A Report On The Translation Of How To Read Paintings(Chapter Two)

This report is based on the translation of the second chapter of How to Read Paintings written by Christopher P Jones.The source text provides a fascinating analysis of fifteen classic oil paintings made in Western tradition.From works by Raphael to Klimt,Dürer to Monet,this wide-ranging book delves into the content in which these images have been articulated,including their symbolic meanings,stories,and compositions.In terms of Reiss’ s Typology,the original text is an informative text,conveying art appreciation knowledge and focusing on the content and topic.The source text is rich in art terms,cultural images,and the third code;the dashes and colons are flexibly utilized to reach syntactical coherence;citations are applied to form a more rich and logical context.This report consists of six parts: the translation task description,an analysis of the source text and its linguistic features,the translation process,the guiding theory,case study and conclusion.Guided by Hans Vermeer’s Skopos Theory,the translator follows the rules of skopos,coherence,and fidelity to solve the translation difficulties at the lexical,syntactical and textual levels.Appropriate translation techniques of amplification and annotations are utilized to deal with the art terms,cultural images and the third code.The functions of dashes and colons are also considered to cope with the punctuation marks in translation,which contain explanation,addition,contrast,enumeration,introducing sub-points and explanation.Two main methods are applied: first,to retain the mark;second,to delete it and then convert it into other punctuation marks or add conjunctions.The techniques of conversion,division,combination and amplification are employed to translate the citations.This report is expected to provide applicable references and advice for future translators and help them better understand the linguistic features of art appreciation texts and the practical translation techniques and methods to enhance readability.