颜色词的内涵及其翻译.doc

颜色词的内涵及其翻译the connotation and translation of color wordsabstract: owing to the cultural difference between chinese and english, words are embedded with different national feeling, which would result in misunderstanding even wrong translation in the course of communication. color word is an essential part of culture and language for all peoples, having a unique language function and cultural connotation. there are many kinds of words about color in chinese and english cultures，we should not only know their basic meanings，but also their different symbolic meaningsa study on the cultural connotations and cultural differences is useful to cultivate trans-cultural consciousness in language study and teaching. the differences are caused by different cultural backgrounds，esthetics and by usagethis article takes some colors for instance to analyze cultural connotations and hidden national feelings of vocabulary in different countries so as to improve communication and avoid cultural conflicts.key words: color words;culturaldifference;culturalconnotation摘要：由于汉语和英语两种语言的文化差异，许多词汇蕴涵了不同的民族感情色彩，在翻译和交际过程中可能产生偏差和误解。颜色词是每一个民族文化和语言中不可缺少的重要部分，它有独特的语言功能和文化内涵。中西方文化中表示各种不同颜色的词语都很丰富，因此我们不仅要注意观察它们本身的基本意义，更要留心它们含义深广的象征意义。但由于各自民族的文化历史背景、审美心理的不同造成了他们在不同民族语言中往往有不同的特点，有些特点甚至恰恰相反。研究英汉语言中颜色词语的文化内涵及其文化差异有利于在语言学习和教学中跨文化意识的培养。本文以颜色词汇为例分析解读了颜色词汇的不同文化内涵和感情色彩，以此达到增强语言交际能力、避免文化冲突的目的。关键词：颜色词；文化差异；文化内涵contentsi. introduction.1ii. a general introduction of color words.1a. basic color words1b. color words of concrete objects 2iii. cultural connotation of color words.2a. literal meaning.2b. political and economic meaning.2 1. political meaning.2 2. economic meaning.3c. symbolic meaning3 d. cultural factors and color words.4 1. red .4 2. white .5 3. black .6 4. blue .7 5. green .7 6. grey8 7. yellow9iv. translation methods of color words.9 a. literal translation.9 b. replacement, ellipsis and supplement.9 c. free translation.10v. conclusion.11works cited.12the connotation and translation of color wordsi. introductionas is known to all, color words take up a prominent portion in our daily life. we, human beings, like using plenty of color words in order to express all varieties of feelings, for example, in china, red represents happiness. in recent years, with the increase of international communications, the traditional customs are transmitted to all over the world, so are the color words. color words embody different regions, different historical backgrounds, cultural customs and ways of thinking. thus, it is very essential for us all to learn about the identical and different symbolic meanings of color words in both western and chinese cultures and to have a mastery of more translation means. in this way, we can use it easily and freely.perception of color is one of the most fundamental human cognitive domains. although the number of all kinds of languages to express the color is various from one another, however, the basic vocabularies, such as black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, etc., in many languages are interlinked. however, because customs and cultural backgrounds, geographical locations, historical traditions, religious beliefs, national psychology, ways of thinking are so different, color words sometimes show a unique personality of all ethnic groups, with significant cultural imprinting. for example, brazilians never use “green”, the japanese “yellow”, thai “red”, belgians “blue”, and in the united states and european countries “black” is hardly uttered (dai 145). color in different national cultures carries different connotations. some words contain a number of cultural contents, one of which may be perfectly matched with the target language, a certain part possibly counterpart, while another may be in conflict. for example, in chinese, saying that a man is jealous of the others(眼红), while english said green-eyed. we often take color words for example, looking at the cultural diversities of content conversions between english vocabulary and chinese.ii. a general introduction of color wordscolor words can be classified into two groups: basic color words and concrete object words.a. basic color wordsin chinese and english, the classification of color words is almost the same, that is, seven groups. this classification can be seen from chairman maos poetry菩萨蛮大柏地and its translation version.赤橙黄绿青蓝紫，谁持彩练当空舞? translation version：red，orange，yellow，green，blue，indigo，and violet.who is dancing and waving this colored ribbon against the sky?from this comparison, we can see that there are seven basic colors- red，orange，yellow，green，blue，indigo，and violet in chinese, which are also true of english(张 332).b. color words of concrete objects color words of concrete objects are referred to the colors really existing in the world. such as, gold(金) 金黄色; orange(桔) 桔色;grass(草) 草色;silver(银) 银白色;chestnut(栗) 褐色; rosy(玫瑰) 淡红色;flax(亚麻) 淡黄色; violet(紫罗兰) 紫色(黄 215).comprised with basic color words，they are more concrete and real. for example, concrete color word “lily” can give people a connection with white flower and its pure beauty. “a lily maid” refers to a young and beautiful girl.iii. cultural connotation of color words.a. literal meaning in western countries, the using of color words sometimes is different from us chinese, and even sometimes absolutely adverse(金 86). for example, blue-mood (sadness/unhappiness); a blue monday (unlucky monday); in the red (deficit); a white lie (a lie that is kind); “green” is a basic color word; while “green-eyed” means “jealous”, and they are totally different. b. political and economic meaning 1political meaningin china, color words are of strong political meaning. for