大三英语商务学年从功能对等看《在彼处(大使演讲录)》之傅莹英语演讲本科学位论文.doc

本科学年论文（2013级）A Study on When I Was There-Selected Speeches of Fu Yings English Speech from The View of Functional Equivalence从功能对等看在彼处（大使演讲录）之傅莹英语演讲 姓名：陈纯 学号：201342204202 院系：外语系 专业：英语（商务方向）二零一六年六月东莞理工学院Cultural Differences in Values between East and West价值观的中西方文化差异The list of the relevant articles and books read:A） 书籍1. 傅莹，在彼处（大使演讲录），外语教学与研究出版社，2015。2. 叶子南，高级英汉翻译与实践，清华大学出版社，2013。3. 杨自俭，刘学云，翻译新论，湖北教育出版社，2003。4. 何其莘，仲伟合，高级汉英翻译，外语教学与研究出版社，2009。5. 樊小琴，Duong Huu Duc，English Public Speaking in Action，2009B）期刊文章1. Zhang Ying，A Study of the Functional Equivalence in the Business Letter Translation，Overseas English，20122. 丁晓平，On the Translation Theory of Eugene Nida-Functional Equivalence Theory。3. 余玮，Faces in the World，China Academy Journal Electronic Publishing House，2010。4.李志远，Functional Equivalence Theory and Its Limitations in Translation，东北电力大学外国语学院，2015，（1）。SUMMARY Fu Ying, current vice-foreign minister in China, had been an Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom. With her grace, wisdom, resolve, capability and vast experiences, she acts as a bridge across different cultures and has won fame because of her terrifically excellent faculty for interpersonal communication. When I Was There-Selected Speeches of Fu Yings English Speech is a collection of her speeches whilst she was the ambassador to Australia and then to the United Kingdom between 2004-2010. The speeches are intended to make it easy for foreign audiences to better understand China, to help enhance Chinas international image and raise soft power of our nation. Functional equivalence, proposed by Eugene A. Nida, gives priority to the communication of information and focus its attention on naturalness of translation. As stated in functional equivalence theory, the best translation is the closest natural equivalence to the source language message. The readers of the translated text should be able to receive the information and emotion as what is conveyed in the original text and produce similar psychological reactions as those who read the original, which in this end, to achieve functional equivalence. There obviously exists a broad spectrum of cultural divide between the east and the western world. Translators are required to have a good command of functional equivalence to give the translation to a full play, enabling foreign receptors to apprehend what the speech is delivering. On the basis of functional equivalence theory, this thesis will discuss several characteristics of speeches and the translation of Fu Yings speeches from the standpoint of functional equivalence will be explored. Therefore, how Fu Ying achieves functional equivalence in her translation so as to exert effects on the foreign audience will come to light.1. Introduction of Functional Equivalence1.1 Eugene A. Nida and the Concept of Functional Equivalence Eugene A. Nida had been a pioneer in the fields of translation and linguistics. His most notable and controversial contribution to translation is dynamic equivalence, also known as functional equivalence. The concept was first mentioned when he was attempt to translating Bible in late 1950s. Later, he updated the expression”dynamic equivalence” to “functional equivalence” to avoid misunderstandings. He tried to highlight the functional equivalence of the information rather than the direct equivalence of the languages form, in this way to make sure the meaning as well as style in the target text functionally equivalent with those in the source one. In this case, translators following the functional equivalence bear the responsibility for being faithful to the original text and putting receptors understanding and response in the first place. Since then, functional equivalence had created a brand-new era in translation study and was widely adopted by many translators, though its disadvantages remained a further discussion. 1.2 Influences of the TheoryWhat the concept of functional equivalence matters indeed rests on the balance between literal translation and free translation. In traditional translation theory, literal translation pursues faithfulness with the equivalence on languages form as a core , whereas free translation emphasizes aesthetics of effectiveness of translation. By providing a compelling evidence, function equivalence consequently served to be the end of this disputable issue which have lasted for more than 2000 years.It is Nidas functional equivalence that exerts tremendous influence on the translation studies not only in western countries but also in the Asian countries including China. He is commonly considered to be the most influential one among all the contemporary translation theorists.2. The Particularity of English Speech2.1 Brief Outline of Public Speech Public speaking is simply a presentation of a speakers ideas to a target group of audiences to facilitate mutual understanding and appreciation. As far as Fus concerned, it calls for the sense of mission for the diplomatic speech to send out Chinas messages and change stereotypes and misconceptions about China. The key point of public speech lies on getting messages across and ensuring understanding and insights among foreign audiences. Considering how to successfully manage a speech, three factors should be paid special attention to-subject, audience and purpose. To determine the content of your speech, you are supposed to focus on what you want to say and other is what the audience want to hear, both of which are of equal significance. In addition, to learn the educational and professional background of the audience as well as their age group,etc.beforehand is also in the list of preparations. Purposes ought to keep level-headily in mind. That said, the pursuit of speech is to a large degree compatible with that of functional equivalence, giving priority to receptors reactions. On the premise of guaranteeing the appropriateness of formal translation in target text, audiences are expected to cross the border of language and cultures and then obtain the meanings the speaker wants to express.2.2 Cultural Divergences between East and the West Owing to the differences in the history between east and the west,which turn out to be reflected on languages, certain expressions have various connotations in Chinese and English. Fu Ying has said:”one of the major difficulties when delivering a speech in English is in finding the words and expressions most compatible with the target audience, without losing the essence of the speech in Chinese or weakening the messages to be conveyed.” Therefore in translation,translators need to shift the usages and expressions and transfer the meaning as much as possible as functional equivalence required to attract foreign audiences appetite to listen and get fully comprehended.3. The Application of Functional Equivalence Theory in When I Was There-Selected Speeches of Fu Yings English Speech The definition of translation advocated by Nida shows that equivalence does not merely stay in the meaning of vocabularies, it also embraces the equivalence in the text connotation, style and stylistics. The messages transferred by translation include the surface vocabulary meaning and the deep cultural information. Functional equivalence includes four levels: lexical equivalence, sentence equivalence, style equivalence and passage equivalence. Since English speech is more closely associated with the former three aspects, I would not further discuss the last one in the following analysis. 