Transcript Translation of Letters

Translation of (Formal) Letters
• Letters and (Official) Documents: 应用文:
for various communicative purposes
• Conventions, Contracts & Agreements:
• Social Letters:
• Professional Letters:
• Business Letters:
• Social Letters: 社交信件
personal letters, greeting letters, thank-you letters,
invitations, letters for congratulation, condolences,
sympathy, apology, etc.
• Professional Letters:事务信件
recommendations, applications, certificates,
notarizations, certificate of appointments, letter
of appointment, application letters, personal
statements, resume and covering letters
Format of Letters
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Heading: the address of the writer
Inside Address:
Salutation:
Body:
Complimentary Closing:
Signature:
Postscript:
Enclosure: (enclosed is /are/please find my
resume )
Translation Strategies
• Literary Language, fixed formats and stereotyped
expressions
• colloquial , concise
• literary, concise, or colloquial Chinese as required,
• Literal translation of closing, or adoption of
traditional conventionalities
• Professional letters /social letters: no clear
distinction—format, but diction
Sample Letters
1. We want you to the ceremony, to the wedding
luncheon
请您出席; 家宴；喜宴
2. With Love, Cordially yours, Sincerely (yours)美,
Yours faithfully英, Yours truly, Loving, Yours,
Respectfully yours
此致 敬礼; 此致
3. (With) best wishes to you (both):
祝你们安好、春安、
4. We should be grateful/obliged/thankful if you
should get for us some information about this
company.
如蒙… 将不胜感激
Translation of Invitations
• request the pleasure of sb’s company at …
• R. S. V. P.: repondez s’il vous plait
• To Whom It May Concern, Gentlemen美, Dear
Sirs 英
• This is to certify that ( notarize, introduce, )
• Hereby, hereon, hereto, herein, hereof,
hereunder :
under this, in here, of this, by this, after this, to
this
• Mr. George Bush with regards to(向…致意）
Mr. Joe Waterman, requests the acceptance of
a watch forwarded(send, pass) herewith(with
this letter).
奉上手表一块，聊表敬意，务请笑纳。
George Bush
Sept.8, 1998
• Dear Joe:
You will do me honor by accepting that watch
forwarded herewith. I shall be glad if you like it.
如能收下这块手表，我讲深感荣幸。（十分高兴）
Truly yours,
George
Dear Sirs:
I wish to pursue a doctoral degree in Chemical
Engineering at your university. My desired date
of entrance is fall, 2003. Please send me all
necessary application forms at your earliest
convenience.
If possible, I also wish to obtain a graduate
assistantship so that I can support myself and
obtain more experience while pursing graduate
study.
I obtained my B.E. and M. E. from SMU. At
present, I work as an instructor at this
university.
尊敬的先生，
我愿攻读贵校化工专业博士学位。拟
于2003年秋季入学。请在您方便的时候
尽早将有关申请表及给我。
如有可能，我还希望得到一份助教的工作，
以便维持就读期间的生活，增长自己的
阅历。我已获圣玛丽大学的工程学士和
硕士学位，目前在该校任教。
Resume
personal data, sex, marital status, single,
married, postcode, scholastic honors,
references, qualifications
covering letters
Graduation Certificate
This (it is hereby)is to certify that Sam Johnson,
male, native of Winona, Minnesota, born in
November 1980, having enrolled to study
Spanish in Department of Foreign Languages,
Minnesota University in Sept.1998, graduated
in July 2002.
The following is the report of the academic
records in his specialized courses from the 1st to
the 7th semesters (no exam or test for the last
semester):
Oral exam:good; Written exam: excellent, pass
兹证明… ，良，优，合格
1998年9月考入明大…学习，以下是其第一至第
七学期在校专业课成绩（第八学期未进行考核）
Dear David,
I hope you haven’t made any definite plan for the
winter vacation, as I’d like you to stay with us
for a few days, my parents will be very much
delighted to receive you as a guest.
Hoping you will be able to come, I am
Cordially
yours,
Dear Wang,
Allow me to present you a copy of Longman
Modern English Dictionary, I know you are
studying English now, and hope will find it
useful. It’s a trifle gift, but I hope you will
accept it as a small token of my gratitude for
your continual kindness.
Yours truly,
请允许我送上词典译本。…… 区区小礼，聊表心
意。
… 我们深信，您这次荣升完全是由于您个人的才
华出众，… 同时也祝贺…适得其人（选择了优
秀的人才）
祝您工作顺利，一帆风顺
crown sth. with sth.: make sth perfect by adding
sth like an achievement of success. Eg.
