E-C Translation Of Patent Specification On Tea Of Unilever:a Perspective Of Skopos Theory

As an important part of productive forces, science and technology have caused much more concern and attention. Patent documentation, being a kind of scientific and technical literature, is of great importance owing to its high value in reference and use. It protects applicants’ intellectual property rights rather than material interests. However, the research on patent translation has long been overlooked. Many researchers and patent translators have studied on the lexical, grammatical and stylistic characteristics of patent documents, yet they have not provided systematic academic support for patent translation. This thesis endeavors to use Skopos theory to examine the process of E-C translation of patent specification.The skopos in Skopos theory often refers to the communicative purpose of the translated text which is usually decided by the initiator of translation. Translators should translate according to the initiator’s requirement, and also can take part in the determining of communicative purpose. Translators will always subconsciously take the target readers into consideration when translating. According to the three basic rules of Skopos theory, namely skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule, translators should give full consideration of the communicative purpose of the translated texts and choose the appropriate translation strategy in translation.Unilever, being the globally recognized company of food and daily chemical products, has put much attention on patent application in China. With the patent on tea of Unilever as an example, this thesis analyzes its structure and text features. Then a comparative analysis between the source text and the target text is carried out, and the factors which influence translation are analyzed. Based on the differences in text features and functions, a patent specification can be divided into three parts:the Background Information of Invention, the Detailed Description of Invention and the Claim(s). With the guidance of Skopos theory, the general standards of translated texts can be proposed, such as precise, full and concise. Through analyses, the author arrives at the following conclusions:1. To translate the Background Information, the translator should put the skopos rule at the first place. The target text should be objective.2. To translate the Detailed Description of the Invention, the translator should follow the coherence rule primarily. The language should be professional, clear and readable.3. To translate the Claim(s), the translator should abide by the fidelity rule mainly. The translation should be precise, yet ambiguous under some circumstances.Then various translation techniques such as division, reorganization and conversion are introduced accordingly to meet the standards. Finally, the thesis provides some suggestions to the translation of patent specifications.