Translating Popular Academic Books From The Perspective Of Text Typology

As one of the premier publishing series by the Oxford University Press,Very Short Introductions(VSIs)have been translated into more than 30 different languages since its first volume got published in 1995.From an academic perspective,all titles provide intelligent and serious introductions that potentially fall under the category of scholarly monographs.For general readers,what each volume does so well is to make challenging topics highly readable by combining vivid facts with authoritative analyses.On its own,each VSI offers a clear and concise way into the reader’s topic of choice from an expert in the field.While translating Water: A Very Short Introduction by John Finney into Chinese,the author of this thesis finds that in lieu of three conventional text types put forward by Katharina Reiss,this particular book belongs to a certain mixed type where three basic communicative functions are all present in the text in question,either in alternate stages or simultaneously.The translator’s task is therefore to identify the predominant and subordinate functions of the source language(SL)text and choose the appropriate translation strategy and methods accordingly.Guided by this principle,this thesis takes concrete examples to explain how the text type theory actually guides the process of translating this particular popular academic book.Based on Katharina Reiss’ s work on text types and text varieties,this thesis identifies the manifold SL text functions of Water: A Very Short Introduction and proposes a refined framework of translation strategy that takes into consideration both the predominate and subordinate functions of the SL text.The predominant informative type of text is translated by taking a semantic approach for the adequate retention of content.To this end it is necessary that some long sentences be divided,and what is conveyed implicitly in the SL text be explicated in the target language(TL)text.As for the subordinate expressive type of text,direct speech sentences are translated word for word to maintain the invariability of their content,whereas the chapter headings are translated by identifying with the artistic and creative intention of the SL author.Since the operative elements of the SL text are presented in a persuasive manner,adaptive translating methods like paraphrase and idiomatic translation are adopted in order to trigger off analogous impulses of behaviour in the TL reader.With some reflections on the translation process,the author of this thesis finds that the text type theory has the potential to provide detailed guidance on selecting the appropriate translation strategy,though Reiss’ s typology can be further developed into a multifunctional one.The refined framework can be perceived as valuable tools for translators in translation activities including pre-translation analysis,reverbalization in translating and optimization after translation,enabling them to establish an appropriate hierarchy of equivalence levels and choose such strategies that would best serve to preserve the given purpose,function and intention of the SL text.