1.1 Literature Review
1.1.1 Literature Review On Functional Translation Theory
In the 1950s and 1960s, translation studies were mainly about linguistics. People regarded the linguistics-oriented approach as being normative and prescriptive. In the 1960s, Eugene Nida (1964) distinguished dynamic equivalence from formal equivalence. And the notion of “equivalence” is argued by many scholars who regard “equivalence as identity of meaning, which can never be achieved” (Schaeffner, 2001: 8).
Functional theories of translation from Germany witnessed a move away from static linguistic typologies in the 1970s and 1980s, among which functional theories of translation became one of the most popular functionalist theory. Reiss stresses equivalence at text level, linking language functions to text types and translation strategies. Holz Mantari’s theory of translational action believes that translation is a communicative process involving a series of players. Vermeer develops Skopos Theory, and Nord regard translation-oriented text analysis as a functional approach with more attention to Source text (Jeremy Munday, 2001: 73). Schaffner (2001: 3) presented that functional approaches “work very well in describing and explaining translation process and products", and “they allow an account of the systematic relationship between linguistic structures at the textual micro-level and social, cultural, historical conditions of text production and reception". Therefore, Functional Translation Theory can be regarded as the theoretical framework of systematical analysis of translation process.
1.1.2 Literature Review On Government Work Reports
Many scholars have studied the Government Work Reports from different perspectives. From the perspective of their focus, there are mainly three types of research on Government Work Reports.
Some scholars study translation strategies for general political texts. Wang Nongsheng (2004: 56-59) argued that accuracy was the basic requirement of the translation of political texts. Every sentence has its accurate definition, and the translation must comply with the source text. Some focus on the existing problems in C-E translation. Jia Yuling (2003: 26-28) has studied how to overcome the inclination of Chinese on the translation of Government Work Reports. She pointed out that it is easier to use Chinglish when translating Government Work Reports. Just like Jia Yuling, Zhuang Jiangchuan (2006: 7-10) also commit a research on Chinglish. She argued that Chinglish was a common phenomenon in C-E translation. And some pay attention to the requirements of translators. Cheng Zhenqiu (2003:18-21) argued that translators should comply with several rules when taking part in the translation of political texts. He presented three prerequisites to conduct the translation of political texts, including political sensitivity and awareness in mind, the capability of analyzing affairs and knowledge to understand the meaning of source text, and sharp eyes to distinguish the differences between source text and target text.
To sum up, most scholars focus on some specific aspect. Chen Qing (2006: 52-61) studied the different translations of “加强” in the 2005 Government Work Reports. Yang Guangye (2011: 104-106) analyzed different translations of “建设” in the 2010 Government Work Reports. Lu Xiuhong and Wang Jun (2011: 183-189) studied the English translation of Government Work Reports from the perspective of functional equivalence. Wu Guangjun (2010: 64-68) has studied the transfer redundancy in the Government Report. This thesis is expected to make a relatively overall research on the translation of Government Work Reports at Eighteenth Party Congress, analyze the characteristics of the English translation, and summarize some relatively practical English strategies to guide the translation of political texts, and improve the English translation level and promote better exchange between China and the world. 十八大政府工作报告报告英译研究(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_12011.html