翻译转换理论在科技文本翻译中的应用研究——以《给忙碌者的天体物理学》英汉翻译为例

The Application of Translation Shift Theory in Sci-Tech Texts Translation—A Case Study of the English-Chinese Translation of “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”

摘要: 随着全球化的加速，跨文化交流在科技领域的重要性日益凸显，准确高效的翻译成为促进科技交流的关键。科技文本翻译的核心挑战在于如何在准确传达信息的同时，避免过度归化或异化。本文以卡特福德的翻译转换理论为基础，探讨其在科技文本翻译中的应用优势。通过分析科普读物《给忙碌者的天体物理学》的英汉翻译案例，本文从层次转换和范畴转换两个角度，探讨了如何有效处理科技文本中的语言转换问题。研究表明，虽然翻译转换理论缺乏对篇章整体翻译的指导，但其聚焦一句之内，在解决科技文本翻译中的信息丢失和歧义问题方面具有可行性和有效性，能够帮助译文更好地适应目标语读者的阅读习惯，确保信息的准确传递和科学知识的普及。

Abstract: With the acceleration of globalization, cross-cultural communication in the realm of science and technology has become increasingly important, making accurate and efficient translation a key factor in promoting technological exchange. The core challenge in translating sci-tech texts lies in accurately conveying information while avoiding excessive domestication or foreignization. This paper explores the advantages of applying Catford’s translation shift theory to the translation of sci-tech texts. Through the analysis of English-to-Chinese translation cases from the popular science book “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”, the study examines how to effectively solve language conversion issues in sci-tech texts from the perspectives of level shifts and category shifts. The paper finds that, although translation shift theory lacks guidance on discourse-level translation, it provides practical and feasible solutions at the sentence level for resolving issues such as information loss and ambiguity in sci-tech text translation. This theory helps the translation better adapt to the reading habits of target language readers, ensuring the accurate transmission of information and the dissemination of scientific knowledge.