Handling Long Sentences in Translation from Foreign Languages to Chinese

During the translation process, we often encounter long and complex sentences. Taking Japanese translation as an example, we frequently see that nearly half of a sentence consists of modifiers, which can be challenging for beginners to analyze the sentence structure, and their translation approach may easily follow the original text. As a result, the translated text not only appears verbose but also shows obvious traces of direct translation.

In fact, translation is a profound discipline. When translating from Japanese, we are actually dealing with the significant characteristics of both Chinese and Japanese languages. The focus of Chinese expressions is often in the first half of the sentence, while Japanese is the opposite, with the sentence's emphasis usually placed at the end. Therefore, when translating long sentences from Japanese, it is necessary to adjust the word order and perform inverse translation to accurately reflect the focus of Chinese semantics. Hence, to translate Japanese well, understanding and comprehending the Japanese language is one aspect, but the key is to master the language habits of Chinese, so that the translated text can be natural. If long sentences are not handled properly, it will not only make the translation awkward but also lead to unclear meaning and sentence ambiguity.

Moreover, to handle long sentences in Japanese, one must not only master the basic knowledge of Chinese and Japanese but also possess certain translation skills.

The most commonly used translation skill is "splitting." As the name suggests, splitting involves translating one sentence from the original text into two or more sentences. It has two specific techniques: one is simply changing the punctuation of the original text to shorten the sentence; the other is directly extracting part of the content from the original text, either making it an independent sentence or incorporating it into other sentences. Additionally, due to the differences in grammar, rhetoric, and habits between Japanese and Chinese, the translation must be adjusted according to the grammatical rules and language habits of the target language. This is known as inverse translation in translation skills. Accurately mastering these two translation skills is key to correctly handling long sentences.

Located about 40 kilometers southwest of Asunción, the capital of the Republic of Paraguay, is a subsidiary of the Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The company has been building flat-bottomed barges and pushers, which are river transportation means expected to meet medium and long-term demand, since 2011. The company contributes to the development of Paraguayan society by providing high-quality vessels and cultivating shipbuilding talents.

Translation: Situated approximately 40 kilometers southwest of Asunción, the capital of the Republic of Paraguay, the company is a group subsidiary of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Since 2011, the company has been constructing flat-bottomed barges and pushers, which serve as river transportation tools anticipated to fulfill medium to long-term needs. By delivering high-quality ships and nurturing shipbuilding professionals, the company contributes to the development of Paraguayan society.

In the original text, "中長期的な需要が見込まれている河川輸送の手段である、平底バージやプッシャーの建造を2011年から行っています。" is a typical long sentence. "中長期的な需要が見込まれている河川輸送の手段である" serves as a modifier for "平底バージやプッシャー." Due to the lengthy modifier, many people do not fully grasp the sentence structure at the beginning of the translation, leading to a vague understanding of the meaning and a prolonged僵持. Because of the lack of understanding, many people persistently adhere to the original sentence structure and fail to form a complete sentence. What comes to mind are individual phrases like "expected to have medium to long-term demand," "river transportation tools," and "constructing flat-bottomed barges and pushers since 2011." Later, I carefully analyzed the meaning the original text intended to express. After that, I detached from the original text and started from the key words of the translation, considering the Chinese expression habits, readjusted the word order, and appropriately split the long sentence. Ultimately, I dealt with this long sentence according to the grammatical structure and language habits of Chinese. This sentence, through the use of inverse translation and splitting translation skills, translates the long sentence into short sentences that conform to the language habits of Chinese people, which is a correct example of handling long sentences.

In fact, in the process of translating long sentences from foreign languages to Chinese, in addition to splitting and inverse translation, combining, paraphrasing, adding, and simplifying are also commonly used translation skills. To flexibly handle long sentences, one must constantly learn and practice to be proficient in these translation skills. Moreover, it is essential to strive to improve comprehension skills and develop a flexible and agile translation mindset, not sticking to established patterns. Only in this way can one truly excel in translation. In summary, translation is never a task that can be accomplished in one go; only through practice can one truly master it.

◀️：Overview of Translation Theory in China

▶️：Translation of "Handling Long and Complex Sentences in Foreign Translation"