A Brief Analysis of the Application of Parallel Texts in English-Chinese Translation

In today's world, cultures from different regions permeate each other, and globalization has become an unstoppable trend. Cultural transmission has become an important part of human activities and communication. To achieve equivalence of meaning between various languages, parallel texts play a significant role in the translation process. So, what are parallel texts? Professor Li Changshuan defined parallel texts in his book "Non-literary Translation" as follows: Parallel texts originally refer to the original text and its translation that are placed side by side for line-by-line comparison reading. When numerous parallel texts are collected and combined according to certain standards, they form a parallel corpus. These materials can be thematic articles, encyclopedia entries, and even explanations and examples in dictionaries. This is the narrow interpretation of parallel texts. Broadly speaking, parallel texts also include translated materials similar in content to the original text, mainly used for a deeper understanding of the original text. In simple terms, parallel texts are any reference materials that are close in content to the original text.

Parallel texts are very important in translation. For translation professionals, they encounter various types of texts in practice, and it is impossible for translators to be proficient in the professional knowledge of every field. However, as translators, they must convey the meaning of the original text to readers, so parallel texts play a crucial role. Parallel texts are interrelated and influence each other. In the translation process, by utilizing parallel texts, translators can gain a deeper understanding of the differences between English and Chinese texts, break free from the cultural constraints of the original text, improve translation quality, and better achieve equivalence between the original and the translation, allowing readers to experience authentic language expression rather than a strong translation tone.

In translation practice, by reading parallel texts, we can quickly find equivalent words and sentences, accurately grasp the content of the text, and effectively solve problems in the translation process. When we refer to parallel texts, we understand how the same type of text is expressed in different languages, making the translation more authentic and reducing the use of Chinglish to a certain extent, thus improving the quality of the translation.

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