Western Han Dynasty Translation Tutorial

Author: Sheng Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: This textbook is designed for advanced undergraduate students of Spanish translation. As a practical translation course, it can also serve as a reference for general readers. The textbook is divided into two parts. Part, i.e., the Upper Volume—Introduction to Translation, consists of seventeen chapters. It organizes the fundamental issues or dilemmas inevitably encountered in translation into the sequence of understanding, expression, verification, and evaluation, discussing possible solutions and key considerations. Written in a simple, lively, and student-friendly manner, it explores topics such as the nature, process, standards, and methods of translation. We believe that the method of concentrating on specific issues will deepen students' understanding and facilitate focused practice, thereby improving their translation skills. Except for Chapter and the last two chapters of the Upper Volume, each chapter includes a substantial number of exercises. Most exercises in this part are based on sentences or sentence groups, with each chapter's exercises focusing on a specific aspect. The second part, i.e., the Lower Volume—Discourse Translation, is divided into six units based on application genres, business translation, diplomatic documents, legal documents, news reports, and literary translation. Discourse translation has been widely adopted in teaching over the past decade because treating complete texts with relatively independent communicative functions as the object of translation research allows for the exploration of linguistic features and translation strategies by genre, avoiding the pitfall of "seeing the trees but missing the forest." For this reason, we provide complete texts primarily focused on practical use and categorize them into different teaching units. Each unit includes several texts with diverse genres and styles. The two parts of the textbook are interconnected. While the Upper Volume uses many translation examples to introduce various theories and methods, some of these examples are drawn from the Lower Volume content. Conversely, the Lower Volume, which begins with discourse, refers to the Upper Volume's explanations when discussing the handling of difficulties or commenting on translations. When using this textbook, both parts can be studied simultaneously. Since translation from Spanish to Chinese is typically offered in the third year, and students at this stage still lack a solid foundation in foreign languages, the selection of texts in the early stages often leans toward simpler content. Additionally, the initial chapters may incorporate grammar and vocabulary knowledge of the source language, but the focus remains on the comparison between Spanish and Chinese. As the course progresses, discussions on translation principles or strategies gradually replace language-related explanations. The last part of the textbook is Comparative Reading (Appendix). This section is included because, as mentioned earlier, third-year students have limited proficiency in foreign languages, making it difficult to use more challenging texts in class. To meet their post-class learning needs and support further improvement, this part is appended to the textbook for reference, allowing students to gain a deeper intuitive understanding of translation.