the sacrifice of the brevity of literal translation, which can truly reflect the meaning of the original but also can let the target readers know how the municipal government attaches importance to the issues as the original did.
“和平演变”in above example is literally rendered into“peaceful evolution”.In spite of the common core of meaning, China and the western countries differ in their political concepts about“和平演变”.The Chinese readers know better what“和平演变”actually entails in the Chinese context. Although the translation sounds natural and smooth, it does not convey the political connotation of the term to the target readers. To have a complete transcription of the original, we may translate it literally plus an explanation: Regarding reform and the open policy as means of introducing capitalism, and seeing the danger of peaceful evolution towards capitalism as coming chiefly from the economic sphere are “Left” tendencies. The explanatory “towards capitalism” in this translation presents the target readers a complete meaning of“和平演变”.Faithfulness to the associative meaning is often ignored by some translators of Chinese political text. Adding the political connotation in a form of literal translation plus explanation is one way of transferring both designative and connotative meaning.
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