4)it is only by employing the method of discussion,criticism,and reasoning that we can really foster correct ideas 5)At first they adopted the method of slow advance to achieve per- fect results in the agrarian reform. 6)the one and only policy to be adopted by us is to try our best to mobilize the people 7)we must get rid of the practice of supplying materials in an un- planned way 8)This state of affairs concerning the waste of the most precious re- source of the state must be eliminated. 9)the Army must solve the problem of raising work efficiency 10)Chiang Kai-shek,for his part,ceaselessly expanded the scope of the war 11)to date,some 1,900 enterprises in 27 provinces and municipali- ties have carried out the practice of separating taxes from profits 12)the government departments concerned should do a good job in drawing up development plans for the special economic zones 13)we should regulate patterns of consumption in such a way as to adapt them to the characteristics of China's agricultural re- sources 14)we should strengthen the work in all facets of public security 15)we shall further reform the banking system by following a policy of controlling total supply and demand for currency and credit 16)it is a question of paramount importance to have a sober under- standing of our basic conditions 24
17)our policy is to work hard and ensure that not a single person shall perish from starvation 18)Sun Yat-sen's firm support for cooperation between the two par- ties thwarted the efforts of the KMT Right-wingers to under- take activities to split the KMT 19)enterprises should be granted decision-making power in the area of foreign trade 20)we should take effective measures to implement the strategy of invigorating agriculture by applying scientific and technologi- cal advances 25
II.Unnecessary Modifiers For our purposes,these can be divided into five categories: 1.redundant modifiers 2.self-evident modifiers 3.intensifiers 4.qualifiers 5.cliches Let us examine them in turn. 1.Redundant modifiers Many adjectives and adverbs that are carried over into transla- tions from the Chinese originals are simply redundant in English That is,their sense is already contained or implied in the word they modify or in some other element of the sentence.Including them in the English version adds nothing but a useless duplication. a)Obvious redundancies Following are some obvious examples-all of which,inciden- tally,have appeared in print in Chinese publications: advance forecasts female businesswoman Liu Zhihua new innovations a serious natural disaster mutual cooperation an unfortunate tragedy residential housing financial revenue and expenditure positive guidance a family relative Here are some more.As in Chapter 1,in each example A-version is the original translation,B-version is the suggested 26
revision,and any comments are given in brackets. A:that theory too is a valuable ideological treasure of the Party B:that theory too is an ideological treasure of the Party [A treasure is valuable by definition. A:quadrupling GNP will provide a new starting point from which,in another 30 to 50 years,we shall approach the level of the economically developed countries B:quadrupling GNP will provide a new starting point from which,in another 30 to 50 years,we shall approach the level of the developed countries [The term "developed countries"means those that are devel- oped economically (not necessarily in other ways).] A:Singapore will bar America's popular female pop star Madonna from staging a show in its territory B:Singapore will bar America's pop star Madonna from staging a show in its territory [She wouldn't be a star if she were not popular,so "popular"is unnecessary.(Another objection is that it re- peats“pop,"which here means“popular music."）And to Western readers,even those who might never have heard of the performer,"female"is redundant with the univer sally recognizable feminine name "Madonna"(Italian for "my lady"and commonly used in Christian religion and art to refer to the Virgin Mary).] A:the Chinese government took all possible eventualities into account when it made this policy decision B:the Chinese government took all eventualities into account when it made this policy decision 2>
An "eventuality"is a possible occurrence."All eventualities"therefore means"all possible occurrences."] A:Chiang was able to complete the all-round encirclement of the Central Soviet Area after having defeated the Fujian People's Government B:having defeated the Fujian People's Government,Chiang was able to complete the encirclement of the Central Soviet Area [A completed circle is necessarily "all-round."(The change in structure clarifies the logical connection between the two events:because Chiang had defeated.he was now able to complete.) b）Adverbs of time One kind of redundant modifier that often appears in Chinglish is the adverb indicating the time of an action.We noted in Chapter I that the noun phrases expressing time ("at present,""in the future,"and "in the past")are usually superfluous in English,where their function is served by the tense of the verb.The same is true of adverbs expressing time: A:now the government is working hard to improve taxation B:the government is working hard to improve taxation A:previously we used to overemphasize the need for class strug- gle B:we used to overemphasize the need for class struggle c）“Various" Another redundant modifier typical of Chinglish is the adjective "various."Again,we saw in Chapter I that the noun phrases"a 28