A Report On The C-E Translation Of A Brief History Of Chinese Grottoes

Historically,Chinese grotto culture has developed over a long period of time.Chinese grottoes are filled with priceless architecture,sculptures,paintings,and an endless supply of other artifacts that can be used to learn about historical religions,philosophies,national traditions,and art.Several grottoes are now considered to be part of the world’s natural cultural heritages.Yet,it is found that there aren’t many English translations that specifically introduce the grotto,which not only prevents Chinese grotto culture from spreading abroad but also has an impact on its transmission and development.This translation practice report is selected from Chapter 4 of A Brief History of Chinese Grottoes,which mainly introduces the architectural background,style and influence of Yungang Grottoes.This practice report conducts an in-depth analysis of the language style of the source text using examples of classical words and phrases to summarize the difficulties encountered in the translation process from both lexical and syntactic aspects as well as the translation methods and strategies.In terms of vocabulary,it primarily involves the translation of terms associated with grotto architecture,Buddhism-loaded words,and four-character phrases.In addition,sentences in the source text are primarily composed of multi-verb sentences,non-subject sentences,and loose sentences.In general,the author employed a variety of translation techniques at the lexical level,including literal translation,free translation,transliteration plus annotation,perceptive translation,approximate translation,and others.At the syntactical level,the author employed translation methods such as supplementing the subject,conversing the voice and the part of speech,adjusting the structural order and so on.The author has consistently paid attention to the differences between Chinese and English during the entire translation process in order to improve translation communication.Through this translation practice,it is believed that good bilingual ability is one of the essential traits of a professional translator,particularly at this pivotal time in the globalization of Chinese culture.In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics,it is necessary for translators to have strong cultural confidence,learn more about Chinese culture and establish a sense of faith in spreading Chinese culture.It is also expected that this study on translation techniques would help Chinese grottoes and Chinese international publicity better communicate their culture.