中西文化差异与翻译.docx

1、中西文化差异与翻译Part One Introduction 1.1 Research Background Translation is an act of translating information from a language into another language with accuracy and fluency. Translation is the process of transforming a relatively unfamiliar expression into a relatively familiar form of expression. It inv

2、olves the language, the text, the graph, the symbol translation. Among them, “Fan” refers to the language of conversation conversion, “Yi” refers to the one-way statement of the language conversion. “Fan” refers to the conversation of the two languages in the immediate, one sentence to the conversio

3、n, that is, a first sentence into a second sentence, and then the second sentence into a word. This is a rotating, alternating language or information conversion. “Yi” refers to one-way statements, that is, the speaker only said not to ask, the listener only listen not to answer, the middle for bili

4、ngual people, only for speakers to make language conversion.Culture is the soil in which language can exist and develop. The most basic task of translation is to spread and communicate the culture. In the 1970s, Western translation studies began to focus on the influence of culture on translation. T

5、ranslation is called “Intercultural Communication” and “cross-cultural cooperation”. Peoples understanding of translation gradually deepened. People realized that translation is not limited to language-level cross-language activities, but also involves two kinds of cultural activities. The differenc

6、es in historical background, geographical environment, religious beliefs and values have led to the differences between Chinese and Western culture, which has caused the barrier of translation. To achieve real communication between China and the West translators should combine culture and translatio

7、n naturally.1.2 Significance and ObjectivesThe research of this paper is of great significance. First of all, language learners can get a deeper understanding of the cultural differences between China and the West, which is very helpful to our translation. In addition, learning in this area facilita

8、tes our intercultural communication and enhances our cross-cultural awareness. The purpose of this paper is to promote cultural exchanges between China and the West, and to promote cross-cultural communication with other countries by understanding the cultural differences between China and the west

9、and translating strategies.1.3 Structure of the ThesisIn order to systematically analyze the cultural differences between China and the west, this paper will be divided into four parts. The first part is a comprehensive introduction to this research. The second part introduces the relationship betwe

10、en culture and translation. It also introduces the factors that influence the differences between Chinese and Western cultures, including geographical environment, social customs, religions and values. The third part will introduce the translation of methods, including foreignization, domestication,

11、 transformation and annotation. In this order, I will analyze the influence of cultural differences on translation.Part Two The Relationship Between Culture and Translation2.1 Definition of CultureFirstly, in the broadest sense, culture is the mixture of material wealth and spiritual wealth created

12、by human beings in the practice of social history. However, being viewed from a narrow standpoint, then culture is the social ideology and the related system and organization. Culture in the narrow sense is the reflection of the corresponding social politics and economy, and it can also react to the

13、 corresponding social politics and economy. In view of the emergence and progress of the nation, culture has a national nature. No matter which ideology a culture represents, of course, the culture will be accompanied by the advance of social material. The continuity of the social material advance m

14、eans that the cultural advance also has the continuity and the historical inheritance. Secondly, culture refers to the ability of writing and general knowledge. Culture has an unusually close relationship with all science and art. Translation is a kind of art, so of course, it should also be support

15、ed by culture. The scope of the culture involves an unusually broad range, encompassing not only history and customs, but also idioms closely related to language.2.2 Cultural Differences Between China and the West2.2.1 Geographical DifferencesThe geographical environment has a great influence on the

16、 local climate and also has a significant impact on the language used by the people. For example, the differences between Chinese and English regional cultures are very prominent in their orientation and their corresponding objects. In China, since ancient times, there have been the tradition of “南面

17、为王,北面为朝” “南为尊北为卑”. People often say “从南到北,南来北往” “南” is often placed in the front. The English culture is the opposite. The English and American people understand the Chinese language “从南到北” from the English regional culture, which is “from north to South”. And “北屋” is “a room with a southern exposur

18、e”. Such azimuth words as “西北”, “西南”, “东北” and “南” are the opposite of Chinese culture. They are “northwest”, “southwest”, “northeast”, “Southeast”, respectively. In addition , although the word “东风” in Chinese and the word “east wind” in English are literally relative, their connotations are comple

