Translation looks easy but quite tricky and challenging. In our Language Centre with majority Chinese students (preparing for IELTS), we use vocabulary building template. This comprises many columns namely: difficult word, Chinese translation, 3-4 synonyms, antonyms and finally sentence making. The most important aspects of understanding and contextualization are addressed by this method and this template seems very useful and popular among students. I hope it helps! We have sorted out other strategies for our Chinese students learning English in Malaysia. You may like to ask about other areas as well. On another note, I am sorry, I could not send you the paper you asked (because I am still updating it).

Translation looks even more challenging when I translate into French (or Russian) an English text written with mistakes by a Chinese. Since I do not know Chinese, I cannot guess the nature of the errors and I cannot correct them before translating (in contrast, I understand quite well an incorrect English text written by a French).

Maybe you have some ideas on this subject in your center?

I suggest we can take help of Chinese students who are good at translation and understanding. I hope it works!

Dear Cao,

Your concern over information flow in translation is understandable. It has often been stated that a translated text should appear to L2 recipients as if they are reading an original text. As such there is much talk about translator invisibility in the translation process. As a consequence, I suppose what Mildred Larson states about idiomatic translation is  professionally true. The translator should be faithful to the meanings intended by the source text writer, but should create a rendition that utilizes the most conventional ways of sentence creation in the readers' language. Notably, it can be stated that idiomatic translation is perhaps the only way creating a plausible information flow which guarantees the translator invisibility.

Best regards,

R. Biria

I am not so sure about what you are saying. It seems to me that you talk about measuring how much information flows in the text for some reason and then see if you get the same graph for the translated version of the text or something. Is that correct?