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1. Introduction
At a time when the pace of life is getting faster and faster, everything seems to be bidding for people’s attention, and newspaper is no exception. As the eye of the news, headline sits in a position to capture the essence of the event, demonstrate the readability of the news and attract readers’ attention. A good headline, generally speaking, should include such features as accuracy, brevity and clarity which are generally developed by lexical items, punctuation, rhetorical devices, and grammar. Put it in detail, first, as for words selection, such items as acronym, new words and midget words are commonly chosen for the headline. Second, not all punctuations could appear in headline, and the frequently used ones like comma, colon, and dash also indicate specific meaning of the headline. Third, in order to lead force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create atmosphere, headline is usually written figuratively. Finally, the limited space of newspaper demands that headline be concise and brief, and therefore it has developed its own grammatical style. The major difference of the grammar rules used for daily English
and news headlines lies in the frequent omission of function words(article, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions and so on), and unique practice of tense, voice and non-predicate verbs. Such features of English news headline as mentioned above are essential and critical for readers to understand the connotation of news headline, and also are the difficulties and problems needed settling in translating English news headline. This essay focuses on introducing some correspondent translating techniques with these features of English news headline.
2. Translation of lexical items in English news headline
2.1. Translation of acronym
Acronym (word formed from the initial letters of a group of words) is one main form of English news title’s glossary variation. Since newspapers are limited in time and space, acronym meets the need, saving the space of newspaper. This chapter attempts to discuss some skills in translating acronym.
2.1.1. Translate according to its pronunciation
For example:
(1) OPEC 22nd Session Ends
(OPEC =Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries石油輸出國組織，即歐佩克)
---歐佩克第二屆會議結(jié)束
(2) AIDS---The Risk to Heterosexual
(AIDS=Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome艾滋病,即后天免疫缺損綜合癥)
---艾滋病危及異性戀愛者
2.1.2. Translating and shortening the full name
For example:
(1) NATO to Seek New Secretary General
(NATO=North Atlantic Treaty Organization北大西洋公約組織,簡稱北約)
---北約尋求新任秘書長
(2) USSR Dissolves, Mikhail CorbachevResigns: Boris Yeltsin Takes over
(USSR=Union of Soviet Socialist Republics蘇維埃社會主義共和國聯(lián)盟,簡稱蘇聯(lián))
---蘇聯(lián)解體,戈爾巴喬夫辭職,葉利欽上臺
2.1.3. Explaining all letters
In view of the fact that not all acronyms can be translated according to the pronunciation; otherwise readers would be confused. The translator had better point out the meaning of all letters.
It can be clearly seen in the below examples:
(1) BBC Considering Starting Global Television Service
(BBC=British Broadcasting Corporation)
---英國廣播公司擬開通全球電視服務(wù)
(2) PLO Says Israeli Drive ahead
(PLO=Palestine Liberation Organization)
---巴勒斯坦解放組織說以色列即將大舉進(jìn)攻
(3) START Announced to Begin June29
(START=Strategic Arms Reductions Talks)
---裁減戰(zhàn)略武器會談于六月而十九日開始
(4) 36th WTTC triumphantly closes in Yugoslavia.
(WTTC=World Table Tennis Championships)
---第三十六屆世界乒乓球錦標(biāo)賽在南斯拉夫勝利閉幕
(5) Government Is Covering up UFO Evidence?
(UFO=Unidentified Flying Object)
行物真相？
(6) Hollywood Helps CIA Come in From the Cold
(CIA=Central Intelligence Agency)
---好萊塢為中央情報局重塑形象
2.2. Translation of new words in English news headline
As science and technology of the world swiftly develop, the contact among countries increasingly expands, more and more new English words are born to the world. In order to draw close to the social life, grasp the times pulse, news report need to create massive new words to reflect the world’s new things, new thoughts, new phenomenon and new prevailing customs to attract readers’ attention. “This kind of words may be divided into two types: one is to give old words new meaning. For example, ‘clone’ means ‘無性系繁殖’and then it is exuded to be ‘復(fù)制’； ‘Bug ’means ‘機(jī)器的毛病’now refers in particular to ‘計算機(jī)千年蟲問題’；Sept.11 or 9/11 has the special meaning because the terrorists attacked the US world trade building. The other is completely new words ,namely, coin age, mainly in the fields of science technology, such as Internetese(因特網(wǎng)語言），com, e-mail, e-commerce（電子商務(wù)），cyberspace（電腦空間）, bio-chips(生物芯片）， techno-millionaire（高科技百萬富翁）and so on. ”[1]P108
For example：
(1) Year 2000 Bug Unstoppable for Some Corporations
---計算機(jī)千年蟲問題迫在眉睫
(2) American Online: Often Down, Never Out
---美國在線公司:屢挫不倒
(3) What Is Dateline?
