【英语论文】浅谈中国菜名的翻译Translation of Chinese Dish Names

1、浅谈中国菜名的翻译Translation of Chinese Dish NamesSubmitted by Sun MinghuiStudent ID number072021010092Supervised by professor Lou YoudaoA paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of ArtsThe Institute of Online EducationBeijing Foreign Studies UniversityNovember 2

2、021DIRECTIONS FOR LEARNERS1) Analyze the data in no less than 1,000 words by using one or some of the methods recommended in Step 2 and Step 3 of Stage 7 in Writing Your BA Paper Through Practical Translation Project Design. The analysis should be based on the examples from the data, or no less than

3、 3 samples from each category of the data.2) The heading for this section has been given. You may decide on your own subheadings if there are any.3) Insert your analysis of the data in paragraphs, tables, diagrams or listings in the space below.4. Data Analysis 4.1 Introduction to Chinese Menu in En

4、glish Version In the following part, a brief introduction of Chinese menu in English version is given 4.Comments of Chinese menu in English Version There are altogether 2862 items in Chinese Menu in English Version, which are mainly classified into Chinese food and Western food, the mainly data used

5、 in this study. Upon its appearance, Chinese menu in English Version draws much attention. Even its draft has been heated discussed. The comments on Chinese menu in English Version can roughly be categorized into cultural aspect and linguistic aspect.1 Cultural Aspect Here and there comments on Chin

6、ese menu in English Version can be found on the website. Many of these comments criticize that Chinese culture has been lost during translating. For example: 干拌顺风Pig Ear in Chili Sauce; 罗汉肚Pork Tripe Stuffed with Meat; 馋嘴蛙Sauteed Bullfrog in Chili Sauce.2 Linguistic Aspect There are also comments th

7、at question the word choice. Such as叫化鸡is translated as Beggars Chicken (Baked Chicken) while清蒸童子鸡is rendered as Steamed Spring Chicken. It is uncertain to say the diction in these dish names is good or not at this time since it can be explained from different aspects. Weather this kind of translati

8、on is appropriate or not should depend on its acceptance over a long time. Besides, the famous dish夫妻肺片was first translated as Pork Lungs in Chili Sauce in the draft, which is clearly a wrong translation. However, it had been corrected as Couples Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce in the final version. Func

9、tion of Menu Chinese menu is of the following functions: informative, aesthetic function and vocative function Informative FunctionAccording to Peter Newmark, the informative function of language is featured with the external situation as its core. By saying external situation, Peter Newmark refers

10、to the facts of a topic, reality outside language, including reported ideas or theories (Newmark, 2004: 40). The informative function of dish name is represented to provide the eater with some facts and relevant information about the dish. The scope of the information involved covers: cuisine origin

11、, type (plant or animal dish), taste (flavors), raw materials, production process (cooking methods, cutting styles), nutrition facts, and so on. For example, from the dish named泰式煮什菌one can know that this dish is a vegetable cooked by boiling. Here the origin of the cooking method is stressed while

12、the specific names of the mushroom do not appear. To be specific, the most important information of the dish is raw material. With this, the eater will know what the exact thing the dish is and then decide a dish they prefer. For example, 芫爆鸡片，the eater will know the main raw material of this dish i

13、s chicken slice and is complemented by coriander. If the eater does not like coriander, she/he can choose another dish instead. Besides the information about the raw material, information about the cooking method is also a basic part of a dish name. When ordering dish, the eater also cares about how

14、 the dish is cooked. 4.2.2 Aesthetic FunctionDish name can bring eaters aesthetic feeling by providing words of musical sound and rhetorical images. (Peter Newmark, 2004: 42).For example, many metaphors have been used to describe dishes: 瑶柱烩裙边，芙蓉鸡片，水晶萝卜, 琥珀核桃.4.2.3 Vocative Function The term vocativ

15、e is interpreted as calling upon the readership to act, think or feel, in fact to react in the way intended by the text (Newmark, 2004: 41).In a way, the dish name serves as the advertisement of a dish. In the light of that, the vocative function of the dish name is to appeal to eaters and make them

16、 take the action of ordering the dish, thereby to increase profits of the restaurant. The above three basic functions of the menu are closely interrelated: the informative function is the foundation, without which dish name will be of no use; the aesthetic function contribute to the informative func