Their efforts were crowned with a great success.
Tom and I learned from Dr. Harmon last evening
that you were recently appointed the new
president of XX university. We are sure this
honor of yours is won on the ground of
personal merits. Our congratulations to you
and to XX university also for having chosen the
right man.
May success crown all your work!
Dear Gorge,
Linda and I were delighted to receive the announcement
of your marriage.
Every happiness be yours on this wedding day. Allow two
old friends of yours to send their hearty
congratulations to you and the bride.
…高兴得知你们结婚的消息.在你新婚之际，请接受两位
老友最美好的祝愿，祝你和新娘新婚幸福．
…敬贺
Dear Joe,
The painful news of the passing away of
your father reached us this morning, and
we were so shocked that we could not at
first realize the fact. It will be hard for all
of us who knew him to carry on without
him. We shall always remember his
kindness and intelligence.
今晨痛惜令尊长逝， 不胜惊骇。我们简直
不敢相信这是真的。对于他的去世， 所
有熟悉他的人，无不感到悲痛万分，他
的善良与智慧我们将永远铭记在心。
（聪颖）？
Dr. and Mrs. Roger B. Clark
Request the pleasure of
Mr. and Mrs. Frank North’s company
at dinner
on Thursday, September the twentieth
at eight o’clock
to meet Miss Marts Lang
250 Park Avenue
• 为欢迎马塔·兰小姐，罗杰·克拉克博士及
夫人谨定于9月20日（星期四）8时于派
克大街250号举行宴会，敬请弗兰克先生
及夫人光临。
Mr. And Mrs. Frank North accept
with pleasure
Dr. and Mrs. Roger B. Clark’s kind invitation
for dinner
on Thursday, …
at eight o’clock
to meet …
…先生及夫人愉快地接受…的盛情邀请，
将出席…为… 而举行的宴会。
…因有约在先，不能接受…为欢迎…而举
行的 宴会的邀请，深为遗憾。
Mr. and Mrs. Frank North
regret that a previous engagement
prevents their accepting
…..’s kind invitation
for dinner
on Thursday…
to meet…
Self-recommendation
Gentlemen,
From your advertisement in yesterday’s Washington
Post,I find that you are wanting an English
translator in your office. I ask to offer myself as a
candidate for the post.
My qualifications are as follows: Age: 26
Native place:Newtown, Maryland
Education: XX University
Experience: 3 years secretary to Mr. White, Manager
of XX Co.,Ltd.
Salary wanted: $3000 a month
Should my application be regarded favourably, I
shall endeavour to justify the confidence you may
repose in me.
先生们，
从昨日的华盛顿邮报上的广告获悉，贵处招聘一
名英语译员，特自荐为该职位候选人，我的资
历如下：年龄：２６岁；
籍贯：马里兰州Newtown; 学历：ＸＸ大学毕业；
工作经历：曾任XX 有限公司经理怀特先生的秘
书３年．
期望待遇：月薪3000美元.
如能考虑予以录用,我将努力工作, 不负厚望.(不辜
负你们对我的信赖.)
Certificate
To Whom It May Concern:
This is to certify that Dr. Charles Don has
been employed in our office for the past five
years. He is well acquainted with
accountancy. He has faithfully attended to
his duties and proved himself thoroughly
reliable. Any inquiries regarding him will be
answered by.
先生/女士:(敬启者)
兹证明…先生曾在我们部门任职五年，擅
长会计工作，忠于职守，诚实可靠。如
欲了解其他情况， 本人乐于奉告。
Notarization
• This is to notarize that the official seal affixed by
the Company to the above document is genuine
(&valid) and that the Chinese translation of
Document is in conformity with the original copy.
Notary_______
Signature_______
XX Notary Office
Date______
公证书
前面文件上所盖得XX公司（之印）公章属
实，（是真实有效的），所附中文译本
与英文正本内容相符，特此公正。
XX 公证处（章）
公证员签字
年 月 日
Certificate of Appointment
Re: Deep Hold Cargo Ship for Tender Board of
Smith International Co.,Ltd.
To Whom It May Concern,
We, Far East Shipbuilding Co.,Ltd. Wish to tender
for the Deep Hold Cargo Ship to the Tender Board
of Smith International Co. Ltd.
