Cultural Default and Translation Compensation in English to Chinese Translation of English Proverb.doc

英文谚语的文化场景在中译文中的缺失与弥合cultural default and translation compensation in english to chinese translation of english proverbabstractthis paper analyzes the cultures in proverb to find the cultural differences between english and chinese proverbs, and tries to study the way to bridge the cultural default. so, english proverb can be translated with the way of transliberation. and intercultural communication will be achieved successfully and intercultural cooperation and spread will be realized. key wordsproverb culture; cultural default; transliberation; translation compensation 摘要本文从谚语文化角度着手，分析谚语中的文化因素，以及英汉谚语中的文化差异，尝试研究在谚语的英汉翻译过程中发生文化缺失时如何弥合。最终通过意译手段实现英语谚语的可译性，从而顺利完成跨文化交际活动，实现国际间的文化交流与传播。 关键词谚语文化; 文化缺失; 意译; 翻译补偿 introduction there are several standards about translation criteria in and abroad. yan fu advocated the three words as translation criteria, namely, “faithfulness, smoothness and elegance”. fraser advocated “rather be alike in spirit than in appearance”. zhang peiji advocated “faithfulness and smoothness”. eugene a. nada advocated “functional equivalence” or “dynamic equivalence”. those standards influence each other and improve gradually. although they focus on differently, they have a common aim that translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work; the style and the manner of writing should be of the same character as that of the original, and translation should look as all the ease of original composition. in todays society, translation is not only the generative speech semiotics, but also a behavior in intercultural communication. people use “intercultural communication”, “intercultural cooperation”, “acculturation” and “transculturation” to replace “translation”. the cultural difference of english and chinese, proverb may has the same literal meaning and figurative meaning, but different implied meaning. and implied meaning is the real meaning which the speaker or writer wants to express. the differences between english and chinese proverbs can be converged into two categories: figurative meaning and implied meaning. and they are different literally, that is to say, they are the specific reflection of cultural differences.different country has different condition, history, religious belief and custom and so on. the english proverb and chinese proverb express different national culture feature and culture information. proverbs bear age, and he who would do well may review himself in them as in a looking glass.proverb is defined as a complete set sentence, which can be used as not only component in sentence but also a complete sentence to illustrate a complete meaning. proverb is also the popular sayings that brighter so much latin american talk, the boiled-down wisdom that people are as apt to hear from professors as from peasants, from beggars as from elegances. proverb is brief and colorful; they more often than not teach you. with those features, to translator, the translation of proverb is usually the most difficult thing. even if they are mastery of english, they translate proverbs not well by translation tools. the reason is that the cultural background of english proverb is usually missed in the target language. that is called cultural default. therefore, when people translate english proverb, they should analyze and compare the cultural differences which are contained in different national proverbs. then, it needs culture translation. to find a method to compensate cultural default, only in this way, the quality of the target language can be guaranteed. .the brief introduction to proverbgenerally speaking, proverb is from factual living experience of people. most are from folk, which are called popular proverb and others come from document, religious, literally quotation. proverb consists of a lot of history story or literary quotation. in china, there are many proverbs in confucian classics, legend and so on. those proverbs are simple but far- reached, brief but colorful. such as, “他山之石，可以攻玉”. stones from other hills are good for working jade, in the book of book of songs. in analects, the master said, is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? english proverb comes from bible and old greek and rome and western classics etc. for example, we are all adams children. “我们都是亚当的子孙”.bible far from jupiter, far from thunder. “离朱比特越远，离雷神越远”. old greek and roman without ceres and bacchus, venus grows cold. “没有克瑞斯河巴库斯，维纳斯就会感到冷”.（王佐良,37） in this proverb, ceres is food goodness, and bacchus is an alcohol god, and venus is known as a goodness of love. literal meaning of this proverb is that venus will feel alone without ceres and bacchus. but it implies that if there have no clothes and food, there has no love. in the works of shakespeare, proverbs spread here and there. for example, all the world is a stage. “世界就是一台戏”. have is have. “到手的东西才算数”. it is wise father that knows his own child. “聪明的父亲才了解自己的孩子”. of course, english proverbs come from not only english document, but also from western europe etc. in one of russia works writes, all happy families resemble one another, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. “幸福的家庭彼此相似，不幸得家庭各有不幸”. proverbs of europe is, all is not gold that glitters. “发亮的东西不一定都是金子”.from above-mentioned analysis, people can arrive at a conclusion that proverb is closely related to special national history, economics, culture, living, custom and geography and so on. it is presupposition for study proverb to understand their relationship. it is because that the relationship cause people have different view to the same thing. in translation, people usually can not find suitable target text, which is called cultural default. as this text will be mentioned, the feeling of dog, chinese people have a feeling of boring. whereas, english and america countries think that even if the dog stay with you only three days, it will