Matching the Differences in Grammar

Matching the Differences in Grammar Matching the Differences in Grammar and Lexicon in Translation Process Introduction In Nidas view, Translating consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source-language, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style (Nida, Eugene A., 1975: 14). In other words, translation is the process of transformation from a speech product (or text) produced in one language to a speech product (or text) in another language. During this process of transformation the level of content in the source text should remain unchanged. However, the modes of thinking and expression of English and Chinese are very different. The influential European-born American literary critic, translator, and educator George Steiner remarks, The difficulties of translating Chinese into a western language are notorious. Chinese is composed mainly of monosyllabic units with a wide range of diverse meanings. The grammar lacks clear tense distinctions. The characters are logographic but many contain pictorial rudiments or suggestions. The relations betwee n propositions are paratactic rather than syntactic and punctuation marks represent breathing pauses far more than they do logical or grammatical segmentations. (George Steiner/After Babel, 1998: 271) Chinese is a refined language with a tightly knit structure. Though it is one of the most ancient languages in the world, it still has strong expressiveness and utility value. During the process of translation, various differences between the grammar and lexicon are very common. The Chinese translator can never be so cocksure of what an English sentence or passage really means without being crystal clear about its syntactic and textual structure as well as the lexical and grammatical meanings of the expressions it contains. And a well-trained bilingual translator should have the ability to handle all these differences and give out a compete transcript of the original work, making sure the style and manner of writing are of the same character as that of the source text. In the following part, I will analyze some features in the grammar and lexicon of English and Chinese and give some translation strategies. Lexicon English has a large vocabulary. Historically, it absorbed a giant number of words from other languages, i.e. French, Latin and Greek. Given the various origins and the synonyms already existed in English, the English speaker always have several choices to express a certain meaning. Hence there are many synonyms and near-synonyms in English. Also, polysemy appears widely in this language. Chinese has copious synonyms as well as near-synonyms, too. So the translators need to carefully consider the differences between all of the options and find the right word to use in particular situations. There is no change of forms in Chinese vocabulary. The Chinese language users mainly express the meaning of a sentence through the words, the word orders and their internal logical relations. The English vocabulary has copious changes of forms, for instance, the nouns have singular and plural forms; the verbs have different forms when the person, the case, the tense, or the mood is changing; the adjectives and adverbs both have the comparative degree and the superlative degree; many words also can add the prefix or the suffix to change its meaning. While translating English to Chinese, the translator needs to add some words or change the form of Statement to show the change of forms in the English text. While translating Chinese to English, the translator should change certain forms to match the tense, the mood and the voice in the Chinese text. Here are two English sentences and their Chinese translations. His being neglected by the host added to his uneasiness (). With defenses rig idly constructed in our own childhood and beyond, we can become frozen in our ability to adapt to the new role of caring for our children in a consistent and clear manner. Normal aspects of our childrens experience such as their emotionality, their helplessness and vulnerability, and their dependence on us can feel threatening and become intolerable (,,,,) In the first sentence, added to is translated as not which is translated word by word because uneasiness means which does not fit well with . The second sentence comes from a psychological book about parenthood named Parenting from the Inside Out which was translated to Chinese by me. There are two children in the text, I translated the first to and the second . The reason is that the first one is in the text of the new role of caring for our children, it is improper to say which is too redundant. Based on the code of the Chinese language, I omitted ? which stands for the plural form and which is a part of the   subject th at needless to mention. Generally speaking, in English, nouns, prepositions, adjectives and adverbs are more active and can express more meanings in the sentences while in Chinese, verbs, phrases and clauses are more powerful. Some adverbs in English are very informative