DOCSLIB.ORG

Solar Decathlon Website: English to Chinese Translation a Major Qualifying Project Report (Professional Writing)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Solar Decathlon Website: English to Chinese Translation a Major Qualifying Project Report (Professional Writing) Solar Decathlon Website: English to Chinese Translation A Major Qualifying Project Report (Professional Writing) Submitted to the Faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science Submitted By Yunqiu Sun 05/30/13 Advisors: Professor Lorraine Higgins Professor Jennifer Rudolph P a g e | 2 Abstract WPI is part of a team competing in Solar Decathlon China. For its Communications Contest, our team is generating a website, brochure, and signage to engage the audience in learning about the house we designed, “Solatrium”, and get inspired from our Solar Decathlon experience. This MQP incorporates an English to Chinese translation of the website, brochure, signage, video walkthrough, and dinner menu. It also provides information on the house design, the target audience for the Chinese website, and experts’ advice on translation. I compared my actual translation challenges and strategies to those proposed by literature. I conclude translation is not just about literal translation or reproducing sources into another language. It is also about making persuasive and culturally appropriate adaptations to attract the audience through their interests. This project reflects language and cultural differences through the experience of translation. P a g e | 3 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the support of Professor Lorraine Higgins and Professor Jennifer Rudolph who provided helpful comments and encouragement throughout this project, and Professor Xin Xin who proofread the Chinese translation and provided timely feedback. P a g e | 4 Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 6 1. About the Solar Decathlon ............................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Solar Decathlon China ................................................................................................................................. 7 1.2 The Communications Contest........................................................................................................................ 7 2. Solatrium’s Design ............................................................................................................................................ 9 2.1 Solatrium ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Photovoltaic (PV) Panels .............................................................................................................................10 2.3 Composite, Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Panels (FRP) ....................................................................................10 2.4 Elevated Atrium Roof ...................................................................................................................................11 2.5 Split HVAC System ......................................................................................................................................11 2.6 Low E Glazing Glass ....................................................................................................................................12 2.7 Phase Change Materials (PCM) ...................................................................................................................13 2.8 Sustainable Bamboo Materials .....................................................................................................................13 3. Audience .......................................................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 The Chinese Government .............................................................................................................................14 3.2 Chinese General Public ...............................................................................................................................14 3.2.1 Solar technology is not just about PVs............................................................................................................. 15 3.2.2 PVs are the cheapest energy resource for long term and they are easy to maintain. ....................................... 16 3.2.3 PVs save a lot of energy even the energy conversion efficiency is not high. .................................................... 16 3.2.4 The solar power can direct industrial reform and boost the economy. ............................................................ 17 3.3 Green-tech Manufacturers ...........................................................................................................................17 3.4 Chinese Engineers and Environmentalists ....................................................................................................18 3.5 Chinese School Faculty and Students ...........................................................................................................19 3.6 Other Teams ................................................................................................................................................19 4. Translation ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 4.1 Translation Procedure .................................................................................................................................20 4.1.1 Break into Parts ............................................................................................................................................... 20 4.1.2 Forget the Prose in the Original Language ..................................................................................................... 20 4.1.3 Write and Reorganize ....................................................................................................................................... 21 4.1.4 Compare ........................................................................................................................................................... 22 4.2 Translation Ethos ........................................................................................................................................22 4.2.1 Tone down the Instructive Voice ....................................................................................................................... 