Cultural Differences Between Chinese and English Color Words and Their Translation

刘艳丽

重庆师范大学涉外商贸学院

Cultural Differences Between Chinese and English Color Words and Their Translation

刘艳丽

重庆师范大学涉外商贸学院

1.Introduction

Over the past two decades,the focus of language change has shift⁃ed to the focus of cultural transfer.Translation is seen as a cross-cul⁃tural communication.Cross-cultural translation in this context means the transfer of culture in language translation.Therefore,the language must be closely related to culture.In the translation,we not only con⁃vert one language into another language,but also transfer a culture to another culture.Thus,translation is not only intercultural communica⁃tion,but also intercultural communication.We are becoming aware that proper cultural transfer will be more difficult than the good transi⁃tion of language.Good translations require accurate cultural transfer, which also applies to translating color terms.We know that the inevita⁃ble existence of cultural differences encoded in Chinese and English color terms determines the impossibility of a complete transfer of cul⁃ture.The focus of the paper is on cultural differences and how they ap⁃pear in the process of translation.

2.Color Wors and Translation

Color words are an important part of almost all human language vocabularies.Like other words,color words,connotation meaning,con⁃ceptual meaning.Therefore,they also belong to the definition of cul⁃ture,with a strong national culture personality.Each country has its own color concept,the concept of color is an important part of cultural concepts.English and Chinese,as a long history of language,rich color discourse.Because of the same characteristics of human culture and the influence of different cultures,the same color words usually have the same relevance.However,different geographical conditions,ethnic customs,history,political economy,national psychology and other fac⁃tors lead to different cultural ties between the two languages.Naturally, English color words may be opaque to Chinese culture.Misunderstand⁃ings and misunderstandings have occurred,even in the serious prob⁃lem of communication.Therefore,the correct translation of color words become more and more urgent,which is also conducive to cultural ex⁃changes,is conducive to enrich the culture of both sides.

3.Literature Review

3.1 Studies on color words

In the pursuit of better understanding about color vision and col⁃or perception,Different theories have been proposed,each attempting to provide a more viable explanation than others.These competition contrasts sometimes greatly improves our understanding of the relation⁃ship between color vision,color vision and color code.Look at these relevant,we have the opportunity to see the development of changes and cognitive knowledge affect the color word theory.

There are three schools of philosophy school,psical school（or purpose）and sensational（or subjective）school have made great con⁃tributions to epistemology,vision and colour.A brief review of the phil⁃osophical thinking of this issue may help to gain insight into the impor⁃tance of researchers.

In this regard,many of their perspectives have been raised by an ongoing academic pursuit,many of which are generated either by elab⁃orating their original arguments or criticizing their earlier assumptions. Overall,it seems that those who follow the Aristotelian in the tradition⁃al reflection of the color of the shock more interested；those who ac⁃cept the color of Platon is more interested in the experience of the in⁃terpretation of color.Mike Laurie（1991）in the comparison of the terms of the two Mayan languages,Tzeltal and Tzotzil.The social envi⁃ronment of two languages.Thus,although the former changes can be seen as"the general physiological parameters of individual cognitive change",the conservative tension is"preserved in the traditional and new"sense in the latter group.

3.2 The Relationship between color words and culture

After the contrast we find that there are both similarities and dif⁃ferences in the usage of color terms,Because people's views are the same in some ways,other opinions are different because of the differ⁃ence between observation and understanding.Language itself is only a sign of things and ideas,but users of different cultures have given them a specific meaning,that is,natural culture.

The relationship between culture and language is a suitable pa⁃rameter,found in Kandinsky's theory of color,with a legal background painter,his philosophy,systematic view and efforts to expand the color painting,music,and psychological elements of Aristotle:"this is inter⁃esting,but it is certainly not enough,in order to create a special Euro⁃pean the theory of art.Geographical and other external conditions are not important factors（at least not the only）,on the contrary,it is the "national"internal content differences,especially in the field of art, which is the first and decisive factor.It's enough for my black mourn⁃ing and china...White clothes are black and white,our world is no big contrast.".However,at this point,the relationship between these two kinds of color,it is profound,rather than directly discernible,both are silent.

