浅谈文化对翻译的影响

分类号论文编号本科生毕业论文A Brief Discussion aboutCultural Influence on Translation浅谈文化对翻译的影响姓名：院系：外国语学院年级专业：指导教师：20 年月诚信承诺书本人郑重声明：所呈交的学位论文，是本人在导师的指导下，独立进行研究所取得的成果。

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(保密论文在解密后应遵守此规定)作者签名：导师签名：日期：目录Abstract (I)摘要 (II)1. Introduction (1)2. The relationship between culture and translation (2)2.1 What is translation? (2)2.2 Some cultural elements to be considered while translating (2)2.2.1 Customs and Tradition (2)2.2.2 Connotation of a language (2)2.2.3 Treat the humorous in a language carefully (2)2.2.4 Pay attention to the target audience (2)2.2.5 Symbols and colors (3)2.3 What is culture? (3)2.3.1 A History of the Chinese Translation (3)2.4 On the relationship between culture and translation (6)3 .The element affecting translation (7)3.1 The religion culture (7)3.2 Values (7)3.2.1 Different ethnic culture inevitable have different values (7)3.2.2 Unified and pluralistic values. (7)3.3 Relationship between humans and nature. (8)3.4 Sense of time (8)3.5 Activity (8)3.6 Social relationship (9)4. Conclusion (10)References (11)Acknowledgments (12)AbstractLanguage is a very important tool for human society communication and it is also an important carrier of culture. Different national language is restricted by the national social culture, and reflects the specific cultural content. If a nation‟s people don‟t know particular ethnic cultural factors, is impossible for effective and successful communication. Therefore, we must combine language knowledge and cultural knowledge to communicate successfully. Translation, as one of the main method of cross-culture communication, was combining with culture together. Translation activity embodies the communication between different cultures, but also reveals the cultural differences were translatability.Keywords: language; culture; translation摘要语言是人类社会进行交际的重要工具, 同时也是文化的重要载体。

