《中式英语之鉴读》书笔记

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Reading Note 1
Reader: 邹乐琳
Reading Time: 30 min
Reading Task: To the Reader
Summary of the Content:
1.Aspects touched upon:
Audience: It is addressed primarily to Chinese translators and to advanced students of English who are practicing translation.
The notion of Chinglish: Chinglish, of course, is that misshapen, hybrid language that is neither English nor Chinese but that might be described as "English with Chinese characteristics."
Purpose of the book: My purpose is rather to show translators—and, by extension, others who are writing directly in English—how to recognize elements of Chinglish in a first draft and howto revise it so as to eliminate those elements. In otherwords, this book is intended to help them turn their workinto real English such as might have been written by aneducated native speaker of the language.
Declaration of certain terms: “translator” “revisor” “polisher” could be the same: every translator rereading a first draft can and should be hisor her own polisher. A- version is the Chinglish example, and B-version is the revision provided by the author.
Source of Chinglish examples: authentic, with some simplification on purpose
Credibility and relevance building: the author’s background and working experience
Acknowledgement
2.To sum up, this book targets Chinese translators and advanced English learners, aiming to help identify and revise “Chinglish” in translations to produce natural, native-like English. It compares "A-versions" (Chinglish drafts) with "B-versions" (revised texts) to demonstrate improvements. Examples are real-life but some are simplified for clarity. The author’s translation experience adds credibility.
Evaluation (style, theme, thought):
The language style is clear and concise.
The purpose of writing this book is practical and directly stated.
It is enlightening for me to be urged to recognize the elements of Chinglish.
Reflection:
The idea that translators must also act as revisors and polishers enlightens me. It reinforces the broader notion that language mastery involves continuous growth. Translation is not just a technical task; it is a reflective and creative process that demands attention to detail, cultural nuance, and audience expectations.