E-C Translation of English for Polymer Science and Engineering

Wang Ran

(Tianjin University,Tianjin 300000)

Abstract：Polymer science and engineering (PSE),a discipline which studies the polymer' s design,synthesis and manufacturing,plays an increasingly important role in the development of national economy.Under the guidance of Eugene Nida' s functional equivalence theory,this thesis explores the strategies and methods of the E-C translation of English for polymer science and engineering.

Key words:Polymer science and engineering;English for science and technology;Functional equivalence theory

The thesis consists of three chapters.Chapter 1 analyzes the linguistic features of English for PSE which includes the common usage of terminology,acronyms,and specialized generic words at lexical level,the extensive use of passive sentences,long sentences and attributive clauses at syntactic level and the beauty of simplicity,accuracy and logic at discourse level.Chapter 2 introduces the theory of functional equivalence and its development.Chapter 3 discusses translation techniques from three levels of vocabulary,syntax and text from the perspective of functional equivalence.

In this case,a translator could apply translation techniques and strategies appropriately under the guidance of functional equivalence according to the linguistic features of the source text,so as to ensure that the translated version conveys the original meaning objectively and achieves smoothness and naturalness.

1 Introduction

A noted scientist Qian Sanqiang once pointed out that“English for science and technology in many countries has become a new field of modern English”(Liu Junping,2012:1).English for Science and Technology is divided into two categories:English for specialized science and technology and English for popular science and technology,and involves many fields,such as politics,economy,science and technology.

English for technology gives prominence to the logic and accuracy of language,and presents its own distinct characteristics.In the translation of English for science and technology,the translator has a great influence on the quality of translation.Therefore,exploring the translation of English for science and technology,conforming to the trend of social development,can lay a solid foundation for promoting the integration of global economy and the internationalization of science and technology innovation.English for polymer science and engineering,as a branch of English for science and technology,plays an increasingly important role in international science and technology exchanges.Chinese belongs to the Chinese-Tibetan language family,while English belongs to the Indo-European language family,hence,there are great differences in terms of vocabulary,syntax and discourse between the two languages.If the translator ignores the differences in translation,then mistakes are inevitable[1].

This paper analyzes the language characteristics of English for polymer science and engineering,and introduces some basic methods and techniques of English to Chinese translation based on Nida' s functional equivalence theory.

2 Linguistic Features of English for Polymer Science and Engineering

English for polymer science and engineering belongs to a branch of science and technology English,and is significantly different from Law English and News English in three aspects:vocabulary,syntax and discourse.

2.1 Lexical Features

2.1.1 Extensive use of technical terms

Scientific and technological texts explore the mysteries of the world and reveal the objective laws of the development of things.Vocabularies in these texts must be rigorous and accurate,and usually involves the use of a large number of technical terms.Such vocabularies often have the characteristics of single meaning and fixed spelling.

2.1.2 Extensive use of acronyms

Acronyms have the characteristics of strong professionalism,large amount of information,single expression,which can objectively and accurately convey meanings.In English for polymer science and engineering,there is heavily use of abbreviations,for example,“PTFE”is an abbreviation of“polytetrafluoroethylene”;“AIBN”is an abbreviation of“azobisisobutyronitrile”;and“NBR”is an abbreviation of“nitrile butadiene rubber”[2].

2.1.3 Specialization of general vocabulary

When general vocabulary is applied to a professional field,it often takes its obscure meaning.Take“die”as an example,when the word is used as a verb,the meaning is“ 死亡 ”,however,in English for polymer science and engineering,the meaning is“模具”.The word“gate”means“浇口”;“opening”means“加料口”;and“nerve”means“ 回 缩 性 ”,to name just a few.In translation practice,the general vocabulary specialization often causes troubles to the translator' s accurate understanding.When translators encounter technical terms derived from common vocabulary,they should analyze according to the specific context rather than make up subjectively (Wei Mengfen,2014: 35).

2.2 Syntactic Features

The main requirement for science and technology English is objective and pays attention to logical clarity and accuracy,which is mainly reflected in the characteristics of sentences:the use of a large number of passive sentences,long complex sentences and sentences with attributive clauses.