---何為征婚熱線？
(4) The Sandbaggers
---用沙袋治沙的人們
(5) Cold-Fighting Drug May Be Used Against SARS
---千呼萬喚始出來抗非典藥物有望面世
(6) Asia Pledge Action on Bird flu
---亞洲國家表示采取一致措施控制禽流感
(7) Yahoo Awards World’s Best Cyber cafés
---雅虎評選全球最佳網(wǎng)吧
2.3. Translation of midget words
“Midget words are verbs or nouns that are shorter or fewer syllable but more vivid employed in news headline to make it easier for readers to understand.”[2]P98 At this point, the translator should seek to produce something relatively equivalent to this kind of words in Chinese.
For example:
(1) War Strains and the Production of Killers.
---戰(zhàn)爭壓力與殺戮者的產(chǎn)生
(2) The U.S. Proposal and Its Chances.
---美國的建議及其機(jī)會
(3) The Pressure on Cherbourg and the Enemy’s Distress
---瑟堡吃緊敵軍凄苦
(4) A Fertile Valley and Its Scourge
---肥沃河谷的災(zāi)難
Further examples:
(1) Report Backs Methadone for Addicts
---報道支持吸毒者使用鎂沙酮鎮(zhèn)定劑
(2) Nuclear Blast Seepage Is Found
---核爆炸滲漏物被發(fā)現(xiàn)
“The words ‘back’ and ‘blast’ are shorter than the words ‘support’ and ‘explosion’, but there are no Chinese words Correspondent with them to express the difference in visually between ‘back’ and ‘support’, ‘blast’ and ‘explosion’, so it is only translated literally to be ‘支持’and ‘爆炸’，stressing in the significance transmission in spite of losing English midget words’ language characteristic.”[3]P98
(3) British Student Knifed in France
---英國學(xué)生在法被刺
Here if “knife” is translated to be “刀刺”，it would gild the lily.
(4) Chun Axes 37 Judges in Shape-up
---全斗煥在改組中撤掉37名法官
“If the word ‘axe’ is translated literally to be ‘斧砍’ in Chinese, it is possible to cause two penalties: one is to make the divergence ---全斗煥在改組中用斧頭砍傷了37名法官；the other is that the scale of formality of Chinese word ‘斧砍’ makes it quite alien to the phrases ‘改組’, ‘法官’ and ‘全斗煥’.”[4]P98 Under such circumstances, we are concerned with the essential meaning implied in the words. When words or phases in the English news headline are meaningless or misleading if translated literally into Chinese, one is obliged to make some adjustments in translation to guarantee the headline pass into Chinese without losing its essence.
3. Translation of proper punctuations
News title is always simplified in structure; accordingly, punctuation plays a very important role in news headline. More often than not, certain punctuation can produce some kind of special result. The translator should pay attention to the concrete meaning of these punctuations while translating them.
3.1. Comma (,)
“Comma expresses the stop between the compound ingredients in title, and it is also used to replace ‘and’ in order to save space, generally being translated to be ‘和’ in Chinese.”[5]P29
For example:
(1) Australia，U.S. Seek More Ways to Promote Trade
(=Australia and U.S .Seek More Ways to Pro-mote Trade)
---澳大利亞和美國尋求更多途徑以促進(jìn)兩國貿(mào)易
(2) UN, Iraq Talk on Refugee Aid
---聯(lián)合國和伊拉克談判援助難民問題
(3) China, CIS States May Share Cables
---中國和獨聯(lián)體國家合作開發(fā)光電通訊
(4) Ready, aim, flambé: Army, Marine Cooks Battle Each Other
---預(yù)備、瞄準(zhǔn)、開火:海陸兩軍交“火”廚師各顯神通(“The two commas in front of the colon are used to indicate display, and function as Chinese slight-pause; the last comma then is equal to ‘and’." [6]P67)
3.2. colon (:)
In the English news title, the most eye-catching information is always put in front, and then some supplement information is drawn out to make up the subject after colon. The similarities in Chinese and English expression provide a series of parallelisms of content in translation.
Look at the examples:
(1)The＄2 billion Makeover: Australia’s Olympic City Gets Ready for the Games
---二十億美元的大改造：澳大利亞的奧林匹克城準(zhǔn)備迎接奧運會
(2) War Plan: the West’s Military Options
---戰(zhàn)爭計劃：西方的軍事選擇
“colon is also used to take place of relation verbs, and it is always translated to be ‘說’、 ‘宣稱’、 ‘是’ in Chinese.”[7]P29
For example:
(1) Renminbi to Remain Reliable, Strong: Li
---李鵬說人民幣保持可靠和堅挺
When colon is used to show the source of a quotation, that is, equal to the Chinese word“說”, in English it can be put in head of or after the speaker, while in Chinese it can only be placed after the speaker.
