1、 （ 20_ _届） 本科毕业 设计 英语 从跨文化角度探讨旅游宣传资料的英译 A Study of English Translation of Chinese TPM from the Perspective of Cross-cultural Awareness I 摘要 旅游宣传资料是一种对外宣传资料。它在对外介绍我国的旅游资源，吸引外国游客的过程中发挥着重要作用。随着我国对外开放的不断深入及旅游事业的迅猛发展，越来越多的旅游资料被译成英文。作为外国游客初步了解中国旅游资源的一 个窗口，旅游宣传资料翻译的优劣直接影响着对外宣传的效果。外国游客到中国来旅游不仅仅是为了游山玩水，更重要的是
2、想了解中国古老而神秘的文化。因此，旅游宣传资料的翻译就是要传递中国文化以吸引外国游客，达到促进旅游业发展的目的。本文试图从文化的角度，用德国功能主义的目的论及国内一些翻译学者的翻译理论为理论指导，从跨文化的角度 对 一些 翻译 进行点评 ，总结出一种理想的翻译方法。 关键词 ：旅游宣传资料，文化差异， 目的论 ，翻译 方法 II Abstract Tourist publicity material is supposed to publicize China, which plays an important role in promoting the tourist resources i
3、n China and attracting foreign tourists. With the deepening of reform and opening-up policy and the rapid development of tourism in China, more and more tourist materials are translated into English. The translation of tourist publicity materials has a direct influence on foreign publicity, for it i
4、s a window through which foreign tourists know the tourist resources in China. Foreign tourists are more interested in learning Chinese culture than enjoying the natural scenery. So, the function of tourist publicity material is to offer tourists information and persuade them to visit China so as to
5、 promote the development of tourism industry. The thesis attempts to evaluate the translation of some Chinese tourist publicity materials from a cultural perspective, with the help of Skopos Theory and other translation theories at home, so as to conclude a preferred translation approach. Key words:
6、 TPM, Culture Differences, Skopos Theory, Translation Approach III Contents Abstract . II 1. Introduction.1 2. A Study of TPM . .1 2.1 The Definition of TPM .1 2.2 The Characteristics of Chinese TPM . . 2 2.3 Current Situation of TPM Translation in China . 2 3. TPM Translations in the Angle of Cross
7、-cultural Communication . .3 3.1 TPM Translation: an Intercultural Activity . . . 3 3.2 Differences Between Chinese Culture and Western Culture. . 4 3.2.1 Differences in Psychology. . . . 4 3.2.2 Differences in Aesthetic Taste and Thinking Pattern . 4 3.2.3 Differences in Ethics and Values. . . . 5
8、3.3 Translation Barriers Caused by Cultural Differences and Solutions . 5 3.3.1 Zero Equivalent of Word . . . 6 3.3.2 Conflicts of Word Meaning 6 3.3.3 Semantic Association. . . . 7 4. Skopos Theory and C-E Translation of TPM 7 4.1 Skopos Theory in the C-E Translation of TPM. . 8 4.1.1 The Definitio
9、n of Skopos Theory . . 8 4.1.2 The Application of Skopos Theory to TPM Translation . 8 4.2 Tourist-oriented and Culture-oriented Principle in the Translation of TPM .9 5.Conclusion. .11 Bibliography . 13 Acknowledgements . . 14 1 1. Introduction China is an ancient civilization with a long history o
10、f 5000 years; our ancestors have left us abundant sites and beautiful landscapes, which attract millions of tourists to come to China for tours. The authoritative World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has declared that tourism is one of the worlds largest industries. As for China, it is expected t
11、hat China will be the worlds largest tourist destination and the fourth major source of tourist by the year 2020. The speedy growth offers both opportunities and challenges to China. TPM, the main media to transfer various information to foreign tourists, is very vital in world image of China. Only
12、when the foreigners read accurate and vivid tourists materials, will they generate curiosity and mystery and have trips to China. This on the other hand can also promote the tourist industry and the economy of China. 2. A Study of TPM 2.1 The Definition of TPM In order to facilitate the study on TPM
13、 translation, it is very necessary to have a clear understanding of the definition of TPM. TPM is short for tourist publicity materials, while tourism was defined by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in 1991 as “the activities of a person traveling to a place outside his or her usual environment
14、for a specified period of time whose main purpose of travel is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated form within the space visited” (魏国富 , 2002: 29). From the definition, we find that tourism is more than a social phenomenon. It is also phenomena of culture and economy. Tourists from di
15、fferent countries have different cultural backgrounds. The term “publicity” means the information or actions intended to attract the publics attention to something. Tourism material obtains various kinds of text types, such as tourism spots introduction, tourist publicity ads, tourism signs, tourist
16、 manuals and tourists guidebooks. (陈刚 , 2004: 310). Among them, tourism spots introduction is the most important parts that have the majority of cultural characteristics. TPM is a very useful marketing tool, exerting great influence on tourists decisions to come to China and purchase tourism product