As a part of language,color terms and the expressions with them embody the culture while culture is transmitted through them.Such ex⁃pressions as''红娘''''红白喜事''，''黄榜''，"black Friday","blue rib⁃bon",and"to be born to the purple"are highly cultural-bound.

4.Characteristics of the Color Terms

4.1 Basic color words

Color words are almost the same in both English and Chinese,a theory put forward by the linguists is:there are eleven basic color words in the world.The English basic color words refer to:red,yellow, blue,green,black,white,brown,purple,pink,orange and grey,where⁃as in Chinese they are“黑，白，红，绿，蓝，黄，紫，褐，灰，青，绛”.In Chinese daily life,people always mention seven colors,they are赤（red）橙（orange）黄（yellow）绿（green）青（indigo）蓝（blue）紫（pur⁃ple）.The basic color words used commonly both in English and Chi⁃nese.

4.2 Color words indicating colors of objects

In addition,there are also a great number of secondary color words.They represent the colors of the objects,which are rich in num⁃bers.They can be described in a vivid and accurate way of color,detail and flexibility.At the same time,body color words can exaggerate and associate the role of color in the description.They can also be used to express the author's attitude,emotion and attitude.For instance,apple represents a color of light green,it does in Chinese“淡绿色”，it is not specific to use the word"green"or succinct of the word"light green". Apple is people's favorite fruit,when people describe the color with apple,they are easy to understand.There are many kinds of these words,such as:

The words to describe black:raven—乌鸦jet—煤玉

The words to describe light green:apple—苹果olive—橄榄

The words to describe light yellow:flax—亚麻lemo—柠檬

The words to describe bright red:cherry—樱桃flame—火焰

The words to describe white:lily—水仙snow—雪

In a word,the color words indicating colors of objects make thedescription of the colors more vividly and accurately.

4.3 The similarities and differences of color words between Eng⁃lish and Chinese

Through the study of the cultural connotations of the basic color words in English and Chinese,we can find out the similarities and dif⁃ferences between them.According to the Sapir Wolf hypothesis,differ⁃ent languages have different colors and may vary in different cultural meanings.However,these differences are not covenant.Sapir and wol⁃fram seems to emphasize the language structure or language diversity and common features of the language of the world.Similarities.It not on⁃ly reflects the culture,but also makes a great contribution to cross-cul⁃tural communication.For example,"red"and"red"means"revolu⁃tion",but the former is mostly used to negate the meaning and the lat⁃ter.If the Chinese don't know the difference,they don't understand why some people are wary of red,especially in politics.

Another argument is that the linguistic determinism of Sapir Whorf is incorrect.Different nations have different colors and different colors,different colors,different colors,but it is difficult to determine whether the language determines the mind or the mind determines the language,because the relationship between them is interrelated.Lan⁃guage and culture are closely related.Language has certain influence on thinking,and thinking,in turn,affects the category and structure of language.

In addition,there is a close relationship between color words and color perception.It is generally believed that if a color name does not exist in a culture,this does not mean that it can not perceive the color of the country.We can distinguish the same color,"with the develop⁃ment of science and technology,including the invention of chemical dyes and to produce different color brightness and saturation,the de⁃velopment trend in a large number of traces of color words,leaving on⁃ly a little.（Macneil 1972:23）in terms of the development of color words in any other language,the importance of necessity and function is the determining factor,and such development seems to depend on one's interest.

4.4 The contrastive analysis of cultural connotation of color terms between Chinese and English

4.4.1 Black and黑

In Western countries,black is the color of mourning,so wear a very rude,unluc.In Europe,the fourteenth century was a deadly plague.It swept the United Kingdom,no victims,a large number of peo⁃ple died,resulting in huge economic losses.As a catastrophic disease, people named it"black death"and"black"as a symbol of disaster and death.

