导游词翻译初探

1、学校代码：10254密 级：论文编号：上海海事大学SHANGHAI MARITIME UNIVERSITY硕士学位论文MASTERS THESIS论文题目：导游词翻译初探 学位专业：外国语言学及应用语言学 作者姓名：吴春梅 指导教师：王大伟教授 完成日期：二O O九年六月On the Translation of Tour Guide PresentationsByWu ChunmeiUnder the Supervision of Professor Wang DaweiA Thesis Submitted to the College of Foreign Languages ofShan

2、ghai Maritime UniversityIn Partial Fulfillment ofThe Requirements for an MA DegreeShanghai Maritime UniversityJune, 2009摘要旅游业在全球范围内的迅猛发展对世界经济、文化产生了巨大的影响，使不同文化背景的人们进行文化交流变成了一种需要。我国，地大物博，有五千年的历史文化，吸引了大量的外国人来此参观，旅游英语成为了这个过程的媒介。因此，旅游景点的对外翻译起了重要的作用。作为一种典型的跨文化交际活动，国际旅游日渐升温，随之而来的旅游翻译问题自然成了热门研究课题。当前国内不少学者已经

3、就汉语旅游材料英译的问题展开探讨，但研究对象多局限旅游材料书面文本翻译，针对导游词翻译的专题性研究往往显得不够深入，根本忽视了导游词翻译的口译特征。而且，就在已有的旅游词翻译中，也有很多漏译、错译的现象。本文试图用归化、异化的翻译理论与中国和英美文化相结合，结合肢体语言在东西方的区别，以探讨中国旅游文化英语翻译的有效途径，促进中国文化的对外传播。不同于以往论文，本文不仅在翻译导游词中结合了文化信息，并阐述了文化信息中肢体语言的重要性。以及在以针对以往译者的翻译，作者给予了自己的译法。论文分为四个部分，第一章介绍导游词的起源、定义、重要性以及分类；第二章介绍文化、语言和翻译之间的关系，包括英汉文

4、化在宗教、颜色、数字等之间的不同，以及肢体语言在东西方之间的差异。第三章讲归化和异化两种翻译，以及它们的优点、局限和关系。第四部分是论文的主体部分，主要讲解导游词的翻译方法。第一节讲解诗词、四字成语、对联等的翻译方法。第二节以译入语或译入语文化为取向、以译出语或译出语文化为取向、以作者为取向讲解导游词的不同译法。第三节讲翻译的手段，直译法，忠实原文等。第四节，概括导游词翻译的特点。第五节是区别于以往译者的翻译，作者给出自己的译法。关键词：导游词 文化信息 肢体语言 归化 异化 AbstractTourism has become an important industry undergoing

5、 rapid growth on a global scale. The development of the travel industry has, in turn, exerted a tremendous influence on the economies and cultures of the world. With a vast territory and five-thousand-year-old culture, China attracts an increasing number of tourists. The growth of the English langua

6、ge as a medium of worldwide communication has been correspondingly rapid. Consequently, English now has an important role in the translation of tour guide presentations.As a typical intercultural communication activity, global tourism has grown year by year. This consequently created the new academi

7、c research field of tourist translation. Domestic translation scholars have already had some discussions on this topic, most of which are targeted at written translation of tourist materials. They seldom regard tour commentary translation as a separate research target. The fact that tour commentary

8、is quite different from common tourist materials has been neglected, even though it is closely related to the latter. Actually, tour commentary acquires some characteristics of interpretation while it is produced on the basis of studying written tour materials. Furthermore, there are many examples o

9、f mistranslation in the existing tour guide presentations. Combining the strategies of domestication and foreignization with the cultures of China and America and the different body language in the east and west, this thesis examines effective ways of Chinese tourism text translation into English an

10、d the promotion of Chinese culture to foreigners. Different from the other articles, this thesis not only combines the cultural information, but also emphasizes the significance of body language. Moreover, the author gives her own way of translation which is different from others. This dissertation

11、consists of four parts: the first chapter introduces the origin, definition, classification and significance of tour guide presentations; the second chapter narrates the relationship among culture, language and translations, including the difference among religions, colors and numbers and so on; the

12、 third chapter treats domestication and foreignization. This chapter centers on discussing the advantages and limitations of domestication and foreignization, and the relationships between them. The fourth chapter is the main part of this dissertation: the first section lists the strategies for the

13、translation of poems, four-character phrases, couplets, etc.; the second section analyzes in detail the unique features of tour guide presentations such as source language oriented, target language oriented, author-oriented and tourist-oriented; the third section focuses on the manners of translatio

14、n; the forth section explains the characteristic of the translation of tour guide presentation, and the fifth section, the author gives her own translations of certain texts. Key Words: tour guide presentation; culture information; body language; domestication; foreignizationThe Translation of Tour

15、Guide PresentationsContentsAbstract in English .Abstract in Chinese .Chapter One: Introduction to the Tour Guide Presentation 11.1 Origin of the Study .21.2 Definition of Tour Guide Presentations31.3 Significance of Tour Guide Presentations.41.4 Classification of Tour Guide Presentations.5Chapter Tw