still remember you three years later. in their mind, dog is reliable and faithful. besides, english proverbs are usually from some literary quotation. people do not know the literary quotation, they can not understand the meaning of the proverbs, let alone translate them. the cultural default of english proverbs is objective. however, it is not mean they can not be translated. cultural translation（worth, 35） can be applied, which is a term informally to refer to types of translation which function as a tool for cross-cultural or anthological research, or indeed to any translation which is sensitive to cultural as well as linguistic. in order to reproduce source culture and delete the differences of culture, translator can abide by the following: first, create the target text is not only fit the source text but also reproduce the source culture. second, if it is impossible to keep meaning and culture in the same time, translator only desert form equivalence through changing the form of source text in target text to reproduce the source text meaning and culture. third, if the change of form is still can not express source meaning and culture, translator can adopt the technique of recreation.proverb also has great social function. it can enlighten peoples life, guide peoples behavior, and pass on experience, moral education and so on. for example, “少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲”. if one does not exert oneself in youth, one will regret it in old age. english proverbs are: a lazy youth, a lousy age. “少壮懒惰，晚年糟糕”. no bees, no honey; no work, no money. “没有蜜蜂就没有蜂蜜，不工作就没有钱”. those proverbs all contain educational significant, some encourage young people work hard when young, do not be lazy. never feel pity when old, it is too late. proverb is also the popular sayings that brighter so much latin american talk, the boiled-down wisdom that you are as apt to hear from professors as from peasants, from beggars as from elegances. proverb is brief and colorful; they more often than not teach you. for english proverb has those features, to translator, they translate proverb not well only by translation tools. the reason is that the cultural background of english proverb is usually missed in target language. that is called cultural default. therefore, when people translate english proverbs, they can analyze and compare the cultural differences which are contained in different national proverb. to find a method to compensate it, only in this way, the quality of target language can be guaranteed. . proverb culturea. cultural factors in chinese and english proverbchina and west culture are quite different two huge type cultures, which develop balance, never conflict each other, focus on difference, and have their own feature. the individual characteristics of china and west culture are rooted in the different nature, geography and climate which two nations live in, and they influence each others living style. different living style result in different material culture and different idea, faith, interest, behavior habit, mentality and character and so on. that is to say, it will form two complete different spiritual cultures. therefore, it is more important for those people who want to something in proverb translation to master two cultures than two languages. because words have meaning only used in special culture.b. the different cultures between english proverb and chinese proverbproverb reflects colorful national culture phenomena in cultural parts. the cultural disparities of english and chinese proverb are mainly as follows:1. customthere are many aspects in english and chinese custom differences, and the most typical is the attitude of dog. in china, dog is a kind of humble animal. the proverbs which are related to dog mostly mean derogatory. for example, “狗嘴里吐不出象牙”. you dont find ivory in a dogs mouth. “狗改不了吃屎”. dogs never lose their taste for filth nor wolves their taste for meat. (used to mean that people cannot change their basic nature). “好狗不挡道”. good dogs dont get underfoot. recent years, many a people like to look dogs as pet animal, the position of dog begin to change, but the bad image of dog has rooted in chinese culture deeply. whereas, in occidental language countries, dog is one of the most honest friend. most of english proverbs about dog are commendatory. it is a figure of speech of peoples behavior. for example, you are a lucky dog. “你是一个幸运儿”. every dog has his day. “人人皆有出头日”. love me, love my dog. “爱屋及乌”. he who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick. “欲加之罪,何患无词”. give a dog a bad name and hang him. “一旦给人加个坏名声,他就永远洗不清”. the scalded dog fears cold water. “一回烫伤,见了冷水也心寒; 一朝被蛇咬,十年怕草绳”. old dogs will learn no new tricks. “老狗学不了新东西”. english- speaking people love dog, and chinese admire dragon. for example, “龙虎相斗，小鹿遭殃”. the innocent deer has to pay when the dragon comes to blow with the tiger. “龙生龙，凤生凤”. a child with clever and intelligent parents will do better than a child with dull and stupid. they think dragon is holy, and the symbol of emperor. but in non- chinese mind, dragon stand for sin according to bible.2. religious beliefreligious belief is one of peoples spirit foods which influence national culture, to some extent. proverb is related to religious belief springing up in oriental and occidental languages. chinese people believe in buddhism, taoism, and buddhism has long history in china, over one thousand years. people believe in that the world has buddhist patriarch who controls the world. there are many proverbs about it. for example, “跑了和尚跑不了庙” the monk may run away, but the temple can not run away with him. (used metaphorically to mean that a person can never completely escape the consequence of his actions) “佛要金装，人要衣裳”. just as buddha images need to be covered with gold, so people need to be covered with birds). “放下屠刀，立地成佛”. to lay down ones butcher knife and suddenly become a buddha. (now used metaphorically to mean that when