Research on the Key Principles and Skills of Business English Translation

Research on the Key Principles and Skills of Business English Translation

Yunhan Liang , Jiaye Wang, Hongting Qi

Wenzhou University of Technology, Wenzhou, 325035,

Abstract: thanks to the deepening of globalization, Chinese firms have been increasingly engaged in the business activities with companies all over the world. As a universal language, English plays a significant part in the effective communication of international trade. Yet Business English differs from everyday English or academic English, and is characterized with specific purpose and professionalism. In this sense, when it comes to the translation of Business English, translators should comprehend and adopt the key principles, skills and strategies regarding translation to achieve precision and accuracy in the process of facilitating productive trade.

Key words: Business English; translation skills; translation principles; translation Strategies

1.The introduction

The integration of global economy renders the critical role of international trade plays in promoting China's economic development. Language, which is the bridging medium, plays an essential part in building and maintaining China’s trade relations on a global scale. This is because accurate and effective language communication enables Chinese business professionals to fully and accurately communicate with their counterparts from other nations to facilitate the business negotiation processes, during which Business English serves with specific purpose. As for the translation, translators need to develop an in-depth understanding of the principles, skills and strategies of Business English translation in an effort to select the most accurate words and expressions to deliver the information. Against such backdrop, this paper discusses the major principles, skills and strategies that should be applied to the translation of Business English.

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2.1 Language and culture barriers

In Business English conversations, language and culture barriers can create misperception and misunderstanding in communication. For instance, when negotiating with foreign counterparts, Chinese business professionals tend to be indirect and like to use vague expressions like ‘maybe’ and ‘perhaps’. Although the usage ofthe aforementioned words connotes politeness in Chinese culture, the phrases are likely to be misinterpreted in international business. This is because vague expressions are highly likely lead to confusions and misunderstandings instead of offering clarity on the negotiation table. In addition, language barrier is another factor that impacts considerably on international trade. Language differences are mainly reflected in the differences among language forms and connotations. When introducing products to international customers or understanding their requirements

for products or prices, the Chinese translators are expected to use business vocabulary or standard expressions to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in the procedure of expressing key information and trade terms.

2.2 The ever-growing expansion of international trade

Engaging in international trade has been one ofthe primary ways for a nation to thrive and survive in today's increasingly competitive international economy. After joining in WTO, export has contributed significantly to China economic growth and a considerable number of Chinese enterprises are export-oriented. Since the international market accounts for the major sales revenue of the aforementioned firms, executives find it more than impelling to recruit talents with expertise in business knowledge and Business English.

3. Characteristics of business translation

3.1 Precise wording and clarity of expression

As discussed previously, language and culture differences among nations signify that the meaning of English words can be interpreted in a different fashion, which in term produce varying interpretations of the texts. In severe situations, the differences can be contrasting and likely to increase the possibilities of misunderstanding and friction between the two parties of the trade, resulting in unnecessary contradictions. Therefore, both parties are expected to select the precise wording in both writing or spoken communication. Furthermore, clarity of expression is a must and Business English requires clear choice of words instead of overly-complicated terms that carry multiple meanings.

3.2 Professionalism

There are three major types of Business English vocabulary, including general vocabulary, semi-professional vocabulary and professional vocabulary. General vocabulary refers to the words and expressions that are commonly-used in everyday English. While semi-professional words are derived from general vocabulary, they have been evolved and endowed with more special meanings in the trade activities. Presently, semi-professional vocabulary is the main component of business English. Meantime, special attention should be paid to semi-professional words whose meanings vary from context to context. For example, the word ‘policy’ is usually interpreted as ‘the settled method by which the government and affairs of a nation, a system of public or official administration’ . In Business English, however, it is often associated with ‘the writing or instrument in which a contract of insurance is embodied’ . As for professional vocabulary, which originates from general vocabulary, offers a more precise approach to the clarity of expression. Examples are aggregate demand, intermediate products, import quotes and so forth. For professional translators in international business, it is in their best interest to choose professional and semi-professional words and expressions to improve the accuracy and clarity of expressions.

3.3 The usage of acronyms

Business English is featured with extensive use of acronyms, which are the words composed of the first letters of the words in phrases. The purpose of using acronyms

is to simplify complicated professional nouns in the communication and translation of legal and business documents. For instance, D/A is the acronyms of Documents Against Acceptance and ASEAN stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The standard use of acronyms can be time-efficient and enables the clear and concise communication among the parties involved. When using acronyms, translators need to avoid errors that can affect the accuracy of Business English communication.

3.4 The usage of loanwords

In English, there is a certain amount of loanwords, which are also known as borrowed words. The loanwords are words borrowed from other languages, especially from Latin. The same features can be found in Business English, and those words are often used to improve the formality of the language. Examples are savoir-faire and avant-garde from French, and per capita and curriculum vitae from Latin.