16、o: The Relationship Among Language, Culture and Translation62.1 Chinese and English Cultures. 62.1.1 The Concept of Culture . 62.1.2 Features of Culture.72.1.2.1 Cultural Infiltration.82.1.2.2 Aesthetics .82.1.2.3 Ethics and Values.92.1.2.4 Religion and Customs.102.1.2.5 Colors112.1.2.6 Numbers .122

17、.1.3 Cultural Differences and Cultural Obstruction.12 2.1.3.1 Differences in Designative Meanings.132.1.3.2 Differences in Linguistic Meanings.152.2 The Relations among Language, Culture and Translations152.2.1 Language and Culture.152.2.2 Translation and Culture .162.2.3 Expressions Without Cultura

18、l Equivalence.182.2.3.1 Lexical Gaps.182.2.3.2 Semantic Gaps.192.2.4 Ways to Deal with Different Cultures.21 2.2.4.1 Chinese Culture-Oriented Rule.21 2.2.4.2 Target Text-Oriented Rule222.3 Different Translation Strategies Arising from Different Cultures.222.3.1 Repetition and Omission232.3.2 Being F

19、lowery and Precise242.3.3 Being Ambiguous and Clear.252.4 Errors of Translation262.4.1 Lexical Errors.272.4.2 Grammatical Errors.282.4.3 Pragmatic Failures.292.4.4 Chinglish.302.5 Body Language in the East and West.31 2.5.1 Comparison and Contrast between the East and the West31 2.5.2 The Same body

20、Language with Different Meanings.32 2.5.3 Different Body Language with the Same Meaning.33Chapter Three: Domestication and Foreignization in Translation of Tour Guide Presentations.363.1 Origin of Domestication and Foreignization.363.1.1 Domestication Orientation.363.1.2 Foreignization Orientation.3

21、8 3.2 Debate on Domestication and Foreignization.393.2.1 Advantages of Domestication and Foreignization.39 3.2.1.1 Advantages of Domestication.39 3.2.1.2 Advantages of Foreignization.403.2.2 Limitations of Domestication and Foreignization.40 3.2.2.1 Limitations of Domestication.40 3.2.2.2 Limitation

22、s of Foreignization.413.3 The Relationship between Domestication and Foreignization.41Chapter Four: Translation of Tour Guide Presentations454.1 Types of Translation.454.1.1 Translation of Poems454.1.2. Translation of Couplets464.1.3 Translation of Four-Character Phrases.474.1.4 Translation of Names

23、 of Scenic Spots.484.1.5 Translation of Slogans.504.2 The Principles Guiding the Translation of Tourist Publicity Materials.514.2.1 Source Language Orientation524.2.2 Target Language Orientation.524.2.3 Author Orientation544.2.4 Tourist Orientation544.3 Translation Methods.564.3.1 Literal Translatio

24、n574.3.2 Free Translation58 4.3.2.1 Explanation584.3.2.2 Addition.604.3.2.3 Cultural Substitution.614.3.2.4 Deletion.624.3.2.5 Analogy.634.4 Factors Involved in the Choice of Translation Strategies644.4.1 Informative.644.4.2 Attractive.654.4.3 Concise.654.5 My Alternative Translations66Conclusion.72

25、Bibliography.74Acknowledgements.77Chapter One: An Introduction to Tour Guide Presentations21st century is the “gold century” for tourism development. As the biggest cultural industry in the world, tourism contributes a great deal to the cultural communication. China has extensive territory, long his

26、tory and beautiful scenery which would attracts visitors to come especially the people who come from the other countries and are interested in Chinese culture and scenery. The WTO has endorsed a definition of tourism as comprising the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside

27、their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year of leisure, business and other purposes (Xiang Ping, 1998) in 1991-1992. For several decades definitions of tourism have been debated by academics. The word “tourism” customarily brings images of people who are visiting a particular plac

28、e for sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives, taking a vacation, and enjoying themselves. The World Tourism Organization predicts that by 2020 China will have become the biggest tourist destination in the world. To attract foreigners, it is necessary for us to introduce our spectacular scenery

29、and colorful history and culture to them. With globalization more and more Chinese tourism materials are translated into English, todays international language. Accordingly, it is a vital for us to master it.However, because of the ability and careless of the translators and cultural difference, a g

30、reat number of translation of tour guide presentations exist many inadequacies such as spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes and pragmatic failures and so on which may influence the effect of the communication or even damage our image and cause misunderstanding to the foreigners. As to the most import

31、ant aspect pragmatic failure, Thomas (1983:91-112) emphasized that it occurs when the pragmatic force mapped by the speaker onto a linguistic token or structure is systematically different from the force most frequently assigned to it by native speakers of the target language, or when conversational

32、 strategies are inappropriately transferred from the speakers mother tongue to the target language. The author uses foreignization and domestication to analysis this dissertation. Venuti suggests that translation has the power to represent foreign cultures and establish cannons for the interpretatio

