毕业设计（论文）-英汉颜色词的文化内涵及翻译.doc

本科毕业论文(设计)题 目： cultural connotative differences and translation in chinese and english colour terms 英汉颜色词的文化内涵及翻译 学 院： 国际教育合作学院 专 业： 英语 姓 名： 指导教师： 2014年 5 月 27 日cultural connotative differences and translation in chinese and english colour terms英汉颜色词的文化内涵及翻译 abstractlanguage is the carrier of culture. translation is one of the most important ways to know an unfamiliar culture for normal people. for every translator, the goal of translation is to let readers get all meanings of original text, instead of translating word by word. thus, knowing the cultural connotation of words is essential for every translator.it is well-know that there are a large number of colour words in both chinese and english. the colour terms have an important place in two languages. but according to different natural and social background, social political life, religious beliefs and traditional customs, the same color words may have different cultural connotation in two languages.the paper presents the different cultural connotation in chinese and english colour terms and the reason why culture influence the translation of colour terms. it also presents some methods of translating colour terms to help translator avoid mistakes.key wordscolour terms colour connotation culture difference translation strategy摘要语言是文化的载体。译文更是普通人了解陌生文化的重要途径。对每一位译者而言，翻译并不是简单地词对词的直译，而是让读者全面地了解原文的意思。所以，了解语言背后的文化内涵对每一位译者都至关重要。众所周知，在汉英两种文化中都有着大量的颜色词。颜色词作为在日常生活中常用的重要表达方式，在两种语言中都有着重要位置。但是因为两种文化中自然和社会背景，政治活动，宗教文化和传统习俗的不同，同一个颜色词也有着不同的含义。本论文展现了英汉颜色词所蕴含的不同含义，以及文化如何影响颜色词的翻译。并且展示了颜色词的一些翻译方法，以帮助译者避免一些翻译错误。关键词颜色词 文化内涵 文化差异 翻译策略icontents1 introduction12 how culture influences colour terms22.1 what is culture？22.2 the factors causing cultural differences in chinese and english colour terms32.2.1 different natural and social background32.2.2 political life32.2.3 religion beliefs42.2.4 traditional customs53. the different cultural connotation of basic colour terms between chinese and english63.1红 and red63.2 白and white73.3黑and black84. comparison of colour words between chinese and english94.1 colour words having same meaning but different colour terms94.2 the same colour with same meaning94.3 no corresponding meaning in each others culture105 translation strategies of colour terms105.1 the goal of translation105.2 literal translation105.2.1 word-for-word translation105.2.2 literal translation adding explanatory note.115.3 free translation125.3.1 omission of colour words125.3.2 addition of colour words125.3.3 transformation of colour words136 conclusion137 acknowledgment158 bibliography16ii1 introduction with the development of information technology, the countries on earth is becoming an unity. nowadays, we have to face the problem of communicating which owes to different language. however, nobody can say that i learn everything of one language, even after he learning the whole words, phrases and grammar. that is because language is the carrier of culture. even if someone knowns everything about one language, he would not completely understand native speakers meaning behind words. in other words, language is superficial, culture is in the deep. for normal people, translation is one of the most important ways to know an unfamiliar culture. thus, translator has important responsibility to make readers understand the full meaning of original text, or his translation is a failure. if translator wants to achieve that goal, the first thing he should do is that the translator must really understand the original text, especially the cultural connotation behind the text.colour terms is a typical representative. we live in a colorful world. it is said that there are more than four hundred words to describe different colour all over the world. as an active way of expression, the colour words are used a lot during normal life in both chinese and english. and as human, the chinese and the english has same feeling to different colour. but due to different national psychology, religion beliefs and traditional customs, one same colour word may have completely different cultural connotation. it is essential for translator to know the difference of cultural connotation behind colour words in chinese and english.this paper aims to achieve three goals:lto explain the culture influence on colour terms translationto compare cultural connotation between chinese and englishto sum up techniques used in the translation on colour termsthis paper analysis that the culture influence on colour terms translation and comparison of colour terms in chinese and english in chapter 2 and chapter 3 respectively. in chapter 4 the translation strategies of colour terms are presented. chapter 5 demonstrates the conclusion.12 how culture influences colour termswe live in a colorful world. there are many kinds of colour in nature. and with the development of technology, we create many colour which does not exist in nature by using chemical methods. as a result, we also create a large number of colour terms to describe these colour. there is no doubt that as the same human, chinese and english has the same feeling of same colour. then why a colour word means different meaning in chinese and english?that is because of culture. as american anthropological linguistics-benjamin lee whorf and his famous hypothesis suggest that language is an indispensable carrier of culture. culture finds a better representation through language use. our language helps mould our way of thinking and, consequently, different languages may probably express speakers unique ways of understanding the world. (benjamin lee, 1936)owe to different cultural background, a same colour word, like “red”, “红” in chinese, has completely different meaning. as we all know that, the colour terms, except the word which is used to describe colour, are used as a device of metaphor or simile in daily life. that means that the cultural connotation behind colour word is more important than the colour word itself. in this way, we can know that knowing the culture hiding in colour terms is essential for everyone who wants to translate colour terms in text.2.1 what is culture？