(2) Health Survey: New Yorkers Fitter, Slimmer
---健康調(diào)查稱紐約人更加
健康和苗條
(3) Poll on Trial: Why Weren’t the Victim Cries Heeded?
---籠罩著審訊的疑云是為什么受害者的呼救沒人理睬
3.3. Quotation mark (‘’)
Generally speaking, single quotation mark is used in English news headline instead of double quotation marks. To be accordant with Chinese natural expression, it is better for translator to change it into double quotation marks in Chinese.
Look at the following examples:
(1) Abadan Oil Refinery ‘Destroyed’
---阿巴丹煉油廠“被毀”
(2) Arafat to Reagan: ‘We Are Still Here’
---阿拉法特告誡里根：“我們?nèi)匀淮嬖?rdquo;
3.4. Dash(—)
Dash is used to separate each independent clause in the title, and also frequently used to draw out the speaker before or after the subscript without the quotation mark. It is often translated to be “說” in Chinese in order to draw out the speaker, and to be “再”in order to emphasize something.
For example:
(1) Labor Council Face Bankruptcy — Officials
---官員們說勞動黨委員會面臨崩潰
(2) Our Differences Can Be Overcome — Rockefeller
---我們的分歧是能夠克服的— 洛克菲勒(說)
(3) Yeltsin in Hospital — Again
---葉利欽再次住院
(4) World Unity against Terrorism Needed — Blair
---英國首相布萊爾說：世界各國在反恐問題上需要加強(qiáng)聯(lián)合
4. The translation of rhetorical devices
Headline implies its meaning and is made to produce more striking effect by means of figure of speech such as alliteration, rhyme, metaphor, pun, allusion, exaggeration and so on. It becomes more difficult for translation because of the different culture backgrounds and the gap between the writer’s range of knowledge and experience and the readers. In order not to confuse Chinese readers, the translation of English news titles can “retain the rhetoric characteristics of the original text to achieve the same dissemination effect”[8]P95. The translator also should pay attention to making the translation “conform to Chinese title’s features and cater to Chinese readers’ reading habits”[9]P95.
4.1. Alliteration and rhyme
Alliteration and rhyme are often used in English news headline to create the demeanor effect, exaggerate the atmosphere, and bring to readers’ attention and interest. It is hard to get accordance with the original alliteration and rhyme in translation, so certain figure patterns must often be substituted for the proper expressions of Chinese.
For instance:
(1) Protestants Protest (alliteration)
---新教教徒示威抗議
(2) Soldiers Salaries Soar (alliteration)
---士兵薪水劇增
(3) Young Wheelers, Big Dealers (rhyme)
---駕駛摩托小青年，保險公司大主顧
(4) Who’s Near to Reagan’ ear? (rhyme)
---里根耳朵，誰愿聽說？
(5) Jazzy in Jeans, Sassy in Sweater (alliteration)
---穿上牛仔褲,活潑利索;套上毛線衫,瀟灑俊俏
(6) After the Boom, Everything Is Gloom (rhyme)
---繁榮好景不在, 蕭條接踵而來
Further examples:
(1) Desperate Need, Desperate Deed
. ---燃眉之機(jī),十萬火急
This translation shows the good understanding of original text, and Chinese words “機(jī)”and “急” get up to the rhyme effect.
(2) The Sister Vs. World Taunts! Tautrums! Talents!
---姐妹對壘全世界 辱罵! 奚落! 天才!
“This title with three harmonics is uneasy to understand. On the one hand, it expresses the intensively competitive rhythm of sports; on the other, it indicates the highlight of the subject. It is well known that U.S. is a society with strong compatibility, but as for the black sisters who may draw little attention in the tennis world almost ruled by the white, this rhyme title in Times actually shows the strong effect caused by the black sisters.”[10]P67
4.2. metaphor
“A metaphor always makes a comparison betweens two unlike elements, and this comparison is implied rather than stated.”[11]P166 The proper use of metaphor in news headline can produce vivid, striking effect and attract more readers.
For example:
(1) Middle East:：A Cradle of Terror
中東---恐怖主義的搖籃
(2) Russian Reform:：Old Wine in New Bottle
俄羅斯改革---新瓶裝陳酒
(3) An Afghan Joan of Arc
---阿富汗的貞德(“Comparing 17 year-old Afghan female soldier to 15 century French nationality heritress Arc”[12]P29)
