浅析商务口译中的语用失误

1、Chapter OneIntroduction1.1 The significance and purpose of this thesisWith the trend of economic globalization deepening and Chinas accession to the WTO, foreign trade and economic cooperation of China have been increasing. China has been strengthening the contact and communication with the world in

2、 all aspects including economy, politics, culture and so on. In addition, language is the tie and the tool of communication. Therefore, the demand for the interpreters, who master at least two languages and play an important role as the bridge, is growing. Business interpreters play a vital role in

3、the success of economic exchange and communication with other countries. However, for many business interpreters, whether specially trained or self-taught, there exist all sorts of problems in the real practice of business interpretation. On the one hand, the problems can be reflected by the languag

4、e errors caused by the characteristics of interpretation of its own. On the other hand, and more importantly, the problems are pragmatic failures caused by the lack of the knowledge of the language rules and the cultural backgrounds of the two sides, which affect the results of interpretation and th

5、e bilateral exchanges. In the practical exchanges and communications, especially in cross-cultural business communication occasions, pragmatic failures can not be ignored. On account of the current situation of business interpretation, this thesis will analyze and research the phenomenon of pragmati

6、c failures existing among interpreters in the English-Chinese business interpretation through citing the examples of pragmatic failures in business interpretation, explore the specific manifestations of errors and the causes of pragmatic failures in business interpretation, come up with some strateg

7、ies and suggestions to avoid the occurrence of pragmatic failures. Thereby, the thesis hopes to arouse the attention of people to the phenomenon of pragmatic failures in order to improve the level of interpretation to achieve a successful communication in business interpretation.1.2 The organization

8、 of this thesisThis thesis can be divided into five parts. The first chapter is the general introduction which includes the significance and research purpose of this research, and the general structure of the whole thesis. Chapter two is the literature review of the thesis, in which there are the re

9、levant theories and the research results of the relevant studies to the issue of pragmatic failures and business interpretation, as well as the significance and evaluation of the previous research results to this issue. Chapter three and chapter four are the main body of the thesis. In chapter three

10、, this section will introduce pragmatic failures and interpretation briefly, and it will mainly present the manifestations of pragmatic failures in business interpretation through citing some interpretation examples. In the fourth chapter, the thesis will explore the causes for pragmatic failure in

11、business interpretation. some important and practical strategies and suggestions to avoid the occurrence of pragmatic failures from the different aspects. Chapter five is the last parts of the body which is the conclusion of the thesis. In this part, it firstly summarizes the main contents, and then

12、 it points out the major findings and the implications of this thesis through studying the issue and the limitations of this thesis for the further research. Chapter TwoLiterature ReviewEconomic globalization and Chinas accession to the WTO come up with ever-increasing demands for interpreters pragm

13、atic competence. Pragmatic failures in business interpretation, as the factors related to language, culture and communication closely, have been the academic and social issues. As a very important issue in language teaching and cross-cultural communication, pragmatic failure has aroused the attentio

14、n of scholars both at home and abroad. In recent years, many linguistic scholars put a strong emphasis on the studies of pragmatic failures in business interpretation. Many scholars have conducted the relevant researches. The first study was the analysis of pragmatic failure in business interpretati

15、on from the perspective of cross-cultural communication. The research emphasized that the important reason for pragmatic failures in the course of business interpretation is inter-cultural differences. The study explored the pragmatic failures in interpretation caused by cultural differences to emph

16、asize the importance of inter-cultural awareness in business interpretation. It aimed at improving the consciousness of cross-cultural communication in order to achieve the successful business interpretation (Shi, 2006).Regarding for pragmatic failure in business interpretation, another study analyz

17、ed pragmatic failures in business interpretation from two aspects: pragmalinguistic failures and sociopragmatic failures. It listed the different aspects performances of pragmalinguistic failures and sociopragmatic failures in business interpretation (Lu, 2006).Other scholars also analyzed pragmatic

18、 failure in business interpretation to evaluate the current situation of cultivate the practical interpreters. Through the investigation of pragmatic failures during the practical business interpretation of different interpreters, the study finds out the defects of the training of business interpret

19、ers. In addition, the researches have applied the research results to business interpretation teaching and training. Interpretation plays an increasingly important role in the communicative activities. Some researchers studied the pragmatic failures in business interpretation guided by the theory of

20、 “Cooperative Principle”. In 1975, the American linguistic philosopher Grice came up with the famous “Cooperative Principle”, which was used to guide the interpretation practice as the basic norms of verbal communication. It includes four aspects: The Maxim of Quality, The Maxim of Quantity, The Max

21、im of Relevance and The Maxim of Manner. The Maxim of Quality requires that what you say should real and sufficient evidence. The Maxim of Quantity requires the degree of what you say. The Maxim of Relevance requires what you say should be appropriate. The Maxim of Manner requires concise and cohere