example, “red” is the symbol of revolution and socialism, while “black” and “white” symbolizes death and failure. therefore, such political terms as “red power, the red flag, white terrorism, white area” turn up. it is easy to see that we chinese like to use color words to express love and hatred related to specific political background and social systems, and also to show their political standing and thought tendency(汪 289). at the same time, the westerners also impose color words certain political meaning, but it is not as obvious as in china. for example, red army refers to a terror company. the meaning of “red” (blooding terrorist) is totally opposite to chinese. besides, a few political parties, army, organizations name in color, but without a special political meaning. for example, “black hand” means “a party”; “green beret” means “green hat”, a nickname of the usa special sheet (bernard 98). under different backgrounds, color words have different meaning. so we have to pay special attention to the usage of the color words with political meaning.2economic meaningcolor words show their unique charm and usage in western economic area. “green” has a close relationship with the us dollar for being printed green. for example, “green-back” refers to the us dollar. and “blue” is usually connected with stock and business. for example, “blue chip” means “favored stock”; “blue laws” refers to the american law banning business transaction on sunday（dai 278）. “red” is not so popular in economy because it often associates to “loss and debt”. for example, “red-figure” means “financial deficit”. “black” means “making a profit”. for example, “black figure/in the black” both mean making money/profits. but it also has a negative meaning in economy. for example, “black friday” is the time when economic scare is coming. on occasion, “white” is used in economic area. for example, “white war” is economic war; “white sale” is referring to “on a big sale”.c. symbolic meaningwestern countries and china have different development origins, so the symbolic meaning of color words is different naturally. in china, first, “red” symbolizes getting rid of evil. red is the basic color that we chinese have special liking because it can represent the pursuit of matters and spirits of human, and it also stand for happiness, success, luck, loyalty and prosperity. for example, at the time of wedding, the bride and groom are both in red (red flowers, red clothes etc.). however, in western countries, “red” is the symbol of blood(贾 125). as is known to all, once the blood is shedding, it means fading or death. therefore, the westerners regard “red” as “violence, danger and blood”. for example, a red battle means a battle related to violence. secondly, “white” is the symbol of death or unluckiness in china. for example, when the old died, his issues wear white to show their sorrow. it also symbolizes failure, foolishness and impotence, while it symbolizes purity and chastity in western countries. for example, “a white soul” means that the heart is pure or someone is kind. in the next, “yellow” is the only color that the noble can use in ancient times and it means power in china. for example, the king wears yellow to show his supreme power. but now “yellow” always replaces something about “sex”. in western countries, “yellow” is given a meaning that is not good, mainly referring to cowardice or damning, such as, yellow dog(卑鄙小人);yellow look(怀疑的目光).dcultural factors and color wordsas is known to all, there are so many color words. i decide to choose seven of them to analyze in detail, and they are red, white, black, blue, green, grey and yellow. these color words are of abundant cultural connotations both in chinese and english, and they can also represent the typical of the color words.1. reda. the same cultural connotations in english and chinese both in the english-speaking countries and in china, red is often a day that is relevant with jubilation and celebration activities. for in the calendar these days are often marked using a red font. in english, red letter day refers to the day or day of celebration(彭 76). “roll out the red carpet for sb” means roll out the red carpet, with a grand ceremony to welcome a person. in chinese, good start(开门红), popular transportation（走红运）, full house（满堂红）, popular（走红）; and these are all used to indicate happy event, success or something worth celebration (bao 121). in english, “see red”: means “furious” (probably because cow see the red bar and will go crazy.). b. different cultural connotations in english and chinese in english, “red-blooded males” often refers to people who are energetic and active. red means debt or loss, because people register in red pen and are always negative. so these phrases turn up: red figure (赤字); red ink(赤字); in the red (loss); red-ink entry(deficit record); red balance(deficit balance). red is a derogatory term. capitalism in the west treats communism as a plague, which means left-wing political views or communists. in chinese, the red army or red devil (commendatory term, red is a symbol of “revolution” or “communist”). red flag fluttering; born in new china, growing under the red flag (red flag symbolizing the partys care and warmth, and the red flag is also a symbol of the chinese communist party)(wang 146). 