论英汉广告的跨文化差异与翻译策略的运用

广东东软学院本科毕业论文IIICULTURALIMPACTONTRANSLATIONOFTOURISMADVERTISEMENT3.1DefinitionofCulture.Therearediversedefinitionsofculturewiththedevelopmentofsocialsciencesinmoderntimes.Belowaresomerepresentativeones:Cultureisanumbrellatermwhichencompassesthesocialbehaviorandnormsfoundinhumansocieties,aswellastheknowledge,beliefs,arts,laws,customs,capabilitiesandhabitsoftheindividualsinthesegroups(Tylor,Edward,1871).Theconceptofmaterialculturecoversthephysicalexpressionsofculture,suchastechnology,architectureandart,whereastheimmaterialaspectsofculturesuchasprinciplesofsocialorganization(includingpracticesofpoliticalorganizationandsocialinstitutions),mythology,philosophy,literature(bothwrittenandoral),andsciencecomprisetheintangibleculturalheritageofasociety(JohnJetal.,2011;53)“Cultureisthetotalityofsociallytransmittedbehavioralpatterns,arts,beliefs,values,customs,life-ways,andallotherproductsofhumanworkandthoughtcharacteristicsofapopulationofpeoplethatguidetheirworldviewanddecisionmaking.”(PurnellandPaulanka,2003)Besides,it’sbyandlargeadmittedlanguageisfirmlyrelatedtoculture.AsWliss(1996)oncesaid:“Languageisasmuchaculturalproductascultureisalinguisticproduct.”Itislegitimatethatifoneusesalanguagewell,onemustcomprehendtheculturethatusesthelanguage.3.2CulturalBarriersinTranslationofTourismAdvertisementTranslationisthecommunicationofthemeaningofasource-languagetextbymeansofanequivalenttarget-languagetext(TomMcArthur,1992;1051).Intheprocessoftranslation,culturalmessagesremaintheinformationthatarethemostdifficulttowelltransmittopeoplewithdifferentcultures,sincewordsonlyhavemeaningsincultureinwhichtheyfunction.Theculturaldisparitywillinevitablybringaboutthefollowingdifferences,whicharethechiefobstaclesmanytranslatorsconfront.3.2.1PsychologicalDifferencesOurpsychologicalsuggestionareusuallygreatlyinfluencedbythehistoryorcultureoftheplacewelivein,sometimeseventhegeographicalenvironmentmakessignificantcontributiontoourpsychologicalcognition.Forexample,inthecognitionofChinesepeople"东风(theeastwind)"isasymbolofrevivalthatspringbringstotheworldandwarmthitgivestoallcreature.Therefore,wheneverChinesepeoplesee“东风”inadvertisement,asenseofcozyfeelingwouldbearousedinsidetheirheart,thusmoreeasytobeattracted.InBritain,however,thenorthoftheEuropeanlandiswhere"theeastwind"comesfrom,thereforecreatingthesenseoffreezeandunpleasantness.Onthecontrary,"thewestwind"sendsthespringtotheBritishisles,sothereis"thewestwindtospring"said.What’smore,whenChinesepeopleseeorusetheword"红(red)",theysubconsciouslyassociateitwiththingslikehappiness,joy,gloryandrevolution.Forwesterners,theword"red"mayremindthemofterror,violenceandbloodshed.3.2.2DifferentValuesThemostdistinctivevaluesbetweentheeasternandthewesternarecollectivismandindividualism.Collectivism,thetypicalofChinese,isavaluethatischaracterizedbyemphasisoncohesivenessamongindividualsandprioritizationofthegroupovertheself.Traditionalbeliefisthatwhenpersonalinterestisinconflictwithcollectiveones,oneneedstoputawayhisown,sincetherealizationofcollectivegoalsismoreimportant.Therefore,theconceptoffamilyisfrequentlymentionedinChineseadvertisements.Forexample:Incontrast,whatindividualistslongforistheexperienceandachievementofone'splan.Thatiswhytheyattachsignificantvaluetobeingindependentandself-reliantandurgethatinterestsofoneselfshouldremainprecedentovercommunity.Individualism,thecorevaluesharedbymostwesterners,thusmakestheadvertisementspaymoreattentiontotheelaborationofspecificspotsandpersonalexperienceandfeelings.Forexample:“NewZealandisanaturalwonderlandintheSouthernHemisphere.Itstwomainislandshavelongenchantedvisitorseagertoseetheunspoiledwonders,beautifulmountains,high-altitudelakes,andpristineforests.WellingtonsitsontheCookStrait,welcomingvisitorswithavibrantcreativecultureplusgreatfood,coffee,andwine.ChristchurchisthegatewaytomanyoftheiconicfilminglocationsfromtheLordoftheRings.FanswillcertainlynotwanttovisitMatamataontheNorthIslandwithitspreservedHobbiton.Outdoorenthusiastscanrevelinthechancetoenjoyskiing,bungeejumping,parasailing,glacialhiking,andwhitewaterrafting.NewZealandisagiantplayground.Comeandfindyourownadventure.”3.2.3DifferentModeofThinkingIncognitivepattern,whenitcomestothewayofexpressingthings,Chinesepeopleareinclinedtotellabackgroundstory,usuallyhistoricalstory,andsometimestheywouldalsoliketoblendtheirsubjectivefeelingsintotheobjectiveimagestothepointthattheybecomeharmonizedwitheachother.Forexample:“西安是世界四大古都之一，著名的“丝绸之路”的起点。它曾经叫长安，这是令每一个中国人自豪的名称。这座城市是中国历史上伟大的都城，中国的周秦汉唐等朝代，都把它作为国家的首都。如今，秦始皇陵静静的在郊外等待着你的到来；或许你还可以在大雁塔下寻找到玄奘的印记；那高大的城墙，述说着六百年来的传奇与故事。西安的当地美食是一定要品尝的，种类众多，充满了中国西北的特色，让旅行者们称赞不已。”Incontrast,thewayofthinkingofthewesternerspaysmoreattentiontofactual,rationalandlogicalinformation.Thelanguagetheyusearethematicandstraighttothepoint,conveyingconcretemessages.“Parisisknownaroundtheworldasthe“capitaloflove,”andevenifyoudon'tunderstandthehistoryofParisatall,youcertainlyknowaboutsuchculturalsymbolsastheEiffelTower,theLouvreMuseum,theArcdeTriomphe,andNotre-DamedeParis.Inadditiontovisitingfamoustouristsites,asaculturalcapital,youcanalsoexploretheartmuseumsofParis,strollthroughthe"leftbank"ofartandliterature,lookforstreetartinMontmartre,andvisitthehomesoffamouspersonages.Ofcourse,howcouldyoucometoPariswithouttryingauthenticFrenchcuisine!LeavingasidethetopMichelinthree-starredrestaurantsinParis,thestreetsandalleysareallburstingwithavarietyofFrenchrestaurants.Parisisacitythatwillmeetallyourheart’sdesires!”CHAPTERIVTRANSLATIONSTRATEGIESFORTOURISMADVERTISEMENT4.1TranslationShouldBeDoneintheViewofCross-culturalPerspective.Generallyspeaking,translationpracticefallintoliteraryandnon-literarytranslation.Thetranslationofadvertisementtoalargeextentbelongstonon-literarytranslation,ofwhichthemajorcharacteristicisthattranslatorwouldselectappropriatetranslationstrategiesormethodsbasedonvarioussocial,culturalandcommunicativefactorstodeliverproductstocustomersthatmeetspecificneeds(LiChangshuan,2004;62).Translatorswhohavecross-culturalconsciousnesstrytomaketheeffectofreadingthetranslatedtextascloseaspossibletothatoftheoriginaltext,sinceinterculturalcommunicationawarenessgetthemhighlyfocusonthereaderoftargetedlanguage.Whentranslating,thetranslatorsshouldfirstconsiderfromtheperspectiveofthereaderwhatkindoftextsthereadersarewillingtoreadwitheaseandwithoutcomprehensionproblems.Havingmadethisclear,inthefollowingtranslationwork,foreignelementsinsource-languagetextsbecomepossibletobewelltransformedintoinformationthereaderscaneasilyunderstand