Translation unit as a subject of research: Russian and Chinese approaches

Abstract

Defining the concept of the “unit of translation” remains one of the most debated and complex issues in modern translation theory. Researchers’ opinions on the unit of translation diverge, which sometimes causes confusion. In this paper, the translated text is regarded as the system for interpreting the meanings of the source text (speech works), and the translation unit is defined as a unit of speech which possesses an integral meaning and is not further divisible. These translation units are speech fragments in a text, although they are expressed by means of language. The translator can use the thematic segment as the orientation unit to understand each speech meaning unit, and determine the unit of artistic image translation based on the whole text understanding, and find the semantically complete and inseparable sentence (clause, hypersentence) translation unit based on functional sentence perspective. The concepts of translation unit, orientation unit, language unit and meaning unit are different and interrelated, and they constitute a complex sub-system in the process of translation. Researchers’ perspectives on the translation unit vary significantly depending on the theoretical and methodological frameworks of specific linguistic schools.

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