The Problems of “False Friend” in Chinese-English Translation 论汉英翻译中的望文生义.doc

武汉理工大学毕业设计（论文）论汉英翻译中的假朋友 the problems of “false friend” in chinese-english translation学院(系): 外国语学院专业班级: 英语0702班学生姓名: 指导教师: 学位论文原创性声明本人郑重声明：所呈交的论文是本人在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的研究成果。除了文中特别加以标注引用的内容外，本论文不包括任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写的成果作品。本人完全意识到本声明的法律后果由本人承担。作者签名： 2011 年 月 日学位论文版权使用授权书本学位论文作者完全了解学校有关保障、使用学位论文的规定，同意学校保留并向有关学位论文管理部门或机构送交论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被查阅和借阅。本人授权省级优秀学士论文评选机构将本学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据进行检索，可以采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编本学位论文。本学位论文属于1、保密囗，在 年解密后适用本授权书2、不保密囗 。（请在以上相应方框内打“”）作者签名： 2011年 月 日导师签名： 2011年 月 日本科生毕业设计(论文)任务书学生姓名：冉攀宏 专业班级： 英语 0702 班 指导教师：魏家海 工作单位： 外国语学院 设计(论文)题目: 论汉英翻译中的望文生义 the problems of “false friend” inchinese- english translation 设计（论文）主要内容：this paper tries to approach the nature and cause of some translatorstaking words too literally in view of the complexity and difficulty in translation between english and chinese. the comments and analysis are made on the basis of improperly-translated sentences or phrases, which will help readers, realize how serious this translation defect is in present translation, and thereby get to know how to overcome it.要求完成的主要任务:1. search various resources to identify the topic for the dissertation.2. collect data and materials for the dissertation and write the paper on schedule.3. the paper should give an elaborate and exhaustive research on the given topic with independent work.4. the paper should be no less than 4500 english words in accordance with the required format.必读参考资料：1 nida，e. a.language ,culture and translatingshanghai: shanghai foreign language education press, 19932 pinkham，johnthe translators guide to chinglishbeijing: foreign language teaching and research press, 20003陈宏薇，李亚丹新编汉英翻译教程上海：上海外语教育出版社，20044陈宏薇新实用汉译英教程武汉：湖北教育出版社，19965连淑能，英汉对比研究北京：高等教育出版社，1993指导教师签名： 系主任签名： 院长签名(章) 武汉理工大学本科生毕业设计（论文）开题报告1、目的及意义（含国内外的研究现状分析） as a bridge among different languages, translation plays an important role in facilitating the international exchange of politics, economy and cultures. as a matter of fact, with chinas walking into wto and the acceleration of economic globalization, the deepening of reform and opening-up to the outside world have set in motion the explosion of english translation. there is a growing awareness that english now has become an international communication tool and a neutral medium across the world. among its development, the problem of “false friends”, as an interlanguage in the viewpoint of the author, is a common phenomenon that exists in translation between english and chinese. the causes are many, but the main causes of it are the linguistic differences and cultural differences between english and chinese languages. though english is being popularized in china, not many translators are really proficient in it, and that is why literally translation becomes a serious problem that hampers intercultural communication, misleads the reader and brings about an obstacle to the exchange between china and outside world. however, it is not easily or simply eliminated. what can we do is to make every effort to reduce it. under this background, it is high time to make a systematic study of literally translation. therefore, analyzing its manifestation and exploring the causes are the major tasks in this thesis.many scholars have done a lot of researches about literal translation on the basis theories of linguistic. for example, in1957, robert lado published his influential book linguistics across cultures, in which he presented large quantities of data and stated the importance of contrastive analysis. according to carl james, there are four major categories of error:1)interlingual errors;2)intralingual errors;3)communication strategy-based errors;4)induced errors. in 2003, zhang wentao did a further study. he mentioned that errors caused by mother tongue influence account for 50 percent and intralingual errors 32.8 percent, the remaining 17.2 percent of which belongs to either category. in china, it is ge chuangui who first puts forward the difference between chinese english and china english, saying that: as for china, something peculiar to china needs to be expressed orally or in written forms now or in the past.although these studies and relevant writings attach importance either to theory or to practice, there is no systematic study on “false friends” in translation and no general agreement on its definition, nature and causes. the thesis, based on the theories of interlanguage and functional equivalence, lists multitudinous manifestations of “false friend” problem in translation at linguistic and cultural level. through contrastive analysis, the author of this thesis points out that the occurrence of “false friends” is due to the linguistic interference of chinese, the cultural differences and the discrepancies between the chinese and the english thinking modes. as for solutions to the problem, this study also calls readers attention to the essentials that are required in the making of a competent translatorcultivatingbilingual and bi-cultural competence and adopting flexible translation methods. a wide range of knowledge of english language, society, culture, and an ability to see things in a broader context are the prerequisites to produce high quality in translation between english and chinese. translators, with enough proficiency in english, should also get familiar with different translation strategies so as to select appropriate methods. besides, it is also essential to improve english-related subjects