硕士学位论文-从跨文化交际角度理解商务口译.doc

上海海事大学SHANGHAI MARITIME UNIVERSITY硕 士 学 位 论 文MASTERS DISSERTATION论文题目：从跨文化交际角度理解商务口译 学位专业：外国语言学及应用语言学 作者姓名：马会芹 指导教师：毛立群教授 完成日期：二O O九年五月2Understanding Business Interpretation from the Perspective of Cross-cultural CommunicationByMa HuiqinUnder the Supervision of Professor Mao LiqunA Thesis Submitted to Shanghai Maritime University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of ArtsMay, 2009AcknowledgementsThis thesis has benefited from a number of insights and assistance from many different writers and authors whose names have been listed respectfully in bibliography. On the completion of this thesis I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Professor Mao Liqun, my supervisor, for his warm and considerate encouragement, insightful suggestions, and painstaking work in scrutinizing the outline and the draft of this thesis, for the meticulous guidance he has generously offered me during the whole process of my postgraduate studies here, and above all for his lofty personality and scrupulousness in doing academic research, which will surely benefit me.Thanks are also given to all the respectable teachers such as Professor Wang Dawei, Professor Han Zhonghua, Professor Shi Yanyan, Professor Mao Junchun, Professor Qu Zongde, Professor Zheng Lixin, Professor Weng Fengxiang and Professor Yuan Yongfang for their informative lectures, which have enriched my knowledge in linguistics and broadened my academic horizon. My heartfelt thanks also go to those who have generously offered me their help and advice in my preparation for this thesis, especially in the collection of the data.No words can express my gratitude to those professors and friends I mentioned above. Without their invaluable and timely help, I could not have brought the thesis into a reality. Any criticism and comments on this thesis will be highly appreciated. AbstractWith the rapid development in cross-cultural communication, interpreters, especially business interpreters play more and more significant roles in economic arena.With their bilingual and bicultural competences, they act as mediators and bridges in helping the communicative participants exchange views and ideas successfully. The topic of this paper is to understand business interpretation from the cross-cultural perspective. This paper is divided into six chapters in total.Chapter one gives brief introduction to interpretation, business interpretation in particular.Meanwhile, cross-cultural communication as well as relevant concepts such as culture and communication are introduced briefly. Priority is given to the explanation of interpretation, its categorization and the features of business interpretation and so on. Those efforts may give a better idea of the theoretical background of the main topic in this thesis.Chapter two pays attention to the two types of connections, that is the relationshipBetween culture, language and communication, the relationship between business interpretation and cross-cultural communication. Then through reviewing the contributions having been made both at home and abroad in terms of business interpretation, the necessity and feasibility of the study in this thesis will be fully understood by the readers.Chapter three makes elaborate study and analysis about business interpretation with typical examples. Cross-cultural communication successes and failures in the real practice of business interactions are also classified according to the two main channels of communicaiton.Thus the reader will better understand the significance of business interpretation-a specific act of cross-cultural communication.Chapter four describes different cross-cultural barriers in business interpretation. Those barriers are derived from five types of cultural differences: differences in value systems, in specific social and cultural background, in customs and conventions, in political and economic knowledge and in language expressions.Chapter five introduces the roles of business interpreters. To be specific, interpreters usually serve as a bridge between languages and cultures. They also work as favorable atmosphere creators. At last, the basic requirements for qualified business interpreters are presented with examples.Chapter six makes concise summary to the whole thesis and reaches some important conclusions that provide guidance for future studies.Key Words: Business Interpretation; Cross-cultural Awareness; Cross-cultural Competence摘要随着全球化进程日益加快，跨文化交际活动日趋频繁，商务口译应运而生。且在商务有关的场合，比如商务会晤，商务谈判、签订合同，商贸互访，运输包装，贸易展览，投资与贸易等等发挥越来越重要的作用。商务口译员凭借其双语能力及双文化知识，在跨文化交际中扮演着不同文化，不同语言之间桥梁的角色，帮助来自不同国家，拥有不同文化背景的人进行积极有效的沟通。本文试图从一个新的角度-跨文化交际的角度来理解商务口译，全文共由六个章节组成。第一章介绍了口译尤其是商务口译，同时也介绍了跨文化交际等相关概念和术语，比如文化，交际等等。其中着重介绍了口译的定义、类型、商务口译的特点。目的是让读者对本文主题的理论背景有一个基本的了解。第二章引出本论文必不可少的两种关系，即语言、文化及交际的关系，商务口译与跨文化交际的关系。最后，作者对中西方在口译研究中的各个阶段，趋势及出现的问题作了简单的回顾和介绍，从而使读者明白该研究的必要性及意义。第三章作者通过大量的例证详细分析了跨文化交际在言语交际，非言语交际等方面的成功与失误。从而读者会更好地认识到:商务口译，是一种特定的跨文化交际行为。第四章讲述了商务口译中存在的一些障碍，指出在跨文化商务交际中，东西方民族常常会因为价值观念、社会文化积淀以及思维、行为方式等方面的不同而遭遇文化冲突。第五章探讨了商务口译译员在跨文化交际中的作用。口译者作为交际双方的使者，穿梭于两种不同语言和文化之间。他们应自觉培养自身的跨文化意识，增强跨文化交际能力，提高文化差异的敏感性，促使国际商务成功开展。第六章对全文进行了高度归纳和总结。