.JustasEugeneA.Nida,apioneerinthefieldsoftranslationtheoryandlinguistics,oncesaid(1993):“Fortrulysuccessfultranslating,biculturalismisevenmoreimportantbilingualism.”4.2ForeignizationTranslationForeignizationisthestrategyofretaininginformationfromthesourcetext,andinvolvesdeliberatelybreakingtheconventionsofthetargetlanguagetopreserveitsmeaning.Inaforeignizingtranslationtheculturalaspectsofthesourcetextarekeptasforeignaspossibletothetargetculture,tokeeptheculturalgapassharpaspossible.Thiskindoftranslationkeepsthesentencestructureandexpressionofthesourcelanguagemoreuncensoredandoriginal,andgiveslessconsiderationtothereadinghabitsandunderstandingwayofthetargetaudience.Itisespeciallyobviousinthetranslationexpressionofidiomsorproverbs.Forexample:Tokilltwobirdswithonestone一石二鸟巧妇难为无米之炊Evenacleverhousewifecannotcookamealwithoutrice.ForreaderswhoarefamiliarwithChinese,theliteraltext"一石二鸟",whichhaspreservedtheoriginalfigureofspeech,isatypicalforeignizingtranslation.Onthecontrary,forthewesternEnglishreaderswhodonoteatriceasmainfood,thestraightforwardversion"Evenacleverhousewifecannotcookamealwithoutrice"isalsoatypicalforeignizingtranslation.Chinesetourismadvertisementscarryagreatdealofmessagesabouttradition,fromancienthistorytofolkculture.Inthetranslationoftourismadvertisements,theoriginalcultureshouldbepreservedasfaraspossible,andtheculturalmessagesincludedinthesourcelanguageshouldbedeliveredtothetargetlanguagewhollyandcompletely,sinceforeignizingtranslationcanhighlighttheculturalcharacteristicsofthecountryandenabletouriststoperceivetheelegantdemeanorofChineseculture.Therefore,theprincipleofforeignizationcanplaytheroleof"faxinglocalculture"inthetranslationoftourismadvertising.Forexample:“TheTempleofHeavenisaspecialaltarforemperorsoftheMingandQingdynasties.Here,theyworshiptheheavens,askforrainandprayforagoodharvest.ItisafamousancientbuildinginChina.TheTempleofHeavenisdividedintotwoparts,theInnerAltarandtheOuterAltar.Well-knownstructuressuchastheHallofPrayerforGoodHarvestandtheEchoWallarelocatedintheInnerAltar.WhilevisitingtheTempleofHeaven,touristsgettoexperiencethegrandprayingceremonyofancientemperors,aswellasobservetheingeniousdesignssuchastheEchoWallandtheTripleSoundStones.Thewisdomoftheancientcraftsmenwillnotfailtoimpressyou.”“西安是世界四大古都之一，著名的“丝绸之路”的起点。它曾经叫长安，这是令每一个中国)人自豪的名称。这座城市是中国历史上伟大的都城，中国的周秦汉唐等朝代，都把它作为国家的首都。如今，秦始皇陵静静的在郊外等待着你的到来；或许你还可以在大雁塔下寻找到玄奘的印记；那高大的城墙，述说着六百年来的传奇与故事。西安的当地美食是一定要品尝的，种类众多，充满了中国西北的特色，让旅行者们称赞不已。”“Xi’anCityisoneoftheworld'sfourgreatancientcities,beingmostfamousforitsroleasthestartingpointoftheSilkRoad.Inthepast,itwaspreviouslyknownasChang'an.FamiliartoeveryChineseperson,thisisanamethatevokesasenseofpride.Xi’aniswidelyregardedasthegreatestcityinChinesehistory.DuringimperialdynastiessuchastheZhou,Qin,HanandTang,thiswasthenation'scapitalcity.TheMausoleumofthefirstQinEmperorsitsquietlyontheoutskirtsoftownwaitingtowelcomevisitors.BigWildGoosePagodaoffersadventurefortravelersinsearchoftracesleftbehindbymonkXuanzang.Thetoweringheightsofthecitywallshave600legendsandstoriestotell.Xi’anCity'slocaldelicaciesareamust-try.Therearemanydifferenttypesoffood,allofwhicharecompletelysuffusedwiththecharacteristicsofnorthwesternChina.Theyareallhighlypraised.”“TheLingeringSnowontheBrokenBridgeisoneofthetop10scenicviewsofWestLake.Thenamecomesfromthepartiallymeltedsnowandicethatremainandglistenonthebridgeafteraheavywinterstorm,givingtheallusionthebridgeisbroken.The"brokenbridge"islocatedatthenorthernendofBaiCauseway.ThestoryofXuXianandBaiSuzhenmeetingonthebrokenbridgein"LegendoftheWhiteSnake"addsatouchofromancetothisbridge.Visitorsoftencomeinhopesoffinding‘theone’”.Fromthesethreeexamplesabove,itseemsthattheEnglishversionsaretheword-by-wordtranslation,suchas“TheTripleSoundStones”,“TheEchoWall”,“BigWildGoosePagoda”,“TheLingeringSnowontheBrokenBridge”etc.whichmayconfusesomeoftheforeigners.TheydonotunderstandwhytheemperorsinancientChinaneededtohaveabigprayingceremonythere,whattheceremonywaslike,andwhatitcontained.MeanwhileitisdifficultforthemtofigureouttheconnectionbetweenBigWildGoosePagodaandmonkXuanzang.Andthe“LegendoftheWhiteSnake”isatraditionalChinesefairytalewhichisknownwellformanyChinesepeople,butlittleknownforforeigners.However,itisreallythesethingswhichdifferfromtheirculturalcognitionthatmakeChineseculturedistinctiveandstimulatetheircuriosityanddesirefordiscovery.4.3DomesticationTranslationThestrategyofdomesticationisawayofrevampingthecontextofasourcetexttohaveitmorecoherewiththecultureoftargetlanguagewhichwillinevitablybringaboutthelossoforiginalmessagesfromthesourcetextsoastofocusonthetargetaudience.Thisoccurslargelywhencertainhabitofexpressionisnotexistentintargetculture.Takeforinstancestheproverbstranslatedabove:Tokilltwobirdswithonestone--一箭双雕巧妇难为无米之炊Evenacleverhousewifecannotmakebreadwithoutflour.“一箭双雕”isatypicalChinesefour-characteridiom,whichnotonlycanpreciselyexpressthemeaningoforiginalEnglishproverb,butitisalsomoreacceptabletoChinesereaders.Andforwesternreaderswhosemainfoodarenotricebutbread,thetranslation--“Evenacleverhousewifecannotmakebreadwithoutflour”--ismoreeasytounderstand.Generallyspeaking,domesticationstrategyisusedtobridgeculturalgapbyaddingculturalelementsoftargetlanguagehenceremovingculturalbarriers.Themethodofdomesticatingisbroadlyappliedintourismadvertisements.Tobemorespecific,domesticationcanbeachievedthroughexplanation,wordreplacement,supplement,andomission.Eachofthemwillbeclarifiedinthefollowingsections.4.3.1ExplanationMereliteraltranslation(domesticationtranslation)isnotabletodelivertheuniqueculturalmessageintourismadvertisementstoforeigntourists,henceexplanationmethodisusuallymadetoprovideaneffectivesolutiontothisproblem.Forexample:“LingyinTempleisafamousancientBuddhisttempleinHangzhou.Ithasexistedfor1700years,hiddeninthehillsandsurroundedbyatranquilenvironment.Duetoitshugepopularity,thereisaconstantstreamofbelieversvisitingthetemple,especiallyintheearlymorningoftheLunarNewYear'sDay.ItissaidthatLingyinTempleisveryauspicious,andFeilaiPeakisfamousforitsrelationtofolkheroandfamousBuddhistmonkJigong.EmperorKangxioftheQingDynastyvisitedLingyinTempleduringhistoursdownsouth.”“ThePresidentialPalaceofNanjinghasalonghistoryandprominentreputation.DuringtheQingDynasty,itistheweavingdepartmentofJiangningandtheAdministrativeheadquartersofJiangnan.OnNewYear'sDayin1912,FatherofModernChinaDr.SunYat-senwasappointedastheinterimpresidentatthislocation.SunYat-senusedthisplaceasthepresident’sofficeandmeetingroomthereafter.Sincethen,thepalaceservedasthepresidentialresidenceoftheKuomintanggovernment.ThebuildingisamixtureofChineseandwesternarchitecturalstyles.Itisgenerouslyproportionedandintriguingtolookat.TakeastrollthroughtheparktotrackthefootstepsofSunYat-senandunderstandtheever-changingnatureofhistory.”Forforeignreaders,iftheydonotknowwhoisJigongorwhoisSunYat-sen,andwhataresospecialaboutthem,thentheymaylosetheessenceofthesetwospots;therefore,translatorgivesexplanationstothesetwofiguresrespectively.Thatis“folkheroandfamousBuddhistmonk”and“FatherofModernChina”.Givenexplanations,foreignerscanreceivemoreinformationandhaveadeepimpressiononit.4.3.2WordReplacementAnothereffectivewayusedintranslatingonlinetourismadvertisementsisthatofwordreplacement.Sometimestheexpectationoffindinganequivalentforawordinanotherlanguagemayfailmostoftranslator.Eventhesubtlechangecanleadtomisunderstandingoftargetaudiences.Therefore,itisessentialtousethemostsuitablewordorchoosethealternativestoreplacetheoriginalonesinordertoavoidmisleadingforeigners.Forexample:“曲院风荷”isabeautifulscenicspotofWestLakeinHangzhouanditisnottranslatedinto“WindyLotusinWindingCourtyard”,becauseinEnglish,“windy”means“markedbyorexposedtostrongwinds(TheNewOxfordEnglish-ChineseDictionary,SecondEdition).So,“WindyLotusinWindingCourtyard”deliversanunpleasantimage:Lotusisbotheredbystrongwind.Heretranslatoruses“Breeze-ruffled”toreplace“Windy”,creatingapleasingandrelaxingpictureinreader’smind.Asfortheexample2,theadjective“Great”wasusedratherthan“New”before“Olympics”.ThisreplacementofwordssuggestthattheOlympicsheldinBeijingwasnewinformandgreatinnature.4.3.3SupplementSupplementmethodisusedwhennamesofpersonsorhistoricsites,literaryclassicsareincludedintourismmaterials.UnlikeChinesereaderswhomayknowthemwell,itisessentialtoappendsomebackgroundmessagestohelpforeignaudiencesbetterunderstandthecontent.Forinstance:“TheConfuciusTemplewasoriginallybuiltintheSongDynastytocommemorateConfucius.ItislocatedbesideGongyuanStreetonthenorthbankofQinhuaiRiver.However,thetemplewasdestroyedandrebuiltseveraltimes.Thecurrenttemplewasrebuiltin1987afteritwasdestroyedbyJapaneseAggressorsduringWWII.Currently,thetempleisthemainscenicspotoftheQinhuaiRiverScenery.ItalsoincludestheChinaImperialExaminationMuseumandXueGong(TheImperialAcademy).AttheConfuciusTemple,youcanadmirea6-meter-highhugeportraitofConfuciusand38muralpaintingsreflectingthelifestoryofConfucius.”“LocatedatthefootofthebeautifulCangshanMountain,DaliAncientCityisthecapitalofancientNanzhaoandDalicountries.Withaslowpacelifestyle,arelativelywarmclimateandbeautifulnaturalsurroundings,itisaveryconduciveplaceforliving.Combingtheancientcityforartsyshopsandhipstercafesisaverytherapeuticandthrillingexperience.Thethirdandfourthmonthofthelunarcalendarisfilledwithalotoflocalfestivals.ThefamousSanYueJieor"ThirdMonthStreet",isthebiggestfestivaloftheyearforlocalBaipeople.Merchantscomefromfarandwidetosetupstreetmarketsandselltheirinterestingarrayofgoods.Therearealsohorseracing,archeryandothercompetitionsthroughouttheday.Joininthefunifyouhappentobethere!”Translatoraddsalotofadditionalinformationintexts.Inexample1,inordertoletforeignersknowthehistoryofTheConfuciusTemplemoreclearly,translatortoldthatitwasonceruinedbyaggressiveforce,thetimeofreconstruction,andwhatareincludedinside(theChinaImperialExaminationMuseumandXueGong).Astotheexample2,translatordescribedindetailwhatwouldhappenduring“ThirdMonthStreet”,makingtheChinesetraditionalfestivalmoreclearandappealingtotheforeigners.4.3.4OmissionOmissionmethodismainlyadoptedinthecaseoffloweryandlongdescription.Chinesetourismadvertisementisusuallyfullofbeautifullanguage,usingbombasticwordsanddifferentrhetoricdevices.Whentranslating,translatorshoulddeletemostofthemandtransformthemintoconciseandsimpleexpressioninaccordwiththereadinghabitsofforeigners.Forexample:“ErhaiLakeislocatedontheeasternsideoftheancientcityofDaliatthefootofMountCangshan.AsoneofthemostfamousviewsinDali,itisadestinationyoumustnotmiss!Thescenerythereisspectacular!”“杭州西湖如明镜，千峰凝翠，洞壑幽深，风光奇丽。”“TheWestLakeislikeamirror,embellishedwithgreenhillsanddeepcavesofenchantingbeauty.”Theverseorfour-characterphraseshighlypreferredinChinesewritingareremovedinEnglishversion.Translatorsshouldnotbeboundbysuchlanguageformsandtranslatethetextsmechanically,whichwouldonlymakethemverboseandtedious.Toputitmorepragmatically,theycantranslateinlinewiththerealmeaningthetextstrytoconvey.4.4CreativeTranslationCreativetranslationisnotmerelysubstitutingwordsintarget-languageforwordsinsource-language.Creativetranslationrequiresaflexibleapproachthatsuitsthetargetaudience.Translationthatcatchesonlytheliteralmeaningwillnotconveythemessageappropriatelyandmightnotevenmakesense.Creativetranslationwillmakethecontenthavethesameeffectivenessandconveythesameimpressionastheoriginalsourcetext.Increativetranslation,higherpriorityisplacedonconveyingtheinformationeffectivelyandusinginnovativeexpressionsandwording.Forinstance:“DianchiLakeisalsocalledKunmingLake.ItisthesixthlargestfreshwaterlakeinChina.Ithasthenicknameof‘SparklingPearlEmbeddedinaHighland’.Thelakeiswideandspectacular.”“桂林山水甲天下”“EastorWest,GuilinLandscapeistheBest”Translatordidnotmechanicallytranslatethe“五百里滇池”into“Five-hundredMileDianchi”,whichsoundsboringandlacksasenseofbeauty.Instead,thetranslatedversionof“SparklingPearlEmbeddedinaHighland”ismoreappealingandfascinating.Asregardtothesecondexample,thereisanothertranslatedversion--“ThesceneryofGuilinisunparalleledintheworld.”Comparingthesetwoversions,theauthorconsidersthefirstonethebestbyvirtueofitsbeautifulrhythmandmelody.Insummary,althoughtheoriginallinguisticformischanged,theexpressionismorenative-like,andthecontentorsemanticmeaningisnotweakened,butratherstrengthened.CONCLUSIONThisthesismainlyfallsintothediscussionofthedisparityoftourismadvertisementontheInternetfromtwodifferentlanguages,thecomparisonoftwocultures,andsomesuggestionsfortranslationstrategytohopefullyachievesatisfactoryresultswithtourismadvertisementtranslation.IntheanalysisofthespecificcharacteristicsoftheadvertisementlanguageinbothChineseandEnglish,thevariousstylesofadvertisingfromtwosidesbecomeclearandmakereadershaveafinecomprehensionofwhattourismadvertisementsarecomposedof.Ontheonehand,themajorprincipleofEnglishtourismadvertisementontheInternetisbeingconciseandsimple,whetheritisintheaspectofchoiceofwordsorthesentencestructure.TheformofEnglishtourismadvertisementsisusuallyassimpleaspossible.Besides,theonlineadvertisementspreferusingpersonalpronouns,normally‘‘We/You’’,tonaturallycre