中式英语之鉴chapter4读书笔记

Merry-Go-Round

Reader: 敖维瑞

Reading time: 3h

Reading Task: IV. Saying the same things twice

Summary of the content: Repeating same things twice or even more. Stop using them.

Evaluation: Chapter 4 of The Translator’s Guide to Chinglish focuses on eliminating redundancy, a core issue in Chinese-to-English translation. The author identifies three types of unnecessary repetition: simple restatements (e.g., "arrive on time and be punctual"), self-evident phrases (e.g., "control pollution to protect the environment"), and mirror statements (e.g., "maintain vigilance and never be off guard"). Such redundancies obscure clarity and burden readers. To address these, the chapter emphasizes strategies like pruning superfluous words, rephrasing for concision, or occasionally retaining repetition for rhetorical emphasis. Examples illustrate how translators must critically assess context to distinguish meaningful repetition from mere verbosity. By adhering to the principles of simplicity and precision, translators can produce English texts that align with native norms while preserving the original intent.

Reflection: "Less is more", I shall remember this basic rule when writing. And don't let my Chinese writing experience affects me.

扎扎。

I can't agree with your reflection more!