福建省光泽第一中学2020高中英语教师论文 从直译和意译看中国旅游景点名称的英译

福建省光泽第一中学2020高中英语教师论文 从直译和意译看中国旅游景点名称的英译论文题目: 从直译和意译看中国旅游景点名称的英译English Title: On Literal Translation and Free Translation in the English Translation of the Chinese Tourist Attractions Nam摘要本文旨在探究直译与意译在中国旅游景点名称英译中的应用。它首先根据直译与意译的定义来比较这两种基本翻译的方法。接着,本文讨论当前中国旅游景点英译中存在的四大问题:第一，同一个景点有好个翻译版本;第二；随意使用甚至误用翻译方法;第三，译者未能意识到中英两种语言和文化间的区别。第四，译者忽略了景点名称背后的文化信息。然后笔者提出自己总结出的翻译方法: 音译法、狭义的直译法、意译法、音译加狭义的直译法、音译加意译法。最后,本文得出结论,如何在不同的情况下,采用恰当的翻译方法。结果表明: 直译与意译并没有孰优孰劣之分,成功的译文经常是两者的结合。关键词： 音译；狭义的直译；意译；旅游景点名称翻译AbstractThis thesis is intended to explore the application of literal translation and free translation in the C-E translation of Chinese tourist attractions names.It first compares the two basic translation methods, literal translation and free translation according to the differences of their definitions. Then, it discusses the problems present at C-E translation of Chinese tourist attractions names. There are mainly four aspects：several translations for a single scenic spot, freewill use or even misuse of translation methods, the translators failing to recognize the differences between the two languages and the two cultures, and the translators neglect of the cultural information behind the names of the tourist attractions. Furthermore, the thesis put forward the concluded translation methods. There are: transliteration, strict literal translation，free translation, transliteration plus strict literal translation, transliteration plus free translation.Finally, it makes conclusions on how to adopt appropriate translations. It shows that neither of the two methods is superior to the other. And a successful translation is often the combination of them.Key Words: transliteration; strict literal translation; free translation; translation of tourist attractions namesContentsIntroduction11. Definition of Literal Translation and Free Translation11.1 The Debate on Literal Translation and Free Translation21.2 Debate in China21.3 Debate in the Western World31.4 Lu Xuns Contribution to the Use of Literal Translation31.5 Eugene A.Nidas Suggestion on Free Translation41.6 Summary42. Present Condition Analysis in the Translation of Tourist Attractions Names53. Tourism and C-E Translation73.1 General Translation Standard73.2 Peter Newmarks Semantic and Communicative Translation83.3 Overview of the Similarities and Differences between English and Chinese93.4 The Features and Functions of Tourism English43.5 Requirements and Functions of C-E Tourism Translation43.6 The Relationship between Tourism and Translation44. How to Choose Appropriate Translation Methods44.1 Scholars Opinions on the Translation of Tourist Attractions Names44.2 Strict Literal Translation44.3 Transliteration44.4 Free Translation44.5 Transliteration plus Literal Translation44.6 Transliteration plus Free Translation44.7 The Requirements for the Translators4Conclusion16IntroductionWith regard to the definition of literal translation and free translation, a majority of the scholars (Novalis, 1798; Humboldt, 1816; Nietzsche, 1882; Benedetto Crorec, 1922; Ortegary Gasett, 1937; Qiao Zengrui，2000; Jianren Zhou，1959) offered their own opinions. One of them is Qiao Zengrui (2000): Literal translation is the way of pursuing truth sedulously and maintaining the content and style of the original articles through reserving their turn of expression while free translation means maintaining the original content even if the form of the original may disappear.Moreover，in the field of translation, whether literal translation or free translation is a better choice is a hot issue. Scholars from home and abroad put forward their viewpoints one after another.With Chinas international status increasingly rising, more and more foreign travelers come to visit China. And the translation of tourist attractions names is an important window for the foreigners to understand China. However, there are a number of problems in the field of Chinese-English(C-E) translation of tourist attractions names, thus it is essential to bring about more relevant studies of C-E tourism translation strategies to C-E tourism translation practice.This thesis aims to analyze the problems existing in the C-E translation of Chinese tourist attractions names through integrating the application of diverse ways in the translation of them, and emphasize the application of literal and free translation, and finally, find out the suitable ways used in the field.1. Definition of Literal Translation and Free TranslationAs to the definition of literal translation and free translation, many scholars (Novalis, 1798; Humboldt, 1816; Nietzsche, 1882; Benedetto Crorec, 1922; Ortegary Gasett, 1937; Qiao Zengrui，2000; Jianren Zhou，1959) offered their own opinion. One of them is Qiao Zengruis (2000): Literal translation is the way of pursuing truth sedulously and maintaining the content and style of the original articles through reserving their turn of expression while free translation means maintaining the original content in various ways even if the form of the original may disappear.1.1 The Debate on Literal Translation and Free TranslationIn the field of translation, whether literal translation or free translation is a better choice is a hot issue. Scholars at home and abroad put forward their viewpoints one after another.1.2 Debate in ChinaIn China, the argument on the terms of “literal translation” and “free translation” has been for thousands of years.In the first stage, the monks in East Han dynasty who were translating Buddhist scriptures adopted the way of mechanical translation. Therefore the translations were usually difficult to understand. In the Three Kingdoms Period, Zhi Qian, a famous translator of Buddhist scriptures, advocated the “free style” translation, emphasizing luxuriant expression. In other words, this style paid attention to translate in pure Chinese in order to get rid of the features of foreign languages (Cao