17、. It is also a good way to promote intercultural communications. 2.2 The Characteristics of Chinese TPM Firstly, Tourist publicity materials have many types of stylistics, such as description, narration and exposition. They connote a variety of meanings, most of which are connected with culture, bac
18、kground information or historical stories, which make it more difficult to translate Chinese 2 TPM to English. Secondly, tourist publicity materials have various functions. The languages especially in the tourism advertisements are persuasive and filled with aesthetic and expressive features because
19、 the purpose of TPM is to attract tourists (陈刚 , 2004: 310). It belongs to pragmatic style of literature. Famous English translator Peter Newmark also considers that most of TPM texts are vocative and informative. According to his text typology theory, all texts can be classified into three types ac
20、cording to their functions: “expressive text, informative text and vocative text, each with a basic translators loyalty to the SL writer, or the “truth”, the facts of the matter or the readership respectively”（ Newmark, 2001: 40） . Tourist publicity text is a type with informative and vocative as th
21、e main functions. Informative function means that TPM transfers relevant information and background knowledge of the tourist destinations to tourists. “Vocative“ means TPM should be capable of arousing tourists interest and persuading them to purchase tourism products. Being informative is the prere
22、quisite of vocative function. In addition, TPM is sometimes categorized into expressive text when it gives a vivid account of the tourism destinations with beautiful and impressive language to create poetic effect. Thirdly, tourist publicity materials have many literary elements, such as poems, anti
23、thetical couplets and four-character idioms. Some of them are unique in Chinese and its hard to translate into other languages. For example: 张家界的山， 奇峰叠翠，拔地而起，高耸入云 。悬崖峭壁上，生长着茂密的灌木； 舒卷飘逸 的云雾缠绕在腰间， 时而升腾，时而泄落 ；山顶上长满了苍劲的松树， 参差错落 ，非常壮观。张家界山的形状 千姿百态 ；有的似猛兽，有的像剑戟，有的像 窈窕淑女 ，有的像 关西大汉 。 There are ten four-char
24、acter idioms in this short passage. (For its translation, see P5) 2.3 Current Situation of TPM Translation in China Translation has made a great progress since the opening-up in China. But current translation theories in China are deeply influenced by Yan Fus “faithfulness， expressiveness and elegan
25、ce”, Lu Xuns “rather be faithful than smooth” and Qian Zhongshus “the notion of sublimation”. However, all these theories are appropriate for literary translation instead of publicity materials. Just as Nida puts it “unfortunately too many Chinese theorists and practitioners have focused primarily o
26、n elegance and quite naturally they concentrated their efforts on literary texts” (贾文波 , 2004: 37). TPM belongs to the applied translation, so it needs other theories to support TPM translation. Nowadays, with the rapid development of tourism in China, more and more attentions are paid to the transl
27、ation of TPM and there are already so many publicities about how to translate accurately to the foreign tourists, but the results of translations are far more 3 satisfactory. Three reasons can explain this situation: (1). Many professional experts who are engaged in tourism translation are actually
28、laymen and lack experience and senses of cultural awareness. (2). The bi-linguistic competence of the translators is low and their translation skills are not exquisite enough. (3). Publicities about tourism translation are overflowed, but many of them are of the same and have little practical value（
29、 陈刚 , 2009: 7） . In order to solve these problems and improve the quality of tourist publicity materials, we should first enhance the translators competence and develop their senses of cultural awareness, and it is necessary to take a deep look of cultural disparity between China and the western cou
30、ntries. 3. C-E TPM Translations from the Perspective of Cross-cultural Communication 3.1 TPM Translation： an Intercultural Activity Intercultural communication is a distinctive characteristic of this era of communication. It occurs when two or more individuals from different cultures communicate. La
31、nguage is the carrier of culture and translation is the bridge between two languages, so translation not only means transferring one language to another, but also has the task of promoting exchange between cultures. Translation is not confined only to the area of linguistic studies; it should be a k
32、ind of intercultural communication. TPM is a highly cultural-bound text with reference to a wide range of cultural patterns, such as religious culture, historical elements, architecture, etc. One of the main tasks of translating TPM is to transmit Chinese culture to visitors with different cultural
33、backgrounds. Therefore, translating Chinese into English is a typical intercultural communication activity. Then, the translator must have cross-cultural awareness in translating TPM in order to achieve the purpose of passing on Chinese culture to foreign tourists and attracting foreign visitors. 3.
