On The English Translation Of The Political Essays In The New Era

For a fairly long period, great importance has been attached to literary translation to the neglect of non-literary translation in translation studies and practice in China. Over the past few decades, especially since the "reform and opening-up" drive, translation studies are moving towards an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural orientation. In the meantime, the economic and cultural globalization is gaining new momentum with an avalanche of information exchanges, and the scope of translation studies and practice has been expanded to include both literary and non-literary translation.Generally speaking, translation practice falls into literary and non-literary translation, and political essays account for an important part of non-literary translation. The translating of political essays, sharing certain characteristics of literary translation, though, has its own peculiarities. In non-literary translation, common translation techniques may be applied, but new strategies and principles must be explored.The third plenary session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which was held in 1978, marks a new era in China's history. Since then the "Reform and Opening-up" has become the theme of our times. With the deepening and development of the economic and political reforms, China's international standing has been enhanced and its influence expanded since the implementation of the "reform and opening-up" policy, especially over the last decade. As a result, economic, political and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world have been tremendously increased. Both China and the world are very much pressed to know more about each other.The twenty-odd years since the "reform and opening-up" drive is a periodwhen China moves from isolation to opening-up and from backwardness to modernization, a period that gives rise to new ideas and new concepts and a period when cultural exchanges continue to strengthen. These new ideas and concepts have undoubtedly posed new challenges to the Chinese translators, and a systematic study of such neologisms reflecting the new ideas and concepts is therefore of great theoretical and practical significance.This thesis, consisting of five chapters apart from introduction and conclusion, attempts a synchronic and multi-perspective study of the English translation of the political essays in the new era.The thesis starts with a stylistic analysis of the political essays in the new era in Chapter One, exploring their general characteristics. Chapter Two, on the basis of the differences between Chinese and English, explores the translation techniques used in translating political essays. Chapter Three focuses on the translation of neologisms in the political essays in the new era. Chapter Four discusses the criteria for the English translation of political essays. Chapter Five approaches the translation of political essays in the new era from a socio-cultural perspective.It is concluded that the characteristics and functions of the political essays in the new era require different translation techniques and criteria. In translating political essays, the translator has to bear in mind the typical stylistic features and the purpose of translation. Against the background of cultural globalization, the effective translation of political essays in the new era is conducive to disseminating the contemporary Chinese culture and will serve a window for foreigners to know China in an all-round way.