On the Translators’ Subjectivity in Forestry Translation

Abstract

Forestry translation is of paramount importance due to the critical role the texts play in advancing forestry research and practice globally. A quality translation ensures that valuable scientific knowledge and technological advancements are accessible to a broader audience, fostering international collaboration and innovation in forestry. The texts in this field, however, are characterized by their specialized terminology, tight syntactic structure, and coherent textual structure, posing significant challenges to translation tasks. These challenges necessitate translators’ subjectivity, which means translators must utilize their essential qualities, like language competence, professional knowledge, and information-searching ability, to ensure that their translated text is not only accurate but also accessible and comprehensible to the target audience. By doing so, the purpose of translation can be achieved to the greatest extent. This essay explores how translators’ subjectivity exerts an impact on the quality of forestry translation. Through a detailed analysis, it concludes that the translators’ subjectivity is pivotal for forestry translation, which can help reduce the misinterpretation and ambiguity of the translated texts by using some translation skills. This paper aims to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for improving the accuracy, accessibility, and adaptability of forestry translation, thus better promoting the advancement of global forestry research and practice and facilitating environmental protection and sustainable development around the world.