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1.1 The Previous Study of Dragon and Lion Dance
Dragon and lion dance is a traditional Chinese activity or sport event. In fact, in the past dragon dance and lion dance are two separated activities and are seldom mentioned together. Since these two events have so much similar characteristics, in recent years they are often mentioned at the same time. Now dragon and lion has been regulated as a sport event by General Administration of Sport of China.
When people refer to the event, the culture background of it can never be ignored. Dragon dance and lion dance both derive from the magnanimous dragon culture and lion culture of China. These two cultures are all originated from real animals and then turn into spirit beasts after hundred years of imagination and portrayal.
In the past ten years, this event developed very fast. The studies about dragon and lion came into being one after another. Most of these studies major in the cultural background and the training of the sport event. The documents about the culture of dragon and lion dance give the definition, origination, development, style, etc., of the event (Gong Yun, 2010). The monographs about training major in the development of the sport event（Zhao Weiyuan, 2006）. There are also monographs giving a standard description and regulation of the event (Hu Jiayan, 2011).
At the same time, some academic monographs about culture and translation write several chapters or sections about dragon and lion culture (Bai jingyu, 2009). However, there are rare documents about dragon and lion dance. As a form of expression of dragon and lion culture, dragon and lion dance has a close relationship with dragon and lion culture. The documents about the culture of dragon and lion can help explain the traditional event. However, as a practical event, not an abstract concept, dragon and lion dance also has its own characteristics. At the moment, the available documents are not enough.
1.2 Research Design
This paper endeavors to find a better way to translate texts about dragon and lion dance. As there are not enough documents about the translation of dragon and lion dance and the linguistic data is limited, the paper is trying to solve the problem with the help of the theories of culture and translation and the theories of dragon and lion culture.
Firstly, the paper will give a brief description of the traditional Chinese dragon culture and lion culture under the help of relative monographs. The second chapter can tell how dragon and lion dance appears, and the inside meaning of the event. Then the paper goes to the third chapter, which discuss the relationship of the culture and dragon and lion dance. When the cultural background of the event is well developed, the paper goes to theories about culture and translation. Then under the help of these theories, the paper will give some practical cases to analyze how to translate dragon and lion dance from Chinese to English. Several translation versions will be given and the analysis will mainly focus on cultural equity. Then the paper comes to a conclusion, which is trying to give some advice in later translation.
To be declared, the words “dragon” and “lion”, and the phrases “dragon dance” “lion dance” “dragon and lion dance” are all widely used translation version, but it does not mean it is the best version, or the author’s intended version. The comparison of different translation method will be discussed in the 4th chapter.
2. The Origin of Dragon and the Culture of Dragon
2.1 The Origin of Dragon
Dragon is known by everyone in China from the old to little babies, from the past to now. But what is a dragon. In different times, it has different appearances and meanings.
The definition of dragon reads that dragon is a highly artistic pine animal. “The appearance of dragon is a mixture of nine parts of different animals, camel’s head, deer’s antlers, rabbit’s eyes, cattle’s ears, snake’s neck, clam’s abdomen, carp’s scales, hawk’s claws and tiger’s palm.” (Gong Yun, 2010:3-7) Though the description is not quite right, it give us a concept that a dragon is a pine animal in Chinese culture, which has a long body, huge mouth, antlers, claw and so on. It has such characteristics that it is unpredictable changeable and that it does not exist in the real world. A dragon came from so many historical backgrounds. (Gong Yun, 2010: 8-47)