商务英语的语言特点及其翻译
Language Features and Translation of Business English
毕业设计（论文）任务书
毕业设计（论文）时间： 2007 年 3 月 5 日 至 2007 年 6 月 15 日
摘 要
近年来，随着经济全球化的发展，商务翻译在国际贸易中的重要性日益突显。它不同于文学翻译等其他形式，具有自身的特点。本文通过对商务英语语言特点进行分析，提出一些翻译的原则和策略，对解决商务翻译的一些问题有一定的指导意义。文章先从三个语言学角度分析商务英语的语言特点：词汇角度、句法角度、语篇功能角度，其次针对其特点提出几点翻译原则与策略，并在此基础上对大量的商务英语实例进行了翻译，对常见错误进行修正。事实证明，掌握好一定的技巧及方法后翻译出好的商务译本是完全可能的。本文旨在提高商务英语的翻译质量，促进贸易双方的沟通及交流。
正文将分为五个章节来阐述论题。第一章为引文。第二章系统地介绍商务英语的语言特点,其中从三个语言学层次上进行分析研究。第三章由其特点引出对商务英语进行翻译时应掌握的一些原则和策略,其中包括真实性原则、对等性原则、精确性原则、连贯性原则。第四章主要分析一些翻译中的常见错误并提出对译者的一些要求。最后一部分为结论。
关键词：商务英语; 语言特点; 翻译
In recent years, with the development of economic globalization, business translation has become more and more important. Business translation is different from the literary translation and other forms since it has its own characteristics. This thesis analyses the language features of business English from three linguistic levels: the lexical level, the syntactic level and the textual level, according to which several translation principles and strategies are proposed. On basis of the principles and strategies, some examples are analyzed and some common mistakes are corrected. The thesis aims at improving the quality of business English translation and promoting the understanding and exchange between two trading parties.
The thesis will be divided into five parts. Part One introduces the topic. Part Two analyses the linguistic features of business English from three linguistic levels. Part Three presents some translation principles and strategies based on the above language features including faithfulness, equivalence, exactness and consistency. Part Four deals with an analysis of some common mistakes and then makes some requirements for translators. Last part comes to the conclusion.
Key words: business English; language features; translation
Contents
Ⅰ. Introduction………………………………………………………………………1
Ⅱ. The Language Features of Business English……………………...…………….3
A. Language features from the perspective of function.....……..……….…...…..3
B. Language features from the perspective of style………………….…………..4
1. Elementary view of the features of business English...……………..…....4
2. Detailed feature analysis of business English……...…..………….……..6
a. Lexical level….……… ……...…………..........................…....……6
b. Syntactic level………….……………………………………….…..8
c. Textual level………….……………………………………....…....10
Ⅲ. Specific Principles of and Strategies for the Translation of Business English…..………..…………………………...……………………………....13
A. Faithfulness principle in the translation of business English……………..…13
1. Faithfulness is the fundamental requirement for business English translation…………………………………………………………….…13
2. Equivalence of the concept can assure the fidelity to the original text………………………………………………………………………14
B. Exactness principle in the translation of business English…………..………15
C. Consistency principle in the translation of business English………..….…...15
Ⅳ. Some Problems Existing in Business English Translation and the Requirements for Translators……………………………………………..17
Ⅴ. Conclusion………………………………...……………………………….….....20
Ⅵ. Notes………..………………………………………………………….…….......21
Ⅶ. Bibliography………………………………………..……………...…………....22
Ⅷ. Acknowledgements.……………………………………..……...…………….…24
Since the economic reform and opening up to the outside world in China, our business communication with other countries has become more and more frequent. The scope of economic exchange has also extended and more people are engaged in the work of business English translation. From ancient times to the present, abundant fruits have emerged in translation research in China, for instance, Yan Fu’s “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance”, which gained popular influence in China, Lu Xun’s “rather be faithful than smooth”, or Xu Yuanchong’s “notion of rivalry”, “the notion of transcendence”. However, what almost all the fruits focus on is literary translation and all the efforts are made to render perfect literary translation and achieve the harmony between the form and the content of literary translation. Eugene A. Nida once made comments on the current situation of translation in China:
But unfortunately too many Chinese theorists and practitioners have focused primarily on elegance and quite naturally they concentrated their efforts on literary texts.1
Though translation gets its appropriate treatment as an academic pursuit in China for a long history, it is not true of business translation. The traditional Chinese translation theories lay too much emphasis on literary translation, which results in great limitation. Particularly for business translation, whose features are greatly different from those of literary translation, traditional translation theory is not so suitable. However, business translation has for a long time remained only a business translation in a functional view and been ignored by Chinese academic field. It is only recently that it has become the focus of attention. The input from academic endeavor will certainly give an impetus to the theoretical development of business translation practice by selecting from among many frameworks of translation theories the most suitable one for business translation.
