语言文化论文-英汉口译中文化因素的传达.doc

语言文化论文-英汉口译中文化因素的传达摘要:英汉口译是通过口头表达,将信息由英语转换成汉语的语言交际行为。英汉口译所涉及的因素颇多,其中文化因素的传达尤为重要。不同的文化背景决定了语言的表达方式,因此,译者在口译过程中要采取转换、解释等技巧将文化内涵传达给听众。本文主要探讨口译过程中文化因素传达的内涵、技巧及意义。关键词:英汉口译；文化因素；传达；文化背景摘要:英汉口译是通过口头表达,将信息由英语转换成汉语的语言交际行为。英汉口译所涉及的因素颇多,其中文化因素的传达尤为重要。不同的文化背景决定了语言的表达方式,因此,译者在口译过程中要采取转换、解释等技巧将文化内涵传达给听众。本文主要探讨口译过程中文化因素传达的内涵、技巧及意义。关键词:英汉口译；文化因素；传达；文化背景Abstract:E-CinterpretationisakindofcommunicativebehaviorinwhichinformationinEnglishisconvertedintoChinesebyoralexpressions.AmongthefactorsinE-Cinterpretation,themostimportantoneisculturalfactor.Differentculturalbackgroundsdeterminetheformofexpression.So,duringE-Cinterpretation,theinterpretershouldhavetopassontheculturalconnotationtothelistenersbyexplanationorconversion.Thisarticleaimstoexploretheconnotations,techniquesaswellasitsimportanceoftransmissionforculturalfactorsinE-Cinterpretation.Keywords:E-Cinterpretation；culturalfactors；transmission；culturalbackground1IntroductionItgoeswithoutsayingthatbothEnglishandChineselanguagesareendowedwithprofoundculture.Languageisanimportantcarrierofculture.DifferentLanguagesreflectdifferentcultures.Whatslanguage?“Inthebroadestsense,languageisthesymbolicrepresentationofapeople,anditcomprisestheirhistoricalandculturalbackgroundsaswellastheirapproachtolifeandtheirwaysoflivingandthinking”Andwhataboutculture?Accordingtothedefinitionsofsociologistsandanthropologists,theterm“Culture”referstothetotalpatternofbeliefs,customs,institutions,objects,andtechniquesthatcharacterizethelifeofahumancommunity.(DengYanchang,LiuRenqing,1989).Languageisaveryspecialcomponentofculture.Asasymbolicsystemofhumancommunication,languageispartoftheconventionalculture.Mostofthelanguagesarecontainedwithintheircultures,andasocietyslanguageisanaspectofitsculture.Thereisadialecticalrelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.Everylanguageispartofacultureandeverycultureispartofalanguage.Assuch,languagecantbutserveandreflectculturalneeds.Thetwoareintricatelyinterwovensuchthatonecannotseparatethetwowithoutlosingthesignificanceofeitherlanguageorculture.Thus,therelationoflanguagetocultureisthatofparttowhole.Cultureisreallyanintegralpartoftheinteractionbetweenlanguageandthought.Culturalpatterns,customs,andwaysoflifeareexpressedinlanguage.Forexample,Eskimotribescommonlyhaveasmanyassevendifferentwordsforsnowtodistinguishamongdifferenttypesofsnow.InAfricanculturesoftheequatorialforests,thereisnowordatallforsnow.Weshallnotgofurtherintotherelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.Whatneedstobestressedhereisthatthetwointeract,andthatunderstandingofonerequiresunderstandingoftheother.Whatwecall“culturalfactor”referstobeliefs,customs,socialsystems,institutions,objects,techniques,waysofthinking,familypatterns,etcthatcomprisetheculture.Thecriteriaofinterpretationdiffersfrompersontoperson,which,ingeneralsense,arequickness,exactnessandfluency.E-Cinterpretationcoversbroadcontentsinwhichthetransmissionofculturalfactorisnotonlyimportantbutalsocantbeignored.2ThetransmissionoftheconnotationofculturalfactorsJustaswementionedabove,culturalfactorsrefertobeliefs,customs,socialsystems,institutions,objects,techniques,waysofthinking,familypatterns,etcthatcomprisetheculture.So,itsobviousthatthetransmissionoftheconnotationofculturalfactorsistopassonwhatcomprisetheculturestemmedfromtheEnglish-speakingcountriestothelistenersinE-Cinterpretation.ItgoeswithoutsayingthatbothEnglishandChineselanguagesareendowedwithprofoundculture.Languageisanimportantcarrierofculture.DifferentLanguagesreflectdifferentcultures.Whatslanguage?“Inthebroadestsense,languageisthesymbolicrepresentationofapeople,anditcomprisestheirhistoricalandculturalbackgroundsaswellastheirapproachtolifeandtheirwaysoflivingandthinking”Andwhataboutculture?Accordingtothedefinitionsofsociologistsandanthropologists,theterm“Culture”referstothetotalpatternofbeliefs,customs,institutions,objects,andtechniquesthatcharacterizethelifeofahumancommunity.