On The English Translation Of Expressions With Chinese Characteristics From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

Skopos theory is the core of German functionalism.It holds that the purpose of translation determines translation behavior and translation strategies,and shifts the focus of translation research from the source text to the target text.Skopos theory consists of three principles,including the skopos rule,coherence rule,and fidelity rule,of which the skopos rule is the primary one,and the other two rules are subordinate to it.This theory provides a new perspective for translation research and practice.Xi Jinping:The Governance of China contributes Chinese wisdom and solutions to the promotion of human peace and development,and become an important way for the world to understand China in the new era.This study analyzes the main features of expressions with Chinese characteristics(ECC)in Xi Jinping:The Governance of China(Volume Ⅳ)and aims to explore the application of translation strategies and the three rules of Skopos theory in the English translation of expressions with Chinese characteristics through case analysis with a view to providing references for the subsequent research and practice of related translation.This study collects 238 Chinese expressions from this book and classifies them into three categories:98 poetry,ancient Chinese prose,proverbs,and common sayings,96 quadra-syllabic expressions,and 44 numeral abbreviations,and then analyses the translation strategies adopted by the translators under the guidance of Skopos theory to achieve the translation purpose of presenting China’s development philosophy and spreading Chinese culture to promote cultural exchange and integration.The study finds that,1)The main features of ECC are wide-ranging,contemporary,unique and has rich cultural connotations.The poetry,ancient Chinese prose,proverbs,and common sayings have rich cultural elements and the truth behind them is also of great practical significance.The quadra-syllabic expressions have terse structures,vivid images,and a strong rhyme.Numeral abbreviations are concise in form and rich in connotations;2)The English version of Xi Jinping:The Governance of China(Volume IV)is the unification of the translation strategies of domestication and foreignization.The translation method liberal translation is used under the guidance of the strategy of domestication,including paraphrase and idiomatic translation;the method of literal translation is used under the guidance of the strategy of foreignization.Translation techniques used in the target text include addition,omission,division,combination,and shift.Translators flexibly use different translation strategies,methods,and techniques according to different contexts and translation purposes.The target text conveys the information concisely and accurately in accordance with the skopos rule;the translator takes full account of the cultural background of the target readers and the expression habits of the target language,so that the translation follows the coherence rule;the translation conveys the content of the source text based on the translator’s interpretation of the purpose of the translation and understanding of the source text,following the fidelity rule.