Translation Skills in Public English Teaching

劉業勝

【Abstract】Non-English major students rarely study translation theory systematically， which requires teachers to penetrate translation them into daily teaching. The best way is to make students clearly know the translation principles. Combining translation theory in daily teaching and explaining translation skills in the work lecture can improve their translation level.

【Key words】Translation skills； daily teaching； work evaluation

As one of the basic English skills， translating is complementary with other four abilities. Most non-English major students hardly study translation theory and skills systematically and comprehensively；lack of translation skills cannot adapt to the requirement of translation. So we should cultivate students skills. Strictly speaking， ideal translation should be an art；its a linguistic activity；aiming to faithfully reappear thoughts， feelings from one language to another， but there are obvious differences between two languages， so translation cant be mechanically conversion or simple variation. The basic translation theory and skills must be understood for translating correctly and accurately.

1. Translation principles should be clearly grasped

The early translation principles were “loyalty”， “grace” and “fluency”. The original text requires the translator to maintain the language style and language characteristics of the original text， not the rigid translation. We should avoid ungrammatical and illogical translation. The process of translation is understood and expressed in two stages. Understanding is the first and expression is the second. If there is no deep understanding to the original， it is impossible to express the authors thought， but understanding is subject to expressing， the ultimate goal of translation is to express by the original smooth simple words. The most important thing is to let students understand and master skills in translation. To connect the relevant content in practice， gradually penetrate flexible translation skills to students for long can receive ideal results.

2. Translation skills should be used in daily teaching

Drop training in the class is the best way to improve the translation ability of non-English majors. To make students firmly grasp skills， commonly used practice is to give Chinese sentences and to translate into English， or vice versa. In this process， translation skills are unconsciously touched upon， which requires teachers to seize the opportunity and teach translation methods. Here the teacher should remind students “literal translation” and “paraphrase” are two important terms in translation skills. Many sentences in English are translated by free translation methods for much difference in part of speech， morphology and syntax between English and Chinese. If completely according to the literal translation， the meaning would be confusing. Based on the original text， the sentence structure should be adjusted according to corresponding translation skills， so that it can be standardized in Chinese grammar and translated into native Chinese. It can be seen that the penetration of translation skills in foreign language teaching is feasible. Through such infiltration， students can unconsciously learn translation skills. Therefore， it is important to emphasize the subtle influence， and apply relevant translation techniques to the teaching of public English， thus improving the teaching quality.endprint

3. Translation skills should be in the work evaluation

In order to improve the translation skill as soon as possible， the teacher should always leave translation exercises to students. Translation training helps promote students to master English grammar， improve students English comprehensive level and translation skills. Teachers should attach great importance to work evaluation. The common mistakes and typical errors should be corrected and analyzed， with reasons indicated. This is more direct and effective than a single interpretation of boring grammar. For students， it is difficult to escape the interference of native language in translation. They always apply Chinese rules and habits rigidly， which is bound to cause unstandardized translation. Teachers should timely guide students to overcome these problems， eliminate the influence of mother tongue， and become qualified translators. The practice proves that the penetration of translation skills in public English teaching is very feasible and effective， and is an ideal way to improve students translation level. So teachers must master translation theory and skill， grasp rich experience， catch translation theories of domestic and international research developments， and understand the process of translation criteria and translation. Only by gradual penetration can teachers ultimately achieve the goal of improving students translation ability.

References：

[1]陳新.英漢文體翻譯教程[M].北京大學出版社，1999.

[2]程曉堂，鄭敏.英語學習策略[M].外語教學與研究出版社， 2002.endprint