1．4．2　Smoothness and Expressiveness通顺

1．4．2　Smoothness and Expressiveness通顺

It is the necessary requirement in translating．On the premise of faithfulness，we should come along with the language naturally，and try to avoid translationese．By smoothness and expressiveness，we mean not only easy and readable rendering，but also idiomatic expression in the target language，free from stiff formula and mechanical copying from dictionaries．

This season saw an ominous dawning of the tenth of November．

　在这个季节，11月10日黎明时分的景象，是个不祥之兆。

Size doesn＇t matter，chopping wood…(M．K．Rawlings: Integrity)

　个头没啥关系，劈柴嘛……

The versions of the two sentences are smooth in expression and intelligible in meaning．We Chinese can easily understand it and feel it fluent，genuine and authentic．Suppose that you read the version like this “这个季节遇到了11月10日一个不祥的黎明” “说到劈柴，个头并不重要” ，how do you feel?

Whatever we translate，whether they are documents or fiction，the target language should be expressive．

Rubber is not hard; it gives way to pressure．

　Version 1:橡胶不硬，屈服于压力。(not expressive)

　Version 2:橡胶性软，受压会变形。(expressive)