On the Chinese Characterized Words and English Translation

關格

【Abstract】Chinese characterized words are increasingly important elements in the study Chinese English. Chinese characterized words not only include the underlying meaning of culture in China but the distinguishing feature that China only has. In the modern society, Chinese characterized words are accepted by the increasing people in the English?鄄speaking country. In the paper, first, talks about the characteristics of Chinas vocabulary and culture diversity which takes the some results, such as traditional culture, regional culture, custom culture. Whats more, by giving a load of ezamples, introduces certain methods of translating Chinese characterized words including transliteration, literal translation and free translation and so on. Finally, comes up with some opinions about the development of the Chineses characterized words.

【Key words】Chinese characterized words; culture diversity; translation methods

【中圖分類號】G64 【文獻標識碼】A 【文章編號】2095-3089（2014）03-0102-02

1.Introduction

English is international and interpersonal language. Presently, almost every one could speak English. So it plays an important role in communicating in China as well as in the world, it also comes into play a powerful communicated function in the aspect of political, economy, science technology, society activities and so on . As a result, in the development of China, a load of words appeared in these aspects. These words that have the full?鄄bodied Chinese characteristic show the most personalized content about the Chinese Culture. However, there is a barrier to connect the Chinese characterized words with the foreign language.It is of necessary for China to make to contributions to communicate better.

2.The characteristic of Chinese words

The writing systems in the world includes three categories such as Table?鄄shaped text (drawing noun), Phonetic script ( a combination of meaning and sound),Ideographic writing ( alphabetic writing). Chinese character is the Phonetic script and it distinguishes from most the alphabetic writing used in the nation in the world. And its shaped structure connects with the meaning it shows. The morphology in HANYU is fixed and unchanged, it puts to use the synthesis method to create the new words as well as English. Meanwhile, the meaning in HANYU is narrow, and it is fixed and accurate. As a result, when the Chinese character translates into the foreign language, the phenomenon that the relative words are vacant often occurs.

After the reform and opening?鄄up, a lot of Chinese culture-loaded words emerged, related to the political, economy, culture and education such as Reform and Opening?鄄up (改革開放)， One Nation, Two System(一國兩制) and so on. With the development of the China, the English countries are eager to know the Chinese culture, the people in those countries accept and understand these Chinese culture?鄄loaded words gradually.

3.The glossary vacancy of the culture diversity

Language formed gradually in the long process of history. Different culture took shape the different language groups. So, when the different groups communicate, the lexical gap produces. It refers to that it cannot find the relative words in the other nations. These culture diversity displays mainly in the belief, art, morality, law, custom, and society habits. There are some factors inflect the lexical gap as follows.

3.1 Traditional Culture

China is a Eastern ancient nation with the long history, and has effect on the language in traditional thoughts. In China, in the peoples traditional thoughts, the dragon is a legendary animal and it is also named SI LING with phoenix, Kirin and Turtle.

The dragon is the symbol of Chinese nation. The Chinese descendant is named the descendant of dragon. However, in the Western country, the dragon is dangerous. Because, in the era of the Beowulf that English developed, the dragon is a monster that can eat persons, and killed the hero Beowulf. In short words, the people in Eastern and Western country have entirely different opinions on the same stuff.

3.2 Custom Culture

The custom culture causes the culture diversity in many aspects such as diet, marriage, solar terms, colors preference, relative relationship and so on. For example, in China, in all kinds of festivals, prefers red color to decorate, also thinks red stands the lucky and fortune. In the marriage, the bride and the bridegroom dresses the red clothes, while in English country, the people think red color means violence and blood. In the marriage, the bride and the bridegroom like white color to symbolize their pure love, but in China, white means misfortune, and it often uses in the funeral.

4.The translation methods of the Chinese culture?鄄loaded words

Translation is a kind of cross?鄄cultural behavior. It is also a relatively transition between two languages but a blend with two culture, so it is complex completely. Meanwhile, Chinese culture?鄄loaded words agglomerate the long history culture of China. When translating, it is a problem how to reserve the connotation of Chinese culture and make the foreign people understand the meaning of the words simultaneously. As a result, it is of necessary for translators to possess the profound skills and abundant knowledge.

4.1 Transliteration

Transliteration means to convert words from one language to another language with a close approximation in phonetic sound. While in China, it refers to translate a countrys or a nations name, toponym, or the other nouns to another countrys or a nations pronunciation.

Transliteration is often used in importing the professional noun in some fields. In the process of transition, the pronunciation will be reserved，so it sounds amiable. For example, in English, tea originates in the dialect of southern Fujian, and there are also wonton(餛飩), yamen(衙門), mafoo(馬夫) and so on. These words keep the Chinese culture characteristic and make people realize the meaning easily. But it also has disadvantage, in China，there is a soap called Lux, in English, lux is a unit of Measurement, it caused person trouble their own mind.

4.2 Literal translation

The definition of Literal translation can not be accurate now. But there has a statement, Literal translation or directed translation, is the rendering of text from one language to another “word?鄄for?鄄word” rather than conveying the sense of the original. In translation studies, “literal translation” denotes technical, technological or legal texts.

For instance:

鐵飯碗 iron rice bowl,

開放政策open?鄄door policy,

時間就是金錢 Time is money.

4.3 Free translation

Free translation refers to, according to the meaning of the original, without paying attention to the details and translation would also be fluent and natural. Free translation need not concentrate on the form of the original, including construction of the original sentences, meaning of the original works, metaphor of the original and so on. But Free translation does not mean to delete or add content to the original and translators must consider the original. Free translation is a skill which translators must know the culture of both source language and target language, and must have extensive knowledge.

For example:

專有技術 Technical know?鄄how

三句話不離本行Talk shop all the time

魚米之鄉A land of honey and milk

5.Conclusion

Chinese live and grow in the own Chinese society culture. In the cross?鄄cultural communicating, Chinese use the Chinese characterized words can show the characteristics of China, and they have to blend the Chinese culture to the words, if so, foreign people will not be strange to the Chinese unique culture. If Chinese want to make the Western people interest in the Chinese culture, Chinese translators need to try hard.

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