关键词：商务口译；跨文化意识；跨文化交际能力Table of ContentsAcknowledgement.IAbstract.II中文摘要.IVChapter1 Brief Introduction to Business Interpretation& Cross-cultural Communication.1 1.1 Introduction to Interpretation11.1.1 Definition11.1.2 Categorization21.2 Introduction to Business Interpretation.21.2.1Definition.21.2.2 Features of Business Interpretation.21.3Introduction to Cross-Cultural Communication.31.4 Introduction to Culture.41.5 Understanding Cross-cultural Communication41.6 Summary.5Chapter2 Literature Review62.1 Necessity of Studies on Business Interpretation62.2 Relationship between Language ,Culture and Communication.72.3Relationship between Business Interpretation and Cross-cultural Communication.82.4 Previous Studies of Interpretation in the West and in China.9 2.4.1.History of Interpretation Study92.4.2Interpretation Study in the West.102.4.3 Interpretation Study in China.122.4.4 Existing Problems.142.5Summary.16Chapter 3 Business Interpretation in Cross-cultural Communication.183.1 Business Interpretation: An Act of Cross-cultural Communication.193.2Elements of Cross-cultural Communication.203.2.1 Perception213.2.2Verbal Communication. Sound Words with Vague MeaningModifiers Word Order.243.3 Cultural Factors That Interfere with Verbal Communication.243.3.1 Differences in Greetings and Farewells.24 3.3.2 Addressing.253.3.3 Compliments, Thanks and Apologies.263.3.4 Privacy273.3.5 Politeness283.3.6 Gifts Giving.313.3.7 Idioms, Proverbs,Slangs, Euphemisms313.3.8 Use of Humor and Metaphor343.4 Nonverbal Communication.36 3.4.1 The Significance of Study on Nonverbal Communication in Interpretation.363.4.2 Categorization of Nonverbal Communication.3 Eye Contact and Facial Expression3.Silence.3 Phonetic Variation.39 Posture39 Body Gestures.40 3.4.3 Suggested Solutions for Difficulties the Interpreter May Face40 Taking in Complete Message40 Understanding Meaningful Silence.4 Avoiding Misunderstanding.4 Making Right Decisions.4 The Importance of a Shared Culture43 3.5 Summary.43Chapter4 Business Interpretation against Cross-cultural Communication Barriers.45 4.1 Differences in Value Systems46 4.2 Differences in Specific Social and Cultural Background.474.3 Differences in Customs and Conventions.504.4 Differences in Political and Economic Knowledge.524.5 Differences in Language Expressions54 4.6 Summary.55Chapter 5 The Roles of a Business Interpreter575.1 The Roles of a Business Interpreter575.1.1 A Bridge between Two Languages.575.1.2 A Bridge between Two Cultures.605.1.3 Favorable Atmosphere Creator.615.2 Basic Requirements for Business Interpreters.63 5.2.1 Interpretation Techniques and Business Knowledge.635.2.2Abundant Extra-linguistic Knowledge635.2.3 Cross-cultural Awareness. .645.2.4 Cross-cultural Competence.655.2.5 Business Awareness.665.3 Summary.67Chapter 6 The Conclusion.69Bibliography.71VIIChapter 1 Brief Introduction to Business Interpretation and Cross-cultural Communication Interpretation is one of the oldest professions in the world and there are a number of definitions about it. Before exploring business interpretation further, its definition is necessary to be introduced so as to set an area for further discussion (sometimes referred to as interpreting).Moreover, some relevant terms are going to be introduced so as to make the readers have a better idea of the topic to be covered.1.1 Introduction to Interpretation1.1.1 DefinitionInterpretation is a form of translation, converting one language to another so that the target language could convey the intended message in source language. It can also be described in simple terms, that is,” to put (something spoken)into one language into the words of another language”(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English,1976:552).Or it is a process that the interpreter first listens to the speaker, understands and analyzes what the speakers says,resynthesizes or reconstructs the speech in the appropriate form, and tells the listener or the audience in a different language.Namely,it is a process that turns a spoken language into another.Nevertheless,other scholars such as Zhong Shukong(1999:1) apprehends it in this way:“Interpretation,essentially,means an extempore oral reproduction, in one language, of what is said in another language.” Daniel Gile(1983) thinks it essentially is “an oral translation of oral discourse.” According to professor Mei Deming(2000),interpretation is a process in which the interpreter obtains certain amount of information in one language and transfers it into another language orally on the spot. It is a basic means of cross-cultural communication between different peoples and cultures in human society.From these definitions, it is clear that interpretation happens1) across at least two different languages；2) with two or more parties of interlocutors as well as interpreters contributing to the same current event;3) by way of oral expression but nevertheless not all out of spoken language; and written language in formal style is also rendered under some conditions；4) communication oriented, which means it is “essentially a service activity with a communication function, performed in a professional setting with a professional aim in mind, and constrained by this setting”(Gile,1995：21).1.1.2 CategorizationThe categorization of interpretation is generally based on two elements,i.e. settings and working modes. And there is also a special third