19、tely different. The characteristics of Chinas terrain are: in the west lie the mountains, but the east is the sea. In the Chinese consciousness, “东风” refers to “spring”, symbolizing the “warmth”. But in Britain, the “east wind” is blowing from the northern part of the continent. In the hearts of the

20、 British, it is signs of “cold” . And the “westerly wind” is blowing from the Atlantic, and Chinas “东风” has the same symbolic meaning. Therefore, the British love the “West Wind”. The last verse of the famous British poet Shelles Odetothe West Wind expresses the good meaning of the westerly winds: “

21、O,wind,if winter comes,can spring be far behind?(啊，西风，假如冬天已经来临，春天还会远吗?)” Of course, without comment, Chinese readers cannot understand or will misunderstand the expression.2.2.2 Differences in Social CustomsCustoms run through the daily life and communicative activities. Different nationalities show

22、 different national culture statutes and customs in greeting, appellation, compliment and telephone. In greeting, the Chinese often say “Have you eaten?” “Where to?” “What are you doing?” when they met. The Chinese think this is an easy-going, cordial greeting. If those expressions are literally tra

23、nslated into “Have you had your meal?” “Where Are you going?” “What are you going to do?” It will be hard for westerners to accept. Because in the view of Westerners, these are personal privacy, and should not let others know. Such greetings should be translated into “hello!” “OK morning!” “How are?

24、” In terms of appellation, the meaning and use of the same concept in different languages varies. The meaning of “姐姐” and “妹妹”, “哥哥” and “弟弟” in Chinese are very clear. The words that denote the kinship of the cousins are entirely distinct. “表哥”, “表弟”, “表姐” and “表妹”, “堂兄” and “堂弟” are all specific w

25、ords, but English is very vague, general, all known as cousin. Modesty is the virtue of the Chinese nation, so the Chinese people used to speak “self-deprecating” to show “humble”. Westerners do not understand this. For example, the Chinese will often say: “Preparation is not good.” “My understandin

26、g is very superficial.” “If there is any wrong place, please correct it.” When facing a table of rich dishes, the host often say:“There is no good food, please feel free to eat.” Westerners do not understand the connotations of the expressing. Again, Chinese people will always be humble and polite w

27、hen they hear compliments, they will say: “哪里,没有,没有.” It is very difficult for The westerners to understand. They will use “Thank you” to express acceptance of each others praise and approval. When The Chinese make a call, they will say: “Hello, who are you?” “Who are you looking for?” “Whats your s

28、urname? I am so-and-so.” In Western culture, the customary telephone usage is “Whos this speaking, please?”2.2.3 Differences in Religious BeliefsThe generation of language is bound to be closely related to religion. It is always influenced by the long development of language. The shadow of religion

29、has been projected into every field of language and culture. The number of words related to Religion in Chinese and English is huge and spectacular. For example, “天公”, “阴阳”, “菩萨”, etc. Language is the direct reflection of thought. The two totally different religious words are the true portraiture of

30、 two ethnic groups. Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Confucianism and Taoism dominated the two religions in China. Many Chinese words related to religion were related to this, such as “太极”, “道”, “尊天命”, “行孝道”, “听天由命”. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, a large number of Buddhism came in, and a larg

31、e number of Buddhist words came along. The idea of recurrent retribution was accepted and digested by Confucianism and Taoism. So Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism occupies the dominant position in China. In Britain, Christianity is the main religion. The teaching was introduced into Britain in 597

32、years. For a long time, a large number of related words came into English. There are words from Latin to English, such as angel(天使), monk(僧侣), as well as the words borrowed from French in the middle ages, such as religion(宗教), dean(教长) and so on, as well as the large amount of words borrowed from ot

33、her foreign languages in the modern English period. Its much more than other languages. For religious cultural differences, we should pay special attention to translation, otherwise it will cause misunderstanding or even cause disputes and contradictions because of improper translation.2.2.4 Differences in ValuesThe values of east and west are d