A Report On The Translation Practice Of The Paradox Of American Power: Why The World' Only Superpower Can't Go It Alone(Chapter Five)

No country was able to rival the United States after the fall of the Soviet Union,but the tragedy of “9·11” was a wake-up call for Americans.The world now is shifting from Cold War age to the global information age,the question is what should Americans act with the unparalleled power? The translation practice focuses on the book written by Joseph S.Nye Jr.(1937-).From the perspective of Skopos theory combined with a large number of examples,cases and data,the report demonstrates the paradox of American power,that is,America is the world's most powerful country,but it is also faced with the decline of the power.As in the preface,the author mentions: “ My concern is deeper than the terrorists attacks,horrible though they were.It is really about America's future.” Thus the author wants to prescribe a good medicine for the suffering and twisted America.Under the guidance of Skopos theory,by and large,this translation practice includes the purpose and meaning of translation,the preparation before translation,the problems encountered in the process of translation and the application of Skopos theory during the translation process.Specifically speaking,this report can be divided into five parts,that is,the first part is the reasons why I translate this book,including the introduction of backgrounds and meaning of this book.The second part mainly focuses on the introduction of the translation task especially the characteristics and difficulties of this book.The third part demonstrates the framework of theory: Skopos theory which includes the core concept and the central idea,three major principles and some translation skills.The fourth part mainly sets translation examples to demonstrate Skopos theory in detail which analyzes from three levels---lexical level,syntactic level and discourse level.The fifth part is the conclusion which summarizes the translation experience and reflections on the problems so as to guide the translation practice in the future.This book plays a vital role in the choice of Chinese road.China has put forward the “peaceful rise” strategy and promises to oppose hegemonism and will never seek hegemony;at the same time,China should realize national rejuvenation through the development of economy and soft power instead of direct confrontation with superpowers.