17、tion; and the former two functions are both oriented towards the vocative function. It is safe for us to conclude that the informative function and aesthetic function are for the purpose of vocative function, which is the ultimate purpose of dish name. However, functions of the dish name translated

18、are different from those of the original. As mentioned above, the main functions of the original are informative, aesthetic and vocative functions. On the other hand, the main functions of the translation are informative, vocative while the aesthetic function is almost ignored. This is partly becaus

19、e the aesthetic feeling between China and western countries is of great difference and many aesthetic expressions are untranslatable and thus its translation is of great difficulties. The more important aspect is the purpose of translation of dish.4.3 Features of Chinese Dish NameIn the following pa

20、rt, the analysis of the features of Chinese dish name will take place from two forms: Linguistic and extra-linguistic aspects.4.3.1 Linguistic Features In this part, the main purpose is to give a comprehensive study of the linguistic conventions of Chinese dish names. The linguistic features in this

21、 study are mainly analyzed at lexical and rhetorical level. Features at the Lexical Level.1 Multiple Expressions for One Dish NameMany Chinese dishes or food are of long histories and have undergone various exchanges; therefore, it is often the case that various words are used to mean actually one d

22、ish or food. For example, there are 10 different words to describe a scallop：玉带、带子、干贝、鲜贝、贝仁、鱼贝、鲜带子、瑶柱、东瑶、北极贝. Such a situation is not uncommon in the Chinese menu in English Version, and the following are more examples:碧绿、菜胆、菜心、翡翠：green vegetable;鸡毛菜、青菜、蔬菜、素菜：vegetable for;It is important to note ho

23、wever, that some of them refer to the exact same thing while others have slightly different meanings.2 Chinese Characteristics ExpressionDifferent regions may have their unique animals or plants. Take one of the most common Chinese vegetables“青菜as an example, it has no counterparts in the western co

24、untries. We should also be paid to another important which is latent aspect. That is, the translation of a word in the E-C or C-E dictionary is not always reliable. Take the case of“韭菜，as an example, it has been translated as leek or chive in most dictionaries, both of which are far from being an eq

25、uivalent to Chinese“韭菜.According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: leek means a vegetable with a long white stem and long flat green leaves, which tastes like an onion while chive means the long thin green leaves of a plant with purple flowers. Chives taste like onion and are used in co

26、oking. In fact, they are more similar to onion. As a compromise,“韭菜is usually translated as Chinese chive in Chinese Menu in English Version. Similarly“山药，“白菜are also rendered as Chinese yam, Chinese cabbage respectively. Besides the examples mentioned above, the dishes made of mushrooms is also pai

27、d our attention. China has a great variety of mushrooms, whose nutritive values are different, “ 鸡腿菇， “猴头菇，“金针菇have been translated into the same word “mushroom while there is a world of difference in the quality among them. Features at Rhetorical Level A fresh and appropriate rhetorical device appe

28、als to the imagination, creates beautiful pictures and makes a statement lively, impressive and interesting. By using these, a Chinese dish name can be made linguistically polished and culturally colorful. The main rhetorical devices used in dish names will be introduced and analyzed as follows. 翡翠虾

29、仁Sauteed Shrimp with Broccoli; 琥珀核桃Honeyed Walnuts; 芙蓉三鲜Three Delicacies with Egg White; 龙须扒菜心Sauteed Green Vegetable with Asparagus; In the above cases,“翡翠，means emerald and is used to show that the broccoli looks like the emerald.“琥珀means amber and is used vividly to describethe image of the honey

30、ed food while“芙蓉means lotus and is used to present the egg white.“龙须，which literally means dragon beard, refers to asparagus. Metonymy is another rhetorical device that is widely used in Chinese dish names.烩鸭四宝 Braised Four delicacies of Duck;醋溜三白 Sauteed Three White SlicesChicken, Fish and Bamboo S

31、hootswith Rice Wine Sauce; “四宝 four delicacies, “三白 three whitesare employed Hyperbole is another rhetorical device commonly used in Chinese dish names. 千张Thin Sheets of Tofu; 一品蒜花鸡Deep-Fried Chicken with Garlic; 川菜白灵菇皇Braised Mushrooms in Chili Sauce; 蚝皇扣干鲍Braised Dried Abalone in Oyster Sauce. In

