Under the trend of economic globalization, China has more and more foreign exchanges and international competition has entered a new era. Business English translation plays an increasingly important role in economic activities. This paper will analyze the characteristics of business English translation from two aspects: vocabulary and sentence patterns, and introduce the translation methods of vocabulary and long sentences.
I. Introduction
introduce
Business English is English used in business environment, and it is a kind of English for specific purposes. The characteristics of its vocabulary and sentence patterns are very prominent. Only by organically linking these characteristics, translation methods and business knowledge can we accurately translate business English without mistranslation and mistranslation.
Business English is usually used in business situations. It is a kind of ESP (English for Specific Purposes or ESP), which has quite obvious characteristics in vocabulary and sentence patterns. Only by effectively combining the characteristics, methods and business knowledge of translation can we complete correct and accurate translation and avoid mistakes and mistakes in translation.
Second, the characteristics of business English language
Linguistic features of business English.
1. Lexical features.
Characteristics of vocabulary.
(1) Use more professional words. Business English has a considerable number of professional words with strong professionalism and single meaning. Such as: inventory (noun) repeat order repeat order confirmed letter of credit (noun) confirmed letter of credit
(1) Translators should try to use more professional words. There are a large number of professional words in business English, which are professional and have unique meanings, such as inventory, repeated orders, confirmed letters of credit, confirmed letters of credit and so on.
(2) The language is concise. In spoken and written language, we should try to avoid procrastination and tedious language. For example:
Replace unjustification/reason with unguaranteed (a a.) and make a payment with pay.
(2) Translators should use concise words in oral and written expressions to avoid those verbosity and triviality. For example, it is better to choose "without justifiable reasons" than "without justifiable reasons" and not to choose "payment" instead of "payment".
2. The characteristics of sentence patterns.
Features in the pattern.
(1) Use long sentences: Business English has many long sentences in sentence patterns, and sometimes a whole paragraph is just a long sentence. As we wish to insure the goods with you now, we shall be very glad if you can insure the goods against all risks on our behalf for the invoice value plus 10%, that is, US$ 2,200.00. We want to insure with you now. We shall be very glad if you can insure us against all risks at the invoice value plus 10%, that is, USD 2,200.00.
(1) Try to use long sentences. Business English has many characteristics of long sentences. Sometimes, a paragraph is just a long sentence. For example, we want to insure the goods with you now, and we will be very glad if you can insure the goods against all risks on our behalf for the invoice value plus 10%, that is, $2,200.00. We want to insure with you now. We shall be very glad if you can insure us against all risks at the invoice value plus 10%, that is, USD 2200.00.
(2) Use the passive voice: In Chinese, the use of passive sentences is very limited, while in business English, the use of passive sentences is obviously more than that in Chinese. It is generally used when it is not necessary to mention the actor or it is difficult to say who the actor is, and it is also to emphasize the recipient of the behavior. For example:
Visitors are asked not to touch the exhibition. Visitors are not allowed to touch the exhibits by hand.
(2) Try to use the passive voice. Passive voice is rarely used in Chinese, but it is widely used in business English. Passive voice is usually used in such situations: on the one hand, the sender of the behavior does not need to be mentioned, or who is the sender of the behavior is uncertain, on the other hand, the receiver of the behavior needs to be emphasized. For example,
Visitors are asked not to touch the exhibition. Visitors are not allowed to touch the exhibits by hand.
Third, business English translation methods
The Way of Business English Translation
The translation of the word 1 The translation of business English words should be based on collocation and contextual connection. For example:
The word Premium has the following Chinese translation: a. insurance premium B. extra expenses; Surcharge C. Exceeding the normal price; insurance expenses
A word has different meanings. In business English, the meanings of words to be translated should be accurately selected according to the context and coherence. For example, the word' premium' has the following Chinese meanings: a. insurance premium B. extra expenses; Surcharge C. Exceeding the normal price; insurance expenses
2. Technical terms. It is a very familiar word in general English, but it expresses other meanings in business English. Such as: kite bad check, bill of lading, short bill of exchange.
Many technical terms are familiar in everyday English, but they have different meanings in business English. For example, bad checks, bills of lading, bills of lading.
3. Handling of long sentences. Long sentences in business English are mainly composed of attributive clauses and adverbial clauses. To translate these long sentences well, we should not be influenced by the structure of the original long sentences, but adjust the structure of the translation accordingly. For example:
After all, just a few years ago, the company successfully opened a Disney theme park in Japan, bridging the huge differences between Japanese and American cultures. Euro Disney, at least initially, proved to be a completely different story.
How to deal with long sentences? Long sentences in business English are mainly composed of attributive clauses and adverbial clauses. If you want to translate well, the translator should not be influenced by the long sentence structure of the original text. Before translating these sentences, you should make some relative adjustments to their structures. For example,
After all, just a few years ago, the company successfully opened a Disney theme park in Japan, bridging the huge differences between Japanese and American cultures. "Euro Disney, at least at first, proved to be a completely different story."