3.1 Lexical Equivalence Words are the most basic element in the translation and the understanding and translation of a word would be the foundation of translation practice. In translation practice, what does puzzle us is how to figure out the corresponding expression in target language. Nida has mentioned that absolute equivalence would never be achieved. Translators have to apply all kinds of translation skills to make the most natural translation possible with cultural limitations taken into consideration. In her speeches, Fu Ying uses multitudinous concise, formal, elegant words and even some carried with historic stories to match the expressions in source text successfully. Examples are as followed. (1) 得到一些有趣的启发 Harvested many interesting insights (2) 跨越两届的生死之恋 A sweet and sorrow legend of love that defies the limits of heaven and earth (3)大部分中国人认为，中国仍是一个发展中国家，不少人甚至认为外界是在“忽悠”中国。 Most of them still see China as a developing country and all this flattering by outsiders is nothing but”huyou”, a popular Chinese expression, or literally in English, trying to sweep China off its feet. In the first example, the original meaning of “harvest” as a verb is to collect crops from the field. While here, instead of choosing words like “get”, “obtain” ,etc., Fu uses “harvest” to vividly manifest the achievements she got after paying efforts. In the second sentence, Fu uses”heaven and earth” to transfer the meaning of “两界”. However, in China, people always say “天地” or “阴阳”. Taken westerners religions into consideration before translation, she stands from a foreigners angle and manages to transfer the meaning of “death” metaphorically. As for the last instance, Fu first of all straightly explains it in Chinese and then uses a set phrase that foreign audiences are familiar with in English to render “huyou” as “sweep someone off ones feet”. Given the right word or phrases are selected, the audience are able to comprehend and appreciate what Fu wants to express in the same manner as Chinese people do. Furthermore, these translations are brief and articulate, effectively avoid misunderstandings among audience and get the main idea straightforward.3.1 Sentence Equivalence There is no denying the fact that sentence equivalence is more complicated than lexical equivalence. Translators should be wary of the grammar, pattern, tense, voice, etc.of the sentences in target text in order to match the original ones. (1)在中国，道家创始人老子的研究和论述中也包含了“自由”的概念。 The concepts of freedom were studied and written about by Laozi, the founder of Taoism in China about 2500 years ago. (2)20世纪后期中国改革开放的成功和经济的发展才给艺术家和艺术收藏家带来了空前的机遇。 It was the success of reform and opening up and economic development in the late 20th century that offered unprecedented opportunities to the artists an art collectors. In the light of linguistics, Chinese is a topic-prominent language and the things it wants to stress tends to be put as the beginning of the sentence. By contrast, there is every chance that in English main ideas are placed behind. In the first sentence, Fu shifted the translation into passive voice in line with audiences language habits in an attempt to have them well understood. Take a look at the second translation, Fu purposefully use the emphatic pattern to draw more attractions on the subjects she referred to. Hence, audience automatically concentrates on that phrase and be clear about the topic. It is translations conforming to the idiomatic ways of expression in target language that play a vital role in how much information the audience would obtain from the speaker. It is also the naturalness of translation in functional equivalence calls for. 3.3 Style Equivalence The maximal translated text is an indication of high-degree correspondence of language and culture between source and target language. Translators should examine the source text in which how the author negotiates with the language, the culture, and discourse pattern as well to communicate the message in target language. The style of a article could be divided into two sections-spiritual and material. The material part includes the rhetoric, a juggle with words and phrases, discourse structure and so on, while the spiritual relates to the authors belief, life experience and value. To achieve style equivalence, these factors have to be taken into consideration. Here are some examples from Fus speech. (1) 西方民主和科学的思想涌入中国 Western ideas of democracy and science poured into China (2) (秦始皇)从统一六国，到统一度量衡，货币，文字和法律，到推行法家政策和郡县制，再到修筑长城和连接全国的驿道. He unified the warring states, set common standards for weights and measures,currency, written language, and law. He exercised effective governance by law and put in place an administrative structure of the country that ensured national unity. He started construction of the Great Wall and had post roads built connecting different parts of China. In the first sentence, Fu uses “pour” to render “涌入” adherence to the rhetoric in the Chinese version. And in the second one, she use three”He” not only to emphasize that all the achievements attributes to Qin Shi Huangs efforts, but keeps in line with parallel construction in original text.This passage typically demonstrates the style correspondence between two language. COMMENT This thesis does some study on Nidas functional equivalence theory and further explore its application-the Fu Yings English speeches selected from When I Was There, based on lexical equivalence, sentence equivalence and style equivalence. What Nida insisted is that translators should pay prior attention to the meaning of the source text and whether the receptors could receive the same connotation as that original receptors receive. In Fu Yings English speech, she makes her own speech translation and original text reach the most natural equivalence. She does her best to keep the rendered text in accordance with the original both in form and meaning and even modifies them with her knowledge of westerners thinking pattern and habitual ways of speaking. By doing so, the international image of China is formed successfully and the foreign propaganda is well and widely spreaded by her understandable translations.