2.2.1 Use of passive sentences

In science and technology English,the predicate is mostly in passive voice,which is mainly because the science and technology text mainly narrates objective things,so the position of the action executor is“irrelevant”,and the use of passive voice will also make the statement more objective and persuasive.

Example 1：

The properties of matter depend on which atoms are used and how they are bonded.

物质的性质依赖于原子的组成和成键情况。(Kuang Shaoping,2016:25)

The use of passive voice in this sentence objectively narrates the fact,making it easier for the reader to focus on the things in the narrative,that is,the things on which the composition of matter depends:the composition of atoms and the bonding situation.

2.2.2 Use of long complex sentences

The scientific and technological text describes objective things and contains a large amount of information,so there are more modifiers in the sentence,such as attributive clauses,adverbial clauses,appositive clauses,so it often results in long sentences.Before translating,the translator should carefully analyze the grammatical structure and logical relationships between the components of the sentence and translate it on the basis of correct understanding of the original text.

Example 2 ：

It is well known that wood is a combination of cellulose fibers in a lignin polymer“matrix”and that bone is a combination of inorganic hydroxyapatite (calcium phossphate compound) and organ Type 1 collagen protein fiber,but the point here is that,for each of these materials,it is the specific combination and interaction of their constituent parts that together impart the observed desirable physical and mechanical properties.

众所周知，木材是由木质素聚合物基质中的纤维素纤维组合而成，而骨头则是由无机羟基磷灰石（磷酸钙化合物）和有机 1 型胶原蛋白纤维结合而成，但是这里关键的一点是,对于这些材料中的每一种而言,特定的组合和各种组分之间的相互作用赋予材料具有可见的理想物理和机械性能。(Kuang Shaoping,2016:167)

This sentence is a long complex sentence,having multi-purpose and connection,which mainly introduces the composition of wood and bone,and the importance of combination and interaction between various components.

2.2.3 Use of sentences with attributive clauses

It is easier to use attributive clauses to discuss the author' s point of view clearly,because the scientific text reveals the law of the development of things,and the sentence structure is more compact and more complicated.

Example 3:

Instead,at some temperature below the melting point,they start to lose their crystalline structure but the molecules remain linked in chains,which results in a soft and pliable material.

当温度低于熔点时，聚合物的晶体结构破坏，但其分子仍然连接在分子链上，从而形成一种柔软和柔顺性材料。(Kuang Shaoping,2016:37)

Sentences with long attributive components are frequently applied in informative texts,making it difficult to figure out the structure of various components and the logical relationships between them.Therefore,when dealing with attributive clauses,the first step is to analyze the sentence structure[3].

2.3 Discourse Features

Discourse feature analysis plays an important role in text translation.“Translation process is the process of text generation initiated by discourse”(Neubert,1992:43).Xu Yuanchong（2003）believes that there are“three beauty”in translation,namely,the beauty of meaning,the beauty of sound,and the beauty of form.The organic combination of“three beauty”realizes the embodiment of the traditional criteria of translation“faithfulness,expressiveness,elegance”.

3 Introduction to the Theory of Functional Equivalence and its Development

The issues of meaning,equivalence and translatability became a constant theme of translation studies in the 1960s and were tackled by a new“scientific”approach followed by Eugene Nida.Nida put forward the concept of“two basic orientations”or“types of equivalence”in 1964,i.e.formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence.They are defined by Nida as follows:formal equivalence focuses its attention on the message itself,in both form and content.(Nida,2001:65)

3.1 Nida' s Concept of Functional Equivalence

Functional equivalence is a well-known theory in the field of translation,proposed by Eugene Nida,a famous American linguist and a representative of the translation theory of Western linguistic school.Translation consists of reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence of the source language message,firstly in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style (Nida,2001:65).

3.2 Development of Functional Equivalence

In Nida' s 1969 textbook Language and Culture,“dynamic equivalence is defined in terms of the degree to which the receptors of the messages in the receptor language respond to it in substantially the same manner as the receptors in the source language”(Nida,2001:98).The term“dynamic equivalence”is superseded by“functional equivalence”in his work From One Language to Another.However,there is essentially not much difference between the two concepts.Dynamic equivalence is the quality which characterizes a translation in which the message of the original text has been so transformed into the receptor language that the response of the receptor is essentially like that of the original receptors.