Wanjun, 1999). The second stage is during May Fourth Movement. The representative of free translation school is Lin Shu who tended to make additions and deletions to the original. On the contrary, Lun Xun was in favor of literal translation, insisting that translators should not translate at random and misrepresent the originals. The third stage comes after the founding of New China. During this time, the translation undertaking and theoretical research of our country were rapidly improved, the argument of literal translation and free translation was no longer the dominating dispute in the translation fields as the scholars started to integrate literal and free translation (Cao Wanjun, 1999). Xu Yuanchong pointed out a good translation should stick to the content of the original instead of the form of it. But when possible, it is better to be close to the original form. And when it comes to the translation with the same form of the original, literal translation is a wise choice; otherwise free translation should be chosen (Wang Jin, 2000).1.3 Debate in the Western WorldThe debate has also been existing for a long time in the western world. And a great many scholars put forward their own opinions. Novalis (1798), Goethe (1813, 1814), Humboldt (1816), Nietzsche (1882), Schopenhauer (1851) are in favor of literal translation. . . in the 1970s pointed out that we should grasp the discretion when translating and could resort to different ways of translation according to different types of literature. Afterwards, E. A. Nida, an American translation theorist, carried out more intensive research on literal and free translation. He basically held on free translation. And he thought: it is necessary to change the form of expression in order to the content of the original. Moreover, it is also significant to adjust the features of the sentences structure and reorganize the translation so as to acquire the best effect. Peter Newmark, however, owned the different idea. He considered: it is difficult to express something the source language has especially if we dont translate literally.1.4 Lu Xuns Contribution to the Use of Literal TranslationLu Xun, a famous Chinese writer advocated positively literal translation, against the way of adding to or taking some part from the original work optionally. He believed that literal translation has two benefits: One is obviously that the translation made by this method is easy to understand: the other is that it reserves the charm of the original. However, the literal translation he supported is not mechanical translation but “We should have our own criticism.” Moreover, he thought literal translation could help introduce new rules of grammar, syntax and morphology when a new content was inputted.1.5 Eugene A.Nidas Suggestion on Free TranslationEugene A.Nida is a distinguished American translation theorist as well as a linguist. His translation theory has exerted a tremendous influence on the western translation circle and he is regarded as the most influential one among all contemporary translation theorists. Nidas influence upon Chinese translation studies is greater than that upon western translation studies. Before his theory was introduced into China in the 1980s, people mainly focused on traditional Chinese translation theories, especially Yan Fus three-character principle of translation, i.e. faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance. In the book Language, Culture and Translation, Nida further divides “functional equivalence” into categories on two levels: the minimal level and the maximal level. The minimal level of “functional equivalence” is defined as “The readers of a translated text should be able to comprehend it to the point that they can conceive of how original readers of the text must have understood and appreciated it”. The maximal level is stated as “The readers of a translated text should be able to understand and appreciate it in essentially the same manner as original readers did” (Nida, 1993). The minimal level is realistic, which suggests that Nida was in favor of free translation, but anything less than this degree of equivalence should be unacceptable. The maximal level is ideal and can rarely, if ever, be achieved. Therefore, according to Nida, good translations always lie somewhere between the two levels (Nida, 1995). That is, in general it is best to speak of “functional equivalence” in terms of a range of adequacy, since no translation is ever completely equivalent .A number of different translations can in fact represent varying degrees of equivalence. This means that “equivalence” cannot be understood in its mathematical meaning of identity, but only in terms of proximity, i.e. on the basis of closeness toTherefore, there is no superior between the two. And an excellent translation should be the integration of them.2. Present Condition Analysis in the Translation of Tourist Attractions NamesThe translation of Chinese tourism, especially in tourist attractions names, is confronting a variety of problems due to lacking standard.Firstly，there are likely to be several translations for a single scenic spot，which is caused by the different translation methods the translators adopt (Lin Yuhua，2020) . For example, 黄山 is translated into both Huangshan Mountain and Yellow Mountain. 