which can be translated as a separate Chinese sentence or clause. In contrast, some Chinese clauses can be translated as a certain English word. For example, ,(He is a greenhand). Grammar The overt cohesive relationships between parts of the texts are necessarily linked to a languages grammatical system (Halliday and Hasan 1976: 44). Thus, grammatical differences between languages will be expressed by changes in the types of ties used to mark cohesion in the source and target texts (Shoshana Blum-Kulka, 1986: 18). I will analyze the grammatical differences between English and Chinese in terms of sentence word order, sentence structure and paragraph awareness. Sentence Word Order There are some similarities in the word order of the sentences between English and Chinese, for example, the orders of the main part of a sentence (the subject, the predicate, the object and the predicative) are the same. The differences lie in the positions of the attribute and the adverbial. Position of Attribute In Chinese sentences, the attribute is always in front of the modified noun. As for English, if the attribute is a word, it is placed in front of the modified noun too; if the attribute is a phrase, then its position is always behind the noun. For example, The man you saw yesterday is his cousin(). Position of adverbial If the adverbial is a word, it should be placed in front of the modified adjectives and other adverbials, no matter in English or Chinese. For example, He works very hard (). While the adverbial (a word) is modifying a verb, for Chinese, it should be placed in front of the modified word; for English, the position is more flexible. For instance, IT industry has been developing rapidly in these years(IT).The molecules of a gas are moving about extremely fast in all directions (). If the adverbial is a phrase, when it is modifying a verb, in English, the position of the phrase is flexible while in Chinese, in most cases, the phrase is in front of the modified part, e.g. William left the shop without a word (). Sentence structure The English sentences value hypotaxis while the Chinese sentences pay more attention on parataxis. The English language always use morphological changes, conjunctions, prepositions, attributive clauses and absolute structures to indicate the grammatical relation between sentence elements. Having no morphological changes, attributive clauses and absolute structures and few conjunctions and prepositions, the grammatical relations between elements in Chinese sentences are often indicated implicitly. The Chinese sentential form is more casual than English. For instance, They are striving for the ideal which is close to the heart of every Chinese and for which, in the past, many Chinese have laid down their lives (,,,). Paragraph awareness In English, if the whole paragraph only mentioned one person or a certain thing, the subjects seldom change which keeps coherence of the text. As for Chinese, there is no such rule for maintaining the subjects in a paragraph. Hence, while translating a Chinese paragraph to English, the translator should pay attention to the subjects. Here is an example. ,,,,, (She got into her chair and was soon carried through the city wall. Peeping through the gauze panel which served as a window, she could see streets and buildings more rich and elegant and throngs of people more lively and numerous than she had ever seen in her life before) (Yang Hsien-yi/ Gladys Yang, 1995: 72). This sentence comes from the Classical Chinese Literature A Dream of Red Mansions and the English version was translated by Chinese translators Yang Hsien-yi and his wife Gladys Yang. The Chinese paragraph does not even mention the subject, but we can define that there are two subjects in this paragraph the person and t he street. As for the English version, in order to keep the coherence, the translator skillfully merges the second subject into the text by taking it as the object. Conclusion One of the translation standards put forward by Chinese translator and reformer Yan Fu in the 19th century is faithfulness (and the rest two are comprehensiveness and elegance). It is obvious that faithfulness is the most important standard among the three. However, there are disparities between one language and another disparities in lexicon, in grammar and in linguistic structure, etc. So it is impossible to achieve the absolute faithfulness. But a professional bilingual translator can achieve the real faithfulness in a possible sense a faithful translation in good formality with not only the original context, but also the original form and style. Though there are many differences in lexicon and grammar between Chinese and English, as long as the translators mind these differences and take the related translation strategies, they still can contribute very profound translations and help people speaking different languages communicate with each other. (1,942 words) References Halliday, M. and R. Hasan, 1976. Cohesion in English. London: Longman. George Steiner, After Babel, 1998. Aspects of Language and Translation. Oxford: Oxford University Press Nida, Eugene A., 1975. Language Structure and Translation. Stanford: Standford University Press, California Shoshana blum-kulka, 1986. Interlingual and Intercultural Communication: Discourse and Cognition in Translation and Second Language Acquisition Studies. Tubingen: Narr Yang Hsien-yi/ Gladys Yang, 1995. A Dream of Red Mansions. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press 12/16/2009   Page7 of 7

