A Report On The Chinese-English Translation Of Records Of Streets And Alleys In Chengdu(Excerpt) On The Basis Of Functional Equivalence Theory

Records of Streets and Alleys in Chengdu is Yuan Tingdong's masterpiece which depicts the city,streets,alleys,rivers and bridges of the old Chengdu.It narrates their history and culture in the era from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the initiation of the reform and opening-up.The translator is responsible for the independent translation of the section about streets and alleys like Dongsheng Street,Xisheng Street and Longxu Alley East,as well as the description of relevant historical characters.This translation activity helps to acquaint English readers with the geography,history and culture of the old Chengdu,and to promote their understanding of the prosperity of this metropolis.The excerpt mainly consists of factual information,which reifies the history and culture of the old Chengdu by depicting its streets and alleys as well as the historical celebrities involved.Meanwhile,Yuan Tingdong also expresses his emotions in the section about character description.In addition,terms,paratactic features and long sentences are characteristic in the source text,which differ considerably from English diction and sentence structuring.The translator selects functional equivalence theory as the guidance for this translation project based on the source text features.The theory points out that a literal correspondence is enough if it is functionally equivalent in the semantic sense;otherwise,proper adjustments in form are needed to achievenatural equivalence.In accordance with the theory and Chinese-English differences,the translator adopts literal translation(with annotations),transliteration(with annotations),free translation,restructuring,etc.,to convert the meaning and style of the source text into the target.The informative,expressive and emotive functions of the source text are expected to be realized in the target text,and it is probable to produce an acceptable translation.This translation report is composed on the basis of source feature analyses.Under the guidance of functional equivalence theory,the writer carries out a case study in the main body to explain how she comprehends and renders the source text.As the informative function is of a major role in the source text,analyses about the equivalence of this particular function account for a large proportion in the case study.The translation project combines functional equivalence theory with translation practice.It enhances the translator's capacity for doing translation,increases her theoretical and academic literacy,and may possibly contribute to the rendering of relevant literature.