浅谈英语新闻标题的翻译.docx

浅谈英语新闻标题的翻译.docx

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浅谈英语新闻标题的翻译

浅谈英语新闻标题的翻译

来源：

岁月联盟作者：

李清时间：

2010-10-06

【Abstract】ThisdissertationfocusesonintroducingsometranslatingskillsaccordingtothefeaturesofEnglishnewsheadline.First,itisabouttranslationoflexicalitemsinEnglishnewsheadline,includingtranslationofacronym,newwordsandmidgetwords.Asforthelimitationofnewspaperspace,lexicalitemsarecommonlyusedinheadlinesothispartisregardedtobeessentialandcriticalforthedissertation.Second,thepaperdiscussestranslationofproperpunctuationsnotallpunctuationsareusedinnewsheadline.Thispartmainlyintroducessometranslatingtechniquesoffrequentlyusedonessuchascomma,colon,anddashandsoon.Third,thetranslationofrhetoricaldevicesisthehighlightofthispaper.Newsheadlineisquitelikelytoproducestrikingeffectbymeansoffigureofspeech.ItcouldbetranslatedliterallyatthemostoftimeandsometimesitshouldbetranslatedflexiblyforthedifferentculturebackgroundsbetweenchinaandEnglish-speakingcountries.Finally,thispartfocusesonthetranslationintermsofthegrammarfeaturesofnewsheadlinewhichoftendifferfromonesweusuallyaccept,suchastheomissionofarticles,auxiliaryverbs,conjunctionsandflexibleuseoftense,voiceandnon-predicateverbs.

【KeyWords】translation;Newsheadline;English

【摘要】本文结合新闻标题的主要特点,通过具体的例子,介绍了英语新闻标题的翻译技巧.首先是英语新闻标题中词语（包括首字母缩略语、新词、小词）的译法.报纸有限的空间使得新闻标题常用词语来表达,因此词语的译法是的一个重要组成部分,其次是关于某些在新闻标题中常用的标点符号所代表的意思的翻译.再者,新闻标题中修辞手法的翻译是论文的重点,新闻标题经常借助各种修辞来增强其表达效果,大多数情况下可采用直译,但由于中英国家不同的文化背景,必要事需要采取灵活的翻译技巧.最后,值得注意的是,英语新闻标题的一些语法特征不同于我们平常所接受的语法特点,新闻标题经常省略冠词、连词、助动词等一些虚词,其时态、语法及非谓语动词的使用也十分灵活.

【关键词】翻译；新闻标题；英语

1.Introduction

Atatimewhenthepaceoflifeisgettingfasterandfaster,everythingseemstobebiddingforpeople’sattention,andnewspaperisnoexception.Astheeyeofthenews,headlinesitsinapositiontocapturetheessenceoftheevent,demonstratethereadabilityofthenewsandattractreaders’attention.Agoodheadline,generallyspeaking,shouldincludesuchfeaturesasaccuracy,brevityandclaritywhicharegenerallydevelopedbylexicalitems,punctuation,rhetoricaldevices,andgrammar.Putitindetail,first,asforwordsselection,suchitemsasacronym,newwordsandmidgetwordsarecommonlychosenfortheheadline.Second,notallpunctuationscouldappearinheadline,andthefrequentlyusedoneslikecomma,colon,anddashalsoindicatespecificmeaningoftheheadline.Third,inordertoleadforcetoanidea,toheighteneffect,ortocreateatmosphere,headlineisusuallywrittenfiguratively.Finally,thelimitedspaceofnewspaperdemandsthatheadlinebeconciseandbrief,andthereforeithasdevelopeditsowngrammaticalstyle.ThemajordifferenceofthegrammarrulesusedfordailyEnglishandnewsheadlinesliesinthefrequentomissionoffunctionwords（article,auxiliaryverbs,conjunctionsandsoon）,anduniquepracticeoftense,voiceandnon-predicateverbs.SuchfeaturesofEnglishnewsheadlineasmentionedaboveareessentialandcriticalforreaderstounderstandtheconnotationofnewsheadline,andalsoarethedifficultiesandproblemsneededsettlingintranslatingEnglishnewsheadline.ThisessayfocusesonintroducingsomecorrespondenttranslatingtechniqueswiththesefeaturesofEnglishnewsheadline.

