A Report On The E-C Translation Of The History Of Medieval Europe(Except) Under The Guidance Of "Comprehension,Expression,Adaptation" Framework

In the fall of 2020,when she just entered Yangtze University for studying translation and interpreting,the author of this report translated several chapters of The History of Medieval Europe by Lynn Thorndike.The book mainly describes the rise and fall of European empires in the Middle Ages through the description and analysis of historical events and the vicissitude of the empires and holds an important position in the field of European history research.In terms of language,this book is a professional work of history,with formal and standardized language and complicated and long sentences.Since this work is highly specialized and requires a publication-level quality translation,it poses a challenge to the translator’s comprehension,expression,and adaptatability.After the author completed the first draft translation,two revisions were made before finalizing the translation.This report details the entire process of this translation practice,summarizes the problems encountered during the translation process by comparing the initial and final drafts,explores the reasons for these problems,and showcases the solutions used in practice.This report consists of four parts.The first part is an introduction to the project,providing a detailed description of the project background,text analysis,and translating process.The second part introduces Professor Li Changshuan’s“comprehension,expression and adaptation” analysis framework or the CEA framework.The third part is a case study that analyzes the initial and final drafts of the translation,using the CEA framework as a guide.In terms of understanding,the focus is on exploring the understanding of background knowledge and the choice of common words.In terms of expression,the author proposes the use of accurate and fluent wording and avoiding Europeanized Chinese language.In terms of adaptation,the author of this report mainly discusses adaptations in conversion,amplification,omission,division,and combination,trying to convey the original meaning in a manner acceptable in the Chinese language.This report mainly uses the CEA framework and incorporates relevant theories of other scholars to analyze the cases in this translation project.Translation is comprised of three interdependent and mutually reinforcing processes: comprehension,expression,and adaptation.Comprehension includes the understanding of the content of the original text and the understanding of the language characteristics of the original text;expression refers to the faithful conveying of the meaning of the original work or the author’s intention in a language that conforms to the readers’ habits;adaptation refers to the refining and processing of the original text by means of omission,supplementation,and change of expressions when equivalence cannot be achieved or the language is not conducive to achieving the purpose of translation.During the translation process,most of the translation problems were caused by an ignorance of the requirements in “comprehension,expression and adaptation”,resulting in inadequate comprehension,awkward expressions,and inappropriate adaptations.Based on the case study,this report examines how to facilitate the understanding of the original text with rational and critical thinking as well as internal and external tools,how to adhere to the principle of concise Chinese to improve the quality of expression,how to make suitable choices and adaptable modifications based on the purpose of translation,the information structure of the original text,the context of the translation activity,and so on.Based on the challenges encountered during the translation process,this report has identified several solutions to improving the translator’s skills,which can be summarized as follows.Firstly,translators should have good bilingual abilities,including bilingual reading and writing abilities,in order to assist in understanding and expressing the meaning of the original text.Secondly,to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of translation,it is imperative to acquire extensive background knowledge and improve the translators’ search quotient,enabling them to efficiently search for related information.Thirdly,translators may encounter ambiguous sentences that can be interpreted in different ways,and it is essential to use logical and critical thinking to determine the intended meaning and convey it accurately in the target language.Fourthly,a strong service awareness is a critical aspect of a translator’s professionalism.