汉译英中语选择 ——张培基英译中国现代散文选例
Analysis on the Selection of Subject in ChineseEnglish Translation Take the Example of Selected Modern Chinese Essays by Zhan Peiji
A Thesis
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the BA Degree in English Language and Literature
By
Ao Xuetong
Supervisor Zhong Xiao
Academic Title Lecturer
Nanhu College Jiaxing University
Zhejiang Province PRC
Feb 242017
摘
翻译两种语言间相互转换语言活动汉译英中面务选择合适词做语然英汉语言间存较差异汉译英程中选择语容易汉英语形式构句方面存差异汉语注重话题英语注重语文差异分析入手通张培基英译中国现代散文选学身实践总结汉译英语选择方面提出方法建议保留原文语作译文语二选择原文句子成分作译文语三译文中增补语四减少改变语进出结汉译英选择语时应该现英美思维方式考虑结合英语语言惯充分理解原文运技巧选择合适语
关键词：汉译英语选择英汉语差异张培基英译中国现代散文选
Abstract
Translation is a language activity of transforming between two languages In the process of ChineseEnglish translation choosing the suitable words as subjects is one of the tasks people facing with However it＇s not easy for people to choose subjects in ChineseEnglish translation because of the differences between Chinese and English The subjects of Chinese and English have differences in forms and sentence structure Furthermore Chinese is topicprominent language and English is subjectprominent language This thesis begins with these differences puts up some methods and advises about how to choose a suitable subjects through learning Selected Modern Chinese Essays by Zhang Peiji and the author own practices and conclusion First keeping the subjects of the original sentences Second choosing other constituents of the original sentences Third replenishing new subjects for the translation Fourth reducing of changing the subjects And then the writer shows the conclusion that it should be considered the mode of thinking in western countries combining with the English language habits fully understanding the origin text and use some skills to choose the appropriate subjects
Key words ChineseEnglish Translationthe choice of subjectsthe differences of subjects in English and ChineseZhang PeijiSelected Modern Chinese Essays
Contents
Abstract II
1．Literature Review 1
11 Existing Researches on this Topic 1
12 Purposes and importance of the study 1
2 Differences between Chinese and English Subjects 2
21 In Forms 2
22 Topicprominent Language vs Subjectprominent Language 2
23 In Sentence Structure 3
3 Methods of Choosing the Subjects in ChineseEnglish Translation 3
31 Keep the Subjects of the Original Sentences 3
32 Choose other constituents of the Original Sentences 4
321 Choose the Objects to be the Subjects 5
322 Choose the Adverbials to be the Subjects 5
323 Choose the Attributives to be the Subjects 6
324 Choose the Predicates to be the Subjects 6
33 Replenish New Subjects for the Translation 7
331 Replenish the Suppressed Subjects of the Original 7
332 Replenish the Impersonal Pronoun It 8
34 Reduce of Changing the Subjects 8
4 Conclusion 9
Bibliography 11
Acknowledgements 12
1．Literature Review
11 Existing Researches on this Topic
Many scholars discussed the translation of Chinese and English sentences from the perspective of differences between Chinese and English subjects According to the existing research there are many different forms of expression between Chinese and English which can be divided into topicprominent language and subjectprominent language covert subject and overt subject parataxis and hypotaxis in sentence structure personal subject and impersonal subject These studies focus on the analysis of subjective differences between Chinese and English languages but the discussion of subjects in ChineseEnglish translation is relatively less detailed In the book ChineseEnglish Translation Studies and Practice written by Ji Dequan (2005 105) who puts forward five principles of determining the subjects in ChineseEnglish translation (1) It must conform to the English expression and the background (2) It must conform to the English way of thinking (3) It must be the information that should be emphasized in the sentence (4) It must follow the logical order of the sentence (5) It should meet the context of the request In addition Liu Miqing (1992 3746) has concluded in his book Contrast and Translation of English and Chinese three specific methods of selecting the subjects in the procession of translating Chinese into English which are equivalence shift and supplement These studies provide translators with some theories principles and strategies to choose the subject of Chinese to English translation
12 Purposes and importance of the Study
The main purposes and importance of my paper can be summarized as the following two aspects First of all as a famous translator and translation theorist Zhang Peiji made a great contribution to the translation of Chinese papers The qualities and standards of the articles which he translated are very high His Selected Modem Chinese Essays was widely accepted by readers and scholars to help spread the Chinese culture so his translation of the paper worthy of translators’ unremitting study they learned a lot so as to improve translators’ ability to translate the other aspect is that there is no denying the important role of the subject in shaping and constructing sentences in both Chinese and English They also have a significant impact on the cohesion of sentences but because of the differences between English and Chinese subjects translators choose an appropriate subject from Chinese into English as a challenge so it seems that it should be investigated and made detailed use of some useful translation techniques and strategies to help translators’ determine the subject of Chinese to English translation Zhang Peiji＇s Chinese prose translation has set a good example in choosing the appropriate subject so the author chose to analyze own translation works together with him and explore the method of choosing the subject
2 Differences between Chinese and English Subjects
Chinese and English belong to two different language families therefore Chinese finds its root in the SinoTibetan Language Family while English belongs to IndoEuropean Language Family Differences exist between the two languages one of which is the difference between their subjects so as bring difficulties to us in English learning and Chinese and English translation This chapter will generally discuss the differences between Chinese and English subjects mainly in the following three facts
21 In Forms