2. white a. the same cultural connotations in english and chinese “white” can make people think of something that is without any achievement or there is no value. for example, “white elephant” refers to “encumbrance”; white hope means those who are given high hopes. in chinese, “白费” (all in vain ); “白费蜡” (a metaphor referring to wasted time or energy); “白搭” (not working); in fact , these words translated into english, have nothing to do with the white. b. different cultural connotations in english and chinese in english, westerners treat “white” as the color of purity and chastity. infant baptism and at the wedding ceremony, the bride is always dressed in white. white wedding: in the western countries could be held at home or in his own garden, or in the marriage registration agency, the bride wears white clothes especially for marriage in a religious ceremony at the wedding in the church called the white wedding. “white lie” is a lie that is not unkind. in chinese, white terror, white power, white area (“white” in china, was once a symbol of reactionary forces). english compound words that are formed by “white” means something familiar to the westerners and a conclusive saying of a king of thing (bao 122). for example, “white goods”, for one thing, refers to something that is made of white cloth and necessary in daily life. such as, white sheets, white towels, and white tablecloths; for another thing it refers to large-sized, high-priced appliances, often used at home, and such objects often painted white, hence is the name. such as, stoves, refrigerators, washing machines and so on. now the white goods is no longer strange in china. “white collar” first appeared in the early 1920s, the metaphor of “white-collar” is originated from the traditional working clothes with white collar, so that it can distinct from the blue-collar. because white collar” is very easy to be dirty, therefore, the white-collar workers are those who will not be easily make their collar dirty, mainly referring to a class of persons engaged in mental work, and working places mostly in an office. white-collar crime, also known as a crime committed by gentleman. other phrases about “white”, such as, white bread (bread that is made from delicately-processed flour); white coffee (coffee with milk); white horse (sea waves); white trash (in american english, a derogatory term, referring to the white who are not well-educated and impoverished. they are of the lowest social status of the whites); white war (war without gun and smoke, often refers to economic competition); the white way (referring to the business district with the bright lights in downtown); white feather (cowardice ); white paper (an official report on a certain question). 3. black a. the same cultural connotations in english and chinese first, people often connect black with evil and bad”, for example, in english, black money means dirty money (referring to the money from an improper source and paying no tax to the government); black market (meaning the foreign exchange transactions in that the commodities on selling are what government banned, or markets that engage in illegal and speculative transactions); thus, the phrase “the black market price” is derived.in chinese, black store (referring to the hotel where the murder and robbery could happen); black den (a place where someone did something illegal to hide). second, “black” is used to refer to events that are catastrophic, or characters that are unpopular. for example, in english, “black friday” refers to september 24, 1869 and an economic crisis that began on september 19, 1873. and in china, people now often use black monday or black july to describe a bad or an unlucky day. b. in different social environments of china and western countries, and under the specific historical conditions, “black” refers to a particular thing, people, or concept (bao 122). in this case, black in general is relevant with the black people” in english, while in chinese black is usually linked with politically reactionary actions or gangs. for example, “black power” refers to human rights movement of the black. “black panthers”, a party, which was founded in the 1860s and obtained the support of the legal authority and gained the black communitys superior treatment. c. having an opposite meaning to the “red ink” when accounting, “black” can also indicate a profit. for example, “black figure / in the black” means profit or surplus; “black figure nation” refers to the countries whose international balance of payments is surplus; “interest in the black” indicates that the interest is still receivable. 4. blue a. different cultural connotations in english and chinese in english, to begin with, “blue” means sadness, depression or in a bad mood and has a closer meaning to “depressed”. for example, if someone is in a blue mood, it means he/she is depressed; and “the blues” means “frustration”.in the following, “blue” indicates a high social status and a symbol of power, or having a noble or royal birth. for example, if we say, “hes a real blue blood, which means that he was born in a noble family.” “blue-eyed boys”, workers who are loved and often obtain special care of the management staff. “blue button” means the brokers who have the right to enter the stock transaction market. third, “blue” refers to a unique cultural phenomenon in western society. “the blues” refers to the blues music, which is a sad song by the black and already very familiar to the chinese. “blue stocking” is another word with special cultural significance, originally refers to the knowledgeable and well-educated women in 18th century in britain, who loved to wear the blue socks. although they are renowned in the west, after all, they can not reverse the demands of modern society where the female must lose themselves and attach to the male matching the trend of the times. therefore, it is now a derogatory term, used ironically to criticize the women who think highly of themselves. in the next, “blue” was seen as a male ton