1. Introduction

1.1 The importance of Foreign Trade English

With the wide spread and deep development of Reform and Open, particularly after China successfully joined the World Trade Organization, it has been making an overwhelming triumph in the aspect of domestic economy with the increase of domestic and overseas trade activities and the high volume of trade. Therefore, a huge number of people in the field of economy and trade in China require gaining a vast sea of knowledge in Foreign Trade English (FTE), which is playing an increasingly important role in the economic life.

1.2 The current situation of Foreign Trade English

However, with the great tendency to the economic globalization, a growing problem appears to the commercial life that the distinguished personnel versed in the knowledge of FTE translation is in a large demand, while the supply of this kind of personnel can not offset this apparent imbalance. For one reason, it is the insufficiency of the social attention to train these kinds of techniques and the other part of reason is due to the imperative conditions of the large number and high qualification required by such persons. As the specialists, what they need to master is how to apply the distinguishing linguistic features and the styles of expression in FTE translation. Besides, they also have to grasp craftily the knowledge of foreign trade business.

1.3 The purpose of this thesis

The particular ways of communication and information exchange in foreign trade and the specific functions of FTE translation different from those of literary and social English translation give rise to its peculiar features and translation criteria.

This thesis is aimed to appropriately conclude the prominent features of the FTE in its application and present suitable and reasonable criteria for the FTE translation as Faithfulness, Precision, Customariness and Concision and the author will prove these thesis with sufficient arguments.

1.4 The organization of this thesis

This thesis is divided into five chapters with different functions for each one. Since the thesis emphasizes the features and translation criteria of FTE, more focus would be paid on these points.