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文化与翻译--Part I 课文学习--第三页
（ Culture and Translation ）
　
III ． Similarities of the Two Languages and Their Cultures

    We cannot deny that there are universals among different languages and cultures ． In all cultures ， for example ， people must adjust to their environment ． All people engage in the same activities such as eating ， working ， thinking ， sleeping and procreating ， etc. They make artifacts such as furniture ， tools ， vehicles and so on ． They organize themselves into families ， clans ， in-groups and share ideological similarities in cosmologies ， values ， religions and music ． In fact ， different peoples throughout the world have far more in common than they have of that which separates them from one another ． It is on the basis of these similarities that translation is easily done ． Based on these similarities we can exactly convey in Chinese the meanings and produce the same impact and appeal on the reader in English as what have been conveyed in Chinese or vise versa ． Here are some examples ：

    (1) 药补不如食补。 ——Diet cares more than the doctors ．

    (2) 大树底下好乘凉。 ——A good tree is a good shelter

    (3) Do well and have wel1 ． —— 善有善报。

    (4) Better the bird of the wood than the bird of the cage ． —— 宁做林中鸟，小为笼中鸟。

    (5) Lose face—— 丢脸

    All these examples give proof that people in the world share some cultural aspects in common and cultural transmission can be easily realized just by literal translation on the basis of the similarities ． Nevertheless ． much difficulties in the diversities of cultures and needs more attention ．

IV. Diversities of Cultures

    There is no about the fact that language tends to reflect the culture of a people. Different groups of people carry out various social activities and have different value systems so their languages and cultures diverse in many aspects.

    First, as the carrier of culture, languages may employ quite different forms to express essentially the same meaning. For example, the Chinese phrase “ 中华人民共和国 ” (zhong-hua ren-ming gong-he-guo) is usually translated into English as “ The People's Republic of China ” . The phonological and orthographic difference between Chinese and English are quite obvious. What may be somewhat more interesting, however, is that fact that in Chinese the words are simply placed one after another---literally, “ Chinese People Republic ” . By contrast, the English words are bound together by means of a phrase-forming article, a possessive ending, and a preposition.

    Secondly, differences lie in the most common terms in the two languages. Take the Chinese term “早安” and the English term “ Good Morning ” as an example. Although both of them are used as greetings in their own culture, comparatively, they are different in many ways: word order, frequency of use, degrees of formality and functions, etc. In fact, even the commonest term “谢谢” and “ Thank you ” reflect different cultural connotations. In English-spoken countries, when being praised, people usually say “ Thank you ” while Chinese people, will, according to their cultures and conventions ， use “ 过奖了 ”“ 不敢当 ” as immediate responses in order show modesty. Such kind of differences, sometimes, will lead to misunderstanding if translated literally without any consideration of culture.

    Thirdly, as a matter of fact, no two words in any two languages ever seem to have precisely the same meanings. Even those universal words differ in some aspects. For example, in English a distinct difference is made between “ trees ” and “ bushes ” but in Chinese on term “树木” (shu-mu) covers both. In English, “ wine ” refers to “ the alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of grapes or plants and fruits rather than grapes ”， but in Chinese, “酒” ( jiu) refers to any kind of alcoholic drink, including spirits, wines, and beers.

    Fourthly, cultural diversity also appears between loan words. Words that are borrowed from one language to another often undergo considerable shifts in meaning. The English word “ sofa ” denotes a well-upholstered piece of furniture on which two or more people may sit, but the Chinese borrowing “沙发” (sha-fa) can refer to any easy chair as well.

    Finally, the last and also the most important one that I can give concerning cultural aspects is idiom. Most of idioms are cultural-specific. In order to decode such idioms, a translator should know its cultural background quite well because the meanings of idioms may be quite far apart from the literal one. For example, the film “ The First Blood ” has the Chinese translation “ 第一滴血 ” . Actually, this translation didn't convey the real cultural connotation which means “ the first success in a contest ”, and in Chinese it means “初战告捷” . Similarly, “ I am dead-beat today . ” doesn't mean “ I was beaten badly today ” ( 我被打成重伤 ), but “ I am completely tired ” ( 筋疲力尽 ); “ a bridal shower ” not “ shower of a bride ” ( 新娘沐浴 ) but “ a party given by a bride's friends at which they give her suitable gifts ” .

    Doubtlessly, there might be more other aspects that I didn't give. All these diversities might become obstacles of communication and bring about hurdles for the target reader, and place hard task for translators.

    Nevertheless, despite all of these differences, people are still able, for the most part, to adjust their conceptual frameworks as they move from one language to another. This is not only because languages are only partially arbitrary, but also because people have imagination. They can conceive of how other systems work, and they can adjust to them. That is to say, difficult as the tasks were, cross-cultural communication can still be accomplished by means of translation that set up cultural equivalence between source language and target language.
 
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