22 4.2.2 Use “We” ......................................................................................................................................................... 23 4.3 Translation Accuracy ...................................................................................................................................23 4.3.1 Word Choice ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 4.3.2 General Terms .................................................................................................................................................. 23 4.3.3 Technical Terms ................................................................................................................................................ 24 4.3.4 Idioms and Set Phrases .................................................................................................................................... 25 4.3.5 Nonexistent Words ............................................................................................................................................ 25 4.4 Translation Spirit .........................................................................................................................................26 4.4.1 Understand the Purpose ................................................................................................................................... 26 4.4.2 Persuade the Audience ..................................................................................................................................... 27 4.5 Translation Constraints ...............................................................................................................................27 4.5.1 Research Carefully and Never Make Things Up .............................................................................................. 27 P a g e | 5 5. Translation Reflections ................................................................................................................................... 29 5.1 Opt to Become a Co-writer ...........................................................................................................................29 5.2 Achieve Writer’s Objectives ..........................................................................................................................29 5.3 Talk to the Writers ........................................................................................................................................30
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Art of Natural Building — Revised and Updated
    Praise for The Art of Natural Building — Revised and Updated The Art of Natural Building — Second Edition is an epic adventure through the world of natural building. No stone is left unturned in presenting the beauty, inclusiveness, human, socially and environmentally responsible world of building with what the earth gives us, where we are. As a whole, it’s a bit overwhelming — so much to take in — and yet each subject is complete within itself. The spirit of this book is attuned to its subject — gentle, simple, embracing, humble, caring, and infused with love for each other, our communities, and the earth. It’s really about creating a humane world, a beacon to guide us through difficult times. — Bill Hutchins, founder/principal, Helicon Works Architects This is a book to live your life by — to improve your life in every aspect. No single problem is overlooked, from global warming to the imbalance of wealth and poverty. [This book] draws from a variety of tried-and-true methods while bringing us into today’s world — anyone, anywhere can build an affordable home from the practical details in this volume. — Marion Bridge, author, Passion for Earth: Earth Houses in New Zealand This is a well-illustrated and comprehensive, wide-ranging book on many methods and aspects of natural building, drawing on materials from many parts of the world and written by prominent practitioners and proponents. It will be 2 much anticipated by those who are either keen to promote natural building, or who are simply wishing to find out a whole lot more about it, what it means, and to see a whole range of examples.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Basic Challenges and Strategies in Teaching Translation to Chemistry Majors Iazyka (Pp
    Training, Language and Culture doi: 10.29366/2018tlc.2.3.4 Volume 2 Issue 3, 2018 rudn.tlcjournal.org Some basic challenges and strategies in teaching translation to Chemistry majors iazyka (pp. 48-56). Moscow: Agraf. Svetovidova, I. V. (2000). Perenos znacheniia i ego ontologiia by Elena E. Aksenova and Svetlana N. Orlova Schwanke, M. (1991). Maschinelle Übersetzung: v angliiskom i russkom iazykakh [Transfer of meaning Klärungsversuch eines unklaren Begriffs [Machine and its ontology in English and Russian]. Moscow: Elena E. Aksenova Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) [email protected] translation: Clarifying the unclear term]. In Lomonosov Moscow State University. Maschinelle Übersetzung (pp. 47-67). Berlin, Toury, G. (2012). Descriptive translation studies and beyond: Svetlana N. Orlova Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) [email protected] Heidelberg: Springer. Revised edition (Vol. 100). John Benjamins Publishing. Published in Training, Language and Culture Vol 2 Issue 3 (2018) pp. 71-85 doi: 10.29366/2018tlc.2.3.5 Schweitzer, A. D. (1988). Teoriia perevoda: Status, problemy, Venuti, L. (2017). The translator’s invisibility: A history of Recommended citation format: Aksenova, E. E., & Orlova, S. N. (2018). Some basic challenges and strategies in aspekty [Theory of translation: Status, issues, aspects]. translation. Routledge. teaching translation to Chemistry majors. Training, Language and Culture, 2(3), 71-85. doi: Moscow: Nauka. Vinay, J. P., & Darbelnet, J. (1958). Stylistique comparée de Shaitanov, I. (2009). Perevodim li Pushkin? Perevod kak l’anglais et du français [Stylistic comparison of English 10.29366/2018tlc.2.3.5 komparativnaia problema [Is Pushkin translatable? and French]. Paris and Montreal: Didier/Beauchemin.
    [Show full text]
  • Translation: an Advanced Resource Book
    TRANSLATION Routledge Applied Linguistics is a series of comprehensive resource books, providing students and researchers with the support they need for advanced study in the core areas of English language and Applied Linguistics. Each book in the series guides readers through three main sections, enabling them to explore and develop major themes within the discipline: • Section A, Introduction, establishes the key terms and concepts and extends readers’ techniques of analysis through practical application. • Section B, Extension, brings together influential articles, sets them in context, and discusses their contribution to the field. • Section C, Exploration, builds on knowledge gained in the first two sections, setting thoughtful tasks around further illustrative material. This enables readers to engage more actively with the subject matter and encourages them to develop their own research responses. Throughout the book, topics are revisited, extended, interwoven and deconstructed, with the reader’s understanding strengthened by tasks and follow-up questions. Translation: • examines the theory and practice of translation from a variety of linguistic and cultural angles, including semantics, equivalence, functional linguistics, corpus and cognitive linguistics, text and discourse analysis, gender studies and post- colonialism • draws on a wide range of languages, including French, Spanish, German, Russian and Arabic • explores material from a variety of sources, such as the Internet, advertisements, religious texts, literary and technical texts • gathers together influential readings from the key names in the discipline, including James S. Holmes, George Steiner, Jean-Paul Vinay and Jean Darbelnet, Eugene Nida, Werner Koller and Ernst-August Gutt. Written by experienced teachers and researchers in the field, Translation is an essential resource for students and researchers of English language and Applied Linguistics as well as Translation Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Making Culture Relevant in Technical Translation with Dynamic Equivalence: the Case of Bilingual Instructions
    Journal of Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization Volume 10 Number 1 Article 4 2017 Making Culture Relevant in Technical Translation With Dynamic Equivalence: The Case of Bilingual Instructions Massimo Verzella Penn State Behrand Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/rpcg Part of the Rhetoric Commons Recommended Citation Verzella, Massimo (2017) "Making Culture Relevant in Technical Translation With Dynamic Equivalence: The Case of Bilingual Instructions," Journal of Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization: Vol. 10 : No. 1, Article 4. Available at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/rpcg/vol10/iss1/4 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321371273 Making Culture Relevant in Technical Translation with Dynamic Equivalence: The Case of Bilingual Instructions Article · November 2017 CITATIONS READS 2 170 1 author: Massimo Verzella Penn State University, the Behrend College 29 PUBLICATIONS 21 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Cross-cultural pragmatics: Italian and American English: A Comparative Study View project Discourse analysis (focus on Samuel Butler) View project All content following this page was uploaded by Massimo Verzella on 29 November 2017. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. ISSN: 2153-9480. Volume 10, Number 1. October - 2017 Making culture relevant in technical translation with dynamic equivalence: The case of bilingual instructions Massimo Verzella Penn State Behrend Introduction: Translators as beta users and mediators One of the central tenets of technical communication research and pedagogy is user-analysis (Redish, 2010; Barnum & Redish, 2011).
    [Show full text]
  • Focus: Technical Translation 5 Y Aso Rni the 15Anniversary Edition! Years – of Transit Enter a New Dimension
    The hronicle C A Publication of the American Translators Association VOLUME XXX • NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2001 Focus: Technical Translation ARTNER P NAE & ENSAUER W 15 Years of Transit – The Anniversary Edition! Enter a New Dimension. The best just got better! The newest evaluations at any stage of a project. All Translation Memory Tool Transit XV offers this makes your translation project more you a comprehensive range of innovative efficient and profitable! And ... speaking of features including: concordance search, profits, we are offering an introductory price automatic terminology mining, drag-and- to those interested in getting Transit XV drop between dictionaries, expanded right now. For more information, contact review features for text editing, as well us at: STAR Language Technology, as the Report Manager for precise e-mail: [email protected] The Chronicle Features A Publication of the American Translators Association Volume XXX, Number 11 International Certification Study: Czech Republic November/December 2001 By Jiri Stejskal . 10 The ABCs of Active and Corresponding Membership Focus: Technical By Harvie Jordan, ABC . 13 Translation An exploration of the alternate routes to active or corresponding membership status. Brazilian Connections: Corpora, Cognition, and Culture By Robin Orr Bodkin . 16 A report on The 2nd Brazilian International Translation Forum— Translating the New Millennium: Corpora, Cognition, and Culture. Translation and Technology: Bridging the Gap Between the University and the Marketplace By Edwin Gentzler . 17 Recently, the skills required of translators have changed dramati- cally. What once was primarily a linguistic activity has evolved into a complex practice requiring both advanced language and computer skills. While universities supply linguistic training, they often fall short on the technology part.