Chinese subjects are diverse and highly compatible Wei Zhicheng (2003) points out that all kinds of words phrases and clauses can be used as Chinese subject Liu Miqing (1992) argues that due to the diversity of Chinese characteristics the Chinese language features almost any form of expression can be directly used as the subject of Chinese or in other words topics such as nouns verbs adjectives quantifiers or any other words phrases or terms we consider them to be topics rather than subjects TmS (time subject) PlS (place subject) DaS (subject matter) MrS (modifier subject) Chinese subject (Liu Meiqing 1992 39) Unlike Chinese subjects English subjects are less incompatible and form singular because they must be nominal Thus noun and subject pronouns can be used as subject of English and as for other nonnominal words phrases or clauses if you want to use them as subjects of English you must change their form and make them nouns
22 Topicprominent Language vs Subjectprominent Language
According to Li and Thompson (1976) theory different languages can be divided into four categories namely the subjectprominent language the topicprominent language both the subjectprominent and the topicprominent language neither the subjectprominent nor the topicprominent language And they show that Chinese belongs to the topicprominent language which is the informational units of topic and comment that are basic to the structure of sentences while English is the subjectprominent language which is the grammatical units of the subject and predicate that are basic to the structure of sentences English focuses more on the relationship between the subject and the actor and the action and the performance of the behavior can be found in the close grammatical relationship between the English subject and the predicate This is not the same as Chinese Zhao Yuanren (1979) said that only about 50 of the relationship between the Chinese subject and the predicate reflects the relationship between the actor and the behavior so it is best to be the Chinese subject and predicate as the topic and comment This also explains why Chinese subjects are more diverse than English subjects
23 In Sentence Structure
From the above discussion you can conclude that that English emphasizes the subject They are indispensable in constructing sentences In most cases the subject is the starting point the center and the must in English sentences Often using the formal subject it can also be a good explanation of the English subject is indispensable They have a decisive grammatical function and have a comprehensive and close relationship with the whole sentence In English the subject decides the number of predicates so it should be consistent with the subject when the sentence is constructed The main body and the predicate form the seven main English sentences namely SV SVC SVO SVA SVOO SVOC SVOA (Quirk R Greenbaum G Leech & J Svartvik 1985 721) These forms of sentences also reveal the importance of English subjects Chinese sentences are more flexible and do not have to follow strict sentences as English As for the Chinese subject they are not indispensable in the sentence structure and are not related to the form of the predicate No subject sentences are common to meet in Chinese and in many cases the subject can be omitted
3 Methods of Choosing the Subjects in ChineseEnglish Translation
31 Keep the Subjects of the Original Sentences
From the analysis and discussion in section two translators understand that the subject of English sentences is mainly nouns subjective pronouns or nominal words If the original Chinese has a clear subject and the subject is composed of nouns or subjective pronouns and in line with the English primitive order which is the thematic progression pattern And then the translation of the original subject can be used as the subject of English translation This is the easiest and most reliable means of choosing a subject in Chinese to English translation
(1)激流永远动荡着时候停止够停止没什东西阻止途中发射出种种水花里面爱恨欢乐痛苦切造成股奔腾激流具着排山势着唯海流(巴金 激流总序）
a This torrent is always surging ahead it has never stopped for a single moment and will never stop Nothing whatever can hold it up While on its way it sometimes throws clouds of spray into the air embodying love and hate and happiness and sorrow All that makes up thetumultuous torrent rushing with terrific force towards the only sea (a is Zhang Peiji’s translation texts the following are same)
bThe torrent is always turbulent it never stop and it can not stop there is nothing to stop it On its way it has also launched a variety of water which including love hate joy and pain All these caused a tumultuous surging towards the only ocean with terrific force (b is author translation texts the following are same)
The first example shows that when the Chinese subject is a noun translators can keep the original subject In the original Chinese 激流 is the starting point of information and when the following original text mentions it again and it is replaced with the pronoun all of which are explicit nouns and nominative pronouns In the procession which translates Chinese into English these subjects are in turn corresponding to the original subject respectively translated into torrent and it thus retaining the original subject So the author and Zhang Peiji choose the same subjects torrent and it in their translation
32 Choose other constituents of the Original Sentences
Because of the great difference between Chinese and English ways of thinking and the great differences between Chinese language and English language translators can not determine and retain the subject of the original texts when they do the translation from Chinese to English each time In many cases in order to ensure that the translation with clear logic fluent languageauthentic expression sometimes they need to select and determine the new subject rather than casual to use the subject in the original texts Choosing the other elements of the original sentence as the subject of the translated text is a good way worth learning and trying
321 Choose the objects to be the subjects
(2) 偷罢：谁？藏处呢？逃走罢：现里呢？（朱清 匆匆）
a Perhaps they have been stolen by someoneBut who could do it be and where could he hide them Perhaps they have just run away by themselves But where could they be at the present moment
bPerhaps someone steals them But who is he and where does he hide Perhaps they escape by themselves But where could they be at this moment in time
In the second example the main concern is 偷罢 and here means my days Zhang Peiji＇s translation chooses as the subject and uses passive voice to support the construction of sentences The author thinks his translation is better First of all the original text of the essay is talking about the transience of time the theme of the sentence is time or my days rather than someone so Zhang Peiji＇s translation is more closely related to the theme and use it as a subject to think more Secondly the use of passive voice is more in line with the English expression of the habit Lian Shu’neng (2010) pointed out that the passive voice in English is a common grammatical phenomenon the use of passive statements has almost become a expression habit
In addition to the easily definable nouns acting as the objects in the Chinese sentence other forms of objects in the Chinese sentence are worthy of our attention because translators can choose any other nouns in these components as our English subject
(3) 禁头涔涔泪潸潸 （朱清 匆匆）
a At the thought of this sweat oozes from my forehead and tears trickle down my checks
b I can’t help sweating from my forehead and streaming from eyes
In the third example it can be obviously seen that 汗涔涔and泪潸潸use as the objects in original texts but they are the subjectpredicate phrases The author chooses to retain the original subject as the subject in the translation texts while Zhang Peiji uses the subjectpredicate phrases and chooses the nouns 汗and泪which are in the objects as his translation’s subjects The author’s translation texts starts from the feeling of the prose’s author while Zhang Peiji starts from the objective things sweat and tears So the author thinks Zhang Peiji’s translation texts is more livelier than the author’s version in depicting the scenes At the thought of thisthis adding conjunctive expression in Zhang Peiji’s translation texts plays the role of supporting reflects the original internal logic in the sentence so that readers can understand the essay more clearly
322 Choose the Adverbials to be the Subjects
Choosing the adverbial of the original texts as the subject of the translation texts can bring the following advantages to us First of all it is a way to use the objective things as the starting point of the information which is in line with the British way of thinking Secondly it sets a good example for us learning to break the Chinese mind and translators can be more flexible in the translation procession Thirdly it can help us to diversify the sentence pattern so that the translation structure is more compact expression is more natural and fluent sentence meaning is more logical Zhang Peiji is good at choosing adverbial as the subject of the translation texts and translators can learn a lot from his translation works
(3) 日子家中光景惨淡半丧事半父亲赋闲（朱清 背影）
a Between grandma’s funeral and father’s unemployment our family was then is reduced circumstances
b Those days were desolate for my family half due to the funeral of my grandmahalf due to the unemployment of my father
Here Zhang Peiji chooses to use the place adverbial 家中 as the subject and the author chooses to use the attributive 日子 as the subject Both translation texts are acceptable Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts is more focused on the reduction and gloomy scene of family situations while the author’s translation texts emphasizes the time of the event
323 Choose the Attributives to be the Subjects
(4)知道少日子手确渐渐空虚（朱清匆匆)
aI don＇t know how many days I am entitled to altogetherbut my quota of them is undoubtedly wearing away
bI don＇t know how long time they gave me but I do feel the time are gradually escaping from my hands
As for the translation of the second sentence手确然渐渐空虚 the author thinks her translation texts is better than Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts In fact it is not my hand really empty but a feeling of the author This is the author that the days have gone So the author chooses I as the subject of the translation to help express the author＇s personal feelings while preserving the original rhetorical beauty Zhang Peiji＇s version is too specific the original taste of the Chinese sentence is not retained
324 Choose the Predicates to be the Subjects
(5)少壮努力老徒伤悲（梁实秋时间生命）
aOne who does not work hard in youth will grieve in vain in old age
bLazy youth make rueful age
The author thinks her translation is better than Zhang Peiji’s version The original Chinese sentence is a typical theme + comment to take 少壮努力 as the theme and 老徒伤悲 as a comment The author’s translation captures the verb 努力 and turns it into the subject lazy youth It is more concise than Zhang Peiji＇s translation but also in line with the characteristics of simple language The view of Zhang Peiji＇s translation is one or in another word people By choosing 努力 as the author’s subject the idea is transferred from the action executor to the objective action or the act itself In addition the Chinese tend to have metaphorical thinking while Westerners are abstract thinking which is one of the reasons why Chinese often use specific nouns and English abstract nouns In the author’s translation the use of the subject lazy youth abstract nouns to meet the needs of English features
33 Replenish New Subjects for the Translation
331 Replenish the Suppressed Subjects of the Original
In Chinese the subject is not indispensable as Wang Li (1984) puts forward according to Western grammar rules each sentence should have a subject the only exception is omitted But according to the Chinese grammar rules you can see that they are often faded but not omitted In addition to the sentences that contain the subject sentences without subjects are common to see in Chinese and their subjects are unknowable But you can also say that the subject in the nonsubject sentence is virtual For example in the sentence登高山显 in the sentence so that state the truth you can put people as their virtual subject Therefore Wang Li summed up that in the Chinese language as much as possible to faint the subject subjects are hidden and they also have a real contact or virtual contact with the sentences Therefore in the face of the sentence which hidden the subjects in the Chinese language translators can choose to add the subject in the English translation texts
(6)月居然收获（许山落花生）
aWe gathered in a good harvest just after a couple of months
bOnly in a few months we actually had a harvest
From the context translators can get that the hidden subject in the Chinese sentence is we that includes ＇the children and the several girlsso both Zhang Peiji and the author replenish we into our English translation serving as the subject
332 Replenish the Impersonal Pronoun It
It as an impersonal pronoun what is often used as the subject in English language The using of it in such cases also indicates the objectiveness in English way of thinking and the trend of choosing impersonal subject in English language
