商务英语翻译中的英汉语差异.doc

论文编号：

华南师范大学增城学院

本科毕业论文（设计）

题 目： 外贸英文翻译中的英汉语差异

姓 名： 林佳俊
学 号： 060124329
系 别： 外语系
专业班级： 涉外翻译专业
指导教师： 翁涛
2010年 4 月 15 日

On Differences of English and Chinese in Business English Translation

A Thesis Submitted
to the Department of Foreign Languages
Zengcheng College of South China Normal University
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

By Lin Jia Jun
Tutor:WengTao

April 15, 2010

Table of Contents

Abstract iii
中文摘要 iv
1.Introduction 1
2. Causes of Cultural Differences 1
2.1 Differences caused by living environment and social environment 1
2.2 Differences of the religious beliefs 2
2.3 Differences in customs 2
2.3.1 Yellow 3
2.3.2 Red 3
2.3.3 White 3
2.4 Differences of idioms sources 4
3. Cultural Differences of Business English Translation 4
3.1 Cultural differences of understanding things of business English 5
3.2 Cultural differences of colors of business English 5
3.3 Cultural differences of number of business English 6
3.4 Religious and cultural differences of business English 6
4. Enlightenment of Cultural Differences in Business English 7
4.1 Do not blindly correspond 7
4.2 To avoid the negative associations 7
4.3 To regulate the translation 8
5. Translation Methods 8
5.1 Transliteration 8
5.2 Literal translation 8
5.3 Literal translation (transliteration) filling 8
5.4 Literal translation (transliteration) plus paraphrase 9
6. Conclusion 9
Bibliography 10
Acknowledgements 11
Abstract

The studies on differences between English and Chinese have been used in many fields of foreign language teaching. In the English translation of business English, the differences between English and Chinese studies have produced positive results. In the process of learning English, learning to know the knowledge background and cultural characteristics of English speaking countries will help us understand the connotation of the language and help to avoid the misunderstandings due to the cultural conflicts. This paper discusses the differences between English and Chinese of the business English translation. The differences between English and Chinese languages in business English reflect the analysis of the differences between Eastern and Western cultures.
Key words: differences; business English translation; Eastern and Western cultures

中文摘要

英汉语差异的研究已被应用于外语教学的许多领域。在外贸英语翻译中，英汉语差异产生了积极的研究效果。在英语语言的学习中，了解英语国家的知识背景和文化特征有助于对语言内涵的了解，有助于避免因文化冲突造成的误解。本文探讨了外贸英语翻译中英汉语之间的差异，对英汉两种语言在外贸英语上的不同体现，分析了中西文化的差异。
关键词：差异；外贸英语；中西文化