不同民族的语言既受到本民族社会文化的制约, 又反映各自特定的文化内容。

如果某一民族的人们不了解某一特定民族的文化因素, 则不可能进行有效与顺利的交际。

因此,必须把语言知识和文化知识结合起来才能顺利地进行交际。

翻译作为跨文化交际的最主要手段之一, 是和文化紧密结合在一起的。

翻译活动体现了不同文化之间的交流, 同时也揭示了文化差异存在可译性。

关键词：语言；文化；翻译1. IntroductionTranslation is not just the activity of translating word by word from the source language to target language. This cannot guarantee the quality of translation, as one language cannot express the actual meaning of the other, if the translation concentrated on words only.In fact there are differences between the meaning built in and the meaning that must be captured and expressed. A translator may face a lot of difficulties while translating from one language to another. Apart from that a translator needs to factor in the cultural values of the target audience. This is why a translator working on a translation for New York would needs to think differently from one working on a translation for Sydney by directly their attention to different area of the environment.Translation is not only replacing words with similar meaning but also finding appropriate ways of saying things in another language. It is the cultural aspect only that can help in communicating the message in the way it should be. What‟s more, it also helps in avoiding misunderstanding.2. The relationship between culture and translation2.1 What is translation?Translation is not only translated word to word or sentence to sentence, the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language. The text to be translated is called the "source text," and the language that it is to be translated into is called the "target language"; the final product is sometimes called the "target text." Translation is rendering of ideas or concepts from one language into another. Translation is a science, an art, or a craft or skill.2.2 Some cultural elements to be considered while translating2.2.1 Customs and TraditionCustoms and tradition are part of a culture and for translating a translator must be aware of these aspects. Be it a marriage or a funeral, a festival or some vows, any translator can get into problems if he/she translates without comprehending or understanding the significance behind the occasion. For example, in a Christian marriage, the exchange of kisses is part of the ceremony while the same would be totally inappropriate in another culture. Even expressing feelings in public can be considered outrageous.2.2.2 Connotation of a languageLanguage is a kind of appearance of culture and it is the products of the social culture development. No language could be live without a social environment. So it is important to verify the connotation of the product name in a foreign language, as there might be different meanings of the same word in different languages. This is even more important when the translation is done for a global marketing campaign.2.2.3 Treat the humorous in a language carefullyAnything humorous must be treated carefully as the target audience might not suit the way it has been written or even understand it. Thus, translation and linguistic expression must be viewed within the wider societal and cultural environment. So use the humorous in a language correctly is needed.2.2.4 Pay attention to the target audienceKeeping in mind the target audience, the grammar, punctuation and vocabulary should be used as it impacts the style of the language. As seem as sometimes we feel that we can not understand each other very well, that‟s why I said we should remove the language barriers between us. And on the other hand, not all the people have a high degree, when we talk and write, be careful for your talking and writing ways for the target audience can understand you better.2.2.5 Symbols and colorsAlso consider other cultural factors too much as pictures, symbols and colors as the same picture might have negative connotation in some other country. For example the color white is associated with mourning in Japan but in most of the European countries it is the black color that represents mourning. In the same way even pictures can have a cultural or political implication.Thus, it is important for a good translator to have a thorough understanding of the culture of the source languages as well as that of the target language apart from his hold in linguistic ability.2.3 What is culture?Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. The Center for Advance Research on Language Acquisition goes a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group.The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. "It shares its etymology with a number of other words related to actively fostering growth," Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live Science.2.3.1 A History of the Chinese Translation2.3.1.1 The earliest translation in ChinaThe convincing historical record of the earliest translation activities in China can be found in the Zhou Dynast about 3000 years ago. In the books the record of the titleof the translator is kept. The title of the earliest translator is called XiangXu.2.3.1.2 Translation in the Han DynastyTranslation of the Buddhist scriptures is done for the purpose of meeting the needs of the then society. Although the then society simply regarded Buddhism as a kind of superstition, some preachers or missionaries took great interest in introducing it to the Chinese people. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the class contradictions became sharper and as a result there broke out an enormous peasants uprising of Huangjin.During this period of time Buddhism spread more quickly than ever as it could be used by different people for different purposes. The third phase forums were highly selective: only monks or lay officials with special abilities were allowed to take part in; all except those directly involved in the translation work were forbidden to enter the forum premises.2.3.1.3 Sutra TranslationSignificance of Sutra Translation of the Three Phases Sutra Translation provided a fertile ground for the practice and discussion of different translation approaches. Generally speaking, translations produced in the first phase were word -for-word renderings adhering closely to source-language syntax. This was probably due not only to the lack of bilingual ability amongst the forum participants, but also due to a belief that the sacred words of the enlightened should not be tampered with. In addition to contorted target-language syntax, transliteration was used very liberally, with the result that the translations were fairly incomprehensible to anyone without a theological grounding. The second phase saw an obvious swing towards what contemporary Chinese scholars call yiyi(liberal translation). Syntactic inversions were smoothed out according to target language usage, and the drafts were polished to give them a high literary quality. Kumarajiva was credited as a pioneer of this approach. In extreme case, the polishing might have gone too far, and there are extant discussions of how this affected the original message. During the third phase, the approach to translation was to a great extent dominated by Xuan Zang, who had an excellent command of both Sanskrit and Chinese, and who advocated that attention should be given to style of the original text: literary polishing was not to be applied to simple and plain source texts. He also set down rules governing the use of transliteration, and these were adopted by many of his successors. Influence of Sutra Translation onChina and Chinese. The influence of the introduction of Buddhism: On the Chinese philosophy and logic, on reading fortune, On the Chinese language, On the Chinese language genre and style. On the Chinese literary production.