3.1 A Brief Introduction of Functional Equivalence Theory 6

3.1.1 The Evolution of Functional Equivalence Theory 6

3.1.2 The Definition of Functional Equivalence 6

3.2 The Features and Principles of Functional Equivalence Theory 7

3.2.1 The Features of Functional Equivalence Theory 7

3.2.2 The Principles of Functional Equivalence Theory 7

3.3 Feasibilty of Functional Equivalence Theory in English News Headlines Translation 8

4. The Application of Functional Equivalence Theory in the Translation of English News Headlines 10

4.1 The Use of Equivalent Words 10

4.2 The Use of Addition and Adaptation 10

4.3 The Flexible Translation of Rhetorical Device 11

5. Conclusion…… 13

References 14

1. Introduction

In this well-known age of information, media such as TV, newspapers and magazines are playing a significant role in people’s daily life. They provide people with the latest news in the world without considering the barriers of time and space. And the need for information makes news an indispensable part in people’s life. As for China, with the development of globalization and the enhancement of China’s communication in the international area, Chinese people want to keep pace with the world and they are more eager to know what is happening in the world than they were ever before. Naturally, the translated English news have become an important way for Chinese people to get to know the world information and different culture. 

As the window of news, news headline not only tells basic information about certain event, but also attracts readers’ interest to continue the following parts. However it is the often case that many Chinese people are too busy to read all the news, they tend to glance at news headlines first and choose those interest them to read. As a result, the study of English news headlines translation is of great significance.

1.1 Researches on the Translation of English News Headlines

On the whole, most researches about the translation of English news headlines are associated with the linguistic features and functions of English news headlines, and then specific translation strategies and methods are put forward. Xu Ju pointed out the importance of news headlines as the eyes and soul of new reports. She presented that the English news headlines have three functions, namely, the informative function, the aesthetic function and the imperative function. She also discussed the English news headlines translation concerning with their concise beauty, rhythm beauty and humorous beauty. (Xu Ju, 1999: 34-46) Liao Zhiqin discussed the features of English news headlines and translation strategies. He summarized the main features of English news headlines by analyzing the overall structures, tenses, voices of English news headlines. Then, he put forward three strategies for the translation of English news headlines, namely, equivalence, amplification and omission. He emphasized that because of the difference between the two cultures and the way of thinking, translators should have proper judgment of the target readers’ aesthetic tendency and receptivity. (Liao Zhiqin, 2006: 44-47) Fan Tengteng attempted to study under the theoretical guidance of Hans J. Vermeer’s skopos theory, Peter Newmark’s text function and Justa Holz-Manttari’s theory of translational action. She argued that the Chinese translation of English news headlines is a creation of original headlines and news contents in the target language.(Fan Tengteng, 2006: 1-3) Zhao Ziwei summarized the characteristics of English news headlines from the aspect of vocabulary, grammar and rhetoric, and introduced some translation methods such as literal translation and free translation. (Zhao Ziwei, 2010: 501-502) Liu Rangqiang introduced functional equivalence as the theoretical guidance for the translation and illustrated with examples on how to put the theory into practical use. (Liu Rangqiang, 2013: 101-103)