8．4　Semantic Translation and Communicative Transla...

8．4　Semantic Translation and Communicative Translation语义翻译和交际翻译

Semantic translation and communicative translation are two modes of translation put foreword by Newmark(1981/1988: 22)．Semantic translation means that the translator attempts，within the bare syntactic and semantic constraints of the TL，to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the author．A semantic translation consequently tends to strive to reproduce the form of the original as closely as TL norms will allow; furthermore，no effort is made to shift ST into a target cultural context．Greater attention is paid to rendering the author＇s original thought-processes in TL than to attempting to re-interpret ST in a way which the translator considers more appropriate for the target setting; a semantic translation will therefore treat the original words as sacred，even if this requires reproducing inconsistencies，ambiguities and errors．Semantic translation is usually appropriate for literary，technical and scientific texts，as well as other contexts where the language of ST is as important as the content．(Shuttleworth ＆ Cowie，2004: 151)

Communicative translation means that the translator attempts to produce the same effect on the TL readers as was produced by the original on the SL readers．This means that in communicative translation the emphasis should be on conveying the message of the original in a form which conforms to the linguistic，culture and pragmatic conventions of TL rather than mirroring the actual words of ST as closely as is possible without infringing the TL norms．When producing a communicative translation，the translator is permitted greater freedom to interpret ST and will consequently smooth over irregularities of style，remove ambiguities and even correct the author＇s factual errors，and in doing so will limit the semantic potential of ST by seeking to make TT fulfill one specific communicative function which is determined by the type of TL reader envisaged．Communicative translation would be appropriate for journalistic writing，textbooks，public notices and indeed most non-literary genres．(Shuttleworth ＆ Cowie，2004: 22)

We shall fight him by land，we shall fight him by sea，we shall fight him in the air…

　Version 1:我们将在地面与他作战，我们将在海上与他作战，我们将在空中与他作战……

　Version 2:我们将在地面、海上、空中与他作战……

Comments It is obvious that version 1 is semantic translation and version 2 belongs to communicative translation．But the first is much better because the original came from Churchill＇s speech in June 22nd，1941 and he used parallelism，which manifests majestic vigor of the original and conveys the same effect on the reader．