FEATURES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF BUSINESS ANNUAL REPORTS AND THAI-ENGLISH TRANSLATION STRATEGIES

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing features of English language versions of business annual reports and Thai-English translation strategies. Here, 9 business annual reports of the Department of Business Development, which were disseminated on the department’s website, were examined. The features of the English language versions were analyzed by using an inductive approach for a thematic analysis. The analysis of Thai-English translation strategies used a hybrid of two approaches: a deductive approach with an analysis framework involving the 8 translation strategies and the inductive approach for investigating any emerging translation strategies. The 8 translation strategies involved loan word or borrowed word, one form with a variety of meanings, one meaning with a variety of forms, addition, deletion, generalization, cultural substitution, and reformation. The findings on the features of the English language versions of the business annual reports revealed 7 issues of language use: formal language, concise and precise language, tenses in various situations, passive voice, business terms, adjectives describing non-living things, and two varieties of British and American English. The findings on the Thai-English translation strategies showed that the translation of the business annual reports was meaning-based translation. The aforesaid 8 translation strategies used as the analysis framework were employed. Moreover, an emerging translation strategy was also identified, namely maintenance, addition or deletion of quotation marks.