西湖has two translations, The West Lake and Xizi Lake. It will confuse the foreign visitors: whether the various names are referred to the same tourist attraction or not, which will have a bad influence on not only the effect of tourist publicity but also the image of the scenic zone. Therefore, its imperative to unify and standardize the translation of tourists names, improving the image of scenic zones in order to magnetize more tourists.Secondly，freewill use or even misuse of translation methods can also lead to improper translations. Transliteration is a common way of the translation of tourist attractions names. However, it will result in the obscurity of tourists names for the foreign visitors when this method is overused. It can be often found that the names of the tourist attractions are translated directly into Chinese Pinyin since the connotation of some tourist attractions is difficult to grasp and literal or free translation doesnt work. When confronting those Pinyins, foreign visitors will undoubtedly get a confusing look on his face. Although some expressions in Chinese are indeed impossible to translate owing to the differences between the two languages, excessive transliteration will effect the conveying of the information behind the names. That will make it impossible for the foreign visitors to comprehend the connotation of the tourist attractions names, reducing information content of the translations and lowering their readability. Hence, translators should choose the translation methods with careful consideration.Thirdly, mistranslation also results from translators failing to recognize the differences between the two languages and the two cultures. 清明上河园in Kaifeng city of HeNan province is a theme park where people relax themselves and have entertainment. It was once translated into Park up the River in the Qingming Festival. However, up the river is a slang, meaning being in jail, which may possibly lead to the foreign visitors misunderstanding and negative image of the park. In my opinion it is better that it be translated into Park in the Qingming Festival by the Riverside in order to avoid misunderstanding. Another example is包公祠, which is translated into The Memorial Temple of Lord Bao. Though Lord Bao reads smoothly, it is still a hard task for the foreign visitors to understand its connotation. 包公(Bao Zheng) is a historical figure whose image stands for impartiality and honesty, enjoying great reputation in the heart of Chinese people both home and abroad. However, lord can hardly express this symbolization. In short, this English version fails to show the cultural connotation of the tourist attractions Chinese names (Lin Yuhua, 2020). As far as I am concerned, 包公may as well be translated into lord Bao(symbolization of impartiality and honesty ) so as to convey the cultural connotation behind its name.Finally, mistranslation may happen when the translator neglects the cultural Information behind the name of the tourist attraction, which will be discussed most specifically. If the translator doesnt repeatedly look into the source of the tourist attractions name or the cultural connotation but translate literally, mistranslation will often take place. For instance, 寒山寺in Suzhou was once mistranslated into Cold Mountain Temple. This mistake occurs as the translator ignores the cultural message behind the name of the temple. In fact, there is no Mountain at all in the area around the temple. The temple that is located in Feng Qiao town in the east of Suzhou city was founded in the Liang Dynasty(502557 A.D.) after the name of the abbot of it called Hanshan in the Tang Dynasty(618907A.D.). Now that 寒山is actually the name of a monk, cold mountain is undoubtedly a mistranslation. Obviously, Hanshan Temple is a better translation. 断桥残雪 is one of the ten tourist attractions around West Lake in Hangzhou City of Zhejiang province. There are a number of translations of it, such as Snow on the Broken Bridge, Snow Scene on the Broken Bridge, Last Snow on the Broken Bridge, Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge, Melted Snow on the Broken Bridge, Melting Snow Hanging over the Broken Bridge. 断桥 in these transactions is without exception considered as a broken bridge. In fact, the bridge is not broken; it is only an end of the Bai Causeway. In other words, it is the Bai Causeway that is broken, not the bridge, while seen from a certain angle, the bridge looks broken with reflection of snow remaining on the old bridge. In my opinion, Chinese pinyin, Duan Qiao Bridge is wiser choice here. 香山 in Beijing is translated as Xiangshan Mountain or Fragrant Mountain. Actually, the mountain whose original name is 香炉山 gains its name from the shape of the two stones on the top of the mountain, which look like an incense burner. Therefore, the name has nothing to do with the smell of the mountain. And The Incense Burner Mountain might be a more appropriate translation. 姻缘石 is the name of a scenic spot in Hong Kong, which was translated as Lovers Rock. Lovers Rock, if back-translated, equals 情人石 in Chinese. The Chinese phrase 姻缘 (pronounced yinyuan), is of typical Chinese characteristics deriving from Buddhism, meaning that the marriage is predetermined. The translation, Lovers Rock cannot convey such a connotation while the alternative, Yinyuan (Lovers) Rock is more acceptable.3. Tourism and C-E TranslationNowadays, translation is an inseparable part in the ever-growing Chinese tourist industry as a means of promoting further development of it.3.1 General Translation StandardSince the translation of tourist attractions names belongs to translation category, it is natural that it should follow general translation standard.In the field of translation in China, people are often subject to the translation theory of “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance” presented by Yan Fu, which can be summarized as honest and smooth. Honest here means being faithful to the original texts content and style that consists of national, writing and linguistic styles, just like Lu Xuns opinion: translation must maintain the form of the original work. So-called smooth refers to being clear and coherent, in other words, the main requirement of translation is to make it easy for the readers to comprehend. Honest and smooth are complementary to each other. Readers are not able to get the idea if the translation is not smooth while the translation will be just a mistranslation if it is out of the originals content and style. In Western count