中式英语之鉴7

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Reader: 蔡心怡
Reading Time: 15~16week
Reading Task: Part 7
Summary of the Content: This chapter addresses the “Noun Plague” in Chinglish, identifying five categories of noun abuse: redundant, empty, category nouns,. Through 200+ examples, it proposes three solutions: converting nouns to verbs , gerunds, or adjectives, and clarifying noun-as-adjective structures with prepositions/hyphens. The core argument: English thrives on verbs, urging translators to prioritize “ideological equivalence” over literal noun-to-noun translation for concise, impactful communication.
Evaluation: Goes beyond grammar to address cognitive gaps: Chinese parataxis vs. English hypotaxis. Argues that reducing nouns refines thinking, redefining translation as cultural mindset shift, not word substitution. It offers a “subtraction checklist” for academic/business writing, enhancing global communication clarity, especially for research papers and policy documents.
Reflection:This analysis reveals a core cross-lingual contradiction: Chinese “richness” vs. English “precision,” where noun pile up often obstructs clarity. For example, “进行业务拓展” literally translated as “carry out business expansion” is less impactful than “expand business.” This warns against “linguistic inertia” in cross-cultural contexts, where rhetorical repetition in Chinese may mislead as emphasis in English.