The American Indian Wilderness

The American Indian Wilderness In the essay, â€Å"The American Indian Wilderness†, Louis Owens presents a personal story to show a dramatic change in his point of view. His story revolves around a mind-altering experience in which he uses himself as the straw figure, allowing us to effectively see how he came to choose his new view and why it is better than the European view he once had. He successfully gains our trust and persuades his audience with three different personas: the unthinking, cocky businessman, the thoughtful and ashamed persona, and, at the end, the lecturing teacher.In the beginning, Owens uses the persona of the unthinking, cocky businessman. He is in the mountains to support and carry out â€Å"a plan of which [he] heartily approves. † (para. 2) He is at the extreme end of his way of thinking, believing that the Forest Service is right in their idea about wilderness. â€Å"At the end of those five days, not a trace of the shelter remained, and I fe lt good, very smug in fact, about returning the White Pass meadow to it’s â€Å"original† state. † (para. 3) He shows us that he has no doubts and completely agrees that in order to restore the wilderness, he must carry out the plan.As he heads back down the trail, he says that his, â€Å"mind was on the winter [he] was going to spend in sunny Arizona,† (para. 3) showing that there was no internal struggle over the burning of the shelter and that he truly felt that he had done his job to better the wilderness. This persona is effective because right off the bat, Owens draws us in by showing us that he has a story to tell. He doesn’t begin his story with a lecture about what the point of his essay is, as that would cause some of us to reject his theory right away.He successfully draws us into the story and slowly makes his point known while we’re all listening. By using himself as the straw figure, we are able to see how he arrived at his conc lusion and we find ourselves more willing to listen to what he has to say. We can see that this is a man with experience. We’re able to relate to him and see how his thoughts begin. Most of us can relate because, like him, we go about our day without analytically thinking about what we’re doing. If society says it’s right, then most likely we will feel good that we are doing what society ells us is good, just like what Owens does and feels. Once he gains our trust and understanding, he’s ready to lead us into the next part of his story. He now assumes his ashamed and thoughtful persona. As the women approach, he feels, â€Å"growing amazement that, by the time [they] were face-to-face, had become awe. † (para. 4) From the beginning, he has a sudden respect for these two women. We can already see that when they speak to him, he will listen, that he will be open and trusting of what they have to say.Upon hearing that they are on their way to White Pa ss, Owens completely changes his persona. Now, instead of showing the confidence and smugness he did with his original persona, he now shows that he is ashamed and calls himself ignorant. â€Å"I wanted to excuse myself, to edge around these elders and flee to the trailhead and my car, drive back to the district station and keep going south. † (para. 9) He shows us the inner conflict he is experiencing and his reaction to the news he has heard.At the moment, he hasn’t quite come to grips with his new point of view. He begins to feel ashamed, not because he realizes his view on the wilderness is wrong, but because he feels guilt about the shelter. He shows us that at this point, he feels guilty because he has betrayed his culture. In paragraph nine, he feels as if he ought to justify what he has done when he wants to say, â€Å"I’m Indian too.. † This is the beginning of his thinking process to change his point of view. Adding to his guilt is the sisterâ⠂¬â„¢s reactions. I expected outrage, anger, sadness, but instead the sisters continued to smile at me, their smiles changing only slightly. † (para. 10) Now, he realizes that he has broken the connection between part of his heritage and his way of life. This opens the doors for his careful reconsideration of his way of thinking. This works to persuade us because Owens has already gained our trust with his first persona. When he goes through an experience that calls for his change in thought, we accept that perhaps our thought out to be reevaluated as well.Owens disregards his cockiness towards his feelings of righteousness when he sees that perhaps his ideas are wrong. We can see that Owens is not out to gain points for himself, or else he wouldn’t have thought