2.TranslationoflexicalitemsinEnglishnewsheadline

2.1.Translationofacronym

Acronym（wordformedfromtheinitiallettersofagroupofwords）isonemainformofEnglishnewstitle’sglossaryvariation.Sincenewspapersarelimitedintimeandspace,acronymmeetstheneed,savingthespaceofnewspaper.Thischapterattemptstodiscusssomeskillsintranslatingacronym.

2.1.1.Translateaccordingtoitspronunciation

Forexample:

（1）OPEC22ndSessionEnds

（OPEC=OrganizationofPetroleumExportingCountries石油输出国组织，即欧佩克）

---欧佩克第二届会议结束

（2）AIDS---TheRisktoHeterosexual

（AIDS=AcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndrome艾滋病,即后天免疫缺损综合症）

---艾滋病危及异性恋爱者

2.1.2.Translatingandshorteningthefullname

Forexample:

（1）NATOtoSeekNewSecretaryGeneral

（NATO=NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization北大西洋公约组织,简称北约）

---北约寻求新任秘书长

（2）USSRDissolves,MikhailCorbachevResigns:

BorisYeltsinTakesover

（USSR=UnionofSovietSocialistRepublics苏维埃社会主义共和国联盟,简称苏联）

---苏联解体,戈尔巴乔夫辞职,叶利钦上台

2.1.3.Explainingallletters

Inviewofthefactthatnotallacronymscanbetranslatedaccordingtothepronunciation;otherwisereaderswouldbeconfused.Thetranslatorhadbetterpointoutthemeaningofallletters.

Itcanbeclearlyseeninthebelowexamples:

（1）BBCConsideringStartingGlobalTelevisionService

（BBC=BritishBroadcastingCorporation）

---英国广播公司拟开通全球电视服务

（2）PLOSaysIsraeliDriveahead

（PLO=PalestineLiberationOrganization）

---巴勒斯坦解放组织说以色列即将大举进攻

（3）STARTAnnouncedtoBeginJune29

（START=StrategicArmsReductionsTalks）

---裁减战略武器会谈于六月而十九日开始

（4）36thWTTCtriumphantlyclosesinYugoslavia.

（WTTC=WorldTableTennisChampionships）

---第三十六届世界乒乓球锦标赛在南斯拉夫胜利闭幕

（5）GovernmentIsCoveringupUFOEvidence?

（UFO=UnidentifiedFlyingObject）

---美政府一直隐瞒不明飞行物真相？

（6）HollywoodHelpsCIAComeinFromtheCold

（CIA=CentralIntelligenceAgency）

---好莱坞为中央情报局重塑形象

2.2.TranslationofnewwordsinEnglishnewsheadline

Asscienceandtechnologyoftheworldswiftlydevelop,thecontactamongcountriesincreasinglyexpands,moreandmorenewEnglishwordsareborntotheworld.Inordertodrawclosetothesociallife,graspthetimespulse,newsreportneedtocreatemassivenewwordstoreflecttheworld’snewthings,newthoughts,newphenomenonandnewprevailingcustomstoattractreaders’attention.“Thiskindofwordsmaybedividedintotwotypes:

oneistogiveoldwordsnewmeaning.Forexample,‘clone’means‘无性系繁殖’andthenitisexudedtobe‘复制’；‘Bug’means‘机器的毛病’nowrefersinparticularto‘机千年虫问题’；Sept.11or9/11hasthespecialmeaningbecausetheterroristsattackedtheUSworldtradebuilding.Theotheriscompletelynewwords,namely,coinage,mainlyinthefieldsofsciencetechnology,suchasInternetese（因特网语言），com,e-mail,e-commerce（商务），cyberspace（电脑空间）,bio-chips（生物芯片），techno-millionaire（高科技百万富翁）andsoon.”[1]P108

Forexample：

（1）Year2000BugUnstoppableforSomeCorporations

---计算机千年虫问题迫在眉睫

（2）AmericanOnline:

OftenDown,NeverOut

---美国在线公司:

屡挫不倒

（3）WhatIsDateline?

