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Discourse Analysis And Business English Translation Strategy

Posted on:2009-11-23Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:J X LuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360272963423Subject:English Language and Literature
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Ever since its emergence in the 1960s, the discipline of ESP, having experienced a comparatively full development both in theory and practice, has by far acquired the status of a international 'lingua franca' in almost every field of study, for on the one hand the success of the English language along with its frequent use has turned it into a vehicle for international communication; on the other hand the orientation of linguistic studies toward language as communication in social contexts has largely promoted the dignity of ESP studies in the theory that English in different fields bears particular features and calls for special techniques.Business English is an area of ESP that is relatively poorly researched. Rigorous linguistic analysis is fragmented and is more frequently based on the written forms of language such as correspondence, annual reports, and articles in business journals. Some kind of analysis has been carried out with respect to the language of meetings and discussions. With the fulfillment of the reform and opening policy in China, especially since China joined WTO in 1997, the communications between China and the abroad have been strengthened. Business English is an effective tool in fulfilling international cooperation and communication exist in hi-tech and trade economy fields. The international business can't operate without BE. BE will play more and more important a role which is worthy of much more researches. While students in colleges or universities gain their knowledge of business largely from books and, as a result, such knowledge will be incomplete and theoretical rather than practical. They will be less aware of their language needs in terms of communicating in real business situations.Business English (BE) is now attracting more and more attention from the whole society. In the last two decades, Business English has attracted increasing interest and awareness. Business English courses are offered by many language schools worldwide. Yet despite this enormous interest, Business English is an area often neglected by linguistic researchers, who prefer to work on other- more easily defined- areas of special English.BE (Business English) is currently the fastest growing form of ESP. It shares the important elements of needs analysis, syllabus design, course design, and materials selection and development which are common to all fields of work in ESP. So it must be seen in the overall context of ESP. Business English implies the definition of a specific language corpus and emphasis on particular kinds of communication in a specific context. However, Business English differs from other varieties of ESP in that it is often a mix of specific content (relating to a particular job area or industry), and general content (relating to general ability to communicate more effectively, albeit in business situation).In actual use, the previous concerns on Business English are effective communication and negotiation, technical and business writing, workplace idioms and vocabulary, and business customs and culture. When its translation is concerned, some research has been done discussing how different cultures make effects on translation. While in its discourse, Business English has its specific features, which attract us to pay attentions to seek the links between discourse analysis and translation strategy. With the translation theory, contrastive linguistics and discourse analysis growing immensely in the last twenty years or so, translation research has been given a new perspective, a tentative study on the relationship between Business English discourse analysis and translation equivalence is justified.The present thesis, basing on discourse analysis, studies Business English-Chinese translation and answers how the translation strategy will be affected. It aims at making a tentative study on the relationship between Business English discourse analysis and translation strategy. This is just the author's intention of focusing on the subject as her graduation thesis topic.Roughly speaking, discourse analysis refers to attempts to study the organization of language above the sentence or above the clause, and therefore to study larger linguistic units, such as conversational exchanges or written texts. It's a branch of linguist. In recent years, interdisciplinary research began to be carried out between linguistics and translation fields. Doing discourse analysis without a contrastive base is as incomplete as doing contrastive analysis without a discourse base and that translation is an optimally appropriate framework within which the entire enterprise of languages in contrast may be usefully dealt with. A careful consideration of what actually happens to a given text when someone attempts to mediate in communicating its 'import' across both linguistic and cultural boundaries is one way of making sure that we do not settle for a partial view of what goes on inside that text. To bring entire systems of mother-tongue linguistic as well as rhetorical conventions to bear on the act of textual transfer and to match them with those of another language, which is precisely what happens in a process such as that of translating, can only be illuminating and rewarding. Translation can thus add depth and breadth both to contrastive linguistics and to discourse analysis.In this thesis, the author gives detailed concepts of 'discourse' and 'discourse analyses, and describes the links between discourse analysis and translation. All the relative research theories in both China and the west are also explained. By analyzing Business English discourse features, the corresponding translation strategies can be concluded. What is also analyzed are from the aspects of coherence and cohesion.On the whole, supported by the data and literatures collected, this thesis is expected to serve as an aid for Business English practitioners. It is in the meanwhile assumed to be of an unprecedented significance to fill up a gap in this field in China, so that the specific purpose will be likely accomplished, consequently offering some constructive guidance for BE practice.Of course what is covered in this thesis is far from enough. A further development, the application of contrastive text linguistics to translation studies, is long overdue. The combination of the two perspectives is only just beginning.
Keywords/Search Tags:Business English translation, Discourse analysis, Translation strategy
PDF Full Text Request
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