twice about his experience. He is open to reconsideration and change. Owens is willing to change all of his ways of doing things because he realizes that they are wrong. A man that is willing to admit to his own mistakes and make changes to a way of life that he had grown to believe in has no ulterior motives. We can see that Owens only interest is in what’s best for the wilderness.Thus, we are able trust his judgments and are more willing to hear him out, to trust whatever his new conceptions may be. Now that we realize our way of thinking is wrong, we are ready to hear how we should be thinking. Effectively, Owens now changes to his lecturing teacher persona, telling us of a better way to think, â€Å"In embracing a philosophy that saw the White Pass Shelter – and all traces of humanity – as a shameful stain upon their â€Å"pure† wilderness, I had succumbed to a five-hundred-year-old pattern of deadly thinking that separates us from the natural world. (para. 11) This statement is incredibly strong and convincing. Owens has already provided us with an emotional connection to him and has shown that he is more knowledgeable because of his experience. We are wil ling to trust in his judgment and his knowledge, so we readily accept his interpretation of what is right for the wilderness. In his final statements, he influences us with a bang by stating at what extremes the European way of thinking will lead us to:Unless Americans, and all human beings, can learn to imagine themselves as intimately and inextricably related to every aspect of the world they inhabit, with the extraordinary responsibilities such relationship entails – unless they can learn what the indigenous peoples of the Americas knew and often still know – the earth simply will not survive (para. 12). We know that Owens best interest is in caring for and preserving the wilderness. Throughout the entire story, he vividly describes to us how he sees nature’s beauty.In the first paragraph, he opens with, â€Å"In the center of the Glacier Peak Wilderness in northern Washington, a magnificent, fully glaciated white volcano rises over a stunningly beautiful re gion of the North cascades. † His entire essay is filled with small details that show us how observant he is of nature and how much he enjoys it. Later on, after he changes his view on what wilderness is, he compares how natural the shelters are to the ecosystem, â€Å"as the burrows of marmots in the steep scree slopes. † (para. 2) Even though his view changes, he doesn’t change his mind about how much he cares about nature. He expresses so much respect and awe at nature’s beauty, that we know he cares about it and it’s best interest is his. Because of this, we know that his best interest is in doing what’s best for nature. We are ab! le to trust his judgment and assume that he knows better than us from his experiences. It’s easy for us to adopt his way of thinking because of his knowledge and honest concern in doing what’s best. In conclusion, Owens effectively uses persona’s to gain the readers trust.His cocky, busines sman persona shows us that he does have faults, while his ashamed and thoughtful persona shows us that he is willing to admit and change his faults if it betters the initial job he set out to do: protect the wilderness. His final persona, the lecturing teacher points out the right way of thinking about humans and their relationship to the wilderness. He convinces us that it’s time to think about our actions and their effect. With this, Owens has effectively used three different personas to persuade his audience.

Dr. Kristina Tansavatdi s Life Essay - 830 Words

Dr. Kristina Tansavatdi is one of the top facial reconstructive and plastic surgeons near the city of Camarillo; in addition, she is the only female plastic surgeon in the areas of Santa Barbara and Westlake Village. Dr. Tansavatdi focuses on providing each of her patients with the most innovative cosmetic care available for the neck and the face. Dr. Tansavatdi uses her expertise as a fellowship-trained facial plastic surgeon to provide each of her patients with a personalized experience. Dr. Tansavatdi is Serving the City of Camarillo At her Thousand Oaks plastic surgery practice in Westlake Village, she and her staff pamper and refresh her patients as they enjoy Dr. Tansavatdi’s lavish, private sanctuary. For years, she has offered her services to the private and fashionable residents of Montecito, Malibu and Beverly Hills: Now, she is offering her expertise to individuals who reside in the city of Camarillo. Dr. Tansavatdi is a Double Board Certified Facial Reconstructive and Plastic Surgeon Near Camarillo Dr. Tansavatdi is Board Certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, as well as by the American Board of Otolaryngology. As a Double Board Certified facial plastic surgeon, she is a highly sought after facial plastic surgeon. People from Around the World Choose Dr. Tansavatdi as Their Facial Reconstructive and Plastic Surgeon Due to her warm disposition and meticulous attention to detail, Dr. Tansavatdi is esteemed