本文是一篇英语论文，本次翻译实践笔者节选了其中最主要的6个部分，内容包括基本员工信息、奖金计划、安全总则和指南、安全责任和健康责任、事故报告、平等就业机会政策等。
Chapter One Task Description
1.1 Background of the Translation Task
Currently,China is facing a period of great prosperity with the further deepening ofeconomic globalization and the rapid development of import and export trade.Therefore,itis predicted that more and more multinational companies will enter the Chinese market inthe future.According to Shi Chunrang and Deng Wei(2015:25),“An employee handbook isa necessary reading material for new employees which can help them understand thecompany’s rules and regulations,clarify their own responsibilities,rights and obligations;itis also a way to understand a company’s management style and local regulations.”
The source text of this translation task is Palace Playland Employee Handbook,whichwas released by Palace Playland in 2017.The content of this handbook includes informationabout ticket prices,operating schedule,safety rules and guidelines,bonus program,andequal employment opportunity policy.
From an economic perspective,the translation of the employee handbook is of greatsignificance for companies like Palace Playland.It ensures that employees understand thepark’s rules and regulations,which can help minimize accidents and maintain a safeenvironment.Additionally,a translated handbook can attract more tourism fromnon-English-speaking countries,as visitors will feel more comfortable and confidentknowing that employees can communicate with them.
1.2 Translation Process
The translation process includes multiple stages,from the pre-translation to thetranslation and post-translation.Each stage requires specific skills,knowledge,andtechniques to ensure quality,effectiveness,and professionalism.Translating Palace PlaylandEmployee Handbook required attention to detail,accuracy,and clarity.The handbook notonly contained policy and procedures but also instructions on operating rides,as well assafety guidelines.A successful translation is one that is faithful to the original while alsobeing readable and engaging in the target language.The following discusses the detailedsteps of this translation process from three aspects.
1.2.1 Pre-translation
Since the employee handbook is a printed version,the first step before translation wasto convert the materials into an electronic version by scanning them into a Word document.And the Word document was carefully examined against the paper version to see if there areomissions or errors in punctuation or characters,and the identified parts were modified.After the modification was completed,the source text in the Word document is filtered.Since this translation practice is not a real translation project,but a simulation,theunimportant and untranslatable information,including table of contents,website links,andcommitment to safety with the signature of the manager were deleted.Finally,the maincontent in the handbook that needs to be translated was saved in another Word document.
Chapter Two Source Text Analysis
2.1 Content of the Source Text
Located in Old Orchard Beach,Maine,USA,Palace Playland is a seasonally openseaside amusement park,so most of the employees are seasonal employees.2017 PalacePlayland Employee Handbook is written for 2017 seasonal employees.The regulationsspecific to employees under 18 years of age attached to this manual are only issued toemployees who are under 18.The 2017 Palace Playland Employee Handbook coversgeneral employee information,employee behavior norms,bonus program,commitment tosafety,general safety rules and guidelines,responsibility for safety and health,accidentreporting,equal employment opportunity policy,and harassment policy.At the same time,Policies contained in this handbook are subject to change from time to time.
The longest and most important sections are employee codes of conduct andsafety-related rules and responsibilities.The code of conduct includes employee dress code,attendance,job duties,wage settlement and receiving,leave rules,schedule changes,parking rules,reward rules,amusement park facility borrowing rules,etc.,covering all aspectsinvolved in the process from orientation to resignation.Palace Playland pays great attentionto safety matters,safety regulations are not only included in the code of conduct,but alsosafety general rules and guidelines,safety responsibility and health responsibility whichemphasize facility operation,fire,pollution and other safety rules,and introduce the safetyresponsibilities of safety committee including safety coordinator,accident reportingcoordinator and other management personnel.
2.2 Features of the Source Text
Source text analysis is an integral part of the translation process.According to Baker(2011:31-32),a prominent translation scholar,source text analysis helps translators decipherthe author’s intended message and style.Understanding the source text’s genre,structure,and rhetorical devices allows the translator to reproduce these linguistic featuresappropriately in the target language,resulting in a faithful and culturally sensitive translation.Next,linguistic features from lexical,syntactic and discourse aspects of Palace PlaylandEmployee Handbook will be discussed in details.
2.2.1 Lexical Features
The vocabulary and word choice employed in Palace Playland Employee Handbook arefeatured by legal terminology and amusement park jargons.This selection of words isdesigned to promote a specific corporate culture and ensure that staff members understandand adhere to the amusement park’s standards.
But the legal terminology in the handbook includes some abbreviations difficult to betranslated or even understand if lacking relevant legal knowledge of the United States.Therefore,enough background information should be searched to identify the meaning of theabbreviations,including Forms W-4,Forms W-4ME,Employee W-2,I.N.S.FORM,SocialSecurity Card,7-A M.R.S.A.353 and I9.
Chapter Three Problems and Solutions .......................... 10
3.1 Translation of Legal Terminology ............................... 10
3.1.1 Literal Translation ................................... 11
3.1.2 Explanation ............................................. 12
Conclusion .................................. 22
Chapter Three Problems and Solutions
3.1 Translation of Legal Terminology
According to Zhang Falian(2016:100),as the core component of the legal system,legalterms have legal semantics and scope of application,and used in the specific context.“Inlegal translation,the accurate conversion of terms is the prerequisite to ensure theseriousness and authority of legal texts”(Qu Wensheng and Shi Wei,2016:161).Since the legal terms mentioned in the Palace Playland Employee Handbook are all related toemployment and labor security,employees need to understand them accurately in order toprotect their rights and fulfill their obligations.To translate the legal terms in the PalacePlayland Employee Handbook,the translator summarized two translation methods:literaltranslation and explanation,which will be expanded in the following paragraphs.
Conclusion
This report is based on the translation practice of Palace Playland Employee Handbook.And the whole translation process can be divided into 3 parts.The first part is about thepreparation,which includes editing of the original text,careful reading of the source text toidentify potential challenges and identifying the target audience and purpose of thetranslation.The second part is about how to translate the original text,including thetranslation plan,principles and tools.The third part is the review and reflection of thetranslation.
The research questions addressed in this report pertain to the translation of legalterminology,imperative sentences,and exclamatory sentences.It is crucial to carefullyanalyze the original text in order to do so.The handbook provides details on ticket prices,operating schedules,safety regulations,bonus programs,and equal employment opportunitypolicies.The vocabulary and choice of words used in the Palace Playland EmployeeHandbook consist of legal terms and amusement park jargon.These specific word choicesare intended to foster a distinct corporate culture and ensure that staff members comprehendand adhere to the park’s standards.The syntax employed in the handbook is aimed atconveying information concisely and in a manner easily understandable for employees.Thisincludes the use of imperative sentences to provide instructions and guidelines,thepresentation of policies through conditional sentences,and the dissemination of informationthrough descriptive sentences.The handbook serves as an informative text characterized byobjectivity and conciseness,and it is organized into distinct sections with clear headings.
reference(omitted)