We hereby appoint ABC Co. Ltd. Of Hong Kong to
act on our behalf to make all necessary
arrangements in Hong Kong for the tender.
However, all expenses made are subject to our
approval.
Director of FE
Date
委托书
关于向史密斯国际有限公司
招标委员会提供深舱货轮事
台鉴：
远东造船有限公司拟参加史密斯国际公司
招标委员会的深舱货轮投标。兹委托香
港ABC 有限公司代表我公司在香港为投
标做必要的工作安排。但为此所需费用
须经我公司同意。
Translation of Business Texts
• Business English: a branch of ESP专门用
途英语 (English for Specific Purposes)
• It is the actual application of The English
Language in business world.
• The study of business English involves
Language Knowledge, Communication
Skills, Professional Skills, Management
Skills and Cultural Awareness.
ESP and EGP
•
EGP: English for General Purposes:普通
英语; 一般用途英语
• Differences:
1. Purposes
2. The use and meanings of some many
words;
3. Composition of sentences and passages
Translation of Business Letters
and Telexes
Business Letters:
Writing/Translation Principle: 7 Cs:(5Cs)
Correctness: format and wording 正确
Concreteness: 具体
Conciseness: 简练
Courtesy:礼貌
Clearness (Clarity): not misleading 清楚
Completeness: 完整
Consideration: 体谅
• Dear Sirs (Dear sirs)？
• We shall deduct this amount from your account. ？
（We shall debit this amount…)
• 我们将从贵公司账户中扣除此项金额。
• This credit will remain valid until the end of this
month.？ ( …until May 31, 2006)
• Documents against payment: 付款交单
in your favour: 以你方为受益人
All sales are final: 货物售出，概不退换
We are sorry that you misunderstood us. ？(….we
didn’t make ourselves clear.)
Stereotyped Expressions of BL
Business terminology, adopting formal and
stereotyped Chinese business expressions
when rendering
Eg:1. be in the receipt of : 来函收悉
2. in reply/answer to: 兹复
3. For your reference: 顺告；（句首）仅
供参考；（句尾）
4. upon the receipt of :一俟收到
Sample Business Letters
We are in receipt of your letter of Sept.8.
We (make) acknowledge(ment) (to) your letter of
Sept.8.
你方来函收悉。
Please be advised that the originals of shipping
documents are being sent to you through Bank of
China.
谨告知装船单证正本正通过中国银行寄送你方。
We deal in a wide range of light industrial products
as per list enclosed. 按照，依据
Details as per the attached list.
详见附表
Sample Business Letters
1. S.S: Steamship ；M/V: Motor Vessel
2. Ex: The goods ex stock are available.
goods from stock;
Goods are in stock for supply.
Goods are out of stock; not available for supply;
stocks are exhausted.
3. CIF: cost, insurance and freight
FOB: free on board (ship)
RRP: recommended retail price
Samples
• I take the liberty of introducing you my firm
as an Export Merchant.
• I would refer you to our captioned enquiry
sent to you on …
• In view of the increasing demand for the
goods,
• Referring to your L/C No….,
Telexes: 电传
Applying short words or shortened forms of words:
Omission of particles and other less functional
words
Participles: present/past
翻译时，应弄清电文中所省略的词语或成分，并
根据动词形式辨明主语与时态，全盘考虑电文
的含义，用简洁的汉语译出。
Telex Samples
1. YR TLX 28TH RCVD
2. PLS ADV WHEN SMPLS SENT
3. TEL SPECIFICATIONS IMMDLY OTHRWS
CNT SHIP IN TIME
4. AGREE TO COMPROMISE SUGGESTED
5. L/C FOR ORDER 150 UNRCVD PLS RUSH
IT
6. 7. IF ABSLTLY NCSSRY U MAY INCREASE
PRICE
8. EXTNSN L/C UNRCVD WHEN U SNT REP
9.HPE TO GET PREFERENCE IN OUR FUTURE
BSNSS SO AS TO HV CHANCE TO
RECOVER OUR LOSS
Telex Samples
10. PLS ADV YR TRVL PLANS ASAP
Telex Form: 15 components
Telex Number
(Very) Urgent
Our Ref:
ATTN: MR. WANG
RE: EXTD SHIPMT
THRU CSTMRS DELAY L/C RCVD
ONLY20/6 SPACE BOOKED UP PLS ASK
CSTMRS ASAP TO EXTD SHIPMT31/7
VALIDITY 15/8
BEST RGDS
Time