Exploring the Chinese Translation Strategies of Long and Complex Sentences in Nursing English Texts from the Perspective of Category Shift Theory

Abstract

With the rapid global development of the nursing discipline, the international exchange of professional literature has become increasingly frequent. The prevalence of long and complex sentences in nursing English texts-characterized by intricate syntax and high information density-poses a significant challenge to translation in terms of both accuracy and fluency. Framed within J.C. Catford's Category Shift Theory, this paper analyzes the Chinese translation of long and complex sentences from the classic nursing text Clinical Judgement and Decision-Making in Nursing. It explores the specific application and efficacy of three core strategies-structure shifts, unit shifts, and class shifts-in addressing these challenges. The study demonstrates that by proactively adjusting sentence structures, flexibly manipulating the rank of language units, and converting parts of speech, the complex information of the source text can be effectively deconstructed. This process yields translations that are both accurate and idiomatic in Chinese. The theory provides systematic methodological support for enhancing the quality of nursing literature translation and facilitating the cross-cultural dissemination of professional knowledge.