---何为征婚热线？

（4）TheSandbaggers

---用沙袋治沙的人们

（5）Cold-FightingDrugMayBeUsedAgainstSARS

---千呼万唤始出来抗非典药物有望面世

（6）AsiaPledgeActiononBirdflu

---亚洲国家表示采取一致措施控制禽流感

（7）YahooAwardsWorld’sBestCybercafés

---雅虎评选全球最佳网吧

2.3.Translationofmidgetwords

“Midgetwordsareverbsornounsthatareshorterorfewersyllablebutmorevividemployedinnewsheadlinetomakeiteasierforreaderstounderstand.”[2]P98Atthispoint,thetranslatorshouldseektoproducesomethingrelativelyequivalenttothiskindofwordsinChinese.

Forexample:

（1）WarStrainsandtheProductionofKillers.

---战争压力与杀戮者的产生

（2）TheU.S.ProposalandItsChances.

---美国的建议及其机会

（3）ThePressureonCherbourgandtheEnemy’sDistress

---瑟堡吃紧敌军凄苦

（4）AFertileValleyandItsScourge

---肥沃河谷的灾难

Furtherexamples:

（1）ReportBacksMethadoneforAddicts

---报道支持吸毒者使用镁沙酮镇定剂

（2）NuclearBlastSeepageIsFound

---核爆炸渗漏物被发现

“Thewords‘back’and‘blast’areshorterthanthewords‘support’and‘explosion’,buttherearenoChinesewordsCorrespondentwiththemtoexpressthedifferenceinvisuallybetween‘back’and‘support’,‘blast’and‘explosion’,soitisonlytranslatedliterallytobe‘支持’and‘爆炸’，stressinginthesignificancetransmissioninspiteoflosingEnglishmidgetwords’languagecharacteristic.”[3]P98

（3）BritishStudentKnifedinFrance

---英国学生在法被刺

Hereif“knife”istranslatedtobe“刀刺”，itwouldgildthelily.

（4）ChunAxes37JudgesinShape-up

---全斗焕在改组中撤掉37名法官

“Iftheword‘axe’istranslatedliterallytobe‘斧砍’inChinese,itispossibletocausetwopenalties:

oneistomakethedivergence---全斗焕在改组中用斧头砍伤了37名法官；theotheristhatthescaleofformalityofChineseword‘斧砍’makesitquitealientothephrases‘改组’,‘法官’and‘全斗焕’.”[4]P98Undersuchcircumstances,weareconcernedwiththeessentialmeaningimpliedinthewords.WhenwordsorphasesintheEnglishnewsheadlinearemeaninglessormisleadingiftranslatedliterallyintoChinese,oneisobligedtomakesomeadjustmentsintranslationtoguaranteetheheadlinepassintoChinesewithoutlosingitsessence.

3.Translationofproperpunctuations

Newstitleisalwayssimplifiedinstructure;accordingly,punctuationplaysaveryimportantroleinnewsheadline.Moreoftenthannot,certainpunctuationcanproducesomekindofspecialresult.Thetranslatorshouldpayattentiontotheconcretemeaningofthesepunctuationswhiletranslatingthem.

3.1.Comma（,）

“Commaexpressesthestopbetweenthecompoundingredientsintitle,anditisalsousedtoreplace‘and’inordertosavespace,generallybeingtranslatedtobe‘和’inChinese.”[5]P29

Forexample:

（1）Australia，U.S.SeekMoreWaystoPromoteTrade

（=AustraliaandU.S.SeekMoreWaystoPro-moteTrade）

---澳大利亚和美国寻求更多途径以促进两国贸易

（2）UN,IraqTalkonRefugeeAid

---联合国和伊拉克谈判援助难民问题

（3）China,CISStatesMayShareCables

---和独联体国家合作开发光电通讯

（4）Ready,aim,flambé:

Army,MarineCooksBattleEachOther

---预备、瞄准、开火:

海陆两军交“火”厨师各显神通（“Thetwocommasinfrontofthecolonareusedtoindicatedisplay,andfunctionasChineseslight-pause;thelastcommathenisequalto‘and’."[6]P67）

3.2.Colon（:

）

IntheEnglishnewstitle,themosteye-catchinginformationisalwaysputinfront,andthensomesupplementinformationisdrawnouttomakeupthesubjectaftercolon.ThesimilaritiesinChineseandEnglishexpressionprovideaseriesofparallelismsofcontentintranslation.

Lookattheexamples:

（1）The＄2billionMakeover:

Aust