论英源外来词的翻译_英语论文

On the Translation of Borrowings from English

摘要

随着不同语言之间的交流日益增加，借词成为一种普遍现象。迄今为止，中文从英文借用了无数词汇，选择适当的译法去翻译这些借词非常重要。本文旨在介绍三种常用的英源外来词翻译方法，即音译法，意译法以及半音半意法，并论证半音半意法是目前最佳的翻译方法。在介绍外来词，尤其是英源外来词的历史之后，本文重点说明了中英词汇的巨大差异，包括构词法、词素结构、句法结构、语音特点以及与语境特点等方面的差异。三种译法的区别主要体现在对语音、语义强调的程度不同。音译法保留了原词的发音，意译法注重原词本身的内在涵义，半音半意法两者兼备。对译者而言，在翻译过程中考虑语法结构、语音、语义等方面的限制因素是十分重要的，对于选择翻译方法而言，这些因素同样也很重要。但是，从顺应论的角度出发，半音半意兼顾英源词的语音和语义特征，是最佳的翻译英源外来词的方法。

关键词：借词；音译；意译；半音半意

Abstract

As contact between different languages increases, borrowing has become a common phenomenon. Up till today, Chinese has borrowed numerous words from English, and the proper translation of the borrowings is of great importance. This paper aims to study the translation of borrowings from English into Chinese and argue that semi-transliteration is the best method to translate borrowings from English. After an examination of the history of borrowing in Chinese, especially borrowing from English, this paper focuses on some fundamental differences between Chinese and English, including differences in word formation processes, in morphemic and syntactic structures, and in semantic and contextual aspects, the paper goes on to introduce three major methods of translating borrowings from English, namely transliteration, free translation and semi-transliteration. The differences of these methods are distinguished by their various emphases on sound imitation, meaning, etc. Transliteration maintains the phonetic features of the original language, free translation pays more attention to the semantic features, and semi-transliteration keeps both of them. It is important for the translator to be aware of restrictive factors during translation, such as restraints from grammatical structure, phonetic or semantic aspects, so as to choose the best translation method. But in view of Adaptation Theory, semi-transliteration is the best method to translate borrowings from English for it may keep phonetic and semantic features of the original word at the same time. 

Key words: borrowing; transliteration; free translation; semi-transliteration

Contents

1 Introduction 1

2 Literature review on borrowed words from English 2

3 A sketch of loanwords from English 4

3.1 Main periods of borrowing from English 4

3.2 Difficulties in translating borrowings from English 6

3.3 Assimilation of English into Chinese 8

4 Major methods of translating borrowings from English 9

4.1 Transliteration 10

4.2 Free translation 11

4.3 Semi-transliteration 11

4.4 Translation of borrowings from English from the perspective of Adaptation Theory 13

5 Conclusion 14