2.2 Transediting process
2.2.1 Text requirements
Just as mentioned above, the column “Overseas Perspectives” was set up one year ago,so there are only a few basic requirements of a contribution’s format, topic, andlanguage style.
The recommended length of each post is about 1000 words at first, and thenincreased to 1600 words, and each post also needs 3-4 figures or tables. What’s more,below every figure or table, there should be a caption indicating its number and a briefintroduction to the content.
The final manuscript should be arranged in the following order:
1). Headline2). The column’s name: “Media Opinions’ column ‘Overseas Perspectives’”3). Abstract4). Main body5). Transeditor’s name6). References (including source platform’s name, author’s name, and thesource’s website)
As for the topic, because the transediting column mainly serves theGuangdong Radio and Television Station, each subject selected needs to be practicaland inspiring for the organization’s current business or future objectives.
In regard to language styles, the editors emphasize that the language usedshould be simple and colloquial, and that the transediting should not be constrained bythe original structure and wording. Clarity and accuracy, instead of faithfulness, arethe cardinal principles.
3. CASE STUDY.......................................... 19
3.1 Content searching and collecting........................ 19
3.1.1 Successful cases............................. 20
3.1.2 Failed cases............................. 21
4. CONCLUSION..............................35
4.1 Major findings...........................................35
4.2 Limitations.................... 36
3. CASE STUDY
3.1 Content searching and collecting
Considering the nature of news transediting on new media as well as the transeditingcolumn’s own requirements, four principles proposed in the Translation VariationTheory are emphasized in this process: edit before translate, clearness of the themes,concentration of the materials, and typicality of the materials.
Even though the general rules of transediting are learned and kept in mindby the author, mistakes are inevitable during the specific decision-making process.Among the 11 topics submitted to Lecturer He, nine are taken while two rejected:
4. CONCLUSION
4.1 Major findings
In the aforementioned project, it can be concluded that during the whole process oftransediting, although translating is an important activity, editing is the one thatrequires more attention. Or, in other words, news translation in this case is not merelyabout fidelity at the language level, but more about institutional policies, media’sfeatures, and audience’s demands, etc. Based on the principles of the TranslationVariation Theory, news value and readers’ preferences are two core elementsthroughout the whole transediting activity. In keeping with that, different methods areemployed in different parts of a news piece to fulfill their specific functions. For theheadline and the whole passage’s lead, rewriting is the major method used to increaseintimacy, interest, and efficiency, and improve logic, while the transediting of thenews’s main body illustrates more complexity and addition, reduction, combination,and narration are the four approaches adopted the most.
When it comes to the implications of this transediting project, what comesto the author’s mind first is preparedness and practice. The first one in this casemainly refers to the accumulation of knowledge about communication and journalism.Interdisciplinary knowledge is critical for a translator, because the activity oftranslating is often related to a specific area other than translation studies.
The second one is practice. In the new era, news translation is not aboutword-to-word equivalence anymore. Translators need to consider the needs of boththe target audience and the operating organization, as well as the newsworthiness inreal practices, and know h