First of all the impersonal pronoun it can serve as unspecified itserving as the subjects to lead the sentences that depict time place person and hisher characteristics temperature weather season distance natural environment general conditions and so on The unspecified it only acts the role of the subject but doesn＇t have any practical meanings
(7)父亲相见已二年余忘记背影（朱清背影）
aIt is more than two years since I last saw father and what 1 can never forget is the sight of his back
bIt has been more than two years since I last time saw my father and I can never forget is the view of his back
Here It acts as the subject to show time However the present perfect tense applied in the author’s translation texts is better than the present tense in Zhang Peiji’s translation texts
Next the impersonal pronoun it can also serve as preparatory it acting the part of subject as the formal subject
34 Reduce of Changing the Subjects
Englishspeaking people usually do not change the subject in the sentence or among the sentences because they think the subject is the center of the message and their language is the hypotaxis language On the contrary the Chinese often use many short sentences to describe a major topic The relevant short sentence is that their subject is not necessarily to be same because the Chinese is intended to fit the languageit is parataxisWang Li (1984457) said that Westerners tend to put the parts into a whole when they write something while the Chinese tend to combine things together when they write things to break the whole into the parts Therefore translators should reduce the changes of subjects to ensure consistency within the sentence or among the sentences and make the information more fluent and clear
(8) 江进车站买票忙着行李行李太脚夫行费（朱清 背影）
a We entered the railway station after crossing the River While I was at the booking office buying a ticket father saw to my luggage There was quite a bit of luggage and he had to bargain with the porter over the fee
bWe crossed the river and entered the railway station where I bought the ticket and father saw to my baggage quite a lot of baggage which he had to give some tips to the porter in order to enter
In Chinese original texts the subjects change from to the hidden subject In Zhang Peiji’s translation texts he chooses as many subjects as the original essay But the author uses just one subject to combine with all the sentences because the author has known the logical relations among the Chinese original texts and then in the author’s translation texts the author can reveal the relations among the sentences with the help of relative words to guide the attributive clauses So the author’s translation is more in line with the English expression its structure and content are more compact than Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts
4 Conclusion
In Chinese and English translations the choice of subject is extremely important because the subject is indispensable in English There are many differences between English and Chinese subjects which bring us difficulties in translating between Chinese and English Chinese is the topicprominent language while English is the subjectprominent language In addition their subjects are different in form and sentence structure From the above discussion you can see that many kinds of translation techniques and strategies can be used to help us determine the subject in ChineseEnglish translation In general they can be summed up in three ways In these three general ways the author’s paper summarizes the detailed methods and strategies Although they can not cover the whole methods and strategies the flexibility of subject selection in Chinese and English translations is obvious By comparing the author’s thesis translation texts with Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts you can also see that for a Chinese sentence you have more than one choice when you choose the subject in ChineseEnglish translation But not all the choices are good or appropriate By analyzing and studying the author’s translation and translation of Zhang Peiji translators conclude that firstly the translator should master the differences between the two languages And then the translator should get correct and thorough understanding in the context of the Chinese sentence and its context to get rid of the negative transfer of Chinese influence and follow the AngloAmerican English thinking and expression habits to use the skills and strategies in selecting the subjects And the translation texts should be based on the text adjusting the original sentence In order to the translators can not only translate the the original sentence semantics but also accurately convey the original sentence of the translation However the translator should not be confined to a certain skill but should be based on the characteristics of the Chinese sentence itself and the English translation of the acceptability Using flexibly analysing the specific circumstances in specific ways so that the translation can faithfully convey the original and original style so as to achieve people through the English translation can also enjoy the expression effects in profound Chinese language
Bibliography
[1]LiCharlesed Subject and Topic A New Typology of Language Subject and Topic
[C] New WorkAcademic Press1976459
[2]QuirkR SGreenbaum G Leech & J Svanvik A Comprehensive Grammar of
English Language[M] LondonLongman1985721
[3]陈宏薇李亚丹 新编汉英翻译教程[M] 海：海外语教育出版社
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[4]嵇德全 英汉翻译研究实践[M] 贵阳：贵州民出版社2005105
[5]刘宓庆 新编英汉翻译[M]北京：中国外翻译出版公司
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[6]连淑英汉研究（增订）[M] 北京：高等教育出版社2010：18
[7]刘宓庆 汉英翻译[M] 南昌：江西教育出版社19923746
[8]刘宓庆 汉英翻译[M] 南昌：江西教育出版社199225
[9]刘宓庆 汉英翻译[M] 南昌：江西教育出版社199239
[10]王力 中国语法理[M] 济南：山东教育出版社19845355
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Acknowledgements
This thesis from choosing topic to the completion this procession is full of attention guidance and education from my tutor Zhong Xiao During these four years the tutor＇s rigorous scholarship and realistic academic style gave me great enlightenment inspiration and spur and she became an example on the road of my life On the occasion of the completion of this paper I would like to express my tribute and heartfelt thanks to my tutorAt the same time I would like to thank all the teachers who have taught me and thanked the teachers for they impart their professional knowledge to me This is the source of my constant growth and the foundation of this thesis’s accomplishment In addition I also would like to thank my parents thank parents for giving me life and make every effort to give me the opportunity to receive education There are also many people maybe they are just the rush passers in my life but their support and help is still left a deep impression in my memory I can not be listed one by one here but for them I always keep the grateful feeling
