A Report On English-Chinese Translation Of Modal Verbs In Privacy,Regulations And Cybersecurity

The source text of this translation practice is the book Privacy,Regulations and Cybersecurity.It focuses on the development of privacy protection and cybersecurity and enumerates many laws and regulations about privacy protection in several regions around the world,so as to provide certain advices for companies in the area of cybersecurity.The book has many complex sentences and fixed expressions,among which the extensive use of modal verbs is a major feature,so the translation of them is a difficult task in the translation process.According to Palmer’s trinary division of modality in 1979,this report classifies the meaning of modal verbs involved in this book into three categories:epistemic modality,deontic modality and dynamic modality,and summarizes the translation strategies of the modal verbs as follows:1.When the modal verb expresses epistemic modality,"may" and "might" are usually translated as“可能”(kěnéng)and“也许”(yěxǔ)for possibility,and "must" is translated as“一定”(yídìng)for necessity.2.When the modal verb expresses deontic modality,usually translate "must" which expresses mandatory command as“必须”(bìxū),translate "may"and "can" which express permission as“可以”(kěyǐ)and translate "shall" which expresses rights and obligations as“应当”(yīngdāng)and sometimes it can also be omitted.3.When the modal verb expresses the dynamic modality,"will" is translated as“愿意”(yuànyì)for willingness and "can" is translated as“能”(néng)for ability.By categorizing the different modality expressed by modal verbs,it is possible to clarify the specific meaning of modal verbs and convey the information of the source text.The translation of this book will enrich the translation practice of texts on cybersecurity and privacy protection,and have some implications for the translation of modal verbs.