22、nce and avoids obscurity and ambiguity (He, 2000). This theory plays an significant role in dealing with pragmatic failure in business interpretation. At present, the latest research results of pragmatics have deepened into translation studies. Pragmatic Equivalence has become the major subject focu

23、sed by the sector of translation. Xu Yanyun(2003)、Qin Hong(2006)、Jiang Ke(2007) wrote articles to point out the essence of translation under the guidance of the theories of pragmatic equivalence. Pragmatic equivalence means that translation does not adhere to the original form rigidly in the differe

24、nt levels of Linguistics including vocabulary, grammar, semantics and so on, and expressed the contents of the originals with the most close and natural equivalent languages for the purpose of the realization of the equivalence. Pragmatic Equivalence is of significance both in the theory and the pra

25、ctice. In theory, it is a new model to explain the translation from a new perspective, which is the dynamic equivalent translation corresponding to the semantic translation. This equivalence has a similar effect to Nidas Functional Equivalence or Dynamic Equivalence. In practice, it can guide the in

26、terpreters to deal with the original language inconsistent in form, meaning and function in order to avoid pragmatic failure.Chapter Three Manifestations of Pragmatic Failure in Business Interpretation3.1 The brief introduction of pragmatic failure and interpretation3.1.1 Pragmatic failurePragmatic

27、failures dont refer to the wrong choices of words and the wrong constructions of sentences. Pragmatic failures actually refer to mistakes made because of speaking inappropriately, invalid ways of expressions, false expressions that dont conform to habits, and also other defects that will decolor the

28、 communication or even destroy it. Pragmatic Failures are divided into pragmalinguistic failure and sociolpragmatic failure (Thomas,1983). “Successfully using language pragmatic is not dominated by grammar or the standard of syntax, but being suitable in the special circumstance” (He, 1997). 3.1.2 I

29、nterpretationInterpretation is the behavior of interpreting one language to another correctly to achieve the aim of transmitting the information, which is a basic tool of language communication between different cultures and different nations. To put it in a simple way, interpretation means to expre

30、ss faithfully the meaning of one language into another language in a verbal form. It is a form of translation. According to Zhong Shukong, “interpretation, essentially, means an extempore oral reproduction, in one language, of what is said in another language” (Zhong, 1999). And he adds two points o

31、f clarification: “first proved by practice, interpretation can not be viewed as a merely linguistic undertaking, but should be regarded as an aspect of a large domain, namely, that of communication. In the case of complex discourse or speeches, interpretation involves not only linguistic proficiency

32、, but also encyclopedic knowledge. Second, in the Unite Nations (and, for that matter, at all interpretational meetings) the terms translate, translator, and translation, are used when the immediate result is a speech reproduced orally in a language (always in one of the working language) rather tha

33、n that spoken by the original speaker” (Zhong, 1999).Interpretation is something different from translation; followings are the obvious features of interpretation: Firstly, it is a language communication activity that is more simultaneously. The interpreters often have to convey the information in a

34、 short period of time to realize the exchange between two languages and make sure that the information can be conveyed continuously and frequently. Sometimes, they do not have enough time to prepare for the task of interpreting. Meanwhile, the two communicating parts hope the interpreter can finish

35、the work as soon as possible and do not occupy too much time. Secondly, compared with translation, the most obvious feature of interpretation is the verbal expression, because the information of original language disappeared in a quite short time. Thus the practice of interpretation can strengthen t

36、he motivation of the interpreters, and stimulate them to take part in the language practice bravely and make them keep the interest and enthusiasm.3.2 The main manifestations of pragmatic failure in business interpretation3.2.1 The pragmatic failure in phonetic aspectIn terms of business interpretat

37、ion, there are many pragmatic failures in the phonetic aspect. The interpreters always meet some brusting phenomenon such as assimilation, continuous reading, contraction, reduction, losing plosion and so on. And sometimes it is difficult to capture empty words, prepositions, conjunctions, articles

38、and so on so that it brings a certain degree of difficulty for the interpretation (Qin & Yang, 2003).There is an example, in the business negotiation on financing power plant between one Chinese company and American AES company, the opposite side is Arab descendant in America, and when both parties

39、discuss the issue whether the foreign side sends the specialist to supervise Chinese project, the foreign side says, “ We wanna send some experts to your bower (power) blant (plant).” At that time the atmosphere becomes serious. Because the Chinese side thinks there is no sincerity of foreign side t

40、o cooperate with them, they decide to stop discussing this term temporarily. The reason is that the interpreter puts the word “wanna” into “wont”, which caused the interpreter making pragmatic failure in the phonetic aspect.3.2.2 The pragmatic failure in vocabulary aspectThe pragmatic failure in voc

41、abulary reflects mainly in three aspects: the literal interpretation, the vague concept, and the inappropriate expression of idioms. Therefore, “亚洲四小龙” should be interpreted as “The Four Little Tigers” not “The Four Little Dragons”; “拦路虎” should be interpreted as “a lion in the way”; “太岁头上动土” should

42、 be interpreted as “beard the lion in his den”.Another instance is “建立“一站式”服务中心，为外国投资者提供审批业务“一条龙”服务”. The correct interpretation is to “set up the One Stop Service Center for foreign investors in obtaining approval” (Zhao, 2006). If “一条龙” is interpreted as “one-dragon”, it is absolute to make the fo

43、reigners be confused.Still another case is “我们不会给你们打白条，我们会按时付款的”. “打白条”is a conventional saying in Chinese, which means empty, nothing practical. It equals to IOU (I owe you) in English. Therefore, it should be interpreted as “We shall not issue IOUs to you.” The interpreter can not interpret the se

44、ntence just according to his or her expressing habits, but should obey the regulation of original language speaking country. 3.2.3 The pragmatic failure in syntactic aspectThe main reason for the pragmatic failure in syntactic aspect is because of the interpreters not-knowing of the expression manne

45、rs of English, the application of the structure of mother-tongue, the abuse of complete sentences, the ignorance to the special meaning of a complete sentence in certain occasions, and the confusion of the different occasions of synonymous structure. For example:The foreign side said: “Could you tel

46、l us your terms of delivery？”The interpreter interpreted as “你们能告诉我们交货方式吗?”. The Chinese side answered: “我们可以告诉你们交货方式”。 The interpreter interpreted as “we could tell you our terms of delivery” with the slow, clear and serious voice (Lu, 2006).The foreign side is unhappy after hearing this. Through t

47、his dialogue, we can analyze the reason for the unhappyness of the foreigner is that the interpreter has answered his questions with a complete sentence mechanically. Because such a complete sentence is often the expression of impatience, unwillingness and dislike to the questioning people in certai

48、n occasions. The interpreter has not expected the misunderstanding caused by her slow and clear pronunciation. Therefore, interpreters have to pay attention to the specific meaning of some complete sentences in different occasions in business interpretation.Chapter FourCauses and Strategies of Pragm

49、atic Failures in Business Interpretation4.1 Causes of pragmatic failures in business interpretationThe occurrence of pragmatic failure in business interpretation is caused by various reasons of many aspects. This thesis conducts the analysis from the following aspects:4.1.1 Cultural differences Davi

50、d Katan believed that interpreter “as a cultural mediator, he or she will need to be a specialist in negotiating understanding between cultures” (Katan, 2004).Cultural differences are the main causes of pragmatic failures. Because of the ignorance of the other countrys cultural characters, one easil

51、y fails to produce an efficient interpretation. There are two aspects on cultural differences. On the one hand, these failures refer to the mistake made because of the lack of cultural knowledge; on the other hand, these failures refer to the mistakes brought about by the inappropriate suggestions t

52、o others or self-criticism to show modesty (Mei, 2007).When the two sides of communication come from different cultures, pragmatic failures are more prone to happen. Due to the geographical location, natural environment, historical changes, eruditions and habits, religion and belief, and different l

53、evels of economic development, each nation has formed their national cultures with characteristics of their own, which requires us to have an acute sense of language and to have superb skill to express in the process of interpretation of culture. We “import” the western culture, at the same time we

54、also “export” the extensive and profound Chinese culture. A high degree of cultural awareness of the practical use and the social function of language in specific environment will greatly reduce cross-cultural pragmatic failure and thus deepen the mutual understanding between different cultures and

55、then complete the interpretation task successfully.There is an example:Chinese people often consider “一块肥肉” as a good matter which is pursued by a lot of persons. However, in English, “a piece of fat meat” means a thing should be thrown away. Thus when the speaker wants to describe a good zone to de

56、velop the economy, the interpreter should interpret it as “This economic development zone is most attractive.”Other cases in point:中方：最后我祝愿此次的“经济论坛”取得圆满成功,并祝与会代表身体健康、家庭幸福。译员：Finally, I wish the “Economic Forum” a great success, and wish you good health and a happy family (Zhao, 2006).“A happy family

57、” as a kind of nice wish, is frequently used as the cliches of the meeting addresses in China, which pragmatic meaning is far beyond the alleged significance. However, this kind of expression and interpretation do not have the pragmatic significance in English. The English-speaking people believe th

58、at it is a bit ridiculous or irrelevant to wish a happy family in such a large meeting. Hence, this sentence can be interpreted as “Finally, I wish the Economic Forum a great success and wish you good health and a happy stay here”.中方:史密斯先生,欢迎来我市。对于接待的不周我们感到非常抱歉,希望您能够谅解。译员:Mr. Smith, welcome to our c

59、ity. We apologize for the poor reception and beg for your forgiveness (Zhao, 2006).The original is the expression of implication and modest of China, which represents the politeness and kindness of Chinese people in line with the Chinese culture. However, the foreign representative experiences a completely different feeling to this interpretation. The foreign representative will suspect that if you know the rece