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Analysis on the Selection of Subject in ChineseEnglish Translation Take the Example of Selected Modern Chinese Essays by Zhan Peiji
A Thesis
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the BA Degree in English Language and Literature
By
Ao Xuetong
Supervisor Zhong Xiao
Academic Title Lecturer
Nanhu College Jiaxing University
Zhejiang Province PRC
Feb 242017
摘
翻译两种语言间相互转换语言活动汉译英中面务选择合适词做语然英汉语言间存较差异汉译英程中选择语容易汉英语形式构句方面存差异汉语注重话题英语注重语文差异分析入手通张培基英译中国现代散文选学身实践总结汉译英语选择方面提出方法建议保留原文语作译文语二选择原文句子成分作译文语三译文中增补语四减少改变语进出结汉译英选择语时应该现英美思维方式考虑结合英语语言惯充分理解原文运技巧选择合适语
关键词：汉译英语选择英汉语差异张培基英译中国现代散文选
Abstract
Translation is a language activity of transforming between two languages In the process of ChineseEnglish translation choosing the suitable words as subjects is one of the tasks people facing with However it＇s not easy for people to choose subjects in ChineseEnglish translation because of the differences between Chinese and English The subjects of Chinese and English have differences in forms and sentence structure Furthermore Chinese is topicprominent language and English is subjectprominent language This thesis begins with these differences puts up some methods and advises about how to choose a suitable subjects through learning Selected Modern Chinese Essays by Zhang Peiji and the author own practices and conclusion First keeping the subjects of the original sentences Second choosing other constituents of the original sentences Third replenishing new subjects for the translation Fourth reducing of changing the subjects And then the writer shows the conclusion that it should be considered the mode of thinking in western countries combining with the English language habits fully understanding the origin text and use some skills to choose the appropriate subjects
Key words ChineseEnglish Translationthe choice of subjectsthe differences of subjects in English and ChineseZhang PeijiSelected Modern Chinese Essays
Contents
Abstract II
1．Literature Review 1
11 Existing Researches on this Topic 1
12 Purposes and importance of the study 1
2 Differences between Chinese and English Subjects 2
21 In Forms 2
22 Topicprominent Language vs Subjectprominent Language 2
23 In Sentence Structure 3
3 Methods of Choosing the Subjects in ChineseEnglish Translation 3
31 Keep the Subjects of the Original Sentences 3
32 Choose other constituents of the Original Sentences 4
321 Choose the Objects to be the Subjects 5
322 Choose the Adverbials to be the Subjects 5
323 Choose the Attributives to be the Subjects 6
324 Choose the Predicates to be the Subjects 6
33 Replenish New Subjects for the Translation 7
331 Replenish the Suppressed Subjects of the Original 7
332 Replenish the Impersonal Pronoun It 8
34 Reduce of Changing the Subjects 8
4 Conclusion 9
Bibliography 11
Acknowledgements 12
1．Literature Review
11 Existing Researches on this Topic
Many scholars discussed the translation of Chinese and English sentences from the perspective of differences between Chinese and English subjects According to the existing research there are many different forms of expression between Chinese and English which can be divided into topicprominent language and subjectprominent language covert subject and overt subject parataxis and hypotaxis in sentence structure personal subject and impersonal subject These studies focus on the analysis of subjective differences between Chinese and English languages but the discussion of subjects in ChineseEnglish translation is relatively less detailed In the book ChineseEnglish Translation Studies and Practice written by Ji Dequan (2005 105) who puts forward five principles of determining the subjects in ChineseEnglish translation (1) It must conform to the English expression and the background (2) It must conform to the English way of thinking (3) It must be the information that should be emphasized in the sentence (4) It must follow the logical order of the sentence (5) It should meet the context of the request In addition Liu Miqing (1992 3746) has concluded in his book Contrast and Translation of English and Chinese three specific methods of selecting the subjects in the procession of translating Chinese into English which are equivalence shift and supplement These studies provide translators with some theories principles and strategies to choose the subject of Chinese to English translation
12 Purposes and importance of the Study
The main purposes and importance of my paper can be summarized as the following two aspects First of all as a famous translator and translation theorist Zhang Peiji made a great contribution to the translation of Chinese papers The qualities and standards of the articles which he translated are very high His Selected Modem Chinese Essays was widely accepted by readers and scholars to help spread the Chinese culture so his translation of the paper worthy of translators’ unremitting study they learned a lot so as to improve translators’ ability to translate the other aspect is that there is no denying the important role of the subject in shaping and constructing sentences in both Chinese and English They also have a significant impact on the cohesion of sentences but because of the differences between English and Chinese subjects translators choose an appropriate subject from Chinese into English as a challenge so it seems that it should be investigated and made detailed use of some useful translation techniques and strategies to help translators’ determine the subject of Chinese to English translation Zhang Peiji＇s Chinese prose translation has set a good example in choosing the appropriate subject so the author chose to analyze own translation works together with him and explore the method of choosing the subject
2 Differences between Chinese and English Subjects
Chinese and English belong to two different language families therefore Chinese finds its root in the SinoTibetan Language Family while English belongs to IndoEuropean Language Family Differences exist between the two languages one of which is the difference between their subjects so as bring difficulties to us in English learning and Chinese and English translation This chapter will generally discuss the differences between Chinese and English subjects mainly in the following three facts