3.5 Word repetition

A distinctive feature of Business English is word repetition, which serves as the purpose of eliminating ambiguity and ensuring precision. Word repeat is primarily the repetition of synonyms, which is commonly-used in agreements, contracts, documents and other legal papers. A very frequently-used expression is terms and conditions, and the two expressions are complementary to present the clarity and rigidity ofthe choice ofthe words.

3.6 The usage of archaic vocabulary

In Business English, archaic vocabulary can usually be used in legal documents such as agreements, contracts or documents. Derived from ancient English, the reasons of using archaic words are two-folded. Firstly, these terms and expressions are well-acknowledged and widely-used in business without the necessity of creating new ones. Secondly, the archaic vocabulary enhances the formality and authenticity of expressions and is also featured with conciseness and rigidity. Examples are here to, thereafter, whereby and etc. For instance, the word ‘hereby’ means ‘by this mean or by reasons of this’, and this phrase is used at the beginning of an agreement or a contract to emphasize the purpose of the very legal documents.

4. Major principles of Business English translation

4.1 Correspondence principle

In Business English, specialized vocabularies, known as jargon, is used by members of business professionals to facilitate communication among themselves. Therefore, business jargon cannot be translated directly based on its literal meaning in everyday communication. For example, the phrase ‘think outside the box’ cannot be understood on the basis of its literal meaning; instead, it refers to the necessity of adopting a creative and novel way of thinking. Thus, the meanings of words and expressions can differ dramatically between daily English and Business English.

4.2 Flexible principle

As different languages bear differences in expressions, it is difficult to ensure that the translation is entirely consistent with the original text when translating Business English into Business Chinese or vice versa. Thus, translators need to take into account of the language norms of both languages and reasonably change the part of

speech while maintaining the original meaning. For example, nouns are frequently used in Business English vocabulary, and can be reasonably converted into verbs or other parts of speech according to the different meaning and context. Therefore, flexibility is an intriguing and vital factor to be considered in the translation of Business English.

4.3 Inclusive principle

In international trade, trading partners come from different countries or regions with contrasting cultural backgrounds, which inevitably lead to misconceptions and misinterpretation in communication. Therefore, when translating Business English, translators should not only accurately translate the literal meaning of the word per se, but also fully consider the differences caused by cultural context and embrace cultural persity and differences. In other words, translators should select the most appropriate word meaning in corresponding language to match the original meaning on the premise of ensuring the accuracy, courtesy and applicability ofthe text.

4.4 Accurate principle

Business documents such as business letter, agreement or contract serve as the crucial evidence of business relations. In this sense, the documents are legally binding. An error with the interpretation of word or expression can result in detrimental ramification. Hence, the first and foremost principle of translation is to read the original context in a rigid and precise manner and translate word by word to deliver the complete and accurate statistics and information to avoid vagueness and ambiguity.

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5.1 Literal translation

Literal translation is a frequently-used method, which aims to preserve both the content and the form of the original text. When translating the text, translators should try to maintain the language style and formats by using the same sentence structure, word of choice and figurative speech. The key advantage of literal translation is the maximum preservation of the original text, maintaining the language style and cultural traits as well as the conciseness and accuracy of the meanings. For instance, the words software and broadband are translated literally and wide-understood by the customers.

5.2 Free translation

Free translation refers to the translation method that translates the original text with different sentence structure, word of choice and part of speech on the condition that the translation text maintains the original meaning. Free translation comes into play when literal translation is unable to deliver the information correctly, and thus it is a more flexible approach that offers translators a certain extent of freedom to present a more comprehensible and reasonable text to the readers, fitting neatly to their mindsets and language habits. For instance, the expression ‘a bolt from the blue’ has no association with the color blue; instead, it refers to unexpected event or news that comes as a shock.

5.3 Translation conversion

Due to the language and cultural differences, translators occasionally need to change the form of expression to make sense of the original text. The translation conversion method is a result of reconciliation and is another commonly used method in the translation of Business English. When adopting the method of translation conversion, various methods or techniques can be used to compensate for semantic and lexical losses in the process of conversion. In a sense, compensation and transformation are complementary and inseparable techniques, as transformation needs to be completed by compensation and compensation is carried out on the basis of transformation. Moreover, the techniques applied in the translation conversion mainly include the conversion of part of speech and word order, sentence pattern and sentence order, language form and meaning, narrative perspective and expression mode, and active voice and passive voice.

6.Conclusion

As international business effectively accelerates China's economic development and enables China to gain footing in the world economy, Business English becomes a growingly crucial and prominent tool. For business professional and translators, only by understanding the language characteristics and translation principles of Business English and adopting accurate, flexible and rigid translation skills and strategies can we improve the communication efficiency in international business. Meanwhile, Business English translation not only requires us to have a profound knowledge ofthe characteristics of business English vocabulary, sentence patterns and business knowledge, but also in-depth comprehension of the cultural differences between China and rest of the word. Therefore, business professionals, business students and translators should constantly explore business knowledge and adopt a variety of translation skills and strategies in the process of practice.

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