不可译现象在中英文化差异中的体现

菜单

摘要在英汉两种语言互译过程中不可避免存在着不可译现象。不可译现象产生的原因有很多，但主要是由于文化间的差异引起的，并且与语言的文化功能、美学功能密切相关。本文通过举例论证的研究方法，主要从历史、地理、传统、宗教文化等四个方面来说明不可译现象，并且提出了归化法、加注法和释义法等解决策略。本文揭示出不可译现象是翻译活动中的障碍，但不可译并不是绝对的，它是不断变化发展的。希望这篇论文有益于加深读者对不可译现象的理解和认识。49937

毕业论文关键词：不可译；文化差异；体现

Abstract There inevitably exists untranslatability in translation between English and Chinese. There are many reasons accounting for the untranslatability, but most of the reasons are resulted from cultural differences. In addition, untranslatability is closely connected with the cultural function and aesthetic function of a language. By using the method of demonstrating examples, this paper mainly analyzes the untranslatability from the aspects as follows: historical culture, geographical culture, customs and traditions, and religious culture. Solutions to untranslatability such as adaptation, annotation and paraphrase are also discussed in this paper. Accordingly, it reveals that untranslatability is a barrier in the course of translation, but it is not absolute, instead, it is changeable. Hopefully this paper will be beneficial to the understanding of untranslatability.

Key words: untranslatability; cultural difference; reflection

Untranslatability Reflected in the Cultural Differences Between English and Chinese

Contents

摘要 i

Abstract ii

I. Introduction 1

II. Brief Introduction to Untranslatability 2

2.1 The Definition of Untranslatability 2

2.2 The Classification of Untranslatability 3

III. Untranslatability Reflected in the Cultural Differences Between English and Chinese 5

3.1 Untranslatability Resulted from Historical Culture 6

3.2 Untranslatability Resulted from Geographical Culture 7

3.3 Untranslatability Resulted from Customs and Traditions 8

3.4 Untranslatability Resulted from Religious Culture 9

IV. Strategies on the Translation of Untranslatable Phenomena 10

4.1 Adaptation 10

4.2 Annotation 11

4.3 Paraphrase 12

V. Conclusion 13

Bibliography 15

Acknowledgements 16

I. Introduction

As we all know that different countries and regions have different cultural backgrounds, such as history, religion and society, etc. Cultural gap and conflict result in untranslatability. When we refer to untranslatability, we don’t mean that something is absolutely untranslatable. In fact, we mean that during the process of translation, we cannot find a one-to-one correspondence to fulfill its function both in form and meaning in the target language. Untranslatability has attracted extensive attention of scholars both at home and abroad. According to the reasons that cause untranslatability, Catford (1965) in A Linguistic Theory of Translation mainly pided untranslatability into two kinds: linguistic untranslatability and cultural untranslatability. In the 20th century, Peter Newmark (2001) held the viewpoint that the translated version should be “close” to the original. However, famous Chinese translator Lin Yutang held the view that it was impossible for the translator to translate the original absolutely faithfully. Some scholars such as Bao Huinan (2001) and Liu Chuanzhu (2000) tried to study the untranslatability from the aspects of linguistic untranslatability as follows: phonology, character, rhetoric and so on. While other scholars such as Catford (1965) tried to study the untranslatability from the perspectives of cultural differences between English and Chinese. Scholars both at home and abroad have focused their attention on untranslatability, besides, they believe that untranslatability can be transformed into translatability with the development of society.