A Report On The E-C Translation Of Between Two Worlds:The Distinct Nature And Contemporary Significance Of University Museums And Collections In Europe (Excerpts)

This report is based on the English-Chinese translation of Chapter 6 of Between Two Worlds: The Distinct Nature and Contemporary Significance of University Museums and Collections in Europe,a dissertation written by Marta Catarino Louren(?)o,President of the International Council of Museums – Committee for University Museums and Collections and Director of the National Museum of Natural History and Science,University of Lisbon,Portugal.The dissertation introduces the recognition,restructuring,and significance of university museums,as well as the role university museums have played in higher education.This translation project is directly entrusted by Dr.Louren(?)o and will be published as a book in 2023,aiming to present western experience to its target readers,so that the development of Chinese university museums can be facilitated.This report mainly consists of an introduction,an analysis of the source text,an introduction of the guiding translation principles,case studies,and a conclusion.After compiling and analyzing the translation principles concerning academic writings proposed by previous scholars,the translator summarizes three translation principles suitable for this translation project: the principle of logicality,the principle of readability,and the principle of professionalism,which have taken the requirements of the initiator and the purpose of translation as the starting point and the target readers as the priority.The principle of logicality asks the translator to be able to accurately understand the original text and convert it into logical Chinese.For example,in this translation practice,there are many long and difficult sentences with coordinate expressions,so the translator adopts the translation strategy of "reorganizing long and difficult sentences and restoring the logic";for the frequently-appeared parallel structures in the text,the translator tries to make the structure balanced and highlight the logic of the sentences.The readability principle requires translators to make the readability of the translation a top priority,to help readers grasp the key points.For example,in response to the frequent use of passive sentences in the original text,the translator adopts various translation strategies,such as translating them as adverbials and diluting the subject,to improve the readability of the translation.The principle of professionalism requires the translator to preserve the academic style of the original text and reflect the professionalism,rigorousness,and objectiveness of the original text.For example,many words which are commonly used in daily life appear in the original text,but these words have different meanings in the field of university museums.In terms of this linguistic phenomenon,the translator focuses on the original context and translates them to fit the original context,reflecting the professionalism of the translation.Through this translation project,the translator draws the following conclusions: the translation should not only be faithful to the original text,but also consider all constraining factors comprehensively to make expedient choices and make the translation reasonable;in the process of translation,one should use translation strategies flexibly to meet the actual needs of the target readers.This translation report is based on a real translation project,which is relatively specific,but it is still hoped to provide some reference for future translation projects in related fields.