1.Introduction
English and Chinese language themselves are two different cultures, and the language itself, which expressions are different. Chinese font is just like they should, well formed, containing extensive and profound culture of China. English words are simple and elegant just like water, which reflects the romantic uninhibited European and American customs; and it is not easy to sum up their differences with just a few words, so this thesis is to briefly analyze the two languages in some of the current situation in the cultural exchange and its induction.
In today's society, with exchanges and cooperations of international trade is gradually developing, business English translation has been becoming the ethnic and national stage, that is the cornerstone of different cultural cooperation, which is a catalyst that plays a pivotal role in promoting economic development in economic globalization process .
As the China's economic development and rising international status, as well as the growing number of international exchanges, more and more foreign countries coming to China, and thus bringing some culture shock different from the Chinese language. This continuously strengthen international exchanges. English, as the most extensive communication tool, its importance is increasingly highlight. However, sometimes, in the English exchanges, because the two languages-Chinese and English-the implication of cultural differences in the information and exchange, the two sides will unintentionally create misunderstandings, leading to the exchange of non-smooth, even failure. Eugene Nida pointed out to this that "familiar with the two kinds of cultures, which is even more important than mastering both languages, because words only make sense in its role in the cultural context ."(谢天振，2008:157）There are many factors caused by the expression of cultural differences between English and Chinese, sum up the main points as follows: the living environment and social environment, religious beliefs, customs, idioms sources.
2. Causes of Cultural Differences
2.1 Differences caused by living environment and social environment
People have long been curious about living things—how many different species there are, what they are like, where they live, how they relate to each other, and how they behave. Scientists seek to answer these questions and many more about the organisms that inhabit the earth. In particular, they try to develop the concepts, principles, and theories that enable people to understand the living environment better. (R.James.1991)
A person's social environment includes their living and working conditions, income level, educational background and the communities they are part of. All these have a powerful effect on health. The big differences in social environments within Europe contribute to wide disparities in health. There are big gaps in life expectancy and disease rates between rich and poor, the well and the poorly educated and manual workers and professionals.
china has always been an agricultural country, the development of agriculture is the basic guarantee of national development, while the agricultural resources and agricultural production relies on land,Therefore, in traditional Chinese culture, the land is the most valuable property, and thus constitutes a feeling of cun tu cun jin(寸土寸金). Meanwhile，China is a big country, the problem of food is what the Chinese people have long been most concerned about. And thus, according to Chinese tradition, the first sentence to meet is to be : Have you had it? But British is an island, coastal setbacks, wide area, so the water is the most inexpensive for the British. Thus, when the British express of spending money without thinking, they will say spend money like water. meanwhile, British is between north latitude 50 degrees and 60degrees, which geography dictates that its changeable weather characteristics, the British always says "Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather", showing no country like British in the world has such unpredictable weather. Therefore, the British in their daily lives are very concerned about the weather, and even the British, after meeting the main topic is the weather.
2.2 Differences of the religious beliefs
Religion is a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny.（Sally Wehmeier, 2004:1461）
Religion plays an important role in human social life. In China Buddhism is the predominant religion of the Chinese people. In the minds of people of faith in Buddhism Buddha is above all else. Reflected in language, Chinese people often describe the extremely rare good opportunity as san sheng you xing(三生有幸). And the san sheng(三生) is coming from the Buddhism, representative of the pre-existence, this life and the next life. In addition, Chinese people always said like Buddha bless when they want to gain something with honor. But in the West, most of the people believe in Christianity. In the Christian 's mind, god is above all else, and therefore wishes to express in English is often said that God save. When someone is sneezing, the person besides will say God bless you. And the expression of the most severe expression of a curse is not more than God damn you; furthermore, the westerners have no (三生)theory, but they have with the Chinese Buddhism, (三生), corresponds to the Trinity, that the Holy Father, Holy Son and Holy Spirit.
2.3 Differences in customs
Customs is the social norm that a nation or culture has long been in circulation and the majority of the people to comply with.
Eastern and western cultures on the differences between this norm is also reflected in the language. For example, the Chinese people pay attention to the family concept, manifested in the customs is to speak on the level, talking about kinship relations. That's why when eating occasions, pay attention to the allocation of seating in the home of the elders, or age greater than their own people do not address him by name, but with the father, mother, grandmother, sir, grandfather, uncle, aunt, brother，etc. Even in Chinese 's social life, never met the right people will use the obvious kinship with the word. For example, when a youth in need of help, he might be an old man called to say uncle or aunty; child emergency ask the people would first say uncle or aunty. In contrast, westerners are less particular about kinship, therefore, did not like English where the title is so rich in Chinese language. Moreover, since the westerners put greater stress on equality between man and man, they tend to address him by name. Because of this, in everyday conversation, westerners rarely use ladies, gentlemen, teachers, managers, professors and other titles, they are often omitted the name directly in the name of proportionality, even a teenage child of a several-year-old. The same is true of respected elders, a phenomenon in the Chinese language as a communication tool between the Chinese people is absolutely unimaginable. Because of this, it is difficult to imagine how to give it a faithful translation when a Chinese little child say uncle good to a foreign adult. East-west cultural differences in the language not only reflected in the interpersonal relationship, but also in the relationship between humans and animals.
With "dog" as an example, in the Chinese language, the dog, although a loyalty in some way, in most cases, the dog is one of species of being despised and in detestation. Chinese language used to describe a dog as someone or something bad, like running dog, gou xue lin tou(狗血淋头), lower in the dog watch and so on. However, in western societies, the dog is often considered as representing the friendship and the loyalty, and therefore you can use a dog as a metaphor, and not necessarily contain derogatory. as he is a lucky dog means he really lucky; I would work like a dog to make good means in order to achieve the purpose I would like to pin ming gan拼命干；Bring them here and do a dog and pony act means bring them to here, engaged in a grand performance; and every dog has its day in Chinese means everyone had a good life one day, love me, love my dog means ai wu ji wu(爱屋及乌).
Another example, colors decorated with different colors of our lives, while to the same color contains the cultural meaning of language, the West are quite different, now we set red, yellow and white as an example.
2.3.1 Yellow
As Chinese worship of land has been mentioned above, the cradle of Han nationality is in the Yellow River Plateau. In ancient Chinese society, the emperor 's robes were known as yellow robe, and yellow paper is written by the emperor 's statement, saying that Yellow List. Calendar is issued by the emperor and used yellow print, known as the almanac, which can be seen in ancient China. Yellow was identified as a symbol of authority. And now, people called pornography as yellow novel, pornography as the yellow literature. This argument comes from a newspaper of US in the 19th century, where printed yellow vulgar cartoons. So in English, yellow has some meanings of obscene, dirty and timid, such as: a yellow dog(despicable), a yellow journalism.

