A Functional-stylistic Study On Written Discourse Translation In Instruction Manuals Of Domestically Manufactured Household Appliances

As a research method in linguistics,functional-stylistics stems from system-functional linguistics put forward by Halliday.It has blurred the boundaries between the traditional styles and content by emphasizing the relationship between language,context and social situation,and provided a systematic guidance to discourse analysis.Nowadays,more and more Chinese products have entered into the international market as a result of globalized economy,which brings about new challenges to their instruction manual writing and translation.As a special discourse,bridging the gap between manufacturers and users,instruction manuals help users understand the characteristics of the products and guide them through how to use them,which unconsciously influence their behavior.Although much attention has been paid to the research of instruction manuals,systemic research on them is far from satisfactory.In addition,there are few manifest advances in instruction manual translation,and a systematic theoretical guidance is needed in practical translation.This research plans to choose five instructional manuals out of four brands as samples,which are Haier,Gree,Midea,and Joyoung.Given linguistic features and functions,suggestions on translation are provided.Combining functional-stylistics with translation,this thesis attempts to address three research questions: 1.What are the stylistic features of the written discourse in instruction manuals of domestically manufactured household appliances? 2.What are the stylistic functions of the written discourse in instruction manuals of domestically manufactured household appliances?3.How to make written discourse in instruction manuals of domestically manufactured household appliances more appealing to users during translation?The research results show that many terminologies can be spotted in instruction manuals of domestically manufactured household appliances which represent the high technology employed by the manufacturers.With the help of non-verbal communication,the information is conveyed in a clear and direct way.Different clauses choices perfectly match their situations which give the users detailedexplanation of the products.Material process plays the dominant role in the instruction of household appliances which delivers most information and guidance to users.Mental process is used to analyze how users feel or perceive the products,which is scarce in the manuals.In relational process,intensive relation circumstantial relation and possessive relation are analyzed.Intensive relation is used to introduce the brand or to describe certain properties of some components while circumstantial relation helps to reveal the specific condition of how things work.Possessive relation clauses are the most frequently employed clauses describing the relationship among different components.Interpersonal function is represented in mood system and grammatical person system.The wide use of imperative clauses shows the producers’ confidence in their products,helping users get information in an efficient and effective way.The use of third person ranks first among the grammatical person system which helps to create a proper atmosphere in explaining details to users.The textual function is realized by thematic structures.The use of unmarked themes can be found in the introductory part of the manual,most of which comprise simple sentences.The use of marked themes has displayed multiple functions in instruction manuals.This study can provide people with the following insights.Firstly,guided by functional-stylistics,a systemic research method is provided.Secondly,combining functional-stylistics with translation,a new method of translation has been proposed.Last but not the least,as a special bridge between manufacture and users,instruction manuals play a significant role in sales and much work needs to be done to improve the brand competitiveness.