21 In Forms
Chinese subjects are diverse and highly compatible Wei Zhicheng (2003) points out that all kinds of words phrases and clauses can be used as Chinese subject Liu Miqing (1992) argues that due to the diversity of Chinese characteristics the Chinese language features almost any form of expression can be directly used as the subject of Chinese or in other words topics such as nouns verbs adjectives quantifiers or any other words phrases or terms we consider them to be topics rather than subjects TmS (time subject) PlS (place subject) DaS (subject matter) MrS (modifier subject) Chinese subject (Liu Meiqing 1992 39) Unlike Chinese subjects English subjects are less incompatible and form singular because they must be nominal Thus noun and subject pronouns can be used as subject of English and as for other nonnominal words phrases or clauses if you want to use them as subjects of English you must change their form and make them nouns
22 Topicprominent Language vs Subjectprominent Language
According to Li and Thompson (1976) theory different languages can be divided into four categories namely the subjectprominent language the topicprominent language both the subjectprominent and the topicprominent language neither the subjectprominent nor the topicprominent language And they show that Chinese belongs to the topicprominent language which is the informational units of topic and comment that are basic to the structure of sentences while English is the subjectprominent language which is the grammatical units of the subject and predicate that are basic to the structure of sentences English focuses more on the relationship between the subject and the actor and the action and the performance of the behavior can be found in the close grammatical relationship between the English subject and the predicate This is not the same as Chinese Zhao Yuanren (1979) said that only about 50 of the relationship between the Chinese subject and the predicate reflects the relationship between the actor and the behavior so it is best to be the Chinese subject and predicate as the topic and comment This also explains why Chinese subjects are more diverse than English subjects
23 In Sentence Structure
From the above discussion you can conclude that that English emphasizes the subject They are indispensable in constructing sentences In most cases the subject is the starting point the center and the must in English sentences Often using the formal subject it can also be a good explanation of the English subject is indispensable They have a decisive grammatical function and have a comprehensive and close relationship with the whole sentence In English the subject decides the number of predicates so it should be consistent with the subject when the sentence is constructed The main body and the predicate form the seven main English sentences namely SV SVC SVO SVA SVOO SVOC SVOA (Quirk R Greenbaum G Leech & J Svartvik 1985 721) These forms of sentences also reveal the importance of English subjects Chinese sentences are more flexible and do not have to follow strict sentences as English As for the Chinese subject they are not indispensable in the sentence structure and are not related to the form of the predicate No subject sentences are common to meet in Chinese and in many cases the subject can be omitted
3 Methods of Choosing the Subjects in ChineseEnglish Translation
31 Keep the Subjects of the Original Sentences
From the analysis and discussion in section two translators understand that the subject of English sentences is mainly nouns subjective pronouns or nominal words If the original Chinese has a clear subject and the subject is composed of nouns or subjective pronouns and in line with the English primitive order which is the thematic progression pattern And then the translation of the original subject can be used as the subject of English translation This is the easiest and most reliable means of choosing a subject in Chinese to English translation
(1)激流永远动荡着时候停止够停止没什东西阻止途中发射出种种水花里面爱恨欢乐痛苦切造成股奔腾激流具着排山势着唯海流(巴金 激流总序）
a This torrent is always surging ahead it has never stopped for a single moment and will never stop Nothing whatever can hold it up While on its way it sometimes throws clouds of spray into the air embodying love and hate and happiness and sorrow All that makes up thetumultuous torrent rushing with terrific force towards the only sea (a is Zhang Peiji’s translation texts the following are same)
bThe torrent is always turbulent it never stop and it can not stop there is nothing to stop it On its way it has also launched a variety of water which including love hate joy and pain All these caused a tumultuous surging towards the only ocean with terrific force (b is author translation texts the following are same)
The first example shows that when the Chinese subject is a noun translators can keep the original subject In the original Chinese 激流 is the starting point of information and when the following original text mentions it again and it is replaced with the pronoun all of which are explicit nouns and nominative pronouns In the procession which translates Chinese into English these subjects are in turn corresponding to the original subject respectively translated into torrent and it thus retaining the original subject So the author and Zhang Peiji choose the same subjects torrent and it in their translation
32 Choose other constituents of the Original Sentences
Because of the great difference between Chinese and English ways of thinking and the great differences between Chinese language and English language translators can not determine and retain the subject of the original texts when they do the translation from Chinese to English each time In many cases in order to ensure that the translation with clear logic fluent languageauthentic expression sometimes they need to select and determine the new subject rather than casual to use the subject in the original texts Choosing the other elements of the original sentence as the subject of the translated text is a good way worth learning and trying
321 Choose the objects to be the subjects
(2) 偷罢：谁？藏处呢？逃走罢：现里呢？（朱清 匆匆）
a Perhaps they have been stolen by someoneBut who could do it be and where could he hide them Perhaps they have just run away by themselves But where could they be at the present moment
bPerhaps someone steals them But who is he and where does he hide Perhaps they escape by themselves But where could they be at this moment in time
