On Translation of Tourist Materials 浅谈旅游资料的翻译.doc

on translation of tourist materials title reportin recent years rapid development has been achieved on translation studies. discussions on translation have been conducted dimensionally by means of various research methods not only diachronically and synchronically but also with cross academic fields and cross boundaries. and translation, which used to focus on literary translation, began to show concern for practical field of translation such as science and technology translation, law translation, commerce translation, journalism translation and tourism translation. tourism resources are the condensation of a countrys culture. a good translation of tourist materials can more effectively present a countrys rich culture to the whole world. therefore, the translation of tourist materials is of good research value. nowadays, tourism has become one of the most important and fastest growing industries in this rapidly changing world. according to the statistic released by the china national tourism administration, in 2000 china hosted 83.48 million foreigners, overseas chinese and residents form hongkong, macao and taiwan, an increase of 15 percent over 1999. for the first time in history foreign tourists reached the number of 10 million. and the foreign currency in tourist industry earned us 16.2 billion dollars, an increase of 15 percent over 1999/china is an ancient country with a territory of some 9.6 million square kilometers. in a vast country so impregnated with history, there are to be seen not only numerous scenic attractions like picturesque mountains and rivers but also innumerable historical and cultural relics. all these hold much attraction to foreign visitors. however, due to language barrier, foreign readers usually feel it hard to understand the cultural elements reflected in tourist materials. therefore, how to render these materials correctly should deserve our attention.what are the features of the translation of tourist materials? what is the difference between the translation of tourist materials and other kinds of text translation? what kind of theory can be adopted to serve as a guide in the translation of tourist materials? what is the relationship between language, culture and translation? what consideration should be taken into in the translation of tourist materials? how to convey the original message effectively in order to motivate readers to travel? this essay tries to expound on the above-mentioned questions.the primary purpose of this essay is to provide some rough help in the translation of tourist materials and to contribute to the development of chinas tourism industry.this essay belongs to the category of translation research. it concentrates on some keys to the translation of the particular texttourist materials. to illustrate this problem, i first briefly introduced the features and functions of tourist materials. tourist materials, as referred here, are the various materials that introduce chinese tourism industry and tourism resources to average tourists all around the world. the function of tourist materials is to widen visitors knowledge about china, raise their interest of traveling through the introduction and publicity of tourism resources. serving as a guide to tourists, it helps them to make choices and arrange travel activities. tourism language is usually practical, concise and full of metaphor, antithesis, four-character phrases, quotations and so on.then a brief analysis of the differences of language and culture between the west and the east as well as their influence on the translation of tourist materials is illustrated. the west and the east live in different cultural environment. as a result, they have different aesthetic psychology, value, customs and habits which lead to cultural barriers. the last step is to show some ways to treat the problem. that is, addition, explanation, analogy and deletion.through these adjustments, the readability of the version has been improved, although the form is more or less changed. however, such translations are correct judging form the function of tourism and with the measurement of communication criteria. though changed in form, yet the closest equivalence is obtained. whats worth mentioning is that nidas functional equivalence is not totally regardless of form. in his language, culture, and translating, he points out,“ if a more or less literal correspondence is functionally equivalent in both designative and associative meaning, then obviously no adjustments in form are necessary”(nida,1993:125)浅谈旅游资料的翻译 摘要:随着改革开放的深入，越来越多的外国游客来到中国，所以旅游资料的翻译显得极其重要。本文根据奈达的功能对等原则及其它一些翻译学家的理论，从语言和文化两个角度对旅游资料的翻译进行了粗浅的探讨。关键词：旅游资料；语言；文化；翻译 0. outline introduction1. brief introduction of the translation of tourist materials1.1. definition of tourist materials1.2. function of tourist materials1.3. features of the translation of tourist materials2. tourism language and translation3. tourism culture and translation3.1. the definition of culture3.2. culture and translation3.3. tourism culture3.3.1. the definition of tourism culture3.3.2. the contents of tourism culture3.3.3. the characteristics of tourism culture3.3.4. the translation of tourism culture3.3.4.1. the translation concerning culture of tourist subject3.3.4.2. the translation concerning culture of tourist object4. suggested methods for the translation of tourist materials5. conclusion on translation of tourist materials abstract: since the economic reform and opening to the outside world, more and more foreign visitors are coming to china. therefore, it becomes all the more important to render the tourist materials well. basing on nidas functional equivalence principle and some other translation theories , this paper treats the problem from two aspects: language and culture, and tries to give some tough suggestions.key words: tourist materials; language; culture; translation0. introduction