Catchwords are a universal phenomenon in language and society, it is closely related to all aspects of people’s life. Catchwords have attracted great attention of researchers. But so far, the study of catchwords mainly focuses on the collection of catchwords to conclude the formation and features of catchwords. There are also linguists who study catchwords from the perspective of rhetoric or sociology. However, there are very few research papers discussing the C-E translation of catchwords from the cross-cultural perspective.
In order to make the native English-speakers have a better understanding of these Chinese net catchwords, many domestic scholars try to translate them through using many different translation strategies during the process of cross-cultural communication. However, as the most active part of Chinese network language, net catchwords haven’t attracted many scholar’s attention and been researched formally and completely in translation circles. The research undertaken over these years by the translators’ circles on its practice and theoretical establishment in translation has been inadequate. For example, many Chinese net catchwords are explained and then translated by Chen Dezhang in his book English translation of Buggwords and Saying which provides a new outlook for domestic scholars and also paves the way for the latter scholars to investigate in this field.
This paper mainly includes three parts. Firstly, the author reviews the studies of Chinese net catchwords and the previous translation studies of Chinese net catchwords. Secondly, he analyzes the translation of Chinese net catchwords from the two perspectives, problems on translating Chinese net catchwords and the translation methods of Chinese net catchwords. Thirdly, he gets some conclusions and implications at last.
2 Introduction to Former Studies of Chinese Net Catchwords
From the previous "Chinese English" to the translation of catchwords in Chinese net language, the research has caused the attention of some scholars.
2.1 Studies of Chinese Net Catchwords
As we all know, Chinese has experienced great changes since 1980s, the breadth and depth of Chinese vocabulary have achieved unprecedented expansion due to the economic globalization and cultural persity coexists in this new century. Vocabulary is always a difficult point for foreigners to learn and the charming of Chinese net catchwords lies at their bleeding edge of social cultural development. In order to make foreign people communicate smoothly and successfully with Chinese people, translators need to translate quite a number of Chinese contents or designations into other languages. It is acknowledged that English is an international language, standard an accurate English version is helpful to gain mutual communication and dissemination of information, which also reflects a nation’s language standard and quality. As a hot topic in the linguistic world, Chinese net catchwords have distinct characteristics of the times, and a foreign language worker has responsibility to translate them into Standard English faced with increase of endless new words which can enable people throughout the world to know more about China and eastern civilization. 汉语网络语言中流行语的翻译研究(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_28115.html