In the second example the main concern is 偷罢 and here means my days Zhang Peiji＇s translation chooses as the subject and uses passive voice to support the construction of sentences The author thinks his translation is better First of all the original text of the essay is talking about the transience of time the theme of the sentence is time or my days rather than someone so Zhang Peiji＇s translation is more closely related to the theme and use it as a subject to think more Secondly the use of passive voice is more in line with the English expression of the habit Lian Shu’neng (2010) pointed out that the passive voice in English is a common grammatical phenomenon the use of passive statements has almost become a expression habit
In addition to the easily definable nouns acting as the objects in the Chinese sentence other forms of objects in the Chinese sentence are worthy of our attention because translators can choose any other nouns in these components as our English subject
(3) 禁头涔涔泪潸潸 （朱清 匆匆）
a At the thought of this sweat oozes from my forehead and tears trickle down my checks
b I can’t help sweating from my forehead and streaming from eyes
In the third example it can be obviously seen that 汗涔涔and泪潸潸use as the objects in original texts but they are the subjectpredicate phrases The author chooses to retain the original subject as the subject in the translation texts while Zhang Peiji uses the subjectpredicate phrases and chooses the nouns 汗and泪which are in the objects as his translation’s subjects The author’s translation texts starts from the feeling of the prose’s author while Zhang Peiji starts from the objective things sweat and tears So the author thinks Zhang Peiji’s translation texts is more livelier than the author’s version in depicting the scenes At the thought of thisthis adding conjunctive expression in Zhang Peiji’s translation texts plays the role of supporting reflects the original internal logic in the sentence so that readers can understand the essay more clearly
322 Choose the Adverbials to be the Subjects
Choosing the adverbial of the original texts as the subject of the translation texts can bring the following advantages to us First of all it is a way to use the objective things as the starting point of the information which is in line with the British way of thinking Secondly it sets a good example for us learning to break the Chinese mind and translators can be more flexible in the translation procession Thirdly it can help us to diversify the sentence pattern so that the translation structure is more compact expression is more natural and fluent sentence meaning is more logical Zhang Peiji is good at choosing adverbial as the subject of the translation texts and translators can learn a lot from his translation works
(3) 日子家中光景惨淡半丧事半父亲赋闲（朱清 背影）
a Between grandma’s funeral and father’s unemployment our family was then is reduced circumstances
b Those days were desolate for my family half due to the funeral of my grandmahalf due to the unemployment of my father
Here Zhang Peiji chooses to use the place adverbial 家中 as the subject and the author chooses to use the attributive 日子 as the subject Both translation texts are acceptable Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts is more focused on the reduction and gloomy scene of family situations while the author’s translation texts emphasizes the time of the event
323 Choose the Attributives to be the Subjects
(4)知道少日子手确渐渐空虚（朱清匆匆)
aI don＇t know how many days I am entitled to altogetherbut my quota of them is undoubtedly wearing away
bI don＇t know how long time they gave me but I do feel the time are gradually escaping from my hands
As for the translation of the second sentence手确然渐渐空虚 the author thinks her translation texts is better than Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts In fact it is not my hand really empty but a feeling of the author This is the author that the days have gone So the author chooses I as the subject of the translation to help express the author＇s personal feelings while preserving the original rhetorical beauty Zhang Peiji＇s version is too specific the original taste of the Chinese sentence is not retained
324 Choose the Predicates to be the Subjects
(5)少壮努力老徒伤悲（梁实秋时间生命）
aOne who does not work hard in youth will grieve in vain in old age
bLazy youth make rueful age
The author thinks her translation is better than Zhang Peiji’s version The original Chinese sentence is a typical theme + comment to take 少壮努力 as the theme and 老徒伤悲 as a comment The author’s translation captures the verb 努力 and turns it into the subject lazy youth It is more concise than Zhang Peiji＇s translation but also in line with the characteristics of simple language The view of Zhang Peiji＇s translation is one or in another word people By choosing 努力 as the author’s subject the idea is transferred from the action executor to the objective action or the act itself In addition the Chinese tend to have metaphorical thinking while Westerners are abstract thinking which is one of the reasons why Chinese often use specific nouns and English abstract nouns In the author’s translation the use of the subject lazy youth abstract nouns to meet the needs of English features
33 Replenish New Subjects for the Translation
331 Replenish the Suppressed Subjects of the Original
In Chinese the subject is not indispensable as Wang Li (1984) puts forward according to Western grammar rules each sentence should have a subject the only exception is omitted But according to the Chinese grammar rules you can see that they are often faded but not omitted In addition to the sentences that contain the subject sentences without subjects are common to see in Chinese and their subjects are unknowable But you can also say that the subject in the nonsubject sentence is virtual For example in the sentence登高山显 in the sentence so that state the truth you can put people as their virtual subject Therefore Wang Li summed up that in the Chinese language as much as possible to faint the subject subjects are hidden and they also have a real contact or virtual contact with the sentences Therefore in the face of the sentence which hidden the subjects in the Chinese language translators can choose to add the subject in the English translation texts
(6)月居然收获（许山落花生）
aWe gathered in a good harvest just after a couple of months
bOnly in a few months we actually had a harvest
From the context translators can get that the hidden subject in the Chinese sentence is we that includes ＇the children and the several girlsso both Zhang Peiji and the author replenish we into our English translation serving as the subject
332 Replenish the Impersonal Pronoun It
