论功能对等理论视角下商务英语合同的翻译_英语论文

On the Translation of Business English Contracts from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence

摘要

中国加入世界贸易组织以来，全球市场上涌现了一种发展的新局面，新气象：中国的发展离不开世界，世界的发展需要中国。在这种大背景下，商务英语合同应运而生，作为联系贸易活动的重要纽带，其重要性日益突出，对其进行翻译研究也日益迫切。首先，准确把握商务英语合同的语言特征是做好翻译工作的一个必备前提；其次奈达兼顾表层含义与深层底蕴这一翻译原则，也正符合了商务英语合同的可执行性和法律裁决性的特征。

本文着重分析奈达的功能对等理论，看其如何应用于商务英语合同。词汇层面，要注意避免重复翻译及掌握合同用语的特定意义；句法层面，应适当划分句式结构并进行相应调整，使其适应目的语中主谓宾的表达习惯，完整传达句意；篇章层面，注重对全文的语气和板式一致性的把握。从点到面，充分证实了功能对等的适用性和重要性。

关键词：商务英语合同；语言特征；功能对等   

Abstract

Since China enters WTO, a new situation or a new look of development comes to the fore in the global market that China’s development will be impossible without the world’s help and likewise, the prospect of the world needs China’s progress. Under this background, business English contracts come into being and play an increasingly prominent role as an important connection link to trade activities. Evidently, it is becoming more and more urgent to translate business English contracts. First, precisely mastering the linguistic features of them is a necessary premise of accurate translation; Second, Nida’s principle that giving consideration to both designative meaning and associative meaning is just in accordance with the characteristics of business English contracts on performability and judicial judgments. 

This thesis stresses the significance of applying Nida’s functional equivalence to practice and focuses on how to realize equivalence in translating business English contracts. From the aspects of vocabulary, syntax and text, many examples are employed to illustrate the applicability and importance of adhering to functional equivalence in the process of translation.

Key words: business English contracts; linguistic features; functional equivalence