A Study Of English-Chinese Letter Translation Based On Politeness Principle

This paper focuses on English-Chinese translation of letters in line with the politeness principle. Most of the letters have been chosen from historical data of the University of Nanking.On one hand, politeness is a common phenomenon that is rather necessary for people to communicate with others effectively. Therefore, there are similarities between English and Chinese politeness principles. On the other hand, due to the fact that there are differences between factors like the two cultures, there are also differences between English and Chinese politeness principles. Because of the importance of politeness, many scholars have studied politeness and put forward his or her own theories, among which Leech’s and Gu Yueguo’s politeness principles are adopted by this paper. The letters chosen by the author were written by staff in the University of Nanking, the National Agricultural Research Bureau and Cornell University. As a result, they belong to personal letters, but there is also business involved. The two characteristics make the letters unique in politeness. When translating them, these features should be taken care of and necessary changes should not be neglected.