1 汉英翻译 基础文化

Ⅱ Chinese-English Translation & Culture

2.1 文化的定义 Culture is a term that has many different related meanings. (REFERENCES: p.15) In the twentieth century, "culture" emerged as a concept central to anthropology, encompassing all human phenomena that are not purely results of human genetics. However,“culture” is most commonly used in three basic senses:

Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture; An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning; The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group.

2.1 文化的定义本教材将文化定义为： 文化是人类在社会历史发展 过程中所创造的物质财富和 精神财富的总和。(《现代汉语字典》第一条定义)

2.2 文化、语言与汉英翻译的关系 语言与文化密不可分，文化的差 异可以通过语言反映出来。 一、自然条件的差异 汉语文化中，“东风”即“春天 的风”,英国预示春天气息的却是西 风。东风在中国文学作品中频繁出现， 如：“东风夜放花千树”、“等闲识 得东风面，万紫千红总是春”等。而 东风在英国呢？例如：

Biting east winds; a piercing east wind; how many winter days have I seen him, standing blue-nosed in the snow and east wind! 刺骨的东风/冬风；刺骨的东 风/冬风；许多冬日我都看见他哆 嗦地/冻的发紫地站立在风雪中。可见东风在英国是刺骨的寒风。 西风在英国为暖风，代表春天的来临。

再如，英国是一个岛国，渔业和航海业 发达，看以下词语：waste money like water 花钱如流水 fish in the air 水中捞月 have other fish to fry 另有要事/另有企图 drink like a fish 牛饮 a cold fish 冷漠的人 All is fish that comes to one s net. 凡能到手的都要 You can t make a crab walk straight. 江山易改，本性难移。 She sailed through the hall. 她自由自在地走过大厅。

Tip:只有具备相关背景知识，才能更好地理解文化词汇的含义，从而准 确进行翻译。

二、习俗的差异 汉英习俗的差异是多方面的。如 对狗的态度：狗在汉语文化中是一种 卑微的动物，与狗相关得表达一般含 有贬义，如： 走狗 running dogs 狗腿子 pawn; henchman 狗仗人势 like a dog threatening people on the strength of its master s power -- be a bully under the protection of a powerful person; A dog bites on the strength of his master s position

狗眼看人低 act like a snob 狼心狗肺 be as cruel as a wolf; cruel and unscrupulous; brutal and coldblooded; completely without conscience 英语文化中人们则欣赏狗的勇敢 和忠诚，如“a lucky dog(幸运儿)”、 “Love me, love my dog(爱屋及 乌)”、“Every dog has his

day(凡 人皆有得意日)”等。

但随着文化交流的深入，很多文化元素 得到了融合，比如“马”,汉语中马有迅速、 力量的意思。如成语“快马加鞭”、“马不 停蹄”。西方人爱赌马, 有赛马这项比赛, 与马相关的短语也有很多：

a willing horse 肯干的人 to work like a horse 努力工作，在汉语里马 也经常比喻为吃苦耐劳的象征。 a dark horse 实力难测的竞争者。我国常说 的竞赛场中的“黑马“,就是一个外来词， 与英语意义有所不同，但都有出其不意的意 思。 to change horse 调换领导，在这里，马是 领头的意思，而中国有“执牛耳”与之相关。

2.2 中英思维方式对比2.2.1 中国人注重伦理(Ethics); 英美人注重认知(Cognition)

“以儒家为代表的先哲对世界的认识 主要不是出于对自然奥秘的好奇，而是出 于对现实政治和伦理道德的关注”。儒家 思想“关心的是人道，而非天道，是人生 之理，而非自然之性”。而海洋性地理环 境中发展起来的英美文化促使英美人对天 文地理的浓厚兴趣，使他们形成了探求自 然的奥秘，向自然索取的认知传统。

实例： 顺其自然 Let nature take its course in accordance with its natural tendency 听其自然 leave the matter as it is; take the world as it is 听天安命 accept the situation 听天由命 be at the mercy of nature; be left to God s mercy; let fate have its way; submit the will of Heaven; wait for one s fateREFERENCES: p.19

2.2.2 中国人重整体(integrity)、重综合 性(synthetic)思维;英美人重个体 (inpiduality)、重分析性(analytic)思维它收敛了它的花纹、图案，隐藏了它的粉墨、 彩色，逸出了繁华的花丛、停止了它翱翔的姿态， 变成了一张憔悴的，干枯了的，甚至不是枯黄的， 而是枯槁的，如同死灰颜色的枯叶。 (徐迟---- 枯叶蝴蝶) When it gathers its wings full of exquisite patterns, it conceals its beautiful colors. When it flutters out from a cluster of blooming flowers and alights somewhere in the middle of its graceful flight, it turns into a dried leaf, not even of a withering yellow, but of a deathly grey.

上联(The first line of a couplet): 南通州，北通州，南北通州通南北 South Tongzhou, North Tongzhou, North and South Tongzhou lead to the North and the SouthNote:Tongzhou is a district in southeast Beijing, China.

下联(The second line of a couplet): 春读书，秋读书，春秋读书读春秋 古学者，今学者，古今学者学古今 东当铺，西当铺，东西当铺当东西

2.2.3 中国人重直觉(intuition)、重形象 思维(figurative thinking);英美人重实证 (evidence)、重逻辑思维(logical thinking)

中国人的形象思维体现在用具体形 象的词语比喻抽象的事物，以物表感、 状

物言志。 如： 明枪易躲，暗箭难防 It is easy to dodge a spear thrust in the open, but difficult to guard against an arrow shot from hiding.

再如： 脚踩两只船 straddle two boats; have a foot in either camp 脚踏实地 have a down-to-earth manner 蒙在鼓里 be kept in the dark 胆小如鼠 be chicken-hearted/ as timid as a mouse另外，汉语的量词数量多，文化内涵丰富、 生动，也是形象化的体现。如：一面镜子、一 朵花、一把椅子、一张桌子、一位客人等。