Sie sind auf Seite 1von 9

This article was downloaded by: [Universiti Sains Malaysia] On: 12 March 2013, At: 00:54 Publisher: Routledge

Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Perspectives: Studies in Translatology


Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rmps20

Cultural factors in translation


Li Yunxing
a a

Tianjin Normal University, China Version of record first published: 28 Apr 2010.

To cite this article: Li Yunxing (1998): Cultural factors in translation, Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 6:2, 175-182 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.1998.9961334

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

175 CULTURAL FACTORS IN TRANSLATION


Li Yunxing, Tianjin Normal University, China

Abstract
Cultural factors surface from the confrontation of cultural deposits in the process of translating from one language to another and make it impossible to recapture the relationship of the source text in the source culture. Generally speaking, four different models can be identified in translation practice: the Blocking Model, the Modulation Model, the Go-ahead Model and the Integrating Model. Certain parameters work for the option of each of the four models. Cultural factors often take three linguistic forms, i.e. culture-specific expressions, imagery confrontations and discourse patterns. Examples from Chinese-English or English-Chinese are included and discussed.

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

Introduction No linguistic text can exist outside a cultural context, which is here defined as the way a text is related to cultural elements in the source culture. Even when all linguistic symbols can be semantically translated into a system of different linguistic symbols, a text's relationships to its source culture can never be reproduced by relations between the target text and the target culture. This fact calls attention to the cultural factors which complicate the translation process. Cultural factors surface from the confrontation of cultural deposits of one language with another in translation and, therefore, demand decisions on the part of translators. In a sense, translation brings into focus the inevitable and even insurmountable cultural clashes in message transfer. A culturally divergent language pair will often challenge translators with a high degree of untranslatability. However, cultures in which languages are embedded are not absolutely incompatible. Overlapping cultural elements constitute a basis for cross-cultural communication. A source language cultural element becomes a translation factor only when it is so culture-specific that it cannot be represented fully in the target culture in accordance with the target culture norms. What happens in a message transfer from a cultural perspective can be illustrated as follows:
messages 2 messages 1 unique cultural elements - X - I target culture norms messages 2* messages 1

cultural elements amenable to target culture

In translation, cultural deposits in source language messages are identified as

176

Li Yunxing: Culturalfactors in translation

either compatible or incompatible with the target culture. Cultural elements adaptable to target culture norms form the basis of message transfer, and messages with many compatible cultural deposits (messages 1) can easily find their way into target cultures, almost intact. But cultural elements specific to the source culture will not. Messages with many unique cultural deposits (messages 2) must therefore undergo a process of modification and alteration in order to conform to target culture/language norms and yet retain their character as sourcelanguage messages (messages 2'). These are the cultural elements translators must handle and manipulate. Different models I believe it is possible to set up four different models. They are: 1) The Block Model in which the target culture norms constitute a filter, and sometimes become so resistant that all source culture-specific elements are blocked and consequently disappear totally in the target text; 2) The Modulation Model in which source, culture elements are only partially compatible with target culture norms and are modified in order to enter the language system; 3) The Go-ahead Model in which the source cultural elements, though incompatible with the target culture norms, are nevertheless so strong that they override the target cultural norms and force their way into the target culture. As opposed to these, there is, 4) The Integrating Model in which culture-specific elements in the source language compromise with target culture norms and result in changes in both, usually by weakening source cultural elements and the target cultural norms by integrating source text specific factors. These models can be illustrated as follows: source cultural elements Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 target culture norms

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

A A

1998. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology. Volume 6:2

177

In Model 1 the target culture dominates in translation, in Model 3 the source culture dominates the translational product, and Models 2 and 4 represent tendencies towards integration in intercultural communication. Hopefully it is models 2 and 4 which will gain momentum in the future as cultural exchanges among nations become more frequent and intense. But who and what decides which model will be adopted in concrete translations? The who includes the initiator of the translation and the translator. The what is the translation situation. The initiator and the translator do not live in a cultural vacuum but are social and cultural beings. Their motivation to translate something is always caused by social motives. And, to a great degree, the epoch, the social environment, as well as the economic and political situation determine translators' attitudes towards translation tasks and the strategies they adopt. With each task, they feel they have a purpose, no matter how vague, and they seek to achieve something political, economic, or academic. They assume that there is an audience to cater for. In a nutshell, translators have their own ideology. In general, the following parameters will make the translator favour Model 1. Firstly, the source culture elements will find no way into the target culture because they are too linguistic - or - history - or - culture specific. Secondly, the target language community is so culturally or politically sensitive that it tends to reject foreign cultural elements. Thirdly, the translated text is only meant to entertain readers, not to inform them about an alien culture. Or, fourthly, the target culture is a dictatorship which imposes censorship restrictions. Parameters which make translators opt for Model 3 include, firstly, that the source cultural elements have an unusual appeal to the target culture, so that they are eagerly sought and readily accepted. Secondly, that the target text readership is academic and bent on learning the source culture in its true colours. Thirdly, that the source culture enjoys political or economic superiority. Fourthly, that translators are obliged or forced to impose the cultural elements upon target language readers. Or, fifthly, that there are no equivalents in the target language and ' new terms must therefore be created by translators. Models 2 and 4 are adopted when, for instance, translators have egalitarian attitudes towards the source and target cultures and believe that the source cultural elements can be introduced to target language readers without causing a cultural shock, or that the target culture can absorb foreign cultures and yet retain its own cultural norms.