    [Show full text]
  • Innovation in Sustainable Solar-Powered Net-Zero Energy Solar Decathlon Houses: a Review and Showcase
    buildings Article Innovation in Sustainable Solar-Powered Net-Zero Energy Solar Decathlon Houses: A Review and Showcase Yeganeh Baghi 1,*, Zhenjun Ma 1 , Duane Robinson 2 and Tillmann Boehme 3 1 Sustainable Buildings Research Centre, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; [email protected] 2 Australian Power Quality & Reliability Centre, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; [email protected] 3 Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +61-2-4221-8111 Abstract: Solar Decathlon is a showcase of cutting-edge residential buildings containing innovative solutions and technologies. This study reviewed, identified, and categorized technological innova- tions from past Solar Decathlon competitions. The review was based on publicly available data of the top five houses from each U.S. and international Solar Decathlon competition. The most prolific innovations identified were from building services systems and architectural design and construction. It was observed that most innovations within building services systems were in heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, and home automation, while architectural design and construction innova- tions focused on building adaptability, façade, structure, and building materials. It was found that although there is no fixed relationship between the numbers of innovations in the houses and their overall competition points, there is a high probability for an innovative house to be placed within the top five houses. This study also provides information about technological innovations within Solar Decathlon houses and offers an innovation classification scheme to guide Solar Decathletes to Citation: Baghi, Y.; Ma, Z.; Robinson, understand what innovations could be implemented in their future entries.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Dislocation Through Translation
    Intercultural Communication Studies XIV: 4 2005 Said Faiq CULTURAL DISLOCATION THROUGH TRANSLATION Said Faiq American University of Sharjah Introduction Translation, in its academic, professional and anthropological meanings, remains one of the main means through which texts of one culture are made available in another. It should, in theory, be the site of a potentially fruitful clash of different cultures and particularly vital in the case of translation from those supposedly weaker and subordinate cultures into dominant ones, as in the case of translation from Arabic into English and French, for example (cf. Faiq, 2004). This notion of translating not only covers the traditional definition of translation, transfer of texts from one language to another, but also, and more importantly, texts written in one language but which originate in or concern cultures other than that of the language in which they are written. Over the last two decades or so, many translation scholars have stressed that translation, by necessity, involves manipulation and subversion of linguistic and cultural traditions, particularly those emanating from the so- called third world. Of course, within translation studies this shift of focus, from issues of fidelity and equivalence still shocks traditionalists who persist in their belief in value-free translation, as well as in the fact that translation cannot but refer to the transfer of texts from one language to another, rather than subsuming representation of others without any actual transfer of texts. This is more ideologically relevant particularly to post-colonial contexts. Referring to Venuti’s (1995) notions of transparency, invisibility and fluency, Susan Bassnett (1998) appropriately argues that such a translation project always favours the target readers, so much so that the source text, its culture and readers become insignificant.
    [Show full text]
  • Gerd Brantenberg's Egalias Døtre in Translation
    Lexis Journal in English Lexicology 17 | 2021 Humor, creativity and lexical creation Laughing at “normality”: Gerd Brantenberg’s Egalias døtre in translation Luise von Flotow, Ida Hove Solberg and Enora Lessinger Electronic version URL: https://journals.openedition.org/lexis/5429 DOI: 10.4000/lexis.5429 ISSN: 1951-6215 Publisher Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 Electronic reference Luise von Flotow, Ida Hove Solberg and Enora Lessinger, “Laughing at “normality”: Gerd Brantenberg’s Egalias døtre in translation”, Lexis [Online], 17 | 2021, Online since 15 August 2021, connection on 20 August 2021. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/lexis/5429 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/lexis.5429 This text was automatically generated on 20 August 2021. Lexis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Laughing at “normality”: Gerd Brantenberg’s Egalias døtre in translation 1 Laughing at “normality”: Gerd Brantenberg’s Egalias døtre in translation Luise von Flotow, Ida Hove Solberg and Enora Lessinger Introduction1 1 Introduced to feminist wordplay and neologism in the books I read as I was nursing small children in the late 1970s, I remember laughing till the tears came: Mary Daly’s Gyn/Ecology. The Metaethics of Radical Feminism (1978) was my first exposure to the daringly creative and inventive subversion of conventional language or “malespeak” a subversion she deploys provocatively in the preface and introduction to this book. Her work and other contemporary writers’ disruption of mainstream “malestream” language that had arrogantly placed “man” in first position as the representative of the human race and denigrated women, girls, and female pre-occupations were absolutely hilarious.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Editing in Practice – Process, Product and Networks
    The Journal of Specialised Translation Issue 31 – January 2019 Introduction: Post-editing in practice – Process, product and networks Lucas Nunes Vieira, University of Bristol Elisa Alonso, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville Lindsay Bywood, University of Westminster, London ABSTRACT The potential benefits of integrating machine translation into human translation workflows are now widely recognised. In many sectors of the translation industry, translators’ throughput is improved with the use of machine translation as a tool in the translating process. Post-editing of machine translation is also a service in its own right, with specific guidelines and, more recently, an international standard. We introduce this special issue by providing a brief overview of post-editing as a practice, service and research topic. Contributions to the issue are then presented. The issue moves from a magnified perspective of translators’ work to important aspects of translation products, translators’ attitudes and translator training. It has four themes: the post-editing process; reception of post-edited products; attitudes and perceptions; and competence, training and education. KEYWORDS Post-editing, machine translation, computer-assisted translation, CAT, MT, MTPE, PEMT, translation technology, translator education, human-computer interaction. Machine translation (MT) quality has improved considerably in previous years. Recent MT improvements are largely due to the rise of neural MT, a relatively new approach to MT development based on artificial neural networks (Bahdanau et al. 2014). Neural MT has significantly advanced MT research, but it too has weaknesses (Castilho et al. 2017). In professional contexts where translations are public-facing products, therefore, MT usually requires human post-editing. This was the case decades ago when MT systems first appeared, and it is still the case now.
