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large numbers of euphemisms, providing rich materials for the translation of Chinese
euphemisms. Feng Qinghua in his work analyzes the euphemism translation in Hong Lou
Meng from the perspective of death and funeral arrangements, disease, excretion and sex.
Yang Xianyi and David Hawkes’ translations are fantastic although there are still
weaknesses. Some euphemisms are special in Chinese, so no similar meanings could be
found in English. The Yangs emphasizes on literal translation and foreignization while
Hawkes focuses on literal translation and domestication. However, Feng hasn’t put his
analysis under a certain theory framework, thus it’s not clear for systematic study. Hao Rui
in An Analysis of the Translation Strategies of Hong Lou Meng(《<红楼梦>杨、霍译本的
翻译策略探微》) compares the two translated versions in three aspects, literal and free
translation, foreignization and domestication method, and semantic and communicative
translation. He points out that literal or free translation is based on language, foreignization
or domestication is on culture and semantic or communicative is on text functions. To
introduce Chinese cultures to foreign readers, the Yangs prefers foreignization and semantic
translation, while Hawkes prefers domestication and communicative translation in order to
let readers accept it.
The above-mentioned literature all discuss the translation strategies that the translators have
adopted, but few investigates the cultural factors behind those strategies. In general, this
paper will focus on the strategies that the two groups of translators used from vertical and
horizontal comparison between the two versions. In addition, the cultural influences on
euphemism translation will be explored.
3 Theoretical Framework: Cultural Translation Theory
3.1 Definitions and Classifications of Culture
With the development of anthropology, sociology and culture studies since the 19th
century,
the scholars both at home and abroad have tried to define culture. However, culture is such
a complicated topic that almost no one can give a perfect definition. In fact, culture can be
approached from many perspectives and understood both in its broad sense and in its
narrow sense. In the broad sense, culture could be the total beliefs and practices of a society,
the world and the universe. While the narrow sense of culture is suggested by P. Newmark
(1988) who states “I define culture as the way of life and its manifestations that are peculiar
to a community that uses a particular language as its means of expressions”. (P. Newmark,
1988: 44)
Classifications of culture can be various. Some people categorize culture into two aspects:
material and immaterial. Some others pide culture into social culture, religious culture,
ecological culture, etc. According to those anthropologists, linguists, translation theorists,
culture can be classified into three levels:(1)Surface culture includes tangible and material
products, such as food people eat, and production, reflecting the relationship between
human beings and nature;(2)Middle culture refers to systematic culture, including
communication ways between people and also political and economic systems;(3)Deep
culture refers to the culture of concept, including values, beliefs, customs, ways of thinking,
etc.
3.2 Susan Bassnett’s Cultural Translation Theory
With the development of culture school in the study of translation theory, translation is no
longer a kind of static and pure linguistic behavior, but a communication process in a
particular social cultural background. Many scholars began to focus on the translation of
culture, among whom the most outstanding one is Susan Bassnett. She holds that