with the rapid development of tourism, tourist materials are playing a more and more important role in tourism industry. there are many successful examples of english versions of tourist materials, however, some of them are not so satisfying and are in great need of being polished. this paper will make a brief analysis of the current problems in translating tourist materials and tries to give some rough suggestions. the paper consists of five parts:(1) brief introduction of tourist materials;(2) tourism language and translation;(3) tourism culture and translation;(4) suggested methods for the translation of tourist materials;(5) conclusion1. brief introduction of the translation of tourist materials1.1. definition of tourist materialstourist materials, as referred here, are the various materials that introduce chinese tourism industry and tourism resources to average tourists all around the world. they mainly include: books, pictures, albums, tour maps, postcards, slides, video tv shows, documentary films, videodisks, etc. the majority of readers of translated tourist materials are ordinary foreign tourists who may not know much about china.1.2. function of tourist materialstourist material is one of the categories of the texts. according to newmark, texts have the function of expressive, informative and vocative and no text and few sentences are undiluted among them. a text tends to have one leading function with the other two as supplementary. for example, the main function of literary text is expressive, while “informative” and “vocative” serving as the supporting function. then what is the main function of tourist material? it should be vocative. because the purpose of tourist material is to draw visitors, to raise their interests of touring, at the same time to help them understand chinese history and culture better.however, this purpose can only be obtained under the prerequisite of sufficient information. as readers all hope to get the relevant information and background knowledge of the tourist destination before making a decision to tour or visiting, therefore information is also an important function of tourist material. the relationship is that information is the prerequisite while vocative is the purpose.in other words, the function of tourist materials is to widen visitors knowledge about china, raise their interest of traveling through the introduction and publicity of tourism resources. serving as a guide to tourists, it helps them to make choices and arrange travel activities. the ultimate purpose of tourist materials is to motivate them to come to china through the transmitted message.1.3. features of the translation of tourist materialsaccording to the german translation theorist a newburt, texts can be divided into four categories based on the priority of translation. (1) complete priority to the original text, such as scientific work. (2) major priority to original text, such as literary works.(3) consideration to the original text and the translated version, such as specialized bibliography.(4) main or complete priority to the translated version, such as publicity translation.the translation of tourist materials is a kind of publicity translation, which belongs to the fourth category. the essence of it is that translators should attempt to produce the same effect on the target language readers as that is produced by the original on the source language readers. because of the cultural differences between the west and the east, there is a discrepancy in understanding the same materials. therefore translators should adopt proper methods to adjust the version, giving priority to the understanding of translation and helping readers apprehend the materials. 2. tourism language and translation(1) tourist material is a kind of practical type of writing. in addition to its practicality, knowledge and conciseness of language, it is usually descriptive. as tourist material is for the specially designated readers, the intuitive effect of language must be taken into consideration. in other words, readers can get the image while reading, their interests can be aroused. the language features will usually be found as the follows in chinese tourist materials: (a) metaphor, antithesis, four-character phrases are normally employed. in particular four-character phrases are widely preferred for its level and oblique tones, smoothness in syllable, harmony in rhyme. (b) use of classical writing pattern so as to make language elegant and grave, adding literary grace. (c) quotation of exquisite lines to help tourists enjoy beautiful scenery.from the illustrations above, we can perceive that the writing of tourist material in chinese is quite different from that of english-speaking countries, which are relatively more frank. so when dealing with flowery descriptions or hard allusions, devices like deleting and paraphrasing should be employed to make versions concise and understandable.(2) besides that, chinese characters are generally pictographic, which might lead chinese people to be used to thinking in terms of images, while native speakers of english are used to logical thinking for their formative language. therefore, the former, like using imagic dictions and metaphors to write vividly and, impressively on the contrary, the latter would rather relate facts than describe them in magnificent language.the word-building in english and the pictograph in chinese may also reflect best the different modes of thinking. for example, the character “”(梅) is made up of two radicals “木” and “每”. “木”(tree) embodies 梅 is related to trees, at the same time, 梅has the same pronunciation as “每” . however, english is quite different. we can hardly find any direct relationship between the form of a word and its meaning. that is to say, the chinese emphasizes the integrative thinking while the english emphasizes the individual thinking. so it is necessary to adjust the sentences in order to make the translated version readable, meeting their way of thinking. (3) moreover, scenery in tourist material is not merely a description of natural scenery. more often than not, it permeates with the historic site, such as anecdotes, legends, and inscriptions by personages as well as classical gardens of unique architecture. to put it properly in another language is by no means an easy job. through explanations or analogy of those chinese-unique cultures, foreign readers may find more interest in chinas culture and their motive to visit china may be raised. 