Subject Transform during translation-Ⅰ

For English, it emphasizes hypotaxis. While it stress the meaning of sentences for Chinese. Therefore, the theme is the main expression in Chinese, not subject. In Chinese, the subject could be served by different kinds of words like adverbs, adjectives, nouns and so on… so it is hard to recognize the position of subject.

It is opposite for English because the structure of the sentence is obvious. So during translation, we should know and recognize the structure of the sentence.

There are 3 methods to choose the subject, keep the structure as it is, choose the new subject and implement the subject.

(一) Not changing the subject

When the subject is clear, and it is consistent with the English structure, we can keep the subject as it is. By doing this, the benefit is simplified and keeps the original language style. For example:

1). 那个小姑娘含着眼泪走开了。

The little girl went away with tears in her eyes.

2). 我给你拨了三次电话都没通。

I dialed three times but failed to get through to you.

3). 在新市长的就职演说中，他强调了市政府要办十件实事的重要性。

In his inauguration address, the new mayor stressed the importance of ten major projects designated on the municipal government’s agenda.

4) 振兴科技和繁荣经济，必须坚持教育为本。

The vitality of science and technology and the prosperity of economy must be based on education.

(二) Choose the new subject

In most cases, it is need for us to choose the subject when we translate the Chinese to English, considering the way of thinking, codes of language and logical relation.

A. the way of thinking.

The subject of Chinese sentence always is the person and concrete things and it is objects and abstract articles in English. So we should change the subject during translation. For example:

1). 我突然想到我们可以用计算机来做这项工作。

It suddenly occurred to me that we could use a computer to do the work.

2). 我看到这孤儿就会想起他的父母。

The sight of the orphan always reminds me of his parents.

3). 一般人都以为他在巴黎。

It was generally believed that he was in Paris.

4). 在一个春节前一天的下午，我到重庆郊外去看一位朋友。她住在那个乡村的乡公所楼上。 走上一段阴暗的仄仄的楼梯，进到一间有一张方桌和几张竹凳、墙上装着一架电话的房子， 再进去就是我朋友的房间，和外间只隔一幅布帘。

On the afternoon before Chinese New Year’s Day I went to visit a friend in the suburbs of Chongqing. She lived on the top floor of the village office building. A flight of dark, narrow stairs led to a room where a table and several bamboo stools stood and a telephone hung on the wall. Beyond this room, separated by a mere cloth curtain, was the room where my friend lived.

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