(DengYanchang,LiuRenqing,1989).Languageisaveryspecialcomponentofculture.Asasymbolicsystemofhumancommunication,languageispartoftheconventionalculture.Mostofthelanguagesarecontainedwithintheircultures,andasocietyslanguageisanaspectofitsculture.Thereisadialecticalrelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.Everylanguageispartofacultureandeverycultureispartofalanguage.Assuch,languagecantbutserveandreflectculturalneeds.Thetwoareintricatelyinterwovensuchthatonecannotseparatethetwowithoutlosingthesignificanceofeitherlanguageorculture.Thus,therelationoflanguagetocultureisthatofparttowhole.Cultureisreallyanintegralpartoftheinteractionbetweenlanguageandthought.Culturalpatterns,customs,andwaysoflifeareexpressedinlanguage.Forexample,Eskimotribescommonlyhaveasmanyassevendifferentwordsforsnowtodistinguishamongdifferenttypesofsnow.InAfricanculturesoftheequatorialforests,thereisnowordatallforsnow.Weshallnotgofurtherintotherelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.Whatneedstobestressedhereisthatthetwointeract,andthatunderstandingofonerequiresunderstandingoftheother.Whatwecall“culturalfactor”referstobeliefs,customs,socialsystems,institutions,objects,techniques,waysofthinking,familypatterns,etcthatcomprisetheculture.Thecriteriaofinterpretationdiffersfrompersontoperson,which,ingeneralsense,arequickness,exactnessandfluency.E-Cinterpretationcoversbroadcontentsinwhichthetransmissionofculturalfactorisnotonlyimportantbutalsocantbeignored.2ThetransmissionoftheconnotationofculturalfactorsJustaswementionedabove,culturalfactorsrefertobeliefs,customs,socialsystems,institutions,objects,techniques,waysofthinking,familypatterns,etcthatcomprisetheculture.So,itsobviousthatthetransmissionoftheconnotationofculturalfactorsistopassonwhatcomprisetheculturestemmedfromtheEnglish-speakingcountriestothelistenersinE-Cinterpretation.(1)Tobeaninterpreter,whatheorsheshouldconveyinE-Cinterpretation?Maybesomeonewouldsay“Illinterpretwhatheorshesays”Theanswertotheabovequestionmayberightorwrong.Forexample,aforeignersays“Howabouthavingsuppertogethertonight?GoDutch.”Ifitisinterpretedas:“今晚一起吃饭如何?去荷兰,”theChineselistenersmightthinkthatyouwouldinvitehimorhertohavesupperinDutchorinacertainrestaurantnamedDutch.Here“GoDutch”means“payyourbillyourselfnottohavedinnerinDutchoraDutchRestaurant.”Theexamplereflectsonekindofcharacteristicsofculture.Onthecontrary,ifsomeoneinChinainvitesyoutohavedinnerwithhimorher,he/shewillpaythebill.Thisphenomenoniscalledculturaldifference.ThereareplentyofexamplestoshowtheculturaldifferencebetweenEnglishandChinese.Chinesehasacomplexsystemofkinshipterms.Itdistinguishes“外甥、侄子、堂兄、表兄、姑母、姨母、姑夫、舅父、姨夫、外祖母、外祖父”,WhileinEnglishtherearenocounterparts.ThisisbecausetheChinesearemoreparticularabouttheserelationdistinctionswhiletheEnglishpeopledonotneedtomakethesedistinctionssooften.Therefore,aninterpreterhastopassprofoundknowledgeabouttheculturalconnotationofEnglish-speakingcountries.Inthiswayandonlyinthisway,heorshecanconveytheculturalconnotationinE-Cinterpretation.Thisisthemainpointofculturalfactortransmission.(2)TherequirementsofculturalfactortransmissionTheinterpretershouldhavetointerpretnotonlywhatthespeakersaysbutalsowhatheorshereallymeans.Culturesdifferfromoneanother,andeachcultureisunique.Languageisinfluencedandshapedbycultureanditreflectsculture.Differentlanguagebackgroundsdeterminetheformoflanguageexpression.Forinstance,“ItwasGreektome”inoneofShakespearesplays“JuliusCaesar”means“Iknownothingaboutit.”Itmeans“一窍不通”inChinese.Sotherequirementsofculturalfactortransmission,inmyopinion,are:1)toconveytherealmeaningofcultureSomephrasesandsentencesinEnglishhaveinnermeaning.ItsdifficultforourChineseinterpreterstograsp.Whatwemustdoistoputacrossthemeaning(noteveryindividualwordinthegivenphrasesorsentences)inthelightofthecontext.Forexample:“Itsverykindofyou”“您太客气了”“Thatwontbetheendoftheworld”“天塌不下来”“Heisbraverthanwise”“他有勇无谋”“Takecarehowyoudoso”“千万别这样做”“Pullsbslegs”“嘲弄某人”Similarly,ininterpretingthisEnglishsentence,“Thispieceofinformationhasnotbeenmadepublicyet,sokeepitunderyourhat”,wecangrasptherealmeaningofthesentencefromthecontextandrenderitinto.“这条消息尚未发表,因此你要保密。”2)totransmittheattributesofcultureTheterm“attribute”heremeans“aqualityorfeature,especiallyonethatisconsideredtobegoodoruseful”(LongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglish,1997).Theattributesofaculturealsorefertothegoodorusefulpartsofitslanguage.Tobeagoodinterpreter,oneshouldcertainlyinterpretthegoodandusefulpartsofthetargetlanguage.Forinstance.Someforeignersoftenspeakcoarselanguage,suchas“Fuck”“Damnit”,whicharebetternottobeinterpretedforthelistenerssake.Fortunately,somegoodexpressions,suchas“goandsee”“Trustthefuture；trusttheyoung”arewidelyacceptedbyChinesepeople.Withthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,peopleindifferentcountrieswillgettoknoweachotherbetter.3)topassontheconnotationofcultureSomewordsorphrasesinEnglishreflecttheconnotationofitsculture,suchasidealismandmaterialism.Asatermofphilosophy,idealism,itsoppositeismaterialism,doesntcontainanyameliorativeorderogatorymeaninginEnglish.ButitisdifferentinChinese,whichmean