(cf.马祖毅：《中国翻译简史》pp.74-84)2.3.1.4 Translation in the Ming and the Qing DynastiesAccording to Chen Fukang, the period ranging from the end of the Ming Dynasty to the beginning of the Qing Dynasty is the second period of Chinese translation in history whereas that before this is the first period of time, translation not only focused on religious scriptures (mainly those of Christianity) but also showed a sign of shifting from only the sutra rendition to the translation of other subjects such as science and technology, political science and literature. Translation in the Ming and the Qing Dynasties. In addition to the above translation activities, there were other types of translation in this period. The translation of the Islamic calendar which took place when Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor a translation enterprise established by the government for training diplomatic and translation personnel. Missionaries and translation. The second wave of translation activities was also related to religious activities, in particular those of Jesuit missionaries who arrived in China in the late sixteenth century. The Jesuits, notably Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), decided that the best way to spread the gospels was to cultivate China…s educated class. To this end, a large number of scientific works were translated into Chinese for circulation among scholars and government officials. Such works gained for the Jesuits a high respect from the government and the emperors and as a result facilitated their missionary work. Missionary translation activities started shortly after Ricci arrived in China in 1583 and continued into the late seventeenth century. The missionaries active in China during this period numbered at least 70, all of whom produced translations: some were direct translations, others were compilations based on existing Western works. Of 300-plus titles produced by the missionaries, over a third dealt with various branches of science.2.3.1.5 Western Translation Studies in Modern TimesAs translation historians claim, the classical revival of the 19th century and the emphasis upon technical accuracy, combined with a spirit of exclusivist among the intelligential, conspired to make the 19th century pedantic in its attitude toward translation. The 20th century witnessed a radical change in Western translation studies.In fact, five developments have had a significant effect on the theory and practice of translation during the 20th century:1）rapid development of structural linguistics; 2）application of methods in structural linguistics to deal with special problems of translation; 3）the United Bible societies, which conducted international conference of translation and began publishing a quarterly journal（Bible translation）, for which they were in close contact with linguists; 4）publication of 'Babel', which helps translators get to know about new tools and aids and become aware of the changing conditions; and 5）the development of various projects on machine translation which has progressed through different phases and provided us with important insights into semantic theory and of structural design. At the start of the 20th century, Schleiermacher and Humboldt‟s ideas were rethought from the vantage point of modernist movements which prized experiments with literary form as a way of revitalizing culture. And the main trends in translation studies in the next two decades were also rooted in German literary and philosophical traditions, in romanticism, hermeneutics, and existential phenomenology. Translation theories at this time assumed that since language is not so much communicative as constitutive in its representation of thought and reality, translation is seen as an interpretation which necessarily reconstitutes and transforms the foreign text. Translation is a focus of theoretical speculation and formal innovation．2.4 On the relationship between culture and translationTranslation, whether as an activity proper, a process or a product carries certain cultural meanings. Possibility, forms and contents of translation depend on various factors of the target culture. Translation results not only enrich the national culture, but also reflect cultural change and development in a way. In fact, there exists obvious interaction between translation and culture. An understanding of the relationship between translation and culture is essential for the cultural logical and cross cultural approach to translation. The close relationship between language and culture decides the close relationship between translation and culture. Firstly, culture necessarily exerts a great influence on translation. The ways of thinking, beliefs, attitudes and values of different nations give rise to failures or misunderstanding in cross-cultural communication. Secondly, translation also influences culture. It can enrich a nation‟s culture by absorbing foreign cultural nourishments and transplanting the outside cultures into its own cultural environments. Finally, translation serves as cultural intermediation. As the informational technology and communication develops, thecommunication between different countries and regions has become more and more frequent, direct and convenient.3 .The element affecting translation3.1 The religion cultureThe generation of language must have an intimate relationship with religion; it is always affected by religion in its long development time. The Buddhism have more than one thousand years in China, and a lot of word come out with it , for example, “佛珠”,“借花献佛”，“临时抱佛脚”and so on . When we need to translate these kinds of words, we usually need add some special explanation. If we translate “临时抱佛脚”as “to embrace Buddha‟s feet in one‟s hour of need”, it will made the western reader feel very strange, so we should translate as “to embrace Buddha‟s feet in one‟s hour of need---seek help at the last moment”. In most of Western countries, especially British and American is Christian, so the kinds of idiom like “God helps those who help themselves”, “Go to hell”.3.2 Values3.2.1 Different ethnic culture inevitable have different valuesDifferent ethnic culture inevitable have different values, so the different values we must considered while translation. For example, “as strong as a horse” translate in Chine se is “力大如牛”. The concepts of freedom, equality and civilization were deep-rooted in the Europe country by the Re-naissance during 14th-17th century and the Enlightenment in the later 18th century. But in China, “who would gladly be the first to bear hards hips before everybody else and the last to enjoy comforts”（先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐）, that was the first thinking of a Chinese. The value of the mainstream of Western cultural values is the spirit of fighting for self-satisfaction. Western culture publicizes personality, emphasizes the protection of individual interests, focus on the potential of independent rights. The values of mainstream Chinese culture are the spirit of harmony. In the relationship between human and nature, Chinese advocates‟ harmony between hum an and nature, human and nature can live in harmony. In human relation, emphasize the importance of harmony with the human good. The Chinese nation is a peace-loving and friendly one.3.2.2 Unified and pluralistic