what is culture? the question is discussed by scholars in eastern and western since ancient times till now. however, we can not get a exact definition of culture. i think that is because we are always in the way of developing, so it is so difficult to give a perfect definition.in western, most people agree with edward burnett tylors definition. he defines that culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society in his book primitive culture in 1871(edward burnett tylor, 1871). culture is a unity of capabilities and habits in western people thinking.in eastern, especially in china, “culture” , “文化” in chinese, is a word which exists in ancient china. the original meaning of 文化 is “以文教化”, which means educating people by culture. we can come a conclusion, there is a familiar understanding of culture in both chinese and english. so, what causes that chinese and english same colour terms have different cultural connotation?2.2 the factors causing cultural differences in chinese and english colour termsas i said in last chapter, culture is a complex whole. it involves many factors and each factor has a large or small influence on language. in this paper, i list four main factors which influences colour terms deeply.2.2.1 different natural and social backgroundas we all know that human beings are social animals. we dependent and take advantage of nature. at the same time, we are influenced by the environment. we can see that influences from colour terms. for instance, in english, the colour blue connotates power and nobility. but in chinese, when we choose a colour word to describe power and nobility, we choose yellow. the factor that causes the different is the different natural background.it is well known that england is an island country surrounded by sea. the respect and honor of sea is in deep of every english soul. thus, the colour of sea, blue, is the symbol of power and nobility, like a “blue-blooded family”（具有王室血统的家族）to compare, it is said that we chinese were born in the yellow river basin. the yellow earth gives us life and supports our life. whats more, in chinese old myth, the ancient goddessnv wa creates chinese by using yellow earth. the thankful and honor of earth is spread from generation to generation. thus the colour yellow means power and nobility in china.2.2.2 political lifelanguage is a kind of social phenomenon. with the development of society, the colour terms are changing. especially the emerge of polity, some colour is connected by power and social statue. in ancient times,some colour words have been used for stand for political groups and empires. in ancient china, the colour yellow can only be used by emperor and nobility. for instance, the chinese idiom “黄袍加身”mans that someone becomes emperor. colour yellow can only be used by royal family in ancient time. with the time going on, chinese society changed a lot. after the russian october revolution, marxism was spread over all china. the result is that, the color “red” which is not only the chinese favourite colour but a revolutionary colour becomes more important and popular in china. for instance, the first and the only revolutionary party in power was named “red power” （红色政权）in china and the first armed force was called “red army”（红军）. as followed, “red flag”（红旗）, “red guards”（红卫兵）and “red base”（红色根据地）has being used in china day day to day. during chinese “cultural revolution”（红色革命), red was lined to power and rich associative meaning directly, like “红宝书” (red books), “红卫兵” (red guards), “全国上下一片红”(the whole country is covered with red), “中华儿女多奇志、不爱红装爱武装”(most chinese women have strong and loyal ambitions / to love the power instead of loving the make up).2.2.3 religion beliefsreligion is a specific cultural phenomenon codeveloped with human society. religion belief is definitely one of the most important parts among culture factors. it influences peoples thoughts, behaviors and customs, which has unique national character. and it has an important effect on human society. the influence of religion belief is not only can be found in peoples daily life but also in language. in western society, religion belief takes an important part of west culture and society. the western traditional culture is combined with religion culture. in other word, only you know christianity culture, know the history and traditional culture of western countries. english, as one of languages which belongs to the christianity culture circle, influence by christianity deeply. the classical workbible is translated to english from latin. since then, many latin word come into english, like “pope” (主教). in christianity culture, white is the presentative of pure, beautiful, kindness and happiness. that is why bride wears white wedding dress in western wedding. however, the colour yellow which means power, noble in english connotates jealous and cowardly in english. it is well known the traitor, judas who betrayed jesus for 30 silver corns.and judas usually wears yellow clothes. then yellow means cowardly and jealous in western culture.in china, we do not have national religion. most of chinese believe taoism and buddhism. according to taoism theory, the universe is made by five basic element: 金(metal)，木(wood)，水(water)，火(fire)，土(earth). and five colour correspond five element, 白(white)，青(green)，黑(black)，赤(red)，黄(yellow). 