Up to now, there are not as many books or theses studying business translation as those that concern other kinds of translations in China, though there is rapid development in this area. But there are still many famous scholars who have made tremendous contributions to business translation in recent years. Professor Jia Wenbo published a book named Pragmatic Translation with a Functional Few and one of its chapters is contributed to business translation; there is also one chapter in Professor Fang Mengzhi’s A Coursebook on Pragmatic Translation discussing business translation; Professor Liao Ying also published several books centered on many aspects of business translation. And there are a number of papers and discussions in many periodicals concerning business translations in recent years. However, there are few books that offer systematic researches and concentrate on business translation and few theories are applied in business translation; consequently, the systematic research on business translation and its suitable theories is urgent in China.
Therefore, in the following parts of this thesis, the author will discuss the translation of business English on the basis of its own language features.
Functions of language are closely related to translation, and so are the language features of business English. Translation is the art of language. People use different words for different purposes and effects, which are exactly the functions of language. A translator therefore should first of all be able to recognize the functions of language in different texts or contexts and then tries his utmost to choose an equivalent sentence or discourse in the translation, which has the same language function as the sentence or discourse of the original. Thus functional equivalence is achieved.
As Nida said in his book Language, Culture and Translating, language has two types of functions, one is psychological function, the other is sociological function. The psychological functions may be described as the means by which people negotiate with reality, and the sociological functions can be said to be those ways by which people negotiate with other persons. And the sociological functions may be regarded as external and interpersonal. Business English is a kind of pragmatic English, whose main features are external and interpersonal. Therefore the analysis of the language features of business English can be started from the angle of sociological functions.
The primary sociological functions of language, according to Nida, contain the following types: interpersonal, informative, imperative, performative, and emotive. However, in view of the purpose of business English, the language in this special register may have the following two main functions, that is, interpersonal and informative functions. The reason why the rest of the functions (the imperative, the performative, and the emotive) are not listed here in business English is not that they are unimportant, but that they can be involved in the two functions emphasized: the interpersonal function and the informative function.
The interpersonal function of language primarily involves the ways in which people negotiate and/or maintain social status, in other words, how they make use of language to help establish themselves in the social “pecking order” and how they maintain these relations with other persons. In most languages there are quite distinct levels or registers, including ritual, formal, informal, casual, and intimate speech.2 In business English, the interpersonal relationship is essential to the success of a business transaction. If you negotiate with your counterpart, you should know how and when to use polite language, vague language or logical language, which are used according to different registers. The use of these various registers depends primarily upon the purposes of power and solidarity.3 Just as Mark Ellis said in his book Teaching Business English, the most important characteristic of exchanges in the context of business meetings, telephone calls, and discussions is a sense of purpose. Even used in phatic manner, business English can obtain interpersonal function. But unlike in EGP registers, in business English the speaker is often pressed time at business meetings, so it is impossible to keep on chattering cleverly about inconsequential matters.
The most obvious function of language is informative, the use of speech or writing to influence the cognitive content or state of other people. In business English, this function is especially obvious. Information has to be conveyed with minimum risk of misunderstanding, and the time for processing needs to be short. Therefore there is a preference for clear, logical thought emphasized by the kinds of words that indicate the logical process (for example: “as a result”, “for this reason”, “in order to”).4
“Those who employ performative language are often authority figures, or they are credited with possessing esoteric knowledge about the power of words, and in most instances, performative Functional Equivalence and Business English Translation language is highly ritualized and fixed in form”.5
According to Gillian and George, language has “transactional” and “interpersonal” functions. The distinction between “transactional” and “interpersonal” stands in general correspondence to the distinction between “informative” and “interpersonal”.
Relatively few discourses are restricted to a single function. In fact, most speaking and writing involve several different functions and often in quite different proportions. But business English involves most obviously the interpersonal and informative functions in almost the same proportions. The features of the informative function and the interpersonal function are the language features of business English from the perspective of function. In the following section, the language features will be discussed from the perspective of style.
B. Language features from the perspective of style
1. Elementary view of the features of business English
Business translation does not have essential differences from literary translation, nor from other special translations. But each special area of translation must have its special considerations, which mainly concern jargons, techniques of ambiguity resolution, methods of transfer of style, and selection of information that needs translation, etc. In this section, the main considerations of business translation in stylistic aspect will be analyzed, which have tremendous influence on business translation in practice.