setting and employ effective teaching measures to increase idiomatic english input.2、基本内容和技术方案 the problem of “false friends” in english and chinese translation is a phenomenon of mistranslation. as it imposes grammatical rules and cultures of chinese on english expression, it is a hybrid english with chinese characteristics. as it violates the faithfulness, it is the deformed translation. however, it is not easily or simply eliminated. what can we do is to make every effort to reduce it. the thesis, based on the theories of interlanguage and functional equivalence, lists multitudinous manifestations of “false friend” problem in translation at linguistic and cultural level. through contrastive analysis and error analysis and with sufficient case study, the author of this thesis points out that the occurrence of “false friends” is due to the linguistic interference of chinese, the cultural differences and the discrepancies between the chinese and the english thinking modes. according to its causes, the author also mentions some solutions to reduce it.3、进度安排january22-march 10: question posing of the research and collection of materialsmarch 11-march 25: analysis of the materials and writing of an outlinemarch 26-april 30: completion of the first draft and seeking supervisors advicemay 1june 10: refinement of the paper according to teachers suggestionjune 11june 22: submission of the final version 4、指导教师意见 指导教师签名： 年 月 日contentsabstract in chineseabstract in englishintroduction.11 a brief review on “false friend”.21.1 the definitions of “false friend”.21.2 the history of “false friend”31.3 the significance of studying “false friend”.32 manifestations of “false friends” in c-e translation .52.1 redundance.52.2 collocation errors.62.3 inappropriate omission.72.4 the differentiation between denotation and connotation.83 the main causes for “false friend” in c-e translation.103.1 weak in language proficiency.103.2 shortage of cultural knowledge.114 suggestions for reducing “false friend”.134.1 awareness of bilingualism.134.2 awareness of biculturalism.134.3 other suggestions.14conclusion.16references.17acknowledgements.18摘 要作为语言沟通的桥梁，翻译在推动国际政治、经济、文化的交流中的作用越来越重要。望文生义是汉译英中普遍存在的问题，其产生的主要原因是汉英两种语言在语言和语言所承载的文化上存在差异。虽然英语在中国大范围普及，但是真正精通这门外语的中国译者不多，这在一定程度上造成了翻译的望文生义，对中外交流产生了不小的负面影响。因此，对望文生义进行相应的研究十分必要。近年来，学术界对翻译中的望文生义现象做了很多研究，但关于望文生义对汉译英的影响的系统性理论研究并不多，提出的可行性解决办法也不多。所以，本文通过对比分析和错误分析，以翻译实践中大量望文生义的案例为依据，分析了汉译英中望文生义的各种不同表现形式，总结出望文生义是由于翻译者的语言应用能力和文化知识匮乏两大主要因素产生的。在此基础上，本文得出结论：望文生义是不可避免的，是中国人学习英语、使用英语所必须经历的一个过渡时期，它具有系统性和客观性。为了减少望文生义的现象，译者不仅要精通汉语和英语，而且要熟悉英语国家人们的语言习惯、思维方式以及生活背景。关键词： 望文生义；汉译英；语言运用能力；文化知识abstractas a bridge among different languages, translation plays an important role in facilitating the international communications of politics, economy and cultures. the problem of “false friend” is a common phenomenon that exists in chinese-english translation. the main causes are the linguistic differences and cultural differences between the chinese and english languages. though english is being popularized in china, not many translators are really proficient in it and thats why “false friend” becoming a serious problem that hampers intercultural communication. therefore, it is meaningful to explore this problem, and come up with some solutions.many scholars have recently done a lot of researches about “false friend” in c-e translation. but there havent been systematic theories or feasible solutions. thus the paper has studied some of its manifestations based on contrastive analysis of some error translations, and pointed out that the occurrence of “false friend” is mainly due to the weakness of language proficiency and the shortage of cultural knowledge. according to the study, the paper concludes that: “false friend” is objective and inevitable. it is a procedure for english learners in china to go through. in order to reduce it, translators are required not only to master chinese and english, but also to be familiar with the language usage, thinking modes and life backgrounds of the people of english-speaking countries. key words: false friend; c-e translation; language proficiency; cultural knowledge the problems of “false friend”in chinese -english translationintroductionas a bridge among different languages, translation plays an important role in facilitating the international communication of politics, economy and cultures. chinese and english are totally two different languages. however, we can find the equivalence in each of them. as a matter of fact, with chinas walking into wto, the acceleration of economic globalization, the deepening of reform and opening-up to the outside world, there is a growing awareness that english has become an international communication tool and a neutral medium across the world. however, many translators are not really proficient in it, and that is why false friend becomes a serious problem that hampers intercultural communication, misleads the reader and brings an obstacle to the communication between china and outside world. however, it is not easily or simply eliminated. what can we do is to make every effort to reduce it. under this background, it is high time to make a systematic study of false friend. many scholars have recently done a lot of researches about “false friend” in c-e translation. but there havent been systematic theories on it. through contrastive analysis and error analysis, the paper analyzes some manifestations of false friend and looks for the main causes. in order to reduce it, translators are required not only to master chinese and english, but also to be familiar with the language usage, thinking modes and life backgrounds of the people of english-speaking countries191 