Functionalist Approaches to E—C translation of EST (English for Science and Technology) and PSE (Popular Science English)

Abstract

With the development of science and technology, EST (English for Science and Technology) also develops in a rapid pace and becomes a very important style. EST and PSE, its branch, together play a more and more important part in populating the scientific knowledge, increasing the public’s cognition of the development of science and technology, and advancing the international exchanges of science and technology. In China, the principles and strategies of EST and PSE translation are still using the general principles, like Yan Fu’s “faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance”, Fu Lei’s spiritual conformity and Qian Zhongshu’s adaptation. However, the fact is that in translation practice, the translation of EST and PSE need more specific and instructional theory. So it leads to German Functionalism then. Under the guidance of the theories of Functional Approaches, it will analyze the characteristics of EST and PSE and make a comparison between them. At last, based on the difference of EST’s and PSE’s characteristics and functions, the last part of the thesis would sum up the correspondent translation principles and strategies to guide the EST and PSE translation practice.

Key words: EST, PSE, Functional Approaches, translation strategies

摘        要

随着科学技术的不断发展，科技英语亦在不断发展之中，成为一种重要的文体。 而它的分支科普英语与它一起，在普及科学技术知识，提高公民对科技发展的认识以及全球性的科学技术交流等方面发挥着越来越重要的作用。在我国，对于科技英语及科普英语的翻译原则及策略仍然停留在笼统的“信达雅”，“神似”“化境”等翻译策略上，但在实际运用中，科技英语与科普英语这样的实用翻译需要更加细化，更具指导性的理论。因此，本文将引入德国功能主义理论，在德国功能主义理论的指导下，分析对比专业科技英语以及科普英语的不同之处，并根据其特点功能的不同，总结出相应的翻译原则、翻译策略以指导科技英语和科普英语的翻译实践活动。

关键词：科技英语，科普英语，德国功能翻译理论，翻译策略