a bad person stops doing evil, he will also become a good one) “一个和尚挑水吃，两个和尚抬水吃，三个和尚没水吃”. one boy is boy, two boys half a boy, and three boys no boy. “善有善报，恶有恶报”. good will be rewarded with good, and evil with evil. laozi chinese philosopher of the late spring and autumn period and founder of taoism , the proverbs reflect taoist religion has, “福兮祸所伏，祸兮福所倚”. in good fortune lurks calamity and calamity lies good fortune. “物极必反” too much of one thing is good for nothing. “否极泰来”. after a storm comes a calm. in many west countries, especially, in english and america, people are faith in christianity. in the christian religion, god is unique and supreme. everyone knows the gods ghosts. therefore, many proverbs are linked with gods and ghosts, god is where he was. “上帝无所不在”. god help those who help themselves. “自助者天助”. he that serves god for money will serve the devil for better wages. “为金钱替上帝效劳的人，为更多的钱也愿被魔鬼驱使”. the devil is good to his own. ”恶鬼自有恶鬼保佑”. god send meat and the devil sends cooks. “食物是上帝赐的，厨师是恶鬼派的”.意指厨师常把好的食物煮坏.from the above-mentioned examples, people can know some differences between chinese and western religious. england and english speaking countries mainly believe in christianity, therefore, many english proverbs come from bible. and chinese people mainly believe in buddhism. although chinese people also know “the cross”, and “forbidden fruit”, only have little influence. because of the different religious belief, the proverb reflects different thought and concept. besides, strictly speaking, buddhism and taoism all are atheism, and christianity is quite different, which is theism, and admits one god. for example , “天无绝人之路”. heaven never seals off all the existsthere is always a way out. “谋事在人，成事在天”. man proposes; god disposes. “放下屠刀，立地成佛”. to lay down ones butcher knife and suddenly become a buddha. buddhism admits buddha, however, which is not the only god. buddha is in everyones heart, everyone has the opportunity to be a buddha. the power and glory of god is usually reflected in english proverbs. for example, god is above all. “上帝高于一切”. god is where he was. “上帝无所不在”.3. different living conditionsproverbs of the world or different nations all reflect the laws of nature and society. and those objective laws lie in every nation. but in the specific express, that is to say, the choice of material and the usage of technique usually are character with nation and living circumstances. china is a big agriculture country for a long history, and farmer cover a large number of totals. and many a proverbs focus the importance of agriculture. such as, “种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆”. you must reap what you have sown. “种田有产，养猪有肉”. as you sow, you shall mow. “春种一粒粟，秋收万颗谷” a seed planted in spring will bring thousands of fruits in autumn. “瑞雪兆丰年”. a snow year, a rich year. “好种出好苗，好树结好果”. he that sows good seed shall reap good corn. in contrary, english is an island country. so, generally speaking, english proverb conveys the same thoughts and content with other nations. in there, there has no place distance from sea over one hundred and ten inches. english people love sea; their lives are linked with sea closely. the sea and water-transport career are the material of their proverbs. such as, the sea refuses no river. “大海不拒江流”. the sea complains it wants water. “大海也抱怨缺水”.there is as good fish in the sea as ever comes out of it. “有了大海，不怕没鱼”. fishing like fishing in the sea. “捕鱼要到大海”. he that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea. “谁要是想什么危险都没有了再航行，就永远出不了海”. he that forecasts all perils will never sail the sea. “预卜一切危险的人，奖永不会航行于大海”. in a calm sea, everyman is a pilot. “在平静的海面，人人都能当海员”.a smooth sea never made a skillful mariner. “平静的大海练不出好水手”.the good seaman is known in bad weather. “要识好海员，须凭坏天气”.the winds and waves are always on the side of ablest navigators. “风浪是帮助能干的航海家”. living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. “没有生活的目标，如同没有罗盘的航行”. he who would search for pearls must dive below. “欲得珍珠，先潜水底”. any port in a storm. “暴风雨中能停靠，危急中能摆脱危险”. every tide hath its ebb. “潮涨必要 潮落时”. in addition, in chineses culture, “east wind” means the wind of spring, and summer is usually very hot. but english lies in western hemisphere, temperate zone and maritime climate. it is the west wind that predicates the coming of spring. a famous england poet, shellys, his ode to the west wind is, “if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” . english proverb translationnida refers to, “all translation, no matter it is prose or poet, and it must be concerned about the response of receptor.”(nida, 105) therefore, from the point view of the effect of audience, the purpose of translation is the fundamental factors of any translator. however, translation is not easy; the translation of english proverb is more difficult. to translator, it needs to exert great effort. therefore, in the process of translation, there are some tips should be noticed.a. points for attention in english to chinese translation1. misinterpretation of english proverbdo not misinterpret words through taking them too literally. roughly speaking, proverb is simple and clear. it is because those features that make translator make errors in translation. the following examples may illustrate it. fine feathers make fine birds. many a people may think the meaning is, “佛要金装，人要衣裳”. but the proverb has another deep meaning, said of an overdressed person who does not really up to his or her clothes, with an ironic meaning. so, it can be translated as “好的衣裳只能打扮出个好外表”. another example is, honey is not for the asss mouth. some dictionary translate it into, “狼吞虎咽的人不配吃精制的食物”. but it really meaning is persuasion will not persuade fools, or the gentlest words will not divert the anger of the unreasonable, that is to say, “好言好语劝不醒傻瓜”or “傻瓜吃硬不吃软”.2. the national featureit has mentioned the national feature in former. when people read a national proverb often remind them of some special history,