“退耕还林”英译管见

On translation of"tuigeng huanlin(conversion of farmland back to forests)"

“退耕还林”的本质是把一度为了生产粮食而毁林开垦的土地,停止耕种,重新造林,恢复森林。目前不少译文把“退耕还林”译为grain for green(绿化),或returning farmland toforestland(把农地转为林地)等,使人易误认为是荒山造林绿化(荒山→森林)或把现有农业用地转变为林业用地(农地→林地)。文章认为,要把“退耕还林”译得科学规范,必须抓住其本质。通过分析比较,给出了conversion of farmland back to forests,transfer of farmland back toforests和forest rehabilitation from slope agriculture等几种参考译法。

The meaning of ＂tuigeng huanlin＂ is to stop the forest-sourced farmland for grain production and converse it back to forests. In many papers, ＂tuigeng huanlin＂ is trainslated into grain for green or returning farmland to forestland and so on. People might misunderstand it as planting trees on bare mountains or changing the farmland into forest land. The paper argues that faithful translation of ＂tuigeng huanlin＂ is determined by the correct understanding of its meaning. After a comparative analysis, the referential translations such as ＂conversion of farmland back to forests ＂,＂transfer of farmland back to forests＂ and ＂forest rehabilitation from slope agriculture＂ are suggested. [Ch, 17 ref. ]