4。2 Free translation 11

4。3 Transliteration 11

4。4 Substitution 12

Conclusion 。。13

Acknowledgements 。。14

References 。。15

1 Introduction

1。1Research Background

    Language's translatability and untranslatability is an important question for discussion in translatology research。 In CE and EC translation, due to these two languages’ huge difference as well as the interference from culture, many of the expressions in one kind of language cannot be correspondingly expressed in another kind of language, which is called untranslatability。 Languages have three levels of functions, which are concept-expressing function, cultural function and aesthetic function。 And when a language needs to bring more functions into play, its untranslatability will increase。 By using different translating tactics, people could more effectively turn untranslatability into translatability。 论文网

1。2 Related Conception

1。2。1 Translatability

    According to the writer’s understanding, translatability means the possibility to express the source language’s text or language units with another language by translation between the two different languages, aiming at letting the two groups of people who use different languages to understand the same thing。 Catford(1965) pointed out that, “Translatability is a cline rather than a definite dichotomy。 The source language’s text and units are more or less translatable rather than absolutely translatable or absolutely untranslatable。 ”

1。2。2 Untranslatability

    According to Catford(1965), untranslatability means a kind of source language’s text or units cannot be translated into another language or units, and the communication and understanding between people who use different languages cannot be achieved。 Some researchers think “The difference between one language and another is not in the linguistic or symbolic aspects, but in their opinions on the objective world。 Languages are external appearances of national spirit, and they have governing, dominating effects on people’s thoughts’ world and world view。 Translating a kind of language from another is impossible in essence。 ”(Liu Chuanzhu, 2000) Therefore, in their angles of view, translation is a kind of attempt to solve a question that is impossible to solve。

1。2。3 Idioms

    According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, idioms are “a group of words established by usage and having a meaning not deducible from those of the inpidual words; a form of expression peculiar to a language, person or a group of people”。 In this essay, we will discuss idioms as archaism, literary quotation, proverb and the two-part allegorical sayings。

1。3 Literature Review

One main meaning of Chomsky’s general grammar is the first language has much similarities with the second language, as long as they have differences at the same time (1980)。 In 1965, Catford pointed out that “If it is impossible to build a functionally related context characteristic on the target language’s context meaning, the translation will become impossible, or in other words, there appears untranslatability。” And then, Catford classified untranslatability as linguistic untranslatability and cultural untranslatability。 In his opinion, linguistic untranslatability mainly means the target language doesn’t have same formal characteristic with the source language, which mainly caused by two reasons: there was two or more than two linguistic units that use the same linguistic form in the source language, and some units of the source language have more than one meaning while the target language’s same units don’t have the same meanings。 On culture’s definition, Newmark said at 2001 that “I define culture as some specific life styles and appearance that a group using a specific kind of language have。 ” Zhang Yongping and Lou Ruijuan (2010) think that due to the English nationalities and Chinese nationalities’ differences in objective geographical environment, cultural origin and history of development, they have differences in life habits, custom, mode of thinking, value, aesthetic standard and religion, which brings different cultural modes and characteristics that were one of the reasons of cultural untranslatability。 According to Catford, cultural untranslatability is due to “the non-existence of the context characteristics that related to source language’s text’s function in target language’s culture”。