Study on Translation of Chinese Political Text Under the Guidance of Skopos Theory

Han Yu

【Abstract】Nowadays， with the development of Chinas economy， more and more foreigners become interested in China. Chinese political text， with its authoritative interpretation of Chinas national policies and development status， can best help them know more about China， so we should attach great importance to its translation. This paper centers on translation of Chinese political text under the guidance of Skopos Theory.

【Key Words】Chinese political text; publicity; translation methods and skills; Skopos Theory

【作者簡介】Han Yu， Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

1. Introduction?

Chinese political text is used to inform Chinas national conditions and major policies. Consequently， it may contain political terms with Chinese characteristics， distinctive Chinese expressions， as well as culture-loaded words and phrases.

Skopos Theory focuses on translation as an activity with a certain purpose， and on the intended audience of the translation. It includes three major rules： the skopos rule， the coherence rule and the fidelity rule， among which the skopos rule is of paramount importance， for Vermeer believes that it is the intended purpose of the target text that determines the methods and skills of translation. A more detailed explanation of how these principles are used to guide translation will be given in later parts of this article.

2.Application of Skopos Theory to Chinese political text translation analysis

2.1 Application of the skopos rule to Chinese political text translation analysis

According to the skopos rule， to achieve a certain translation purpose， it allows translators to make some adjustment and take advantage of appropriate methods in the process of translation.

The goal of Chinese political text translation is to interpret Chinese thoughts， policies and Chinas development path in a way that is easy for foreign audiences to understand. Besides， it is also supposed to ensure the accuracy of party and state policies， minimizing the possibility of misinterpretation of Chinese policies by foreign media and readers. In this sense， if the source text is with unique Chinese characteristics or is clear and expressive enough， literal translation should be used first to promote Chinese culture.Examples are as follows：

“綠水青山就是金山銀山” is translated as the sentence that “Green mountains and clear water are as good as mountains of gold and silver， ” and “金磚國家不是碌碌無為的清談館，而是知行合一的行動隊” is translated as the sentence that “BRICS is not a talking shop， but a task force that gets things done”. Literal translation is used here， as the expressions by president Xi Jinping not only manage to deliver the message in a clear and vivid way but also can directly help foreign readers understand Chinese peoples ways of thinking and expression habits， so no extra information is needed.

2.2 Application of the fidelity rule to Chinese political text translation analysis

The fidelity rule means that the target language text should be consistent with the source language text. However， the degree and form of this “fidelity” depends on the purpose of the translation. Therefore， as long as the aim of the translation can be achieved， translators are even allowed to adjust the content of the source text.

More specifically， repeated words， sentence patterns， or parallel structures used in Chinese political text to reflect the seriousness of the text need to be adjusted when translated into English. We can simplify the source text by deleting the extra parts while retaining the core message of it. This skill of translation is called omission.

For example， “努力創(chuàng)造經(jīng)得起實踐、人民、歷史檢驗的實績” is translated as “ strive to achieve real results that can stand the test of time”. （Han et al.50-51）“這一概念迅速走進公眾視野并受到廣泛關注” is translated as“which soon caught public attention”. （Han et al.52-53） Without redundant information， the underlined translatum is able to deliver the core message in the original text more effectively， thus helping foreign audiences better understand Chinese thoughts and policies.

3. Conclusion?

As is shown above， the target text does not have to stick to the rigid “fidelity” to the original text. Chinese political text is designed for publicity， and its purpose is to let people know something about China， which is also the goal of its translation. This particularity of Chinese political text determines that the Skopos theory has directive significance and applicability for its translation.

References：

[1]黃友義.堅持“外宣三貼近”原則，處理好外宣翻譯中的難點問題[J].中國翻譯，2004（6）：27.