The E-C Translation of Passive Voice in UN Legal Documents

Abstract

Though scholars have thoroughly explored the translation methods of passive voice, few studied the translation of passive sentences in UN legal documents. This research aims to identify the most frequently applied method of translating passive voice in UN legal documents. To this end, I adopt the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol as a case study. I employ quantitative analysis to analyze the frequency that the translation methods are used in the translation of the two legal documents. I apply qualitative analysis to analyze how and why these methods are employed. The result testifies to the correctness of the hypothesis, namely, the passive voice in UN legal documents is most often translated into passive voice in Chinese. After a thorough analysis of the parallel texts, I go on to suggest that translators need to choose translation methods based on the specific context. I hope this research will provide inspiration for the translation of international legal texts.