The major function of business English is to offer all kinds of information to businessmen and help them to communicate better with each other. And business English is used to propaganda various kinds of information of products to the outside world to make people know more about them.
Example (1):
Extra privacy could be obtained by engaging a “drawing-room” at the end of the car, which would accommodate up to three, but at a higher supplement. In these cars it was also necessary to use common wash-rooms at the car end.
车厢尽头有一个特等卧室，具有很好的私密性内可容纳三人， 但要额外收较高的费用。这类车厢的两头还设有公用洗手间，供旅客使用。
In this paragraph, the information of extra privacy and common wash-rooms are introduced to passengers.
What is closely related to its informativeness is the succinct language of business English. Business English especially business documents or files seek for succinctness and try to avoid ambiguity and to reduce redundancy to the minimum, even at the cost of other language features. Here succinctness does not mean the messages are little. Actually, it means using fewer words and sentences to convey more messages and at the same time avoiding ambiguity. Relatively speaking, sentences or words or paragraphs are much less complicated in business English than those of literary works except those articles of contracts. In business context, language ambiguity usually would be eliminated by specific business context. For business English, conveying the information is its most important function. The misunderstanding of information should be limited into minimum and less time should be spent on business documents or files so as to achieve high efficiency; consequently, most business texts are concise and succinct.
Example (2):
(a) Documents against payment付款交单
(b) Freight forward运费到付
(c) In your favor以你方为受益人
(d) Backlog of orders尚未交付的订单
In example (a)，there is only one noun phrase in English to convey the meaning that must be expressed by two verb phrases in Chinese. In example (b) one noun phrase is enough to express the meaning while in Chinese a sentence is necessary. And the English expressions of example (c) and example (d) are also simpler than their Chinese expressions. And the words used in these examples are very common in business English and there are few modifiers of them. All these features make businessmen get the information more easily. In businessmen’s eyes, business world is a battlefield and time is money. As a reflection of this, business English is always compact and terse. If the meaning could be expressed by one word or sentence, there will not be more than one used. For example, the phrase “at this time” is always expressed by one word “now” while the verb phrase “make inquiry regarding” is expressed by “inquire”. There are many examples like these in business English, which show the succinct feature of the language. Succinct languages used in business English are welcomed by businessmen. The succinctness of the language and common words make much convenience for businessmen and their communication.
2. Detailed Feature Analysis of Business English
Obviously, the two above-mentioned characteristics are reflected at different levels of business English. This section will mainly concern the stylistic characteristics of business English at lexical, syntactic and textual levels.
a. Lexical level
As one part of English, most words of business English take the general characteristics of English lexis. Except some words, such as some price terms stipulated by international organizations, most of words are just common ones in English. Business English is much less ambiguous than literary English, and even daily English, and therefore it is much easier to find equivalence for business English in the target language. Most of words used in business English correspondingly have limited meanings and could be understood easily and clearly. However, words in business English still have their own features. And the followings are the most prominent ones.
(1) The exactness of the meanings of words
With regard to the meanings of words, words of business English get more attention than those in other kinds of English. Particularly when it comes to the exactness of the meanings, more emphasis should be paid to it.
Example (3):
A confirmed irrevocable letter of credit shall be established within 15 days after the conclusion of the contract and such letter of credit should be maintained at least 15days after the month of shipment for the negotiation of the relative draft. If the Buyers fail to provide such letter of credit in the Sellers’ favor as prescribed above, the Seller shall have the option of reselling the contracted goods for the account of the Buyers or delaying any shipment and/or canceling any orders at any time on the Buyers’ account and risk.
保兑的和不可撤销的信用证必须在和约签订之后十五天内开立。而且，该信用证必须在货物付运之后至少十五天内继续有效，以便议附有关汇票。如果买方未能向卖方提供如上规定的信用证，卖方有权选择转售合约规定为买方的货物或推迟付运和(或)随时撤消任何订单，损失和风险由买方承担。
There are only two sentences in this paragraph but words related to business such as confirmed, irrevocable letter of credit, conclusion of the contract, shipment, negotiation, draft in the sellers’ favor, reselling the contracted goods and for the account of the buyers account for a large part of the whole sentence. And in business context, the meanings of such words are completely different from them in common English. For example, commonly, negotiation means the action of talking with another person or group in order to try to come to an agreement or settle an argument. But here negotiation means the actions which the Seller sells the relative documents or drafts to the Bank for getting the payment. And in common English, confirm means to provide evidence for the truth of something or to give approval to. For example, please confirm your telephone message by letters(请来信确认你的电话内容)，but in this paragraph and in many business context, confirm always means保兑 and a confirmed letter of credit means保兑信用证.
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