【Abstract】 This dissertation focuses on introducing some translating skills according to the features of English news headline. First, it is about translation of lexical items in English news headline, including translation of acronym, new words and midget words. As for the limitation of newspaper space, lexical items are commonly used in headline so this part is regarded to be essential and critical for the dissertation. Second, the paper discusses translation of proper punctuations not all punctuations are used in news headline. This part mainly introduces some translating techniques of frequently used ones such as comma, colon, and dash and so on. Third, the translation of rhetorical devices is the highlight of this paper. News headline is quite likely to produce striking effect by means of figure of speech. It could be translated literally at the most of time and sometimes it should be translated flexibly for the different culture backgrounds between china and English-speaking countries. Finally, this part focuses on the translation in terms of the grammar features of news headline which often differ from ones we usually accept, such as the omission of articles, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions and flexible use of tense, voice and non-predicate verbs.
【Key Words】 translation; News headline; English 【摘 要】 本文结合英语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,因此词语的译法是论文的一个重要组成部分,其次是对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
At a time when the pace of life is getting faster and faster, everything seems to be bidding for people’s attention, and newspaper is no exception. As the eye of the news, headline sits in a position to capture the essence of the event, demonstrate the readability of the news and attract readers’ attention. A good headline, generally speaking, should include such features as accuracy, brevity and clarity which are generally developed by lexical items, punctuation, rhetorical devices, and grammar. Put it in detail, first, as for words selection, such items as acronym, new words and midget words are commonly chosen for the headline. Second, not all punctuations could appear in headline, and the frequently used ones like comma, colon, and dash also indicate specific meaning of the headline. Third, in order to lead force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create atmosphere, headline is usually written figuratively. Finally, the limited space of newspaper demands that headline be concise and brief, and therefore it has developed its own grammatical style. The major difference of the grammar rules used for daily English and news headlines lies in the frequent omission of function words(article, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions and so on), and unique practice of tense, voice and non-predicate verbs. Such features of English news headline as mentioned above are essential and critical for readers to understand the connotation of news headline, and also are the difficulties and problems needed settling in translating English news headline. This essay focuses on introducing some correspondent translating techniques with these features of English news headline. 2. Translation of lexical items in English news headline
2.1. Translation of acronym
Acronym (word formed from the initial letters of a group of words) is one main form of English news title’s glossary variation. Since newspapers are limited in time and space, acronym meets the need, saving the space of newspaper. This chapter attempts to discuss some skills in translating acronym.
2.1.1. Translate according to its pronunciation
For example:
(1) OPEC 22nd Session Ends
(OPEC =Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries石油输出国组织，即欧佩克)
---欧佩克第二届会议结束
(2) AIDS---The Risk to Heterosexual
(AIDS=Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome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. Translating and shortening the full name
For example:
(1) NATO to Seek New Secretary General
(NATO=North Atlantic Treaty Organization北大西洋公约组织,简称北约)
---北约寻求新任秘书长
(2) USSR Dissolves, Mikhail CorbachevResigns: Boris Yeltsin Takes over
(USSR=Union of Soviet Socialist Republics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. Explaining all letters
In view of the fact that not all acronyms can be translated according to the pronunciation; otherwise readers would be confused. The translator had better point out the meaning of all letters.
It can be clearly seen in the below examples:
(1) BBC Considering Starting Global Television Service
(BBC=British Broadcasting Corporation)
---英国广播企业拟开通全球电视服务
(2) PLO Says Israeli Drive ahead
(PLO=Palestine Liberation Organization)
---巴勒斯坦解放组织说以色列即将大举进攻
(3) START Announced to Begin June29
(START=Strategic Arms Reductions Talks)
---裁减战略武器会谈于六月而十九日开始
(4) 36th WTTC triumphantly closes in Yugoslavia.
(WTTC=World Table Tennis Championships)
---第三十六届世界乒乓球锦标赛在南斯拉夫胜利闭幕
(5) Government Is Covering up UFO Evidence?