    [Show full text]
  • Translating the Exiled Self: Reflections on Translation and Censorship*
    Intercultural Communication Studies XIV: 4 2005 Samar Attar TRANSLATING THE EXILED SELF: REFLECTIONS ON TRANSLATION AND CENSORSHIP* Samar Attar Independent Researcher Self-Translating and censorship Translators tend to select foreign literary texts for translation into their mother-tongue for different reasons. Sometimes, their selection is based on the fame of a certain writer among his or her own people, or for the awarding of a prestigious international prize to a writer, or on the recommendation of an authoritative figure: a scholar, a critic, or a publisher. At other times, however, the opposite can be true. A writer who is not known among his or her own people is translated into another language, because his or her writing subverts the values of the national tradition, or destroys certain clichés about other nations, or simply because his or her work appeals to the translator.1 But we should not entertain the illusion that literary translators are always free agents. Although their literary taste and ideology may play an important role in their selection of foreign texts they often have to consider the literary, political and economic climate of their time. They simply do not translate texts because they like them. They are very much aware of the fact that translation cannot be brought to a fruitful end unless other authoritative bodies support them, and unless a publisher is found at the end of the ordeal. In short, personal, literary, social, political and economic factors always play an important role in the selection and translation of a foreign text. Normally the literary translator, who selects or is helped in selecting a foreign text, is expected to be a master of at least two languages including his or her own native tongue.
    [Show full text]
  • Overviews of Campus Sustainability Projects at Illinois: Opportunities for Education and Research
    Overviews of Campus Sustainability Projects at Illinois: Opportunities for Education and Research Ximing Cai Lovell Endowed Professor Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Director for Campus Sustainability Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) [email protected] Morgan White Associate Director, Sustainability Facilities & Services (F&S), iSEE Staff Liaison [email protected] Majid Shafiee-Jood Ph.D. Candidate Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering [email protected] Jade Pereira Graduate Student Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering [email protected] Fall 2017 Contents Executive summary ............................................................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 4 2. iCAP Projects ........................................................................................................................................... 6 3. Major university facilities and programs with potential for sustainability education and research ......... 7 4. Mapping iCAP projects with national research programs .................................................................... 13 5. Examples of completed and ongoing research projects using campus as living laboratory ................. 15 6. Summary ...............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Applying Translation Quality Standards to a Certification Procedure for U.S
    Applying Translation Quality Standards to a Certification Procedure for U.S. Language Service Providers Jason Hall University of Denver, University College Capstone Project for Master of Liberal Studies November 15, 2011 Cris Silva, M.A. Capstone Advisor Alison Nishi, M.A. Academic Director Upon the Recommendation of the Department James Davis, Ph.D. Dean Hall -ii Abstract Many translation quality standards have been implemented to regulate the provision and procurement of language services. However, in the absence of a standardized procedure to certify U.S. language service providers (LSPs), the industry lacks consensus with regard to requirements, procedures, and expectations. This project establishes the need for such a procedure and proposes an LSP Certification Procedure based on existing quality standards. Through a review and analysis of existing translation quality standards, an interview with a key stakeholder, and the presentation of an LSP Certification Procedure, this project concludes that the U.S. language services industry requires a procedure to certify LSPs and that such a procedure may be designed and implemented based on existing standards. Hall -iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ................................................................................ iii Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ....................................................................
    [Show full text]