A Report On E-C Translation Of "A Perfected Image Of Venice:1476-1500" Excerpted From Renaissance Art In Venice:From Tradition To Individualism

As the cradle of European Renaissance,Venice is abundant in Renaissance artworks with representativeness and research value.Renaissance Art in Venice:From Tradition to Individualism,a monograph written by a Renaissance expert,Tom Nichols,has given detailed and professional introduction to Venetian Renaissance art.In this case,the translation of this book will be of great significance to intercultural communication and the appreciation of foreign artworks.Chapter Three of this book,"A Perfected Image of Venice:1476-1500" introduces the artworks during 1476-1500—a boom period of Venetian Renaissance.As one of the most important chapters of the whole book and a typical descriptive text,Chapter Three has been chosen as the subject of translation practice.The report consists of four chapters:Chapter One introduces the translation task,including background information,lexical and syntactic features of the source text,and the significance of the practice.Chapter Two describes the process of translation,including preparation before translation,the schedule of translation as well as how the quality of translation is enhanced through self-revision and the others’ help.Chapter Three,with Eugene Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory as basis,analyzes typical cases at lexical and syntactic levels with translation techniques including amplification,conversion,inversion and division,etc.;at discourse level,several typical examples are also presented to illustrate how the coherence of the target text is realized.Chapter Four summarizes the experience of the practice and the problems unsolved.Through the translation practice,it can be concluded that the main function of descriptive text is to convey sensory perceptions,while the translation of these texts should focus not only on the transmission of the contents but also on the conservation of the function.In this case,when dealing with descriptive texts,a translator could apply translation techniques and strategies appropriately under the guidance of Functional Equivalence Theory according to the stylistic and linguistic features of the source text,so as to ensure that the translated version conveys the function objectively and achieves smoothness and naturalness.