3.3 Application of Functional Equivalence to Translation

Formal equivalence refers to that the translation is the same as the original text in language form.But English and Chinese are different language systems,the same form may fail to have the same effect.Functional equivalence emphasizes reader' s psychological response.The readers of the the translation should have the same psychological response as readers of the original text.Functional equivalence facilities the exchange of information,conforms to the habit of target language and is easy to understand.For example,the correct translation of“to teach fish to swim”should be“关公面前耍大刀”,but if it is translated as“教鱼游泳 ”,the readers will be confused.

4 Translation of English for Polymer Science and Engineering

Translation skills are flexible,the source language and the target language are greatly different,without flexibility,they can not be translated (Ye Zinan,2013:56).Translation techniques are used to avoid the translation flaws and improve the quality of translation.There are many types of common translation skills,this chapter mainly introduces vocabulary,sentence and text translation skills[4].

4.1 Translation of Words

According to the lexical characteristics of English for polymer science and engineering (EPSE),literal translation,conversion and omission are techniques commonly adopted.

4.2 Translation of Sentences

“Translating consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence of the source-language massage,first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style”(Nida,1969:25).Thus,the translator should adopt flexible translation methods to convey full and precise information to the target readers.According to the characteristics of English for polymer science and engineering,the following mainly introduces translation method of three kinds of sentences:passive sentences,sentences with attributive clauses and long complex sentences.

4.2.1 Translation of passive sentences

As is mentioned above,English for polymer science and engineering involves the heavy use of a lot of passive sentences,while in Chinese,active sentences are often used.In translation,we should avoid the use of“ 被 ”.When we translate these passive sentences,two methods are usually chosen.The first is translating according to the original sentence.When using this translation method,we can choose some alternative words in Chinese to express the passive meaning in English,such as“是......的，让......给，为......所”,and“可以”which can be used in scientific literature to express passive meaning.The second is that in the absence of the subject,the original text can be translated directly into the active voice.

4.2.2 Translation of sentences with attributive clauses

Attributive clauses are opposite in both English and Chinese.The elements that modify nouns in Chinese are placed ahead of nouns,while in English they are placed behind nouns.This difference requires the translator to adjust the word order in the translation,but it also depends on the specific situation:if the attributive clause is shorter,we should put it ahead,while the attributive clause is longer,we should not change the position.

Example 1:

The composition gradient across the interface indicates chemical interaction between the two phases which leads to improved adhesion.

(玻璃与金属)界面的成分梯度特征表明在两相之间发生了相互化学作用，这种作用可以改善黏附性。(Kuang Shaoping,2016:119)

The translation of Example 1 changes the order of the attributive clause.Then the target text conforms to the expression habits of the target language,so the communicative function of message can be better realized.

4.2.3 Translation of long sentences

The structure of long sentences is complex and there are many modifiers,so the sentence components should be carefully analyzed before translation.English for science and technology favors long sentences,while Chinese tends to use short sentences.“Therefore,the translation of clipping some long sentences is a common translation method”(Ye Zinan,2010:85).

4.3 Translation of Discourse

According to Halliday and Hasan,the conceptual meaning relationship of a discourse has cohesive functions,namely,five cohesive relationships:reference,substitution,ellipsis,conjunction and lexical cohesion (Halliday,2001:32).The text is composed according to a certain logical relation or order,we should not only take into account the skills in sentence translation,but also make clear how the components and sentences are connected,and then carry out translation.Then the translation will be more coherent,and the translator should have the overall grasp of the article and a better understanding of the content of the original text.

5 Conclusion

This paper analyzes the linguistic features of English for PSE which includes the wide use of terminology,acronyms,and specialized generic words at lexical level,the extensive use of passive sentences,long sentences and attributive clauses at syntactic level and the beauty of simplicity,accuracy and logic at discourse level.Under the guidance of Nida' s functional equivalence theory,this paper is concluded by proposing translation skills from the three levels of vocabulary,syntax and text in order to improve the translation quality.

The translation practice is a complex process dealing with the transformation of words,sentence structures and discourse cohesion.Therefore,it contributes to the translator,s bilingual proficiency and translation skills,from which precious experience has been acquired.Sufficient preparation is the basis of successful translation.Translators should not only improve their bilingual proficiency,but also strengthen their professional knowledge learning.