It as an impersonal pronoun what is often used as the subject in English language The using of it in such cases also indicates the objectiveness in English way of thinking and the trend of choosing impersonal subject in English language
First of all the impersonal pronoun it can serve as unspecified itserving as the subjects to lead the sentences that depict time place person and hisher characteristics temperature weather season distance natural environment general conditions and so on The unspecified it only acts the role of the subject but doesn＇t have any practical meanings
(7)父亲相见已二年余忘记背影（朱清背影）
aIt is more than two years since I last saw father and what 1 can never forget is the sight of his back
bIt has been more than two years since I last time saw my father and I can never forget is the view of his back
Here It acts as the subject to show time However the present perfect tense applied in the author’s translation texts is better than the present tense in Zhang Peiji’s translation texts
Next the impersonal pronoun it can also serve as preparatory it acting the part of subject as the formal subject
34 Reduce of Changing the Subjects
Englishspeaking people usually do not change the subject in the sentence or among the sentences because they think the subject is the center of the message and their language is the hypotaxis language On the contrary the Chinese often use many short sentences to describe a major topic The relevant short sentence is that their subject is not necessarily to be same because the Chinese is intended to fit the languageit is parataxisWang Li (1984457) said that Westerners tend to put the parts into a whole when they write something while the Chinese tend to combine things together when they write things to break the whole into the parts Therefore translators should reduce the changes of subjects to ensure consistency within the sentence or among the sentences and make the information more fluent and clear
(8) 江进车站买票忙着行李行李太脚夫行费（朱清 背影）
a We entered the railway station after crossing the River While I was at the booking office buying a ticket father saw to my luggage There was quite a bit of luggage and he had to bargain with the porter over the fee
bWe crossed the river and entered the railway station where I bought the ticket and father saw to my baggage quite a lot of baggage which he had to give some tips to the porter in order to enter
In Chinese original texts the subjects change from to the hidden subject In Zhang Peiji’s translation texts he chooses as many subjects as the original essay But the author uses just one subject to combine with all the sentences because the author has known the logical relations among the Chinese original texts and then in the author’s translation texts the author can reveal the relations among the sentences with the help of relative words to guide the attributive clauses So the author’s translation is more in line with the English expression its structure and content are more compact than Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts
4 Conclusion
In Chinese and English translations the choice of subject is extremely important because the subject is indispensable in English There are many differences between English and Chinese subjects which bring us difficulties in translating between Chinese and English Chinese is the topicprominent language while English is the subjectprominent language In addition their subjects are different in form and sentence structure From the above discussion you can see that many kinds of translation techniques and strategies can be used to help us determine the subject in ChineseEnglish translation In general they can be summed up in three ways In these three general ways the author’s paper summarizes the detailed methods and strategies Although they can not cover the whole methods and strategies the flexibility of subject selection in Chinese and English translations is obvious By comparing the author’s thesis translation texts with Zhang Peiji＇s translation texts you can also see that for a Chinese sentence you have more than one choice when you choose the subject in ChineseEnglish translation But not all the choices are good or appropriate By analyzing and studying the author’s translation and translation of Zhang Peiji translators conclude that firstly the translator should master the differences between the two languages And then the translator should get correct and thorough understanding in the context of the Chinese sentence and its context to get rid of the negative transfer of Chinese influence and follow the AngloAmerican English thinking and expression habits to use the skills and strategies in selecting the subjects And the translation texts should be based on the text adjusting the original sentence In order to the translators can not only translate the the original sentence semantics but also accurately convey the original sentence of the translation However the translator should not be confined to a certain skill but should be based on the characteristics of the Chinese sentence itself and the English translation of the acceptability Using flexibly analysing the specific circumstances in specific ways so that the translation can faithfully convey the original and original style so as to achieve people through the English translation can also enjoy the expression effects in profound Chinese language
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Acknowledgements
This thesis from choosing topic to the completion this procession is full of attention guidance and education from my tutor Zhong Xiao During these four years the tutor＇s rigorous scholarship and realistic academic style gave me great enlightenment inspiration and spur and she became an example on the road of my life On the occasion of the completion of this paper I would like to express my tribute and heartfelt thanks to my tutorAt the same time I would like to thank all the teachers who have taught me and thanked the teachers for they impart their professional knowledge to me This is the source of my constant growth and the foundation of this thesis’s accomplishment In addition I also would like to thank my parents thank parents for giving me life and make every effort to give me the opportunity to receive education There are also many people maybe they are just the rush passers in my life but their support and help is still left a deep impression in my memory I can not be listed one by one here but for them I always keep the grateful feeling
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