An Analysis of Ineffective Sentences in C—E TranslationOn the Level of Chinglish

【Abstract】： Chinglish is a kind of irregular English that does not conform to the rules of Standard English and the habit of English culture. It always cannot be understood or accepted by native English people. In order to help English learners to learn English better， express their own ideas more thoroughly and improve their understanding of other people’s emotions in the process of communication， the thesis explores the forms of Chinglish and gives some advice on how to overcome this kind of phenomenon.

【Keywords】： Chinglish， C-E translation， strategies

1 Introduction

Effective writing uses fewest words to express accurately and specifically. Every sentence in it—like each brick in a wall—contributes to the construction of a solid discussion. However， there are always certain sentences patterns that spoil， instead of add to， your work. These sentences patterns are ineffective sentences. Ineffective sentences have many manifestations in different contexts. This thesis is mainly focus on the ineffective sentences in Chinese to English translation， which is Chinglish.

Chinglish is that miss happen， hybrid language that is neither English nor Chinese and that is described as “English with Chinese characteristics” by Joan Pinkham. It is one of the major problems that affect adversely the quality of Chinese-English translation. Chinglish is not idiomatic English， reflects the influence of Chinese language and damages the communication. This thesis gives an exploration of Chinglish in Chinese-English translation from the aspects of the forms of Chinglish，thus giving some advice on how to overcome this kind of phenomenon.

2 The forms of Chinglish in Chinese to English translation

Chinglish is a kind of irregular English that does not conform to the rules of Standard English and the habit of English culture. Chinese students’ Chinglish mainly has three forms.

2.1 Diction

Semantic repetition in Chinese is very common. While， because of the differences in the use of nouns， verbs， adverbs and adjectives in Chinese and English， the semantic repetition in English is incorrect.

For example： 那是不切實際的幻想。

[F] That is impractical illusion.

[T] That is illusion.

In English， the word “illusion” has the meaning “impractical” itself， thus the diction in the former sentence is redundant.

In general， in order to express the same concept， Chinese uses more repetition of nouns， while English prefers pronouns.

For example： 如果你幫助我，我?guī)椭悖敲创蠹揖涂梢砸黄疬M步了。

[F] If you help me and I help you， then we can make progress together.

[T] If we help each other， we can make progress together.

The phrase “you help me and I help you” in the former sentence is a kind of superfluous. Changing it to “each other” make the latter sentence more concise.

Polysemy refers to a word that can be used in different contexts to express two or more different meanings. It is common in both Chinese and English. While in Chinese to English translation， it is difficult for English beginners. Because they often think from the Chinese point of view， without taking into account the context， which result in Chinglish.

2.2 Syntax

Due to English learners’ insufficient knowledge of English， they imbed the English words in the Chinese grammar when they translate. The sentences they made don’t conform to the rules and habits of English， which results in Chinglish. The following sentences are often made by the English beginners：

A.His body is very healthy.

B.He only said a few sentences. He made us very disappointed.

C.His two eyes are blind.

In Chinese， we often say “ 他身體很好”. On the contrary， English speakers use the sentence “He is very healthy”. In the B case， the use of the word “sentences” euphemistically reflects the Chinese background of the author. That is because in Chinese， we often say “他只說了幾句話”， while in English， the more nature and exact expression should be “He just said a few words”. Besides， the clause in B case seems clumsy and cumbersome， which should be changed into “We were quite disappointed that he just said a few words.” Thus it can be seen that the habitual expression is implicit in the selection of vocabulary and sentence structure. In the C case， due to the interference of the clause“他雙目失明” in the author’s mother tongue， the sentence seems very strange. In order to express the English speakers’ thinking habits accurately， the sentence should be changed to “He is blind”

2.3 Culture

Language is closely related to culture and cultural differences are reflected in language and communication activities. Without sufficient knowledge of the cultural differences， cultural rules and even cultural taboos of one language， it is difficult for us to understand and use the language correctly. For example：

1.A： What’s your name？

B： My name is Li Hong.

2.A： Where are you going？

B： I’m going to the library.

3.A： How old are you？

B： I’m twenty.

The forms of the three conversations above are all correct， but the using is inappropriate. Except in hospital or immigration office， few people would ask such questions in English speaking countries. “你叫什么名字？”， “你多大了？”， “你是從哪里來的？”， these may be the main topic of gossip in China， but in the West， it is a sort of invasion of a person’s privacy. The reason for this phenomenon is the Chinese textbooks rarely pay attention to the cultural differences， leading to Chinese students’ ignorance of cultural differences. When communicate with foreigners， they can only use what the textbook told them.

For example： 他遇事總是先想著自己，真是太個人主義了。

[F] He is self-concerned and individualistic.

[T] He is self-concerned and selfish.

The word “個人主義” in Chinese has derogatory sense. However， with the meaning of personal independence， freedom and rights， the word “individualistic” in English is totally contrary to the word “個人主義” in Chinese. Thus， translating “個人主義” to “selfish” can achieve the emotional and semantic equivalence.

3 Strategies to avoid Chinglish in Chinese to English translation

Because Chinglish does not conform to the rules of Standard English and the habit of English culture， it always cannot be understood or accepted by native English people. Thus， Chinglish would bring obstacles for learners in comprehension and translation. Therefore， English learners should avoid Chinglish in conversation， writing， especially in the translation at the most extent. Then， how to avoid Chinglish？

3.1 Avoid literal translation

Literal translation is one of the main causes of Chinglish in Chinese to English translation， which is inevitable for English beginners. Every language has its own unique way of classifying and understanding the world. As long as people understand the thinking pattern of native English speakers in the great degree and avoid excessive stick to the original wording in the translation process and also detect their translation from the native English speakers’ point of view， they can avoid Chinglish in Chinese to English translation to maximum extent.

3.2 Avoid repetition

We can see that in English articles， the same word or phrase rarely exist twice in the same sentence except for some special use， such as indicating emphasis and avoiding ambiguous meaning. Sometimes， the author refrains from the repetition of word even in a group of sentences or a paragraph. Hence， the repetition of word must be avoided in order to respect the English thinking habit and expression，

3.3 Learn cultural differences between China and western world

Culture has a very close relationship with language and language is the carrier of culture. The cultures of different nations all left strong imprints in their languages in the process of culture transfer， which brings difficulty in Chinese to English translation. As a result， we should not only focus on the conversion of languages in translation， but understand the deep meaning and cultural sense through the language surfaces. Only with complete understanding of two languages can we achieve a better translation.

4 Conclusion

Because of the great differences in diction and syntax between English and Chinese， with the addition of the inevitable long-term interference of English learners’ mother tongue and the cultural differences as well as different thinking patterns between these two languages， the appearance of Chinglish in English learning process is understandable. However， English learners should bear in mind the above three strategies to further improve the translating ability in order to avoid Chinglish in translation.

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