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

178

Li Yunxing: Culturalfactors in translation

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

Culture specific expressions Cultural elements are manifest in three linguistic forms: (a) culture specific expressions; (b) image confrontations; and, (c) discourse patterns. Newmark distinguishes cultural from universal and personal language (1988: 94). Indeed, some words and expressions profoundly imbued with unique cultural elements do cause translation problems. For instance, the Chinese language possesses a great number of self-deprecating expressions: jjj5^ (to ren = my humble self), $& (han she = my humble home),.#);$; (zhuo wen = my awkward article), K ft {jian net = my humble wife), % ;R (lao xiu = my old and useless self), etc. These terms come from a long feudal tradition of keeping a low profile and refraining from showiness. Contrary to this understatement of one's own value, the Chinese show profuse respect, perhaps too bombastic to the western mind, for others:SFiH^:ft'(6ai du da zuo = [I] read your great article in awe, JZ$l (da zha = your great letter), etc. Liu argues that this is due to the Chinese tendency to obey Politeness Principles rather than Principles of Co-operation (Liu 1991). In such cases, translators can hardly expect English readers to respond with ease and comfort to a word-for-word translation of the Chinese terms, so in translation they often go through the process illustrated in Model 1. \ second kind of culture-specific expressions originates from Chinese social life and political-economic system: %%L-(wen ge = the Cultural Revolution),1 x 2 J E W O H (wu jiang si mei = Five Stresses and Four Points of Beauty), ,^jg|^ (da guofan = the 'big pot' system). These terms are rich in political implications in China and these can hardly be conveyed into a western language like English. Although one can suggest the English equivalents as cited, the connotative and associative value of these terms will never dawn upon western readers until they have learned enough about Chinese affairs. But in translating these terms, the urge to impose the source cultural elements upon the target culture is so strong that most translators render them literally (Model 3). In order to ensure acceptance of cultural otherness, translators often rely on footnotes, paraphrasing, or providing adequate background information. By and by, unfamiliar terms enter the target culture environment by means of frequent translation and become familiar to the target readership, and are picked up by target language writers. Some names of food and drinks go through this very procedure: wonton and tofu, have already found their way into Western culture whereas hot dog and Coca Cola have become household words in China.

1998. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology. Volume 6:2

179

A third kind of culture-specific expressions derives from philosophical, religious, medicinal and athletic traditions in China. This is illustrated in Model 3. RPH yin yang} AM ba gua,4 Hfr wu xing,s ^5ti qi gong6 etc. are so deeply rooted in Chinese culture that they are meaningless outside that cultural setting. These terms are usually transliterated because there aren't - and never were - any equivalents in English: target readers have to accept the transliterated terms in order to gain insight into Chinese culture. For instance, &&4 (tai ji quan) cannot - as was once done - be rendered as shadow boxing but should be taijiquan because English readers can never grasp the essence of the Chinese sport by means of reference to something already found in the target culture. Image acceptability Image acceptability varies from culture to culture. English speakers seem to be strict with the coherence of image sequences. X # : : F You yi gu gan which causes no visual problems in Chinese becomes visually ridiculous when rendered literally as "the backbone of the right wing". English and Chinese also have different preferences for parts of the human body. The English sentence "The children will squeeze forward, crowding around my feet" will be translated as "... ElifiifSMKllir around my knees". And "made us laugh till our sides ache" will be translated as 3?3#fSffIft-?ff "[until our belly ached]". Besides, whereas groin or even penis, testicle, vagina, and labia often appear in English fiction, their equivalents in Chinese often cause embarrassment to the average Chinese. So translators either delete sentences in which these words appear or replace them with general and vague terms. Chinese and English similes and metaphors use images of animals, but once again they differ from each other in choosing animals for symbols. Thus phoenix is associated with good luck and the king of birds in Chinese, whereas it is a symbol of resurrection in English. Discourse patterns Discourse is the highest level at which we may find cultural deposits, which usually take the form of the discourse pattern and the stylistic features of a specific genre. Hoey identifies three discourse patterns in English (1983): the Problem-solution Pattern, the General-particular Pattern and the Matching Pattern. In a study of the thinking patterns of Chinese students, Wang (1993) concludes that Chinese students are weak in terms of the General-particular Pattern and often confuse English readers with an Implication Pattern in their writings.