kind, signed language interpretation, which takes advantage of both oral utterances and visual signs and serves mostly the disabled. Generally speaking, interpretation is categorized into the following five kinds according to different settings, namely conference interpretation, court interpretation, escort interpretation ,broadcasting interpretation and business interpretation. The last category is the core of our topic in this thesis. This categorization is not a precise one because quite often different modes overlap each other.Generally,modes of interpretation are under the choice for the best communication effect in different settings.Moreover,new forms of interpretation either based on modes or settings are emerging.1.2 Introduction to Business Interpretation1.2.1 DefinitionBusiness interpretation is sometimes known as commercial or trade interpretation. Gentile et al(1996) defined the term broadly: In the narrowest sense, the term denotes two or more business people discussing business matters through an interpreter,However, we take interpreting in business settings in its broadest possible sense, to include all interpreting situations which are outside the welfare/medical/legalExamples of these interpreting settings range from arts,sports,tourism and recreation to patent negotiations or government-to-government meetings and delegations.1.2.2 Features of Business InterpretationThe unique features of business interpretation distinguish it from the other forms of interpretation. With an understanding of these unique features, business interpreters can better perform when they are in real tasks. Chinese famous interpreter Professor Mei Deming(2000)generalized the characteristics of interpretation into five points:extemporaneousness,stressfulness,independence,comprehensiveness and miscellaneousness.Business interpretation is a new occupation which developed with that of international trade and globalization. As a profession, business interpretation shares many similarities with general interpretation, for example, in terms of both interpreters,generally,serving as both consecutive interpreters and simultaneous interpreters. From the specific occasions business interpreters working in, such as talks, business meetings, especially business negotiations, we can see that business interpretation sometimes is really a tough job and possesses its own features: 1) As we mentioned above, the business interpreters serve both as consecutive interpreters and simultaneous interpreters (whispering interpreters). But on most occasions simultaneous interpretation is a personal one, the interpreter need not to be qualified as professional simultaneous interpreter, but he /she has to grasp the main ideas of the speaker and expresses to the listener correctly. The ability of summary is an extra requirement. 2) Because business interpreters deal with business situation, they have to know negotiating skills and to assist employer achieving the goals. A business interpreter must learn not only as much knowledge as he or she can but also master the skill of doing business. 3) The complexity and efficiency of business situation require the accurate, fluent and complete interpretation. The accuracy, fluency and completeness are not so highly required in other interpretation types as in business interpretations.These features define business interpretation a difficult and very professional job. It is highly demanding to achieve the goal of business interpretation which is to mediate the communication between businessmen speaking different languages.1.3 Introduction to Cross-Cultural CommunicationCommunication comes from the Latin word“communicate”that means” share in common”(Jia Yuxin,1997:9).Porter and Samovar(2000:22) defined communication as “that which happens whenever meaning is attributed to behavior or to the residue of behavior. When someone observes our behavior or its residue and gives meaning to it, communication has taken place regardless of whether our behavior is conscious or unconscious, intentional or unintentional.”The definition of communication is shared in the Websters Dictionary as “sending, giving, or exchanging information and ideas.” And we “send, give, and exchange information” every single day whether we are aware of it or not. Sometimes we communicate non-verbally, whereas other times we communicate verbally.1.4 Introduction to CultureCulture has so broad connotation and denotation that there is no unanimous accepted definition up till now.Culture refers to all socially conditioned aspects of human life. It is modified by going through a transformation on par with the level of understanding the new culture. In Samovars opinion(2000:36),“culture” is the deposit of knowledge,experience,beliefs,values,actions,attitudes,meanings,hierarchies,religion,notions of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.” Different nations have different cultures which is an accumulation and condensation of human development.From above we can sum up that culture includes not only fine arts but also peoples value and equipment. To be better understanding, please see the graph: Visible part Invisible part This is the vivid metaphor. Culture is like an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg