Strategies For Translating English Texts Of Intl. Economics & Trade Into Chinese

Vigorous world economy and economic globalization have drawn our attention to English for Special Purpose (ESP). Being the"bridge of international exchange", English for International Economics and Trade now enjoys increasing popularity on the international stage. The combination between international trade expertise and English for special purpose is the overwhelming trend of world development. In light of the situation in China, it is imperative for us to consider how to introduce trade theories and practice from Western countries to China, how to communicate and cooperate in the area of trade with our Western partners, and how to push the development of trade in China to a higher degree. Consideration and resolutions of these issues will undoubtedly confirm the communicating role of international trade English, entailing the absolute necessity and urgency of studying the English for International Economics and Trade and the translation from it into Chinese. On the basis of"Communicative Translation"and"Semantic Translation"proposed by the eminent British linguist and translation theorist Peter Newmark as well as Theodore Savory's Reader Analysis Concept, this thesis discusses the linguistic features of English for International Economics and Trade, and analyzes the application of these features in translating, hoping that the English learners concerned could find a new perspective of learning both trade expertise and English. The body of the thesis composes of four chapters.Chapter One introduces the necessity of learning English for International Economics and Trade. With its increasing significance in modern economy, trade exchanges between countries have been playing a crucial role in various economic fields. The globalization of world economy has made it possible and necessary for trade exchanges to be fulfilled worldwide through English. It is pressing for both average trade dealers and professional translators in China to understand the way of putting the international trade English into appropriate Chinese. The necessity and imperatives of learning English for International Economics and Trade keep increasing.Chapter Two studies the linguistic features of English for international Economics and trade, covering lexical, semantic, syntactic and rhetorical areas. English for international Economics and trade is featured by its plenty of abbreviations, and many of its terms are derived through affixation and compounding. Therefore, it has very limited vocabulary and word-meanings. The analysis of these lexical features and their sources can familiarize us with the accepted trade expressions, facilitating our reading and translation. Viewing from the perspective of semantics and syntax, many adjectives and sentences are put after nouns as qualifiers, and lots of attributive nouns are employed to modify other nouns. It's also worth mentioning that many general words are found with completely different meanings in the specific trade context. All these semantic features, to great extent, are attributed to the characteristics of the specific subject of international trade. What's more, passive sentences and complex sentences account for a fairly large proportion in international trade literatures. As a result, emphasis should be attached to passive voice and complex sentences either in expressing trade ideas and principles in English or in translating trade information and literatures into Chinese. Last but not least, English for International Economics and Trade is also studied from the angle of rhetoric. Besides the present tense, which is the keynote in trade literature, English for International Economics and Trade tends to be plain. The lack of rhetoric that is favored by most literary text gives rise to the seriousness and rigidity in English for international Economics and trade. Last, the fact that English for International Economics and Trade is very logic and scientific is partly due to the frequent use of logic grammatical operators. The command of these rhetoric features of English for International Economics and Trade does not only help us to understand the general style of it but also enable us to practice it.Chapter Three sheds light on some translation theories, such as"communicative translation"and"semantic translation"proposed by Peter Newmark,"reader analysis"by Theodore Savory,"domestication and foreignization"and the criteria of translating the English for International Economics and Trade into Chinese. Based on these theories, the discussion emphasizes on the translation strategies for three types of English for International Economics and Trade, namely, terms, semantic, and syntactical structures. No matter which type the translator is handling, what he needs to keep in mind is the applicable translation principles for translating English of International Economics and Trade, that is, domestication and foreignization. Some phenomena that are special but common in Chinese are cited to illustrate the importance of these applicable translation principles. Last but not least, electronic means is also regarded as very effective in the present time-conscious era. Young as it may be, it turns out to be particularly helpful for translators to acquire an access to much wider source of information via Internet and greatly shortens the time of word-processing. It is bound to get broader application.Chapter Four gives rise to general principles in translating international trade literature on the basis of theories and analysis mentioned above, putting much emphasis on faithfulness, exactness and uncertainty, aiming at worldwide unhindered communication of trade theories and practices.