The Translation Of Historical Texts From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

The report is based on the translation practice of one chapter excerpted from The History of China which was edited by Kenneth Pletcher and published by Britannica Educational Publishing in alliance with Rosen Educational Services.As a historical book, this book is distinctive from other historical texts in both diction and style, which makes it difficult for one to present a professional and precise translation. In order to translate the book precisely, we should employ the Skopos theory whose principles can help us to present a professional, precise and faithful translation. This report firstly introduces the reason for choosing this book, writing the report and offers a brief account of the translation project. Secondly, it gives a brief introduction to the book The History of China and the selected chapter. Then the author of this report mainly introduces the Skopos theory including its definition, development and rules.Next, the author concentrates on how to use the Skopos theory to understand the original texts and analyze certain representative examples by way of culture-loaded words, proper nouns and long and difficult sentences in association with the three principles of the Skopos theory. The author also shows how to deal with the difficulties by using specific strategies when translating The History of China. Finally, the author makes a conclusion about this report. The author concludes that the use of the Skopos theory in this report can provide some insightful translation experience to other translators.Through the analysis and conclusion of the translation strategies under the guidance of the Skopos theory, the author has obtained a better understanding of the Skopos theory, and she hopes that the translation experience could make a long-term and profound impact on the future research work and the translation of historical texts.