33、n of these cultures. He calls for the visibility of the translator and for the preservation of “foreignness” in opposition to “domestication” in the translated work. (1998:184-185) And Nida named the translator as the one who reveals behind the linguistic and cultural screen the impact of the origin

34、al message on its readers. (Nida and de Waard, 1986:14)This dissertation consists of four parts: the first chapter introduces the origin, definition, classification and significance of tour guide presentations; the second chapter narrates the relationship among culture, language and translations, in

35、cluding the difference among religions, colors and numbers and so on; the third chapter treats domestication and foreignization. This chapter centers on discussing the advantages and limitations of domestication and foreignization, and the relationships between them. The fourth chapter is the main p

36、art of this dissertation: the first section lists the strategies for the translation of poems, four-character phrases, couplets, etc.; the second section analyzes in detail the unique features of tour guide presentations such as source language oriented, target language oriented, author-oriented and

37、 tourist-oriented; the third section focuses on the manners of translation. In the fifth chapter, the author gives her own translations of certain texts. 1.1 Origin of the StudyChina is a multi-ethnic country with a vast territory and a five-thousand-year-old history. It is a country with rich touri

38、stic resources beautiful natural scenery and human cultural heritage. A large number of historic sites and scenic spots like the Great Wall, Qinshihuangs Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, the Silk Road, Forbidden City, etc. bring tourists into contact with ancient Chinese civilization. Modern tourism

39、 in China took shape in the early 1950s. With the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, Chinas tourism industry entered a new stage of development. It began to encourage inbound tourism. Since then, tourism has witnessed fast growth. More and more foreign friends choose to visit

40、China. With a sustained development at an annual average rate of 17% in inbound tourist numbers, the corresponding foreign exchange income for Chinas tourism industry has been increasing by 19% every year. By the end of 2006, the income is estimated to be US$33.5 billion. Clearly, tourism has become

41、 an important force in pushing Chinas economic and social development as well as reform and opening-up. Because of the financial crisis in 2008, foreign travel has declined, but in the future China will appeal to more foreigners after the success of the 2008 Olympic Games. Now that the significance

42、of inbound tourism to Chinese society is apparent, due respect for it is inevitable. In other words, reception personnel should offer the best service to our foreign customers those inbound tourists. In order to achieve this goal, the Chinese tourism authorities are determined to improve relevant po

43、licies. English specialists will shoulder the obligation of guaranteeing the correctness of tour guide presentations. Unfortunately, foreign customers have always been frustrated in the course of touring China because there are so many defects in the current translated English tour commentary texts

44、as well as on-the-spot interpretation. These faults must be and can be avoided with adequate efforts. The author here tries to approach Chinas tour guide presentations from the perspective of intercultural communication in the hope of making some contribution. 1.2 Definition of Tour Guide Presentati

45、ons It is important to distinguish the tour guide presentation from the commonly-mentioned ones, which include tourism scenic spots introduction texts, slogans, logos, or emblems, public signs, brochures, road signs, place names and so on. In a sense, a tour guide presentation is also a part of tour

46、 resources and is closely related to all kinds of tourism materials. Like other tourism materials, it is expected to offer a quick understanding of the charm of the tour destination. However, it differs from the common tour materials in that it communicates directly with the tourists through the ver

47、bal medium of tour guides.In Jin Huikangs definition, the tour guide presentation refers mainly to speeches guides make to inform tourists about the destination and stimulate their interest. The presentations may occur in the course of traveling to the attraction or at the site itself. (Jin Huikang,

48、 2006: 309, the authors translation.) The content can include a broad range of topics, such as poetry, folk tales, architecture, ethnic customs and historical background. The guide/translator is the medium that gives the information to the tourists. So in one sense there are parallels between the wr

49、itten and the oral versions. It is the structure that determines the category of text a tour commentary belongs to. Earlier research into translations for tourists concentrated specially on errors in writing. Those studies overlooked guide interpretation, the vital and far more usual form of present

50、ation. Jin Huikang stressed that the tour guide presentation mainly refers to those speeches made by the tour guides in informing the tourists of the related knowledge or information about the tour destination and stimulating or maintaining their interest in Chinese tourist resources. (Jin Huikang,

51、2006:309, authors translation). 1.3 Significance of Tour Guide PresentationsNowadays, English, an international language, serves as a crucial medium in almost all the international businesses. Tourism is in no exception. As a result, tourism English appears as a term in much research and course book

52、s with the meaning of English language which is used for tourism. With its long history and brilliant civilization, China is now an attractive tourist destination for people of various countries. In recent years, more and more overseas friends are becoming interested in Chinas ancient culture. The n

53、umber of people from overseas on cultural exchanges is increasing year by year. As a result, tourism English becomes increasingly necessary. From airport to hotel and restaurant, from travel agency to tourist spot, English is used whenever a foreign tourist is received. In most cases, English is the only medium in international tourism activities. We consider that Chinese tourism would not go forward smoothly without the development of tourism English.Tour guide presentations, as a means of tourism marke