Culture and translation

AnIntroductiontoCultureandTranslation文化与翻译概况I.WhatisCulture?Cultureisthatcomplexwholewhichincludesknowledge,beliefs,art,morals,law,customandanyothercapabilitiesandhabitsacquiredbyamanasamemberofsociety.（文化是一种复杂的整体，其中包括知识、信仰、艺术、道德、法律、习俗以及人们作为社会成员而获得的一切能力和习惯）---ByEdwardB.Tylor,anEnglishanthropologist,inhisThePrimitiveCulturein1871Newmark,aBritishtranslationtheorist,includeslanguageincultureinhisATextbookofTranslationbysaying“Idefinecultureasthewayoflifeandhismanifestationthatarepeculiartoacommunitythatusesapeculiarlanguageasitsmeansofexpression(我给文化下的定义是：使用某个特定语言作为其表达工具的某个特定社会的生活方式及其表现形式).辞海：“从广义来说，指人类社会历史实践过程中所创造的物质财富和精神财富的总和。从狭义来说，指社会的意识形态以及与此相适应的制度和组织机构。”Culturehasverydistinctivenationalandhistoricaltraitsaswellasregionalcharacteristics.II.LanguageandCultureLanguageisanimportantpartofculture.Languageisthecarrierofculture.Languageisthemirrorofculture.Therefore,differencesinculturemeandifferencesinlanguage.Whenacultureexperiencesaradicalchange,thevocabularyalsoundergoescorrespondingalterations.Languageisthemotivationofculturedevelopment,andisstronglyinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Languagealsoexertsitsinfluenceonculture.III.CultureandtranslationTranslationisnotonlyatransferoflanguage,butalsothetransferofcultures.Thetaskofatranslatoristospanthegapsandestablishbridgebetweenthetwocultures.Atranslatorareexpectedandrequiredtomakecontinuouscomparisonsbetweenthetwocultures.(Manyscholarsthinkthat)translationisnotonlyacross-linguisticcommunication,butalsoaninterculturalandcross-socialcommunicativeactivity.IV.Macro-cultureandMicro-cultureorbigCandsmallcAccordingtoE.D.AllenandC.J.Ovado,BigCcoverseveryaspectthatcanreflecthumancivilizationincludingliterature,art,musicarchitecture,philosophy,achievementsinscienceandtechnologyetc.whilesmallcincludesocialconventionsandcustoms,lifepattern,codeofconduct/ruleofbehavior,andtheinterrelationshipbetweeninstitutionsandorganizationsetc.SomescholarsbelievethatintranslationtherearealsoBigCandSmallcthoughsomewhatdifferentinconnotation(隐含意义）.BigCintranslationreferstotheculturethatthetextreflectsorisrooted.Smallcreferstotheculturecontainedorimpliedinwordsandexpressions.AndreLefevere,therepresentativeinAmerica,putforwardanideathatcertaintextisrootedincertainculture.Forinstance,translatingTheDreamoftheRedMansion,youneedtoknowthewholebackgroundofthestory,suchastheage,year,placeandthepeopleetc.ForsmallC,WangZuoliangclaimsthatatranslatorisfacingtwodifferentcultureswhiledealingwithanindividualwordorexpression.1.巧媳妇做不出无米的粥。a.Eventhecleveresthousewifecan’tcookamealwithoutrice.–Yangb.Eventhecleveresthousewifecan’tmakeabreadwithoutflour.–Hawkes2.谋事在人，成事在天。a.Manproposes,Heavendisposes.b.Manproposes,Goddisposes.A.Cultureword/Zeroofequivalentwords/Emptywords文化词Theword/phrasethatcarriesthemeaningofaculturaltraitparticulartoacertainsocio-culturalcommunity,thatis,whosereferentisauniquethingorconception,andthereforethathasnocorrespondingequivalentinothercommunities,whenitisusedincross-culturalcommunication,iscalledwordofculturaluniqueorcultureword.---byZhouZhipeiandhisgroupsin1987一个社会文化中具有的独一无二的事物,为其他社会文化中所没有，负载这一事物的词语，在跨文化交际中称为文化词。SomeparticularEnglishwords,expressionsoridiomswidelyacceptedandusedinChinese:angel,bikini,brandy,chocolate,coffee,hamburger,hotdog,pizza,jazz,karaoke,hippy/hippie,microphone,golf,miniskirt,bowling,pudding,whiskey,pie(苹果派),vitamin,romantic,Coca-cola,McDonald,Internet,e-mail,Waterloo(遭遇毁灭性打击，一败涂地)，Crocodile’stears(hypocrisy),Judas’kiss,aPandora’sbox(rootofdisaster),Trojanhorse(trick)SomeparticularChineseexpressionsacceptedinEnglish:汤圆,饺子，炒饭，衙门，乌纱帽,旗袍，单位，右派，气功，纸老虎，铁饭碗，半边天，保全面子，丢面子，丢脸，儒教(Confucianism)，道教(Taoism)，叩头kowtow，阴，阳，功夫(Kungfu)，，一国两制,三个臭皮匠，胜过诸葛亮。此地无银三百两，愚公移山，画龙点睛，逼上梁山，天衣无缝，，十二生肖（the12animalzodiacalsigns）B.Culturally-loadedwordsorphrases文化含义词a.duetodifferentclassificationInEnglish,familymembersandrelativesareclassifiedbasedonsex,generation,andlinealdegree(directorlateral);InChinese,wehaveonemoredistinction,thatis,betweentheinnerandouter.Inaddition,For公，婆，嫂，媳等，Englishpeoplejustaddtheall-functionword“in–law”.b.duetoDiscrepantmetaphorsandassociations“Holyland”Christians–Jerusalem(耶路撒冷),Islam--Mecca,Buddhists--Paradiseofthewest/PureLand（五台山，峨眉山）,Chinesepeople--Yan’anorBeijing.松竹梅--“岁寒三友”，thegoodqualityofbeingfirm,persistentandunyieldingorindomitablespirittoChinese--justthreecommonplantswithnospecialculturalmeaningtowesternpeople.龙--aholysymbol;absolutepowerandgrandeur;dignity,goodomen;benevolentandauspicious,bringerofrainandemblemoftheemperor;unificationDragon--acruel,Fierce,savageanddreadfulmonster凤--ToChinese,anauspicioussignandthesymboloftheimperialpower,representingempressphoenix--animmortalbird,relatedwithrebirth.狗--inmostcases,heldincontempt狗拿耗子,多管闲事(pokeone’snoseintoothers’business)。狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心(adogsnarlsandbarksatlvDongbin,oneoftheeightimmortalsinChinesemythology---mistakeagoodmanforabad;wrongapersonofgoodwill)--Westernerscherish“dog”astheirgoodfriendorcompanion.“Youarealuckydog.”“Loveme,Lovemydog.”“Topdog”:theinfluentialperson.“Everydoghashis