3. tourism culture and translation3.1. the definition of cultureculture is “the way of life and its manifestations that are peculiar to a community.”(p. newmark. 1988)culture is “the totality of beliefs and practices of a society(e. nida. 1993)culture is whatever one has to know, master or feel in order to judge whether or not a particular form of behavior shown by members of a community in their various roles conforms to general expectations, and in order to behave in this community in accordance with general expectations unless one is prepared to bear the consequences of unaccepted behavior. (gohring 1978:10; my translation)cultures differ from one another in degrees, along several dimensions. anthropologists have shown us that the world is divided into cultural areas. within these areas interaction should be easier, provided that the same response is adequate. if the same situation calls for a different response, the fact that tow cultures belong to the same cultural area may lead to difficulties(triandis 1972:347)there are three common features typical of all cultures-comprehensive, dynamic and distinctive.it is first of all a comprehensive system consisting of various aspects of the society in which it functions. the components of a culture include both material and moral, concrete and abstract, surface and deep elements, which are interdependent on one another. the lack of any one of these factors will inevitably affect the culture as a whole.besides, a culture has some dynamic qualities, which is reflected in such term as “learned”, “acquired”, and “knowledge”. rather than something one is born with, a culture is a set of action and behavior patterns gained through postnatal learning.finally, a culture is also distinctive. while belonging to the world as a whole, a culture belongs even more to an individual nation. the term “culturemes” created by vermeer may best account for this feature. according to vermeer, “a culturemes is social phenomenon of a culture x that is regarded as relevant by members of this culture and, when compared with a corresponding social phenomenon in a culture y, is found to be specific to culture x (1983).” a culture-specific phenomenon, therefore, is the product of the distinctiveness of a particular culture.“as i see it, a societys culture consists of whatever it is one has to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members, and do so in any role that they accept for any one of themselves. culture, being what people have to learn as distinct form their biological heritage, must consist of the end product of learning: knowledge, in a most general, if relative, sense of the term. by this definition, we should note that culture is not a material phenomenon; it does not consist of things. it is the forms of tings that people have in mind, their models for perceiving, relating, and otherwise interpreting them. as such, the things people say and do, their social arrangements and events, are products or by-products of their culture-“(goodenough 1964:36)3.2. culture and translationas rewriting of an original text, translation reflects a certain ideology and a poetics. in the process of translation, cultural messages carried by a certain language can be expressed in another language, thus making cross-cultural communication possible. in this process, new concepts, new genres and new devices are introduced into a target culture. the history of translation is , in a way, “the history of the shaping power of one culture upon another.(bassnettand lefevere ,1990)as c. nord (1997) puts it,“translating means comparing cultures.”translators interpret source-culture phenomena in the light of their own culture-specific knowledge of that culture, from either the inside or the outside ,depending on whether the translation is from or into the translators native language and culture. a foreign culture can only be perceived by means of comparison with our own culture. in the process of this comparison , translators not only import cultural values and carry out a unilateral transfer from a source language into a target language , but also “cross and blur the lines between foreign cultural values and those of their own society . ”in a word ,translation can help “fertilize target culture” and help us towards a greater awareness of the world in which we live( delisle and woodsworth,1995). according to vermeer, every cultural phenomenon is assigned a position in a complex system of values, it is “evaluated ”.and every individual is an elemet in a system of space-time coordinates .so , transcultural action or communication across culture barriers has to take account of cultural differences with regard to behavior ,evaluation and communicative situations.nida (1993 ) also says, “for truly successful translating , biculturalism is even more important than bilingualism.”3.3.tourism culture3.3.1.the definition of tourism culturetourism belongs to the culture category, it is a part of it. chinese culture has given birth to chinese tourism, which in turn, has exerted influence and effect on culture. they have closely related to each other. such relationship has found expressions in politics, economy, philosophy, religious ,society, folklore, arts etc. although they are closely related, tourism culture appearing as a term is