34、2 Differences Between Chinese Culture and Western Culture Each culture has its characteristics different from those of any other culture. A study on the differences between Chinese culture and western culture has a great significance that helps translators to cultivate cross-cultural awareness. Cult
35、ural information in the tourist publicity materials is the highlight of the destinations which attracts potential visitors. It is also the difficult point for them to understand because of cultural differences. Therefore, it is essential for translators to understand not only the cultural informatio
36、n of the destination in question 4 but also the target language culture. 3.2.1 Differences in Psychology The different motivations for the tourists at home and abroad to travel reflect the cultural psychological differences. As most Chinese are familiar with the cultural backgrounds of the destinati
37、ons, their aim to travel is to enjoy the natural scenery and relax themselves. But for foreign tourists, one of the important motivations is connected with their curiosity about exotic cultures, which can be seen from the desire to know about other places or countries and to have all kinds of experi
38、ences in traveling. This motivation will largely determine the destinations to be chosen and the activities to be joined. The translator, therefore, should keep these differences in mind and employ effective methods to remain the original cultural characteristics to meet their needs. For example: “S
39、uzhou” is translated into “the oriental Venice” and “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yindai” is translated into “Chinese Romeo and Juliet” in order to attract foreigners. 3.2.2 Differences in Aesthetic Taste and Thinking Pattern Due to the differences of geographical features and cultures, Chinese and English
40、speakers share different thinking patterns, which are reflected on their aesthetic taste. The Chinese lay emphasis on the harmony between man and nature, and the unity between subject and object. They prefer four-character idioms and use simile and exaggerations a lot. For example: 张家界的山， 奇峰叠翠，拔地而起，
41、高耸入云 。悬崖峭壁上，生长着茂密的灌木； 舒卷飘逸 的云雾缠绕在腰间， 时而升腾，时而泄落 ；山顶上长满了 苍劲的松树， 参差错落 ，非常壮观。张家界山的形状 千姿百态 ；有的似猛兽，有的像剑戟，有的像 窈窕淑女 ，有的像 关西大汉 。 Zhangjiajie is best known for its towering peaks, cloaked in cloud and mist, and covered in different shades of green. Thick shrubs cover the cliff surface, and pine flourish on th
42、e mountain tops. Various shapes can be discerned in its peaks-of-animals, swords and humans. (王静， 2010: 42) The Chinese sentences are very complex and have many repetitions. The beautiful rhythm and emotions embodied are adaptive to the aesthetic taste and appreciating habit of Chinese people. Howev
43、er, western philosophy emphasizes abstract, analytic and logic thinking. They believe that Chinese descriptions are too exaggerated to be true. They prefer clear and objective description of the scenery or reality. Therefore, the English writing tends to be simple, plain and without repetition. The
44、sentence structure is neat and clear which represents 5 the logical thinking pattern of English. Other common examples to show the different thinking patterns are the way to covey directions and places. Chinese would like to say “东南西北 ”, while Westerners prefer “North and south, east and west” . Chi
45、nese would like to say “中国杭州 ”, but Westerners prefer Hangzhou, China. 3.2.3 Differences in Ethics and Values Every society has its deep-rooted ethics and values， which influence peoples behavior. Ethnics and values differ greatly between China and Westerners. Confucianism was employed to govern peo
46、ples thought by many emperors in ancient China. Confucianism advocates benevolence and courtesy among people. It encourages individuals to avoid competition and conflict, and to maintain inner harmony. Westerners believe in Christianity and people all strongly worship God. For example: “man proposes
47、, God disposes”. “God helps those who help themselves”. They foster interdependence and individual achievement, promote self-expression, individual thinking and personal choice. 3.3 Translation Barriers Caused by Cultural Differences and Solutions to Them Since translation is not only the transfer b
48、etween two languages, but also the exchange of cultures, cultural differences must result in barriers in translation. In his book, Bao Huinan generalized these barriers as zero equivalent of word, conflicts of word meaning and semantic association. (包惠南 , 2001: 29) 3.3.1 Zero Equivalent of Word Some words carry the meanings of a cultural trait parti
