The Pragmatic Significance and Translation of Passive Voice in Business English Contracts_英语论文

摘要

英语为了着重事实的真相和客观情形，或者出于礼貌的各方面原因，在表达上常用被动语态形式，相比之下，汉语则多用主动语态形式。在商务英汉合同中，被动语态符合措辞准确，结构严谨，格式规范的语言要求，起到了突出主题，强调实施者的作用，所以被动语态是商务英汉合同中重要的语用手段。然而经过比较分析，英语合同中被动语态的使用明显比汉语合同中来得多。本文主要论述了被动语态在商务英语合同中被广泛运用的原因，并且着重分析了被动语态的语用功能，阐述了商务英语中被动语态的基本模式和翻译技巧。根据被动语态的外在结构和内在语篇功能，选择合适恰当的翻译方法，有助于我们对商务英语合同中被动语态的理解和运用。

关键词：商务英语合同；被动语态；语用意义；翻译技巧

Contents

摘  要 I

Abstract II

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Significance 2

2 The Fundamental Patterns of the Passive Voice in Business English   Contracts 3

2.1 The Passive with Agent 3

2.2 The Passive without Agent 3

2.3 “It” as the Formal Subject 4

2.4 Other Types of the Passive Voice 4

3 The Pragmatic Functions of the Passive Voice in Business English    Contracts 5

3.1 Interpersonal Metafunction 5

3.1.1 Politeness 6

3.1.2 Objectivity 6

3.1.3 Conciseness 6

3.2 Textual Metafunction 7

3.2.1 The Stress of the Theme 7

3.2.2 The Change of the Theme 8

3.2.3 The Introduction of the Theme 8

3.2.4 The Function of Contrast 9

3.2.5 The Function of Highlighting 9

3.2.6 Cohesion and Coherence Function 9

4 Translation Skills of the Passive Voice 10

4.1 The Translation of Sentences without Subject 10

4.2 The Translation of Sentences with the Active Voice 11

4.3 The Translation of Chinese Judgement Sentence 12

5 Conclusions 12