文化中心主义与跨文化交际翻译

【摘要】“文化中心主義”是跨文化交际理论研究中的一个重要概念，是干预人们跨文化交际活动的几大类负面影响之一。本文探讨了文化中心论的定义、形成和特征，指出当前及今后相当一段时间内西方文化中心论将是中西跨文化交际翻译的最主要障碍。文章认为，只有克服不平等的文化心态，才能真正实现翻译在跨文化交际中的历史使命。

【关键词】文化中心主义；跨文化交际；跨文化交际翻译；障碍

【Abstract】Cultural ethnocentrism is an important concept in the study of intercultural communication theory， and it is one of the negative effects interfering intercultural communication activities. This paper explores the definition， formation and characteristics of the ethnocentrism theory， and points out that it will be the major obstacle in the translation of Chinese and Western intercultural communication. The article holds that only if we overcome the unequal cultural mentality， can we truly realize the historical mission of translation in intercultural communication.

【Key words】Cultural Ethnocentrism； intercultural communication； translation of intercultural communication； obstacles

【作者简介】范超，成都理工大学。

Introduction

The diversity of human culture is an important factor and an important condition for constructing a rich and colorful world， which is also the prerequisite and foundation for a continuous development of intercultural communication both in theory and practice. But the problem we need to pay attention to is that ethnocentrism is a traditional foothold that people generally adopt in intercultural communication， which uses its own standards prevailing in the world of its life to observe and judge other cultures. With the increasing entering of foreign cultures into peoples daily life， ethnocentrism spreads widely throughout the world， and the scope of influence is growing tremendously. Therefore， this article has done some considerations and discussions on the negative influence of ethnocentrism in intercultural communication and translation of it and how we should deal with such problems.

1. Cultural ethnocentrism and intercultural communication

The culture of different nationalities should be regarded as an indispensable part of the human cultural system in intercultural communication and we should see them as equal as ourselves and give them equal status （Samovar & Porter 1994）. All the people in the world are products at certain time and in certain space， having experienced a social process of pushing attitudes of ethnocentrism forward consciously or unconsciously. How can mankind live peacefully on this little earth in the twenty-first century？In order to solve this kind of question， we have to build a system promoting mutual understanding， tolerance and coexistence which is called intercultural communication.

2. Cultural ethnocentrism and translation of intercultural communication

Ethnocentrism is the main obstacle in the translation of Chinese and Western intercultural communication at present and it will last for a long time. The influence of ethnocentrism inflected on translation is the phenomenon of inequality in translation. As we all know that as for the translators individual， the result of the translation depends on his or her personal values， subjective awareness， including motivation， emotions and other factors. However， viewed from the overall perspective of the translation cause， the choice and results of translation are restricted by dominated culture from the beginning to the end.

2.1 Cultural ethnocentrism obstructs intercultural dialogue

Intercultural dialogue is necessary for intercultural communication， and cultural ethnocentrism is the biggest obstacle for this dialogue. This point can be proved by the history of Chinese and Western cultural dialogue. Although the Chinese cultural ethnocentrism does not deny the existence of Western culture， but it believes that China does not need the West. This inevitably leads to the psychological exclusion of cultural communication. Cultural translation expert Andre Lefevere argues that “those who think that their cultures are at the world center is impossible to deal with the culture of others， unless it is forced” （Andre Lefevere 1998：13）. Western cultural centralists emphasize the universal standards of their cultures and can not engage themselves in equal dialogues with other cultures.

2.2 Cultural ethnocentrism makes translation lose its meaning

As we all know that as for the translators individual， the result of the translation depends on his or her personal values， subjective awareness， including motivation， emotions and other factors. However， viewed from the overall perspective of the translation cause， the choice and results of translation are restricted by dominated culture from the beginning to the end. For example， When Buddhism was introduced into the China where ethnocentrism was prevailed at that time， and then the image of the Indians became less and less day by day， and gradually became the image of Chinese emperors and even the local people in the end. Venuti pointed out that Western translators generally using smooth translation theory is the performance of cultural imperialism （Venuti1992：4-5）. This fluent translation erases the cultural differences. This is not so much the cultural exchange， as it is for the sake of domestication of foreign culture by takeover without any permission.

2.3 Cultural ethnocentrism makes translation lose its balance

Intercultural translation should be a two-way cultural exchange activity. But in the term of intercultural translation of Chinese and Western cultures， this two-way communication is totally uncoordinated. The main reason is the cultural ethnocentrism， especially resulted from the impact of Western cultural ethnocentrism. On the one hand， the input of Chinese culture into the West was hindered； on the other side， we are overwhelmed by the Western culture. According to statistics， in 100 the worlds Internet sites with the largest visitors， 94 of them locate in the United States. The web pages using English as the main language account for 80% of all the pages on the Internet， which also makes some people have their self-consciousness， using the Internet for Western cultural output. David Rothkopf， a senior official of the former US Department of Commerce， said that “for the United States， a major goal of foreign policy in the information age must be the victor in the dissemination of information in the world， dominating electric waves just as the British once dominating the sea” when he spoke of the significance of American culture using the Internet to achieve its information dissemination and domination. （Li Xiaodong 2003：33-34）.

3. How can we deal with cultural ethnocentrism

In the intercultural communication， especially when the relationship of both parties is more tense， mutual understanding and tolerance is in urgent need. We have to figure out things of other partys different from us while we have to respect the other nations character. It is important to know about the cultural background of the other side and to consciously avoid disregarding the culture of the other side， and it is very important to clearly and completely perceive the sense of unpleasantness in the communication process， which often happens in the case of minority members， especially children and young people. As long as you have recognized the cultural differences， know how to deal with these differences， and how to respect， protect the members of the group， and to reach a consensus in the same group， intercultural communication will not be so difficult as you think. When people understand these， having a successful intercultural communication is not a challenge any more.

Conclusion

With the deepening development of cultural globalization and global economic integration， human communication is becoming more frequent， and many things which seem to be impossible to communicate or be translated in the past can now be translated well， so that the translatability of translations of intercultural communication can be realized and improved. Only if we deepen the understanding of different cultural language habits， social culture， customs and other micro-cultural knowledge and master some of the communication skills appropriately， can we behave ourselves in the effective and successful intercultural communication. In fact， the development of todays world culture should move towards “live in harmony but diverse”， a plural and interdependent state （Le Dai Yun， 1999）. In the multiculture， the translation is proposed to reflect the cultural mentality of openness and communication， and treat the different languages and cultures well with equal attitude.

Acknowledgements

I would like to first express my deepest gratitude to Professor Hu Yijun， who has given me constant encouragement and guidance throughout the process of lecture learning. Without him， I can not learn much more about translation and intercultural communication. I am really appreciate of the time spent on this lesson because I have know many good people and aquired knowledge of communication with people with different background.

Last but not least， I would like to appreciate my dear friends who have accompanied me when I am alone and support me. Without you， I couldnt be who I am now.

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