黄(yellow) is in center, presents earth. the ancient considered yellow as the central colour which means honor and power.2.2.4 traditional customswe live in a pluralistic society which have many factors. traditions and customs play an important roles in society. the different cultural connotations behind chinese and english color words comes from each others own different customs. for instance, in china, we use a lot of red things to decorate room, like red spring couplet, lucky money rapped by red paper and red picture of “福”. these custom comes from an ancient chinese legend. long long ago, there is a monster called “年”(new year), it broken villages and ate people once a year. occasionally, someone found the monster was afraid of red colour and huge voice. people began to pasting red couplets and pictures on the wall to frighten the monster. since then, red becomes a symbol of safe, happiness and spring festival.in the middle 18th century, those women in london literary circle, with high level of scholarship, literary ability, high intelligence or great literary taste often wore blue stockings, thus the literary circle is called the blue stocking society. and blue stocking becomes a symbol of a woman scholar. and the color blue is given the connotation of scholarship.3. the different cultural connotation of basic colour terms between chinese and englishwe live in a colorful word, and we have more than 400 words used to describe these colour in different languages. because we have the same basic sense organ, so there are same basic colour terms in different languages mainly.according to brent berlin and paul kays book basic colour terms: their universality and evolution, there are 11 basic colour terms in english, including white, black, red, green, yellow, blue, brown, purple, pink, orange and gray. chinese is also a colorful language. we can find these 11 basic colour terms in chinese. the corresponding words are: 白，黑，红，绿，黄，蓝，褐，紫，粉，橙 and灰。简明类语词典 lists 6 basic colour terms: 白( white)，黑(black)，红(red)，绿(green)，黄(yellow)，蓝(blue)。these have little difference from berlin and kays definition of basic colour terms. chinese scholar yao xiaoping and liu danqing had a deep research on colour terms. they find chinese 10 basic colour terms according to berlin and kays principle. they are 白(white)，赤(red)，黄(yellow)，绿(green)，青(blue)，玄、黑(black)，粉红(pink)，灰(gray)，褐(brown)，橙(orange)。3.1红 and redon red, in modern chinese dictionary, the definition of “红”is （1）像鲜血或石榴花的颜色，如红枣，红领巾；（2）象征喜庆的红布，如披红、挂红；（3）象征胜利、成功，或受人欢迎，如红运，开门红，满堂红，他唱戏唱红了；（4）象征革命或政治觉悟高，如红军；（5）红利，如分红。in longman dictionary of contemporary english, the “red” is “the colour of blood of fire”（像鲜血或火一样的颜色）.in china, “红”is definitely the most favourite colour in chinese. it means jollification, happiness, warm, success, loyal and revolution. “红”has a unique state and meaning in chinese culture. in spring festival, we decorate rooms with a lot of red things, red couplets, red lantern, red picture of “福”, red clothes. in chinese traditional customs, wearing red things can help you to avoid bad things and attract good luck. in peking opera, they use red to behalf mans loyalty, like“红脸关公”. the red face of guan yu shows the characters loyalty, honestly and integrity. and, in chinese, red can be used to describe the beauty of woman. for instance, “红颜”means a girl has a beautiful face. “红”also has negative meaning, jealous, like“红眼病”，means people who is jealous.in western culture. red is not a good word in most time. sometimes, english use it to describe a huge activity, like “the red letter day”（重大的日子）. but red is usually a negative word. it is the colour of blood. red is the symbol of violence, bloody, cruel and war. like (1) the red rules of tooth and claw（残杀和暴力统治）(2) red revenge（血腥复仇）(3) a red battle（血战）in england, the colour red means radical revolution too, like red hot political campaign（激烈的政治运动）, a red revolution （赤色革命）, red activities（左派激进活动）it means danger, red alert空袭报警, a red adventure story一个令人紧张的冒险故事, a red flag（危险信号旗）it also mean dirty and dissolute, like a red waste of his youth（因放荡而浪费的青春）, a red light district（红灯区）the famous sinologist david hawks, when he was translating 红楼梦, he use the original titles石头记 and translated to the story of the stone instead of using the word red to avoid causing understanding mistakes.3.2 白and whiteabout white, in chinese famous dictionary, the definition of “白”is雪花或乳汁那样的颜色，（the colour like snow or milk）. in longman dictionary of contemporary english, the definition is “the colour of milk, snow and salt”. the definition of white in both languages is almost same.for the connotation, 白and white have the same meaning of “pure, innocent and loyal”. for instance, in chinese “坦白”，“清白”, in english “white soul”(纯洁的人). and in western fairy tale, snow white, a little princess, is the representative of kindness, pure and beautiful.however, in chinese traditional custom, “白”also means death and terror, a symbol of unlucky. the saying does not come from wind. there are some different opinions about this. the first one can date back to taoism theory, “白”is on behalf of west. in chinese traditional thoughts, the sun rises from the east and set in the west. the west equals to the end. “白”is connected with death. the second one comes from the fear of flood. the flood is a diaster for human, even in present times. the white flood takes many peoples life. the third one is that the hospitals colour is always white. hospital is the place where faces the death directly. what s more, the colour white itself shows a feeling of lonely and miserable to people. so, in china, people usually wear white cloth to attend funeral.3.3黑