Cultural Differences between Chinese and English in Translation

Jiang Cui

【Abstract】Through long historical development， Chinese and English both embody their unique cultures and these cultural differences may cause different understandings and interpretations of the same object or concept.

【Keywords】cultural differences； translation； Chinese； English

【基金項目】本文系内蒙古河套学院校级教学课题“大数据时代基于慕课的‘翻转课堂教学模式探究——以河套学院《英汉互译》为例”（HTXYJY16002）阶段性成果。

【中图分类号】H31 【文献标识码】A 【文章编号】2095-3089（2017）42-0102-02

I. Introduction

As we all know， translation involves not only a transfer between languages but also a communication between cultures. Through long historical development， each ethnic group has deposited its unique cultural features because of living surroundings， histories， traditions， religions etc. Sometimes， different understandings and interpretations of the same object or concept in Eastern and Western culture may become obstacles in translation.

II. Culture

2.1 Definition of Culture

Culture is a very popular topic which has been studied by scholars for many years. No doubt， everyone in the world is influenced by culture throughout his whole life.

The oldest and most quoted definition of culture was provided by Edward Taylor who defines： Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge， belief， art， morals， law， customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.[1]

2.2 Categories of Culture

Different ways of classifying culture have been proposed， among which the widely-used one is put forward by Eugene Nida， who categorizes culture into five sub-types： ecological culture， material culture， social culture， religious culture and linguistic culture.[2]

III. Cultural Differences between Chinese and English in Translation

3.1 Ecological Culture

Different geographical locations and living surroundings determine peoples different cognition of nature， which results in different words and expressions of ecological culture.

China is an agricultural country with cattle as chief farming animal， therefore， in Chinese we have “力大如牛”， “像牛一样勤劳”. However， England is an oceanic country， so there are many expressions related to sea， boat， fish and water， such as “all at sea”， “burn ones boats”， “drink like a fish”， “spend money like water” etc.

Different ecology causes different likes and dislikes towards the same animal， such as dog. Dogs are common animals in China and Britain. However， there is a sharp contrast between Chinese “狗”and English “dog”. In Chinese， “狗” is associated with derogatory connotations， as is in “狐朋狗友”， “狼心狗肺”， “狗腿子” and “狗嘴里吐不出象牙” etc. Conversely， “dog” is associated with commendatory meanings， as is in “lucky dog”， “Every dog has his day”， “Love me， love my dog” etc.

3.2 Material Culture

Generally speaking， material culture ranges widely over words for food， clothing， shelter and means of travel etc.

Take clothing as an example. In traditional China， there are “长衫”， “旗袍”， “中山装” and “唐装” while in English there are “jacket”， “tuxedo”， “jeans” etc.

Another example is food. In China， we have “饺子”， “豆腐”， “馄饨” and “元宵” etc. which have no counterparts in English. Similarly， in English， we have “salad”， “coffee”， “hamburger” and “hot dog”， which can not find their counterparts in Chinese too. Towards this， so we often employ transliteration to deal with them. However， it is difficult to restore the original cultural meanings of these words through transliteration.

3.3 Religious Culture

Every nation has its own religion because of its special historical course of evolution and development. The great difference in Chinese and Western religion poses a big barrier for translators to understand words and expressions loaded with religious culture.

Chinese are deeply influenced by Confucianism， Taoism and Buddhism， so they worship “佛”，“菩萨”and “天” who have power over nature and human affairs. As a result， there are many related expressions， such as “借花献佛”， “临时抱佛脚”， “观音菩萨”， “天命不可违” etc.

Westerners are deeply influenced by Christianity， so they believe in “God”， who is thought all-powerful. In English， there are many expressions about God， such as “God helps those who help themselves”， “God help me”， “please God”etc.

3.4 Social Culture

Social culture mainly deals with greetings， addressing terms， kinship terms and color etc. Lets take color as an example. In Chinese， “red” means happiness， while “white” means funeral and sorrow. However， in English， “white” symbolizes purity and dignity， while “red” is associated with revolution and blood.[3] For example， Chinese phrase “开门红” means “a good beginning”， while English phrase “to see red” means “very angry or lose ones temper”. Chinese expression “眼红” is translated into “green-eyed” in English.

Besides color， kinship terms are also a big problem. In Chinese， we have many different kinship terms， such as “叔叔”， “伯伯”， “舅舅”， “姨夫”， “姑父”， while in English， these kinsmen are all called “uncle”. Likewise， “姨媽”， “姑姑”， “舅母”， “婶婶” are called “aunt” in English.

3.5 Linguistic Culture

Chinese belongs to Sino-Tibetan language family while English Indo-European one， so there are many differences between them. Words and expressions embodying linguistic cultures can be reflected in some idioms. Chinese idioms are typical of four-character structures while English idioms arent restricted by this.

Some Chinese and English idioms have the same or similar metaphorical objects or meaning， and are easy to deal with in translation， such as “火上浇油” （to add fuel to fire）， “空中楼阁” （castle in the air）， “隔墙有耳” （walls have ears）， “一贫如洗” （as poor as a church mouse） etc.

However， there are still some idioms with special cultural metaphorical objects， which can not find their counterparts in English， such as “东施效颦”， “南柯一梦”， and “叶公好龙” etc.

IV. Conclusion

In translation， one of the most difficult barriers is the translation of words and expressions with specific cultural connotations because they are direct reflections of the unique SL culture. The correct rendering of them plays a crucial role in introducing SL culture to TL ones. Therefore， as the medium between two languages and cultures， translators must be both bilingual and bi-cultural. That is to say， translators should have a profound knowledge of TL culture as well as SL culture.

References：

[1]Tylor， E. B. Primitive Culture. London： John Marray.1871.

[2]Nida， E. A. Language and Culture： Contexts in Translating. Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.2001.

[3]邵志洪.《漢英对比翻译导论》，上海：华东理工大学出版社.2005.

作者简介：

蒋翠（1978-），女，汉族，山东曲阜人，硕士研究生，河套学院外国语言文学系讲师，研究方向：外国语言学及应用语言学。