32、many cases, Chinese dish names will exaggerate the original raw material,“千，“一品.“皇 are used to emphasize the features of the dish. And it can give the menu a strong impression. Allusion is also widely used in Chinese dish names. Such as: 左宗鸡General Tsuos Chicken 毛家红烧肉Braised Pork, Maos Family Style

33、(One of Chairman MaosFavorite Dishes); 东坡肘子Dongpo Pig Knuckle; 麻婆豆腐Mapo Tofu (Saut6ed Tofu in Hot and Spicy Sauce); 北京烤鸭Beijing Roast Duck; 客家小炒Sauteed Pork and Squid with Dried Turnip and Garlic, Hakka Style. On the whole, it can be mainly categorized into two types: person and place.With famous pe

34、rsons and places, the dish can be better accepted by eaters. Besides the above the case, there are still many other rhetorical devices used. Such as the dish干拌顺风，“顺风(fair wind) is a euphemism for“猪耳朵 (pig ear). Pig foot is always rendered as pig hand, such as怪味猪手Special Flavored Pig Foot. And person

35、ification can be seen in many Chinese dish names such as童子鸡(baby chicken). In conclusion, the use of various rhetorical devices forms a distinctive linguistic feature of Chinese dish names, by which we can connect the culture and history with the food in a natural way. However, most of these rhetori

36、cal devices have to be deleted in the translation according to the skopos, which we will be explained thoroughly in Chapter Five.4.3.2 Extra-Linguistic Features In this part, the main purpose is to give a comprehensive study of the food culture and thinking pattern, which forms the features of Chine

37、se dish name in a deep way. Features of Food Culture Language is an intrinsic part of culture and translation is primarily a cross-cultural transfer. In the following, the cultural aspect of Chinese food will be analyzed.1 Feature of Eating Habit Traditionally speaking, owing to the agricultural his

38、tory of China, vegetables are the main Chinese dishes while meat dishes serve as side dishes. According to Wan Jianzhong (1995), the variety of vegetables in China is more than 600, while western countries just have some 100. Westerners main dishes, on the other hand, are meat dishes, such as beef,

39、chicken, mutton and fish while vegetables serve as the side dishes. The current worlds cuisine development, however, indicates a trend of combination of the two kinds of dishes. A great difference still exists between the Chinese and western food style. Meat of many kinds of animals such as dogs, ca

40、ts and even mice can be served as a dish in Chinese cuisine, but are probably unacceptable in western cuisine. For this reason, a dish served to westerners should contain no animals of this sort in order to avoid offense. And this well explains that there are no such dishes listed in Chinese Menu in

41、 English Version. And the parts of the body do not lie in meat varieties, Take pig as an example, westerners only eat pork, which is unconceivable to Chinese. The parts like blood, intestine, and tripe can be raw material of many Chineses favorite dishes.2 Feature of Eating ConceptChinese food cultu

42、re can also be described as emotional. As an old saying goes: people regard food as their primary wants and the taste of the food as its most important part. With a long history, the Chinese food gives its priority to color, fragrance and taste while nourishment is relatively less considered. The fo

43、od concept of the western countries, on the other hand, can be described as scientific or rational.Now, Chinese people have begun to show more concern for nutrition of their food instead of paying attention only to the color, fragrance, and taste of a dish. Features of Thinking PatternLanguage is no

44、t only the tool of thinking and communication, but also are reflection of social culture. As is known to all, the thinking patterns of different nationalities certainly influence their linguistic forms. And due to the diversity of the cultural backgrounds, people who speak different languages have d

45、ifferent ways of thinking.English speaking people have a linear style of thinking while Chinese tend to adopt a circuitous one. The different thinking patterns would result in variations in their communicative styles. More specifically speaking, the most important information tends to come first in

46、English while the most important information will be placed to the end in Chinese. When it comes to the relationship between main ingredient and accessory ingredient, the accessory ingredient is almost always placed at the beginning of the dish name in Chinese while the former is always put at the b

47、eginning in English. For example:芝麻牛肉Sautded Beef with Sesame;芽菜扣肉Steamed Pork Slices with Preserved Vegetable;火腿炒蛋Scrambled Eggs with Ham.An English dish name is structured by conjunction while Chinese by meaning. Two principles are provided in the Chinese Menu in English Version for deciding posit

48、ions of the ingredients in the name of a dish:.Main ingredient and accessory ingredient of the dish: main ingredient (name/shape) + with + accessory ingredient. Example:白灵菇扣鸭掌Mushrooms with Duck Webs.2. Main ingredient and sauce of the dish: main ingredient + with/in + sauce. Example: 豉椒排骨spareribs

49、with Black Bean Sauce.4.4 Naming Method of Chinese DishChinese dish name can include information about raw materials, cooking methods, taste, place or person or origin and so on. Here we divide the naming method of Chinese dish into two categories: direct naming method and indirect naming method.4.4

50、.1 Direct Naming MethodWith this naming method, a dish name just gives a direct description about the basic information. In most cases, the information involved here is about raw material (main raw material and accessory raw material) and cooking method. In fact, this method is mainly used to name c

51、ommon dishes, such as:白菜豆腐汤，水煮牛肉.Actually, this type of the dish name in Chinese is similar to that in English. And it is easy to translate such a name into English because the translation of these names is not involved much with cultural aspects, which is the most challenging part in translation.4.

52、4.2 Indirect Naming Method Theoretical speaking, any information related to a dish can be used as the foundation of the association. For example，四川辣子鸡，左宗豆腐，芙蓉鸡片，佛跳墙，全家福，福寿炖燕窝.In the name of四川辣子鸡，“四川can serve as an association with the original place of the dish while“左宗refers to Tso Tsung-tang, a fa

53、mous general in the Qing Dynasty, and serves as an association with the original person of the dish.“芙蓉is the metaphor of egg white while佛跳墙is associated with a famous poem“坛启荤香飘四邻，佛闻弃禅跳墙来. And the“福, 福寿is used to associate the dish with good luck and long life. This is the wonderful association, th

54、rough which one can understand the history, local manners and practices and traditions of China. And through this association, one can enjoy Chinese food culture deeply and pleasantly in a real sense.ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST FOR TUTORSPlease tick in the proper cell and write your overall comments in the

55、 box of “Tutors Comments below. In-text comments should also be offered if necessary.评价工程(Assessment Items)评价指标(Assessment Criteria)评估(Acceptable/Revise)请打勾进行评估合格需修改语料分析 Data Analysis 与研究目标相关。The analysis is related to the objective of the research.以“文献综述中引用的概念或理论为支持。The Analysis is supported by the

56、 concepts or theories quoted in the Rationale.针对语料中原语与译语的差异建议从语言、体裁、修辞或文化等角度比拟，或同一原语的不同译语间的差异建议从翻译的社会背景、目标、对象或译者的翻译倾向等角度比拟，具体分析语言、文化或社会因素对翻译的影响。The analysis illustrates the effects of linguistic, cultural or social variants on translation by comparing and contrasting the source language with the tar

57、get language (from the linguistic, stylistic, rhetorical, cultural or other perspectives), or different translation version (in terms of the social background, translation purpose, target reader, translators approach to translation, etc.).分析充分详细，涵盖语料中的相关例如或相关例如代表，代表不少于3例。The analysis is adequate and

58、 detailed, based on the examples from the data, or no less than 3 samples from each category of the data.语言准确，表意清楚，逻辑连贯。The analysis is presented in clear, correct and coherent English.6. 字数不少于1,000字。The analysis contains no less than 1，000 English words.7 格式标题、字体和行间距符合要求。 The analysis is formatted

59、as required.Tutors Comments:DIRECTIONS FOR LEARNERS1) Derive the results from the analysis you have made above, and then based on these results, make some suggestions on the future translating practice. The section of results and suggestions should contain no less than 1,000 English words.2) The hea

60、ding for this section has been given. You may decide on your own subheadings if there are any.3) Insert the results and suggestions in the space below. 5. Results and Suggestions 5.1 Skopos of Menu Translation To achieve the Skopos of the Chinese dish names translation, therefore, it is important to