a brief review on “false friend”1.1 the definitions of “false friend” “false friend” which originates from french word faux am is refers to pairs of words or phrases in two languages or dialects (or letters in two alphabets) that look or sound similar, but differ in meaning. however, “false friend” has its own meaning in the situation of chinese-english translation. similar to “chinglish”, the term of “false friend” has been defined by many chinese scholars.deng yanchang1explains that “false friend” in the c-e translation is english writing or saying that shows the interference of chinese. later, he develops his speech that some sentences may be little more than word-by-word translation of chinese expressions“false friend” may be grammatically correct, but the choice of words, phrases, and expressions are not the most suitable. the way of expression can not be accepted by the english speaking people although they can understand it. for example, “冲厕所” is translated into “wash a toilet”. according to the grammar, the phrase of “wash a toilet” is correct, however, it is not in accordance with the english expression. the word “wash” should be replaced by “flush”. considering another definition of “false friend” which proposed by jia delin2 in terms of english acquisition. “false friend” in c-e translation is an awkward english used by some persons who have not mastered idiomatic english. for example, “爱屋及乌”， an idiom from achinese, is translated into “love my house, love my crow in it”. taking chinese idiomatic expression into consideration, “屋” and “乌” are metaphorical images which refer to someone and his belongings respectively. in fact, this chinese idiom has its counterpart in english: love me, love my dog”. li wenzhong, lin qiong and li shaoming also do some research on “false friend” in c-e translation. li wenzhong3 defines “false friend” as a kind of misshapen english which does not conform to the standard english expression, culture and custom. this phenomenon appears when chinese learners interfered or influenced by chinese grammatical rules. similar to li wenzhong, the definition given by lin qiong4: “false friend” in c-e translation is the misshapen speech or writing in english. it may result from interference or influence of ways of 1邓炎昌语言与文化英汉语言文化对比北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1989:1502贾德霖思维模式与线型序列汉式英语语序特色外国语，1990,(5):14-183李文忠中国英语和中式英语外语教学与研究，1993，第(4)：184林 琼怎样做对外宣传报道北京：中国传媒大学出版社，2001:6chinese thinking and relevant cultural background. last, li shaoming1 put forward his understanding in chinese academic circle: “false friend” in c-e translation is chinese-like english in structures and dictions. the translator who has poor english, bad habit of chinese-writing, or uncritical way of thinking usually make this mistake.from above definitions, it is easy to make a conclusion that “false friend” in the c-e translation is mainly caused by interference of learners mother tongue. it is grammatically and syntactically correct, however, there is full of “chinese flavor”. considering the relationship among language and culture, it is not difficult to find that the false friend is closely related to the language learners cultural background and translators competence.1.2 the history of “false friend”it originates from chinese pidgin english (cpe). cpe is an english-based pidgin used in costal cities in east and south china which helps the business communication between china and britain. it can be traced back to the 17th century. wikipedia defines cpe as this: chinese pidgin english (simplified chinese: 洋泾浜英语) is a pidgin language between english and chinese. from the 17th to the 19th centuries, there was also chinese pidgin english spoken in cantonese-speaking portions of china. chinese pidgin english is heavily influenced by various chinese languages with variants arising among different provinces (for example in shanghai and ningbo) 2. another definition coming from webster dictionary: “pidgin english” is an english jargon which used in commerce in chinese ports. new oxford english dictionary points out that “pidgin” derives from chinese alternation of english “business”.chinese pidgin english was based on a vocabulary of about 700 english words, with a small number of words from other sources. grammar and syntax are simple and positional; that is, grammatical categories are indicated by the position of words in the sentence rather than by inflectional endings, prepositions, or the like.2 for instance, in english “john loves mary” is distinguished from “mary loves john” by the position of the words in the sentences. the typical cpe sentences are: 1)have got raining come down (“there is rain coming down”); 2)tomorrowmy no can come (“tomorrow i cant come”); 3)my no have catch basket(“i didnt bring a basket”).1.3 the significance of studying “false friend”in contemporary china, foreign language learning reaches an unprecedented extent in order to meet the needs of chinese social development and international exchanges. in this situation,1李绍明大学英语写作山东：山东大学出版社，2003:222/wiki/chinese_pidgin_english english has become the most popular foreign language in china. however, the learners are easily influenced by chinese resulting from a lack of exposure to the english and english culture. thus, they promote the “false friend” in the chinese-english translation.with the expansion of opening up to the world, china gets more chance to communicate and contact with other countries in the world on the fields of economy, culture and politics. as an essential part of interaction with other countries, the c-e translation has attracted a great deal of attention. even though modern technology has shortened