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

180

Li Yunxing: Culturalfactors in translation

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

Literal translation of Chinese will make source patterns strongly assertive in the target text, implying that target language readers have to adapt their thinking to the original writer (Model 3). However, in Chinese-English translation it sometimes happens that initiators or translators choose to alter the discourse pattern of the source language text in order to bring the rendition in line with the target language discourse norms, especially in the translation of advertisements or publicity materials. Alterations are made along either the structure or the genre of the text. Traditional Chinese texts are characterized by a four-stage pattern: introduction, development, transition, and conclusion. Although this pattern is no longer regarded as a guideline in present-day Chinese writing, its influence still lingers on. Occasionally it emerges in Chinese writings even as short as a paragraph. The following paragraph, taken from an essay on the 17th century Chinese classic, The Dream of the Red Mansions, provides details about the artistic features of the masterpiece. It is a miniature of the introduction-developmenttransition-conclusion pattern. The translator chooses to delete the introduction and the conclusion (the parts in brackets) only retaining the information which fits into the overall essay.

[It can be said that the artistic presentation of the novel has reached the acme of perfection.] The novel is outstanding for its brilliantly balanced structure, a lyrical yet precise prose style and rich characterization. Although there are more than four hundred characters, there are fewer than twenty principal characters with Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu pre-eminent The array of secondary characters, even those appearing only briefly, are drawn clearly and realistically. [The novel's artistic presentation has reached a high standard that is rarely seen among literary works worldwide.] Another alteration is style adaptation. An investigation by Cao and Li (1994) reveals that English styles are distinctive and that, by comparison, Chinese styles are fuzzy and less distinctive because of a continuous flow of formal words in informal styles and of informal words in formal styles. The following is a short paragraph taken from the dubbing of a film, introducing a college, Tianjin Normal University. The Chinese style is too flowery

1998. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology. Volume 6:2

181

and pompous for the genre in English. Since its communicative function is no more than providing the audience with reliable information, the translator reduces the literary pomposity to down-to-earth exposition. The bracketed passages of the Chinese text are either ignored or given a free rendition to make clear the important points:

=+& -

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

Founded in 1958, the University has entered its fourth decade with a remarkable record of both hardship and achievements. It is now ranked as one of the key institutions of teacher training in China. [Along with the growth of the Republic, she has weathered 30 difficult years of wind and rain.] In the past thirty years, hundreds of talented teachers, researchers and administrators have gathered and worked here [in the hope of rejuvenating Tianjin and education, and they silently ploughed on this piece of land] in a continuous endeavour to meet the ever-increasing demands for educators both in Tianjin and the rest of the country. [Flowers bloom gloriously in spring, and fruits hang heavy in autumn.] More than twenty thousand students have graduated from the University and are now teaching nationwide. [Their footprints are all over the country and they bear fruits like peaches and plums all over the world.] They have dedicated their wisdom and energy to the educational needs of the country [to prop up the backbone of education and the rising sun of tomorrow] in the firm conviction that the future of China lies in the education of the younger generation. Conclusion Cultural factors necessitate decision-making on translation strategies. However, they are not all blocking factors (Gutknecht and Rolle 1996), and cultural differences between speech communities should not be exaggerated. Comparative studies on cultures do shed light on strategies in translation of cultural factors, but the study of culture can never cover all the aspects of translatology which should be focused on a text-linguistic model (Neubert 1992) and the way a text is related to the situational context. Culture-related problems can never be dealt with exclusively by translators since their main concern is linguistic transfers, but they can, at least, call attention to these factors.

182

Li Yunxing: Culturalfactors in translation

Notes 1. The five stresses are: stress on decorum, manners, hygiene, discipline, and morals. The four points of beauty are: beauty of the mind, language, behaviour and the environment. This catchphrase is meant to encourage citizens to behave politely in a peaceful and harmonious community. 2. This is a metaphorical expression referring to the egalitarian treatment of individual workers, regardless of their performance in the traditional socialist economic system. 3. In Chinese philosophy yin and yang represent two opposing principles in nature, the former feminine and negative, the latter masculine and positive. 4. Translated literally as the "Eight Diagrams", this refers to a set of symbols used in ancient China to represent certain objects and events. Later it was used in divination. 5. Translated literally as the "Five Elements", this term refers to the metal, wood, water, fire and earth which, according to ancient Chinese tradition, constitute the universe. This is also used in traditional Chinese medicine to explain physiological and pathological phenomena. 6. A system of breathing exercises.

Downloaded by [Universiti Sains Malaysia] at 00:54 12 March 2013

Works cited Gutknecht, Christoph & Lutz J. Rolle. 1996. Translating by Factors. Albany: State University of New York Press. Hoey, M. 1983. On the Surface of Discourse. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.

Liu

Yinkai.

The Principle of Co-

operation and Cultural Differences Between Chinese and English]. Journal of the Shenzhen University. 3. Mohanty, Niranjan. 1994. Translation : An Integration of Cultures. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology 2. 187-198. Neubert, Albrecht & Gregory M. Shreve. 1992. Translation As Text. Kent State University Press. Newmark, Peter. 1998. A Textbook of Translation. Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd. Wang Moxi & Li Jin. J E S * . 1993. [=A Survey of the Discourse Patterns of Chinese and English Students]. Foreign Languages Teaching & Research. 4. 59-64.

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen