浅谈英汉翻译中的文化因素

Contents11.0 Introduction of culture (1)2.0 Language, Culture & Translation ......................................... .2 2.1 Idioms (2)2.1.1 English and Chinese idioms sharing the same meanings andcultural images (2)2.1.2 English and Chinese idioms sharing the similar meanings butdifferent cultural images (3)2.1.3 Translation of idioms not restricted to only one version (3)2.2 Communications with peopl e of different background (4)2.2.1 Communications in a restaurant (4)2.2.2 An embarrassing answer (4)2.3 Animals that bear different cultural connotations (5)2.4 Colors that have different cultural bearings (6)2.4.1 B lue (6)2.4.2 White (6)2.4.3 Black (7)3.0 Conclusion (7)Cultural Factors in English and Chinese TranslationAbstract: This article discusses the influence of cultural factors on translation. Translation is to convey a message of one language into another language. It might not be so easy to get along well with your foreign friends because you have different cultures. You want to be friendly and to show your hospitality towards them when you say or do something. Even if your words or action are acceptable in the Chinese culture might be understood as impolite. So the cultural factors play a very important role in translation.Keywords: cultural factors, English and Chinese translationAfter entering the WTO, we have now got more chances to do business with European countries. Obviously, English, used by most of the countries, makes our communication much easier. So if you can master English, it will help you a lot in your business. Since the cultural factors play a very important role in translation, it is necessary for us to learn the cultures of the English speaking countries. Then you can understand them much better and communicate with them more successfully.1.0Introduction of cultureCulture is an extremely complex concept and an enormous subject as well. It includes almost everything in the world, whether material or spiritual. But however complex it is, culture can roughly be divided into three categories: the material culture, which refers to all the products of manufacture; the institutional culture which refers to various systems and theories that support them, such as social systems, religious systems, ritual systems, educational systems, kinship systems and language; and the mental culture, which refers to people's mentality and behaviors, their thought patterns, beliefs, conceptions of value, aesthetic tastes.1These three aspects of culture have been formed through a long history of social development. Different countries have undergone different historical developments and thus have had different cultures. Therefore, the English native speakers and the Chinese native speakers have their own cultures.2.0Language, Culture & Translation1/revue/meta/1999/v44/n1/002224ar.html“Every language is part of a c ulture. As such, it cannot but serve and reflect cultural needs.”2In turn, language is a carrier of the culture in which it has been born and developed. In a sense, learning a language is also a kind of learning the culture and habits of the country where the language is spoken. Therefore, how to deal with the cultural factors in translation has become a very important task for the learners of the language.2.1 Idioms“Idioms consist of set phrases and short sentences” and “idioms are expressions that are not readily understandable from their literal meanings of individual elements.”3Idioms, as an indispensable part of a language, are naturally related to the culture from which they have been derived. They are characterized by their colorful and thought-provoking expressions, involving history, religion, social customs and other aspects of the culture. In other words, they are a typical carrier of the culture. In the translation of the idioms, special attention should be paid to the cultural factors involved.2.1.1 English and Chinese idioms sharing the same meanings and cultural imagesHere are some examples:(1) Seeing is believing 眼见为实；百闻不如一见(2) Turn a deaf ear 置若罔闻(3) Draw the curtain 落下帷幕(4) Pour oil on the flame 火上浇油(5) Facts speak louder than words. 事实胜于雄辩(6) Strike while the iron is hot. 趁热打铁The above are literal translations. But they are not the only versions, and other expressions are acceptable only if they have similar meanings to and fit in the original context. There are also some examples:(7) Tom told John he had passed the test, but John said, “Seeing is believing.”2Zhuanglin Hu and others, Course of Language (Beijing: Beijing University Press,1988) p.250. 3Weiyou Zhang, English Lexicology (Beijing: Foreign language Teaching & Reach Press,1998) p.174.My translation: 汤姆告诉约翰他通过了考试，但约翰说：“耳听为虚，眼见为实”。