Report On Translation Of Trying Not To Try:the Art And Science Of Spontaneity (Chapter1)

The source text of this translation project is chapter one of Trying not to Try: The Art and Science of Spontaneity,a book written by Prof.Edward Gilman Slingerland,who is a famous sinologist.Based on the famous early Chinese thought wu-wei,the book reviews the early Chinese philosophy.The author also combines the latest western research results to explain the importance of spontaneity and how to obtain it.Translating this book can help us know how Western readers understand the English version of Chinese classics and provide a new perspective for the translation of Chinese classics.This book mentioned some western thoughts similar to wu-wei.Translating it helps Chinese scholars to understand the western ideology and culture.In addition,after reading the Chinese version of this book,readers may have a further understanding of wu-wei and find a way to cultivate wu-wei in their life.Under the guidance of functional equivalence theory,this translation report focuses on the strategies of subject translation in English-Chinese translation.In English sentences,subject is an indispensable component which controls the verb in the clause.In comparison with Chinese sentences,subject is not a necessity but a topic is a must.That is to say,English is a subject-prominent language while Chinese is a topic-prominent language.Therefore,in English-to-Chinese translation,we should be flexible in translating the subject according to the characteristics of two languages.This translation report lists the following five categories of subject translation in English-Chinese translation: passive voice,impersonal subject vs.personal subject,“it” subject,subject with a prepositional phrase and “there be” structure.