values.Chinese people are deeply affected by the Confucian. They think that the more conducts a person makes in his life, the more meaningful. Therefore, people who hasthe largest political vision are affected by such a unitary value of life, most people do not want to be the one who is interested in Natural Science, which were trapped in the embryonic stage of scientific. Also, people have the wisdom to concentrate on political power, so that can create a real political culture super-solid model in a unique world. In this particular model, the Chinese will have a unique historical phenomenon. The value of life in Western culture was the diversification, politics is a realization of the life value and business is also considered to be very valuable.3.3 Relationship between humans and nature.In Western country, relationship and humans to natures is: humans‟ controls nature. As follows: make life comfortable and convenient; problems can be solved once we know the facts. The Western experience of human life being separate from nature can be found in the Bible story of creation. As masters of nature, humans are encouraged to control it and exploit it in any way they choose to master the natural world, people need to study and explore it to figure out how it works, much as you might figure out how a machine works before you use it. this attitude of looking at the natural world as an object contributed to the development of Western science. In China, relationship and humans to nature is: harmony with nature, as follows: live according to the rhythms of nature; everything has its own character; be balanced. Chinese traditional medicine shows the cultural value of harmony with nature.3.4 Sense of timeIn Western country, sense of time is: future orientation, as follows: control the future by planning for it; what is past and not important; the young know what is happening; study history to shape the future. In their mind, each of us has such a bank. Its name is time. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day‟s deposits, the loss if yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today‟s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in heath, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today. And remember that time waits for no one. In China, sense of time is: past orientation, as follows: tradition if the best teacher; what happened in the past is important today; the old are wise; break with the past to change society.3.5 ActivityIn Western country, activity is doing, what you are doing. As follows: achieve specific goals; develop procedures and measure results; show the world what you can do; pay attention to actions. Doing culture people often talk a lot and may not be especially physically active. If you ask such a person what they are doing with their talk, they might say that they are planning, problem solving, gathering information or making decisions. These are important concepts for people from doing cultures because these are the mental activities that lead to action or are the equivalent of action. They consider these activities as well as their achievements to be important, usually more important than their social status or position. In China, activity is being-who you are, as follows: protect your dignity and the dignity of others; fulfill your role; show the world who you are; pay attention to people.3.6 Social relationshipSocial relationship in Western country is individual, as follows: express your own feelings and ideas; be as independent and self-reliant as possible; make your own decisions and choices. In culture with individualist values each person is seen as autonomous and separate. In individualist cultures, people are more likely to express pride in themselves and their accomplishment rather than to express pride in their group, company, family, or hometown. Because an individual‟s position in life is seen to be the result of his own efforts and ability, it is difficult for him to feel good when things are not going well. In China, social relationship is hierarchy, as follows: obey authority; know your place; treat others according to their position; look to leading figures to know what to think and do. In both obvious and su btle ways people‟s relationships with one another are influenced by where they perceive each other to be in a number of different hierarchies.4. ConclusionAs a good translator, cultural element is must be considered. It is very important for a good translator to know the culture of the country. Now we are living in a very small world, it is very important to know a foreign language; it is a necessary skill for us. To know the other country‟s culture is a bridge to know another language. In our view, virtually every translation, or in particular interpretation, has with it a pragmatic element at one level or the other. Speech acts and events are common features to the two. A good knowledge of pragmatics can enrich the study and practice of translation. Drawing from his knowledge of pragmatics, the translator could, through properly contextualized situations, capture and translate appropriately the non-linguistic dimensions of verbal communication. The basic difference is that translation deals wi th different languages. All in all, any translation can‟t be separated from culture. Culture is a complex collection of experience, which includes history, social structure, religion, traditional customs and everyday usage. This is difficult to comprehend completely. Especially in relation to a target language, one important question is whether the translation will have any readership at all, as the specific reality being portrayed is not quite familiar to the reader. Whether the translation can express the original meaning or not depends on his understanding of the relevant culture to a great extent. For a translator, it is important for him to do so if he doesn‟t possess the knowledge of the two cultures. Cultural transfer requires a multi-pronged approach. It is concerned with the author‟s relationship to his subject matter and with the author‟s relationship to his reader. These should be reflected in a good translation. The translator has to transmit this special cultural quality from one language to another. So we should pay much attention to the relationship between culture and translation when we are doing translation.References1. Bariki，O.：“Translation in relation to Linguistic：the debate so far” in Soyoye，Ayo.2. El-Sayed，A.（1990）：“Politeness Formulas in English and Arabic: A contrastive study” in ITL Review of Applied Linguistics, 89-90, pp.1-23.3.陈福康：《中国译学理论史稿》p56 上海外教出版社 19924.马祖毅：《中国翻译简史》p74-84 中国对外出版社5.王利明：《文化差异对翻译的影响》湘潭师范学院学报 2006AcknowledgmentsI would like to express my gratitude to teacher Ms Yin, my supervisor, who guided me finished my paper. To be honestly, without her carefully guidance, it is very difficult for me to finish my paper. She read my whole paper very carefully and then gave me a lot of useful suggestions and she is also warm hearted and full of patience, so I can finish my paper very quickly and smoothly. I‟m very grateful for her guidance.My work still gets a lot help from my classmates and friends, because of their help, it‟s easier to find the mistakes from my paper, and then I can understand it better. Especially when I made a mistake for the form of my paper, they give me a lot of useful advice.Finally, I want to say think you for anyone who have been give help for my paper, thanks for their advice and help.。