2.3.2 Red
In Chinese culture, red is mostly the symbol of happiness, such as the wedding Double Happiness word is red, the bride wore a red wedding dress and give the lucky money to the younger generation with the red packets(red envelope). Red with a beautiful synonym, Dam Street refers to a beautiful woman. In western culture, red is more interpreted as a bloody, dangerous, violence, lose meaning, such as: red ruin, red face.
2.3.3 White
White in Chinese tradition is the meaning of funeral. in China, if their family members are gone, then the other family members will wear a white silk flowers, while the death of the West, they who to attend the funeral of their loved ones are wearing black. The western tradition of understanding of the white is so different with that of China, which means pure, well-intentioned, educated, such as, a white lie, a white man. Western wedding ceremony is different from the Chinese red celebrations, the bride wore a traditional white wedding, said the purity and beauty. With the increasing exchanges between Chinese and Western cultures, the wedding dress color requirements are gradually blending.
2.4 Differences of idioms sources
Various forms of Chinese literature, folk tales, myths, legends, anecdotes widespread, most of the idioms of China from this, To express the most abundant. For example, in Chinese as sai weng shi ma ,yan zhi fei fu（塞翁失马，焉知非福） this kind of idiom, the idiom metaphor as a moment despite the loss, but so might benefit also means a bad thing under certain conditions, can become a good thing. If the intention is that the phrase translated into English, it is difficult to blessing translated into sai weng（塞翁）, while ensuring that Westerners understand what we mean. For such a distinctive cultural idioms, the best translation method is to retain its significance and abandon their culture. a blessing in disguise, how can you know it's not lucky in general we just can only marginally translate it like a loss may turn out to be a gain. Many of the saying in English is derived from the Bible stories, ancient Greek myths and legends, as well as Shakespeare's plays. Do not understand their origin, it is difficult to understand their cultural connotations, it may cause misreading. For example: speak daggers should be in accordance with the literal meaning, said the Sword, but its true meaning is verbal abuse wounding. The expression comes from Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. There is a monologue in the play Hamlet : "I want sting her heart using the word like a sword, but never really use a sword."
Culture is something important that can not be ignored in the translation. Well-known American translator Eugene Nida once said: "it is much more difficult that the problems caused by cultural differences than those of language structure." in order to do the translation work really well. Familiar with the two kinds of cultures, which is even more important than master both languages, because words only make sense in its role in the cultural context. (谢天振，