[Influence of cultural differences in English-Chinese translation] The influence of cultural differences between English and Chinese on translation

The formation, change and development of language are closely related to culture. The differences between Chinese and western cultures in living habits and cultural thinking can be manifested in their languages from all aspects of life. This paper mainly expounds the profound influence of cultural differences between China and the West on English-Chinese translation from the aspects of living habits, ways of thinking and religious culture.

Keywords: English-Chinese translation language and cultural thinking mode

China Library Classification Number: H3 15.9 Document Identification Code: A.

Culture is a broad concept, which refers to the history, geography, customs, traditional customs, lifestyle, literature and art, code of conduct, way of thinking and values of a nation or country. Language is a medium for the exchange of ideas, which will inevitably have an impact on politics, economy and society, science and technology, and even culture itself. Translation is a kind of language interaction, which expresses the contents, ideas and culture contained in one language in another language. Language is a part of culture, and translation is a language activity, so English-Chinese translation is bound to be influenced by national cultural differences.

The Influence of Living Habits of 1 on English-Chinese Translation

There are great differences in living habits between China and the West. From the point of view of diet, China traditional cuisine pays attention to color, flavor and taste. Due to the influence of regional characteristics, climate, customs and other factors, catering products will have different degrees of differences in raw materials, tastes, cooking methods and eating habits. It is precisely because of these differences that catering products have strong regional characteristics. The differences between Chinese and western cultures have created the differences between Chinese and western food cultures, which come from different ways of thinking and philosophy of life. People in China pay attention to "harmony between man and nature", while westerners pay attention to "people-oriented". How can we correctly translate the names of China dishes into English? At this time, we need to consider how to translate China's cooking methods, condiments, main ingredients and auxiliary materials into English through correct and specific English expressions. For example, the English translation of sweet and sour pork ribs is sweet &; Chutney. We can't translate it literally: sweet ribs &; Acid; For example, black tea is not black tea, but black tea We should adopt a way that has the national characteristics of China and can be understood by foreign friends.

2 the influence of thinking mode on English-Chinese translation

2. 1 Westerners like abstraction, while China people like concreteness.

Westerners are used to abstract ways of thinking, while China people like thinking in images. This difference comes from different national cultures. For example:

The car in front of me was driving too slowly and I missed the green light.

The car in front of me was so slow that I missed the green light.

Green is abstract, but green light is concrete.

2.2 Westerners attach importance to the object, while China people attach importance to the subject.

Westerners pay attention to the observation, research and analysis of objective things in the long-term development, forming an objective way of thinking, while China people are deeply influenced by Confucius and Mencius' philosophy and pay attention to observing, analyzing and exploring external things with people as the center. Formed the main thinking form of the Chinese nation. For example:

Tears welled up in his eyes when he saw his lover.

Tears welled up in his eyes as soon as he saw his wife.

2.3 Different language perspectives use different expressions.

In the expression of time, China people are used to putting time in front of sentences, while westerners are used to putting time behind sentences. Westerners usually use back and forward to represent past and future time. People in China express themselves in completely different ways. For example:

Looking at her old photos evoked many memories.

Looking at past photos brings back many memories.

His girlfriend left him last month, and he really wants her back.

His girlfriend left him last month, but he really hoped that she would come back to him.

Express different opinions on commodity discounts. For example:

I bought this pair of shoes at a discount of 40%.

I bought this pair of shoes at a 60% discount.

China people pay attention to the actual payment ratio, while westerners pay attention to the discount rate.

In addition, China's traditional culture is "respecting the south and neglecting the north", while western countries are different. They are the north first.

2.4 Different forms of expression

In Chinese, affirmation means affirmation and negation means negation, but in English, it is sometimes used to express negation. For example:

She was the last woman to arrive here.

It is wrong to translate this sentence into that she was the last person to get there. The correct translation of this sentence is that she will never get there. English and Chinese are very different in expression. Therefore, we must pay attention to English-Chinese translation.

2.5 Different positive and negative thinking

For example, it is impossible to overestimate the value of buildings.

The value of this building cannot be overestimated. In fact, this sentence means that the value of this building cannot be overestimated.

2.6 Different structural forms

English has various structures and many long sentences. English sentences stress hypotaxis, while Chinese sentences stress parataxis. Professor Zhuang Yichuan once said vividly: "I feel that the sentence structure of Chinese is like a bamboo, connected section by section;" The sentence structure of English is like a bunch of grapes. The trunk may be very short and there are many fruits attached to it. " This sentence vividly shows the structural differences between English and Chinese. For example:

Reaching for the stars, even in vain, will not be muddy.

When you reach for the stars, you may not get a star, but you won't get a handful of dirt.

If I get a flower every time I think of you, I will wander among the flowers forever.

If I get a flower every time I think of you, I will walk in the garden forever.

Then we say that the difference of thinking mode has a far-reaching influence on Chinese-English translation. In translation, we should try our best to avoid the influence of thinking differences and not ignore the factors of language itself and its correlation with cultural background. Translation is the transformation of two language structures, cultural backgrounds and ways of thinking. We must translate the translation according to the requirements of translation, which is in line with the national customary thinking and language expression.

3 the influence of English-Chinese translation on religious culture

There are great differences between Chinese and western cultures in religious beliefs and cultural allusions. Western countries mainly believe in Christianity, and "God bless you" and "God forgive you" often appear in English. Western religious beliefs believe that God created everything, and the Bible has a great influence on the whole western culture. For example:

Don't go to heaven with dry eyes. No tears in eyes, no heaven overhead.

The devil sits behind the cross. The devil often hides behind the cross.

People that God wants to destroy will first drive them crazy. If the sky destroys people, it must first destroy people's wisdom.

In China, many religions coexist, but most people in China believe in Buddhism and Taoism, and their spread and influence are also the most profound. Buddhist culture and Confucian culture are the mainstream of China culture.

Therefore, we should understand the profound influence of its religious culture on its language. As China people often say, "It's very kind of you, and the Bodhisattva will bless you". Westerners often say, "God bless you".

4 abstract

In language communication, understanding the other person's language is not only the understanding of the text itself, but also the understanding and combing of the cultural connotation contained in its content. Language is the product of society and culture. In English-Chinese translation, the translator needs to master the cultural differences between the two languages in order to reduce the negative influence of cultural differences and thinking habits on translation and make use of their positive influence. Translation is a way of cultural exchange, and its purpose is to let another group know about relevant knowledge. Whether to adopt literal translation or free translation depends on the material to be translated. Literatures should be translated freely as far as possible, and scientific and technological documents should be translated literally. Of course, this is not static, but also needs to be analyzed in detail, and literal translation and free translation should be combined as far as possible without changing the original author's meaning. In line with the language habits and thinking habits of the audience, the original translation of materials should be emphasized.

In short, cultural differences are common in English-Chinese translation. How to correctly express the connotation of a language requires translators to deeply understand the cultures of the two languages and use them flexibly, and to accurately translate high-quality translations with the help of translation skills.