Download English Ways of Avoiding Repetition

Repetition In Translation
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The Purposes of Repetition:
1)enhance the force of expression;
2)vividness of expression;
3)clarity of expression
Ex.1. A more realistic approach toward international
specialization is that (the approach) of comparative advantage.
This concept ( comparative advantage) says that a nation has a
comparative advantage in an item ( product) if it can produce
it more effectively than alternative (other) products.
• 译文:参与国际分工的另一更为现实的做法是采取比较优
势的做法。比较优势是指假如一个国家生产某种产品比其
他产品的效率高，那么它就具有生产该产品的比较优势。
• 2. Over the last decade, the use of countertrade in
international commerce has become more widespread.
The practice is emerging as a vehicle for financing
capital projects and production-sharing ventures, for
ensuring the repatriation of profits from investments
in countries beset by external debt and hard currency
shortages, and for competitive bidding on major
nonmilitary government procurements.
• 3. Marketing is a pervasive social activity that goes
considerably beyond the selling of toothpaste, soap,
and steel.
• 4. Needs are the basic, often instinctive, human forces
that motivate a person to do something.
• 5. Most notably, China has avoided the large
output declines and severe macroeconomic
instability that have tended to characterize the
transition experiences in central and eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union.
• 6. As each currency’s value is stated in terms
of other currencies, French francs, then have a
value in US dollars, which have a value in
British pounds, which have a value in Japanese
yen.
Differences
Between English & Chinese
English Ways of Avoiding Repetition
1.The use of anaphora Using pronouns to avoid
repetition
e.g. I met John on the street yesterday. He was walking
beside his sister. They were going to see a film.
Mary is standing at the door, with her hand in her
pocket.
2.The use of other words Using category words,
synonymous words etc to avoid repetition
e.g.The monkey’s most extraordinary feat was learning
to operate a tractor. By the age of nine, this
remarkable animal had learned to drive the vehicle
single-handed.
Changing words is a main feature in written
3.The use of substitution Using substitutes or
substitutive patterns to avoid repetition
e.g. What kind of textbooks do you want? The
ones with illustrations or the ones without.
A: I’ll have a new pair of rubber shoes, please.
B: I’ll have the same but with black laces.
He was ambitious, but his sister was even more
so. She wanted to become a great film-star.
A: He’ll arrive before six.
B: That seems too early.
“Subject + do ” pattern,
“So/neither/nor + be/have /do + subject” pattern
“Subject+ appear/fear seem, expect, hope, believe, say,
suppose,
think, wish, claim, tell + so/not ” pattern
other means:
He might be wrong. If not, why was he in such low
spirits?
We have to hand in a book report every month, and
that(= have to hand in the report) always promptly
and in English.
In modern English a verb is often used as a noun, and
vice versa. (= and a noun is often used as a verb )
4.The use of omission
• I like strong tea, I suppose weak is better for you.
(Omit the noun tea)
• They are not known to retreat. They never have and
never will. ( omit the verb retreat)
5.Reserve the preposition
e.g.We talked of ourselves, of our prospects, of the journey, of
the weather, of each other------of everything but our host and
hostess. (to avoid the repetition of verb talk)
Discipline is indispensable to victory in war, to success in our
work, and indeed, to the realization of our lofty goal. (to avoid
the repetition of adjective indispensable)
They continue to observe the principle of depending on their
own efforts as well as of being thrifty in everything.
6.Combination
e.g. He was particularly interested in the articles on and by Lu
Xun.
e.g.She was accepted not because of but in spite of her birth.
Repetition in Chinese
• Repetition is a remarkable feature in Chinese for the
sakes of sound, grammar and rhetoric effect.
• In Chinese, “它” is often replaced by original word
or demonstrative pronoun; a chain sentence is used to
realize repetition; the alternative question sentence
employs repetition; Chinese uses short sentences to
express complicated meaning, so some time repetition
has to be used to connect the sentences or by means
of inherent coherence of the meaning.
• 有什么吃什么，有米饭吃米饭，有馒头吃
馒头。
• 努力提高呢？还是努力普及呢？
• 他这样教发音简直是误人子弟，误人还误
得不浅。
• 这种作风，拿了律己，则害了自己；拿了
教人，则害了别人。
Conclusion
• To get a very expressive translation, we have to
follow the TT custom. In English Chinese translation,
we first should be aware of the differences between
English and Chinese in using words and sentence
structure. English tries to avoid repeating t the same
word and expression to reach vividness in expression
while Chinese tries to repeat in order to enhance
expression, the clarity of the meaning and rhetoric
effect. So repetition is very effective in E-C
translation.