(UFO=Unidentified Flying Object)
---美政府一直隐瞒不明飞行物真相？
(6) Hollywood Helps CIA Come in From the Cold
(CIA=Central Intelligence Agency)
---好莱坞为中央情报局重塑形象
2.2. Translation of new words in English news headline
As science and technology of the world swiftly develop, the contact among countries increasingly expands, more and more new English words are born to the world. In order to draw close to the social life, grasp the times pulse, news report need to create massive new words to reflect the world’s new things, new thoughts, new phenomenon and new prevailing customs to attract readers’ attention. “This kind of words may be divided into two types: one is to give old words new meaning. For example, ‘clone’ means ‘无性系繁殖’and then it is exuded to be ‘复制’； ‘Bug ’means ‘机器的毛病’now refers in particular to ‘计算机千年虫问题’；Sept.11 or 9/11 has the special meaning because the terrorists attacked the US world trade building. The other is completely new words ,namely, coin age, mainly in the fields of science technology, such as Internetese(因特网语言），英语论文，com, e-mail, e-commerce（电子商务），英语毕业论文，cyberspace（电脑空间）, bio-chips(生物芯片）， techno-millionaire（高科技百万富翁）and so on. ”[1]P108
For example：
(1) Year 2017 Bug Unstoppable for Some Corporations
---计算机千年虫问题迫在眉睫
(2) American Online: Often Down, Never Out
---美国在线企业:屡挫不倒
(3) What Is Dateline?
---何为征婚热线？
(4) The Sandbaggers
---用沙袋治沙的人们
(5) Cold-Fighting Drug May Be Used Against SARS
---千呼万唤始出来抗非典药物有望面世
(6) Asia Pledge Action on Bird flu
---亚洲国家表示采取一致方法控制禽流感
(7) Yahoo Awards World’s Best Cyber cafés
---雅虎评选全球最佳网吧
2.3. Translation of midget words
“Midget words are verbs or nouns that are shorter or fewer syllable but more vivid employed in news headline to make it easier for readers to understand.”P98 At this point, the translator should seek to produce something relatively equivalent to this kind of words in Chinese.
For example:
(1) War Strains and the Production of Killers.
---战争压力与杀戮者的产生
(2) The U.S. Proposal and Its Chances.
---美国的建议及其机会
(3) The Pressure on Cherbourg and the Enemy’s Distress
---瑟堡吃紧敌军凄苦
(4) A Fertile Valley and Its Scourge
---肥沃河谷的灾难
Further examples:
(1) Report Backs Methadone for Addicts
---报道支持吸毒者使用镁沙酮镇定剂
(2) Nuclear Blast Seepage Is Found
---核爆炸渗漏物被发现
“The words ‘back’ and ‘blast’ are shorter than the words ‘support’ and ‘explosion’, but there are no Chinese words Correspondent with them to express the difference in visually between ‘back’ and ‘support’, ‘blast’ and ‘explosion’, so it is only translated literally to be ‘支持’and ‘爆炸’，stressing in the significance transmission in spite of losing English midget words’ language characteristic.”P98
(3) British Student Knifed in France
---英国学生在法被刺
Here if “knife” is translated to be “刀刺”，it would gild the lily.
(4) Chun Axes 37 Judges in Shape-up
---全斗焕在改组中撤掉37名法官
“If the word ‘axe’ is translated literally to be ‘斧砍’ in Chinese, it is possible to cause two penalties: one is to make the divergence ---全斗焕在改组中用斧头砍伤了37名法官；the other is that the scale of formality of Chinese word ‘斧砍’ makes it quite alien to the phrases ‘改组’, ‘法官’ and ‘全斗焕’.”P98 Under such circumstances, we are concerned with the essential meaning implied in the words. When words or phases in the English news headline are meaningless or misleading if translated literally into Chinese, one is obliged to make some adjustments in translation to guarantee the headline pass into Chinese without losing its essence. |
