Russian-Chinese Translation: Addition and Omission of Words

This article will continue to explore issues in Russian-Chinese translation and study the techniques of adding and omitting words.

I. Addition of Words

In translation, to accurately convey the meaning of the original text, it is often necessary to add some elements that are implicitly present between the lines of the original text. When adding words, it is crucial to remain faithful to the original text, and it must be remembered that adding words does not equate to adding meaning.

The "Course" points out three common scenarios for adding words: ① Without adding words, the translation does not conform to Chinese collocation habits, or the meaning is unclear, even leading to ambiguity; ② Adding words can make the translation clearer and more coherent; ③ Without adding words, the translation would violate logic and be incomprehensible.

The first scenario is exemplified by "Тургеневпереведен на многие языки мира". This sentence is literally translated as "Turgenev has been translated into many languages of the world." Although "Turgenev" in "he is reading Turgenev" can be understood as "the works of Turgenev," it cannot be so understood in "Turgenev has been translated into many languages." To accurately express the original content and conform to Chinese expression habits, the word "works" should be added, translating it as "The works of Turgenev have been translated into many languages around the world."

"Критериеммощиармииявляетсяеёморальныйдух" explains the second scenario. This is literally translated as "The criterion of the army's power is morale." Without adding words, the meaning of the translation is understandable, but in Chinese, it is common to use "the measure of ... is ...", so it should be translated as "The measure of the army's power is morale" to increase the fluency of the translation.

The translation practice of "Книга «Евгений Онегин» относится к общественной деятельности Пушкина" belongs to the third scenario. The literal translation of the original text is "The book 'Eugene Onegin' belongs to Pushkin's social activities." In Chinese, a "book" cannot be a "social activity," and "social activity" must be some kind of action. Therefore, the original text should be translated as "The writing of 'Eugene Onegin' belongs to Pushkin's social activities."

II. Omission of Words

Omission is the opposite of the aforementioned addition of words. The "Course" points out that there are four common situations for omitting words: ① Translating all words will make the translation redundant; ② Translating some words will make the translation not conform to Chinese expression habits; ③ Words with similar meanings can be translated into one word; ④ Some phrases can be translated into one word.

The first scenario is exemplified by "Отрицательносказывается на развитие нехватка продуктов". The literal translation is "The shortage of food negatively affects development." Through logical reasoning, it can be inferred that "food shortage" cannot be a factor promoting development; the phrase itself has a negative meaning. Therefore, when translating the original text, the word "negatively" can be directly omitted, making the article more concise.

The second scenario is exemplified by "Интересыувеличения производства зерна потребовали изменения структуры посевных площадей". The literal translation of the original text is "In order to increase the benefits of grain production, it is necessary to change the structure of sown areas." Reading the translation, one will find that "the benefits of grain production" is a grammatically incorrect phrase because "benefits" should belong to people, not plants. When translating, "интересы" should be omitted, translating it as "In order to increase grain production, it is necessary to change the structure of sown areas."

The third scenario is exemplified by "Обе резолюции в общем и целомсходятся". The literal translation of the original text is "The two resolutions are generally consistent overall." In Chinese, "overall" and "generally" are roughly synonymous, so one can be omitted, translating it as "The two resolutions are generally consistent."

"Коренныеинтересыдалитолчокдальнейшемуразвитиюсотрудничествамеждудвумястранами" is a commonly used sentence pattern in the field of international relations, literally translated as "The fundamental interests of the people give the two countries the impetus to further develop cooperation." However, "дать толчок" is often combined into one word, translated as "promote," so the original text can be translated as "The fundamental interests of the people promote cooperation between the two countries."

附练习节选

1. Мы не можем навязывать свою волю.

Literally translated as "We cannot impose our will." This sentence lacks an object of action, so the method of adding words should be used, translating it as "We cannot impose our will on others."

2. С земли сошел снег. В воздух запахло весной.

Literally translated as "The snow on the ground has melted, and the air smells of spring." "The air smells of spring" does not conform to Chinese expression habits; the word "scent" should be added, i.e., "The air smells of the scent of spring."

3. Именно ради общих интересов они нуждаются в политической борьбе м политической партии.

Literally translated as "It is precisely for these common interests that they need political struggle and political organization." Here, by adding words, it is translated as "They need to engage in political struggle and organize political parties." Two verbs, "engage in" and "organize," are added here to make the translation more consistent with the original expression habits.

4. Первая волнующая встреча Ленина с рабочими состоялась вечером 3 апреля на станции метро.

Translated as "On the evening of April 3rd, the first stirring meeting between Lenin and the workers took place at the metro station."

5. Наша позиция в этом вопросе четка и ясна.

Literally translated as "Our position on this issue is precise and clear." "Precise" and "clear" are synonyms, which can be combined into one word, translating it as "Our position on this issue is clear."

6. Рабочие! Теснее смыкайте свои ряды.

Translated as "Workers, unite more closely!"

◀️：Common Sense Issues in French Translation

▶️：Common Knowledge in Translation