Language and Culture
1. Public sign
As the world around us grows increasingly cosmopolitan by the day, bilingual signs have become a fundamental need in most places around the globe. And bilingual public signs are common in the public areas like stores, streets and scenic spots in China.
No Bills 不准张贴
On Sale 削价出售
Staff Only 本处职工专用
No Smoking 禁止吸烟
Business Hours 营业时间
Lost and Found 失物招领处
Beware of Pickpocket 谨防扒手
Keep Away From Fire 切勿近火
Luggage Depository 行李存放处
Dogs Not Allowed 禁止携犬入内
But when we proof-read the bilingual signs in China, there are many ridiculous Chinglish which seriously affect China’s international image.
进/出口Import/ Export Exit/ Entrance
存包处Bag keeping Luggage Center
小心落水Be careful: falling water CAUTION!WA-TER
小心碰头Be careful of your head/ Pay attention to your head
Watch Your Head
电话预约Telephone be speak Phone Reservations
北京欢迎你Beijing welcome you Welcome to Beijing
厕所WC/ Toilet public: restroom; Men’s/Women’s Room
private: Bathroom; washroom( British)
“行平安路”被写成“路上安全的线”，“回幸福家”则干脆用汉语拼音“HUI XING FU”和英语单词“FAMILY”来生硬替代，看了让人满头雾水不知所云。
“行平安路”被写成“路上安全的线”，“回幸福家”则干脆用汉语拼音“HUI XING FU”和英语单词“FAMILY”来生硬替代，看了让人满头雾水不知所云。
办税大厅的“大厅”翻译成saloon，在英文里，saloon准确的意思是聚会或者喝酒的地方。
Only can we make public sign work by obeying the translation principles of unify, conciseness, courtesy and aesthetics seriously.
2. (1)Clothing (2)Food
(1)C l o t h i n g China VS Western
Chinese clothing culture differs from western in four aspects as following:
①.Design
Western clothing culture is a kind of “revealing”culture.
Chinese clothing culture is a kind of “cover”culture.
②.Function Awareness
In western, most of people focus mainly on wealth and aesthetic functions of clothing.
In China, people are more concerned about social status.
③.Color
In western, people prefer white and black.
Red is known as Chinese element. Besides, and yellow is a special color.
4.Material
The Western tend to use flax(亚麻), wool and cotton.
Chinese prefer animal fiber, especially silk.
(2)Food
Chinese food is truly the most delicate diet in the world. Chinese people pay attention to food’s color, flavor and taste.
Western people focus on food’s nutrition. To a certain extent, western food is easier for cooking.
①.Ingredient
Most of Chinese diet is uncompleted without vegetables, which sometimes are not the supporting actor, but the main actor.
The main actor of Western diet almost is meat, which provides most of protein and fat for people.
②.Manner
Chinese people use chopsticks to have meals, which is of great benefit to our fingers, hands and brains.
Western people like to use forks and knives, which is graceful in some formal occasions.
③.Pattern
When people are in a festival or on a party
Chinese people tend to sit together around the table and talk with each other at the same time.
Western people are apt to walk around and just communicate with the person whom they are interested in.
3.Wedding and funeral
(1)Comparison of Chinese and Western wedding customs
Differences：
① Wedding Colour
Chinese -red, meaning luck and festive;
Western - white, meaning pure, quiet and love
②Wedding Location
③Wedding Dress
Chinese wedding dress:Chinese traditional costume, most bride for red costume;
The chaplet and official robes(凤冠霞帔)
Western wedding dress:The bride on wedding day wears the wedding dress with five items must be included as the old, new, blue and borrowed, the happy bride, and, in a sixpence shoes;
White wedding dress
Wedding Ceremony
Chinese:
The bridegroom go to the bride's home to escort her to the wedding新郎到达新娘家迎亲
Lift sedan(/s??d?n/轿子) 抬花轿
Arrive next car, the bride wedding location到达婚礼地点，新娘下轿
bows(heaven and earth, parents, bride)
拜天地（一拜天地，二拜父母，夫妻对拜）
The bridegroom lift the bridal veil新郎掀新娘的盖头
Drink the nuptial wine 喝交杯酒
Western:
Minister addressed 主婚人致辞
New vow to marry each other新人互致结婚誓言
Exchange rings 交换戒指
Candles ceremony 点蜡烛仪式
Flowers ceremony 鲜花仪式
Wedding chant 婚礼诵读
Sign engagement written 签写婚约
Declared married 宣告成婚
(2) Funeral
Western funeral:
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, respecting, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died.
Within the United States and Canada, in most cultural groups and regions, the funeral rituals can be divided into three parts:
Visitation: At the visitation, in Western custom, the body of the deceased person is placed on display in the coffin. The viewing often takes place on one or two evenings before the funeral.
Funeral: A funeral is often officiated by clergy from the decedent's, or bereaved's, church or religion. A funeral may take place at either a funeral home or church. A funeral is held according to the family's choosing, which may be a few days after the time of death, allowing family members to attend the service. This type of memorial service is most common in Christians, and they call it a mass when the casket is closed and a priest says prayers and blessings.
Most of the time family members of the dead can say something. If the funeral service takes place in the funeral home it can be directed by a clergy or hosted by a very close family member most common a parent.
the burial service: In many religious traditions, pallbearers, usually males who are close, but not immediate relatives (such as cousins, nephews or grandchildren) or friends of the decedent, will carry the casket from the chapel (of a funeral home or church) to the hearse, and from the hearse to the site of the burial service. The pallbearers often sit in a special reserved section during the memorial service.
According to most religions, coffins are kept closed during the burial ceremony. In Eastern Orthodox funerals, the coffins are reopened just before burial to allow loved ones to look at the deceased one last time and give their final farewells.
Chinese funeral:
Funeral is taken seriously in Chinese society. The whole procedure of the funeral and everything around should be done in a proper way. Any irregularities can cause bad luck and accidents in the family of the deceased.
Funeral customs are quite complex in China. They differ in time and location and vary from religion to religion.
Traditionally Chinese death rites were affected by
The age of the deceased
The cause of death
Marital status
Social status
Main process:
preparation before death
obituary notice
body purification & shroud wearing
Wake
Mouming
Funeral and burial
4. A comparative study on Western and Chinese architecture
the different materials
The development of Architecture
?Chinese construction is conservative.
?the West Building often change their structure and materials rapidly Chinese architecture :
focus on information
the Western:
focus on the physical material body
?explaining in words, or showing the experience.
?there is no quantitative analysis methods and the ideas of formal logic.
Westerners
?"strong" and "practical"
?Geometric aesthetic and mathematical logic(几何美学和数学逻辑)
5.Conclusion:
There are many ways in which the phenomena of language and culture are intimately related.
Video time:
https://www.doczj.com/doc/b510290428.html,/v_show/id_XMzA4NDcwODQ0.html
Question:
1.退货处Goods return（Refunds）
请勿乱涂乱画Please don’t draw everywhere （NO SCRIBBLING）
2.What’s the main material of Western clothing?
The Western tend to use flax(亚麻), wool and cotton.
3. Which color is prefer in Chinese wedding dress?
Red.
4.which architecture style do you prefer? And why?