Translation Techniques of Chinese Union Version: from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

ISSN 1712-8056[Print] Canadian Social Science ISSN 1923-6697[Online] Vol. 10, No. 3, 2014, pp. 9-13 www.cscanada.net DOI:10.3968/4544 www.cscanada.org Translation Techniques of Chinese Union Version: From the Perspective of Skopos Theory ZHAO Yushan[a],*; JIANG Yanwen[b] [a]Professor. School of Foreign Languages, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, China. INTRODUCTION [b]School of Foreign Languages, North China Electric Power University, In western countries, almost all the translated versions of Beijing, China. * Bible have impact on the unification and standardization Corresponding author. of their languages. Compared to the study of CUV, the Received 16 January 2014; accepted 8 April 2014 researches on its translation techniques are far from Pulished online 18 April 2014 enough. With Skopos Theory as a theoretical basis, the paper discusses and categorizes the techniques of Abstract translation in accordance to the three rules of Skopos With the development of modernization and opening Theory. In a broader sense, the fidelity rule conforms up and reform policy, Christianity has the opportunity to the literal translation of CUV to preserve the original to prosper in China. Holy Bible, the sacred scripture of meaning. While the techniques of CUV translation, Christianity, is one of the brilliant crystals of western including diction, repetition, conversion, inversion and culture. As a predominant translated work, Chinese amplification are discussed from the perspective of Union Version (CUV) is widely spread in Christians Skopos rule and Coherence rule, which demonstrates the and its publication marks the forerunner of vernacular particularity of CUV. campaign, which sets an example for the replacement of classical Chinese. CUV has been popularized extensively 1. SKOPOS THEORY and intensively in China, which is closely related to its high quality of translation and techniques. Three rules of When it comes to the connection between functionalist Skopos theory, including Skopos rule, coherence rule and approaches and translation, Skopos Theory of Vermeer fidelity rule are applied in the paper to prove that the three plays an indispensable role. Vermeer holds that translation rules of Skopos theory should be taken into account when is a kind of action or an intentional and purposeful analyzing translation techniques of CUV. Fidelity rule is behavior which changes according to specific situation. discussed first in a broader perspective, conforming to It also depends on the source text. As for Vermeer, any its feature of faithfulness. As a result, literal translation action has its aim or purpose, the same as translation. dominates the whole translational process. In addition, “Skopos”, a Greek word, was introduced into translation the specific techniques are concluded based on Skopos theory by Vermeer in the 1970s, which refers to the goal rule level and coherence rule level. The techniques of or purpose of a translation, namely what a translator is CUV translation include: diction, repetition, conversion, aiming at in the translation process. The Skopos Theory inversion and amplification. holds that the way the target text eventually shapes up is Key words: Skopos theory; Chinese Union Version; determined to a great extent by the function, or “Skopos”, intended for it in the target context. (Hatim, 2005:74) Translation techniques Therefore, the goal or purpose of translation determines the methods, techniques and process of translation so as Zhao, Y. S., & Jiang. Y. W. (2014). Translation Techniques of Chinese Union Version: From the Perspective of Skopos to realize a functionally adequate translation. The theory Theory. Canadian Social Science, 10(3), 9-13. Available from: introduces the idea that a translation should always be http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/css/article/view/4544 conducted to realize the purpose of the target text in the DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/4544 9 Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture Translation Techniques of Chinese Union Version: From the Perspective of Skopos Theory target text’s situation. The main purpose contributing to translation, The New Testament has been revised for any translation process is the purpose (Skopos) of the several times. Therefore, its language is clearer and more overall translational action. fluent. CUV provides a more popular version for ordinary Vermeer first put forward Skopos theory in his paper people, thus becoming the prevailing Bible version for Frame Work for a General Translation Theory (1978), churches and followers. Its translation principles include: giving three main rules: the Skopos rule, coherence rule mandarin required; free from dialect; understandable and and fidelity rule. The Skopos rule means that translation readable; keep accordance to the original text; the difficult is determined by the prospective function or purpose points should be clearly defined instead of expressing of the translated text as determined by the translation main idea. Due to its refined language, CUV becomes the initiator, which is the paramount rule among the three forerunner of mandarin campaign and a sign of replacing rules. There are three branches affiliated to the Skopos ancient Chinese prose. The language is serious and clear rule including the Skopos of translator, communicative in laws, vivid in histories, acute and incisive in proverbs, Skopos of the translated text and Skopos fulfilled by tender and soft in poems, miserable in prayers, sacred in specific translational tactics and approaches. In the eulogy, sincere in instructions. Its authority in Christianity also contributes to more unique Christian words in the common ground, Skopos refers to the communicative language system. Skopos. The initiator determines the communicative Chinese translators’ attention to CUV is an important Skopos. Out of some special purposes and needs, he sign in the history of Chinese Bible translation. Firstly, it meanwhile provides the reasons of translating a given had accumulated the translation experiences since the first text, the addressee, the environment for the use of Chinese Bible translated by Robert Morrison a century translated text and the function of translated text. The ago. Absorbing all the advantages of the former versions, coherence rule formulates that the translated text should it is the crystal of numerous Chinese and western scholars, be coherent enough to let the intended addressees and turns out to be the version with most literature understand it in the scope of their assumed background values. Secondly, CUV, one of the earliest vernacular knowledge and situational circumstances. Translator Bible versions, is the crystal of numerous creation and should conform to the ethnic rules and standards in the experiments, which contributed to the the New Culture target language and culture, and convert the information and Literature Movement. provided in the source text efficiently and acceptably to the reader, taking their background knowledge and situational circumstances into account. The fidelity rule 3. APPLICATION OF SKOPOS THEORY implies the connection between translated text and source IN CUV TRANSLATION text. There must be an intertextual coherence between Based on Skopos Theory discussed above, translation the source text and the target text, which is similar to the techniques of CUV should be analyzed on the levels of fidelity to the source texts. Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. Fidelity rule Vermeer’s Skopos theory contributed a lot to is discussed first in a broader perspective, which conforms translation studies. It moves beyond the static linguistic to the feature of faithfulness. In the meantime, the specific typologies of translation. According to his understanding, techniques are concluded based on Skopos rule and translation is no longer considered a merely linguistic coherence rule. process, but a purposeful action. The translator is no longer a mechanical copier from a source language to 3.1 Translation Techniques on Fidelity Rule Level a target language, but an expert in translational action, Since a translation is an offer of information about a responsible for commissioned translation task and preceding offer of information, it is expected to bear some for ensuring the result of the translation process. The kind of relationship with the corresponding source text. translated texts also vary with different Skopos. Vermeer calls this relationship intertextual coherence and fidelity. This is postulated as a further principle referred 2. FEATURES OF CHINESE UNION to as the ‘fidelity rule’ (Reiss & Vermeer, 1984, p.114). As in the case of the Skopos theory, what’s more important VERSION is that intertextual coherence should exist between source Holy Bible is usually regarded as a religious law and lively and target text, while the form it takes depends both on oracle of God. It deserves a special attention because the translator’s interpretation of the source text and the it plays a fairly important role in analyzing the history, translation Skopos. In other words, faithfulness should be culture and creed of Christianity. Faithfulness, namely adopted as the top rule in translation. When it comes to the accuracy of translated text, is the top priority in CUV the translation methods of, literal translation is basically translation. With the changes of translation principles, followed throughout the all the genres of Bible, including the accuracy of meanings counts. In the 13 years of narration

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