A Practice Report On The E-C Translation Of A Body In The Attic (Excerpt) From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

This paper is an English-Chinese translation practice report.The source text is excerpted from the first four chapters of an American mystery A Body in the Attic by an American best-selling mystery writer Elizabeth Spann Craig.The novel mainly tells the story about one of the main protagonists Miles,after discovering the body of his friend Darren in the attic,with his sidekick Myrtle as the amateur sleuth in the town,teaming up to find out the culprit and the truth.The source text characterizes simple words and a vivid and humorous language expression,with strong readability and entertainment.Since this mystery is a popular literature,to bring a pleasant reading experience to the target readers,the author regards Skopos Theory as the theoretical guide to carry out the translation practice.According to Vermeer’s renowned Skopos Theory,translation is a goal-oriented act.It is the translator that determines which translation method and translation strategy to adopt in the light of the specific purposes.Thus,under the guidance of Skopos Theory,the author embroiders on exploring and analyzing the suitable translation strategies and methods at the lexical,syntactic and stylistic level in the process of translation.This report consists of six chapters.Introduction briefly describes the background and significance of the selection of this subject.Chapter One is a description of the translation task,including its background information and the whole translation process.The second chapter is a detailed analysis of the source text upon its writer and features.The third chapter is an analysis of Skopos Theory and its basic three rules.The fourth chapter is of uppermost priority among the report.Herein,the application of translation methods such as:conversion,the use of four-character pattern,division,reorganization,colloquial expressions etc.are explained exhaustively.The rationality of these clicks is confirmed by case studies on the translation at the lexical,syntactic and stylistic level.Finally,Conclusion summarizes the author’s experience and her own weaknesses.This translation practice provides the author with a valuable opportunity to combine theory and practice.