PART 1-III

Mein9

Reading Response: "Redundant Twins in Chinglish" from The Translator's Guide to Chinglish

  As an English major, reading the chapter on "Redundant Twins" in The Translator's Guide to Chinglish has deepened my understanding of the lexical differences between English and Chinese in translation. This section focuses on the common phenomenon in Chinglish where near-synonyms are unnecessarily paired, such as "help and assistance" or "views and opinions." It explains that while Chinese often uses such parallel structures to enhance meaning, avoid ambiguity, or achieve rhythmic balance, these pairings often become redundant in English. The text categorizes redundant twins into three types: words with nearly identical meanings, one word whose meaning is implied by the other, and words too vague to be distinguished, providing numerous examples of how to revise them by deleting, replacing, or clarifying.

  The chapter emphasizes that Chinese parallelism should not be directly transplanted into English; instead, translators must judge whether each word adds significant meaning in the specific context. This insight highlights that translation is not mere word-for-word correspondence but a deep understanding of cross-linguistic thinking. English’s rich vocabulary means even near-synonyms differ in connotation, collocation, and usage—for example, "foretell" carries a mystical, prophetic tone, while "predict" is scientific. Translators must choose the most context-appropriate word rather than stacking synonyms.

  From a personal learning perspective, this warns me against letting Chinese思维 (Chinese thinking) influence my English writing and translation. I used to believe that pairing synonyms like "careful and cautious" strengthened expressions, but now I realize English values precision over repetition. It has also sharpened my sensitivity to subtle lexical differences—e.g., "evaluate" implies prior comprehension, and "undermine" is more specific than "interfere with." These insights are crucial for producing idiomatic translations.

  In relation to my English major studies, this chapter offers direct guidance for translation practice. In our courses, we often retain Chinese parallel structures out of fidelity to the original, resulting in wordy translations. Now I understand the need to balance "faithfulness" with "fluency" by adapting to English norms. For instance, translating "健康合理的发展" as "healthy and rational development" is problematic because "healthy" is vague; instead, we might use "rational development" or add context to clarify, making the translation concise and natural.

  As future translators, we must cultivate the ability to judge context, grasping not only literal meanings but also cultural connotations and usage scenarios. The chapter notes that even native English speakers sometimes use redundant pairs (e.g., "rules and regulations"), reminding us to stay vigilant about language precision. Whether in study or practice, we should prioritize clarity over word堆砌 (word堆砌), avoiding both Chinglish redundancies and native-speaker pitfalls.

  In conclusion, this chapter has impressed upon me the importance of "subtraction" in English-Chinese translation. Studying English is not just about accumulating language knowledge but also about transforming thinking patterns. We must move beyond Chinese "parallel thinking" and learn to express ideas logically and idiomatically in English. This motivates me to focus on contrastive analysis and cross-linguistic thinking, laying a solid foundation for becoming competent translators who bridge languages with precision and fluency.