In addition,Westerners think that"black"and evil spirits have some kind of connection.Judah,the betrayer,had a black aperture on his head；Jesus appeared in black when he was tempted by the devil. Thus,the color words"black"and"black"are related to"evil".

4.4.2 White and白

Most people in the world,including the British and the Chinese, see the white as the color of the East and the west,and the sun and the sun,so there are two opposite meanings:the light and the dark.In Chi⁃na,the meaning of light and the concept of double philosophy,also known as Yin and Yang,it is argued that the world is composed of two relative Yin and Yang:Yin and Yang respectively.For most Chinese and Westerners,white has a similar meaning:bright,pure and naive.

White is the most sacred color of Christianity,it is reflected in the belief that Jesus and his angels wear white clothes.The meaning of commendative is also reflected in the wedding.In western countries, the wedding is called the"white wedding",because the bride wearing white clothes,wearing white gloves and shoes；wedding horse riding by white horse,white horse wearing a white hat.

5.Research Status Color Words translation

British scholar Gladstone（W.Gladstone）first proposed and dis⁃cussed the problem of color words.He compared the two ancient Greek epic"Iliad"and"Odyssey"in the description of some color statement that ancient Greek Homeric only a few abstract color words,their meaning is often vague.He believes that this is due to the color of the ancient Greeks have organ defects,their color discrimination ability than modern people developed.

The first half of twentieth Century,with the"Sabuer Wolf hypoth⁃esis"as the theoretical basis of"linguistic relativity"theory,this theo⁃ry has been widely welcomed by.Agree with the views of scholars be⁃lieve that the language of each nationality is different,specific to the color words,the conclusion is that people for the understanding of col⁃or is different,is simply because the language is different,so there is no unified understanding of the category of color in the color words, which is not agree with the different language users have the same un⁃derstanding of color words.

With the development of modern science and technology,at⁃tempts to explain the mysteries of the visual cortex activity of cortical neurophysiology,relationship between visual system from the field of people's.Psychologists also want to find out the relationship between the human and the color of the language from the psychological point of view.In the twentieth century,the development of biological genet⁃ics has led us to solve the mystery of the differences of individual color perception through the research of gene and cloning technology.

Domestic research status.

Study on color words of domestic scholars pay more attention to the color words and Chinese color words compared the original transla⁃tion,there are a lot of achievements in this area are discussed,such as:"English"color words"and Chen Hong's"small dragon"transla⁃tion,contrastive color symbol color".Tens of thousands of the prosperi⁃ty of confusion:translation of"notes","Application of English color words true translation of the EBU.

Color words are widely used in the field of literary creation,and some scholars are devoted to the discussion of the role of color words in literary creation.As in"Lang Xiaojuan started in the literary works of Zhou Yanyun's speech meaning"color words"in"the catcher in the rye the symbol meaning of the color analysis",Zhao Xiaochi's"Wang Wei poetry research the meaning of color words,"Li Minhong"from the color words fuzzy Wang Jun Heng Tang,"color words reality""a super Yanyin Mo novel color word"diligent",Eileen Chang's prose language color features".Through the analysis of the rhetoric of color words in literary works,scholars have extended the study of color words from the field of linguistics to the field of literature,and further expanded and enriched the study of color words.

6.Conclusion

Based on the results of many studies,this paper mainly compares and analyzes the culture of basic color terms in Chinese and Chinese, and introduces several strategies in translating color terms.

By comparing the cultural connotations of basic color terms be⁃tween English and Chinese,we can learn more about what is happen⁃ing in people's minds,languages and cultures.However,cultural differ⁃ences are difficult to eliminate,cultural distance also increases.Howev⁃er,as cultural adaptation becomes more frequent,cultural methods contribute to the cultural distance of the compensation method will continue to be improved,the most concise expression will be used to make the cultural distance to the maximum extent.

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