跨文化翻译中的中国英语 China English in Intercultural Translation

1. 跨文化翻译中的中国英语China English in Intercultural Translation 金　惠　康 广东技术师范学院 跨文化翻译研究中心

2. From One-way Communication to Two-way Communication • China has been learning from the developed western countries in the past two hundred years. • In the new millennium, China wants to introduce its own civilization to the world. • There is a long-standing civilization in China, as a very important part of the civilized world history, yet it is still mysterious to the outside world and hard for overseas visitors to understand China. So it is very important for us Chinese to introduce Chinese civilization to the whole world and China English is a must in so doing. • But what is China English? And what's its function in C-E translation in intercultural communication? • English as an International Medium — World Englishes

3. English used as an International medium • English was merely a tribe language about 600 years ago, and in the 18th century it spread quickly all over the globe with the expansion of the British Empire. • When it came to North America, there appeared American English, then to the southern hemisphere, Australian English and New Zealand English came into being. Still then, African English in African continent, Asian Englishes like Indian English, Pakistan English, Hong Kong English and more followed. • Anything happened, happening or predicted has to be describe in English by either western countries or by eastern countries in their own perspectives, in their understanding and in their own words. English has grown up from a tribe language into an international medium with the whole world as its stage and with all the cultures as its cultural contents. It no longer confines to the Anglo-Saxon culture and British English, which is regarded only as one of its varieties nowadays and so is American English.

4. The Three Concentric Circles of World Englishes • In the first place, English spread with the migration of Anglo-Saxon people, this circle is labeled as the Inner Circle, • and then to the colonial places like Nigerian，Tanzanian，Indian，Malaysian，Singapore，South Africa, Hongkong and dozens of other countries, English was separated from its Anglo-Saxon culture, shifting to describe foreign countries and completely different cultures. English was extremely expanded linguistically and a dozen varieties appeared. This circle is labeled the Outer Circle. • And finally, the Expanding Circle includes those regional powers like Russia, Brazil, Egypt, Japan and China. They use English as a common language of the world. English has shifted away from its origin and obtained a broad multilingual perspective.

5. China Englinh in IC • What is China English (Chinish)? • Chinglish is a twisted form of English • China English in Need • China Speak • Translation of Chinese Abstract Ideas, Chinese Buzzwords, Unique Items, Specialties and Ethnic Customs in China

6. Features of China English • It is a variety born in the intercultural communication between Chinese and English. • It is used to expresses the Chinese characteristics, which are a little bit strange to native speakers of English. • It is based on normative English, so it can be understood in intercultural communication, but interfered with by the mother tongue. • It is used to introduce Chinese culture to the world, but with strong Chinese associations. • With more and more Chinese borrowings rushing into English, it enlarges English vocabulary and enriches its expressions.

7. Chinese Borrowings • There are a lot of unique things, abstract ideas and exotic customs that have never been described ever before in English, and how can we describe them in English? • How can we get the vocabulary and the specific expressions? • Chinese borrowings: from lexicons to syntactic structures

8. Quotations from Newsweek and Time • Tiger Lady：雌老虎/女强人（Newsweek：55，02/10/2000） • Mao's Little Red Book：毛的小红书（Time：49，23/10/2000） • "Leftists"：“左派”。（In Chinese political parlance，leftists are conservative ideologues，while "rightists" are the reformers）（Newsweek：20-21，23/10/2000） • Generation Red：红色（革命）一代（Time：42，23/10/2000） • Generation Yellow：黄色（金钱）一代（Time：42，23/10/2000） • Tiananmen Generation：天安门的一代（Newsweek：55，2/10/2000） • Gilded youth：金边的一代（Time：42，23/10/2000） • （the）Middle Kingdom：中央大国（Time：63，23/10/2000） • Chinese Communist hard-liners：中共强硬份子（Newsweek：20-21，23/10/2000） • Falun Gong meditation movement：法轮功坐练运动（Newsweek：54，23/10/2000） • Red Guards：红卫兵（Time：35，23/10/2000） • Falun Gong members：法轮功成员（Time：36，23/10/2000） • Hu kou system：户口制（Time：42，23/10/2000） • Dang an：档案。（dang an，the personnel file that all urban Chinese must have）（Newsweek：57，02/10/2000） • Talk politics：讲政治（New Oxford Dictionary, 1998） • Sit on the hillside to watch the tigers fight．（坐山观虎斗。） • To seek truth from facts．（实事求是。） • At our first meeting，it's like old times．（大家一见如故。）

9. Domestic Perspective • 东西方有很大的文化差距（cultural distance），有不同的人文历史背景、不同地域气候，使不同民族的人们有不同的历史感受（diachronic experience）和共时感受（synchronic experience），他们会使用不同的词语或表达方式来描述他们种种不同的认识和体会。一个民族的体会或是经历有时候是非常不同的，这样在言语上就会出现“文化空白”和“词汇空白”。如“江湖、大侠”之类。获四项奥斯卡大奖的中国电影“卧虎藏龙”（Crouching Tiger，Hidden Dragon）中所描述的“江湖世界”，导演李安就坚持要用汉语拼音以保全其文化含义，译成 the jianghu world。所以，中国英语的语用功能之一就是要填补汉英文本中的文化和词汇空白，畅通东西方交流渠道。 • 对等词的空缺/lexical gaps。如：无常（鬼）/全福人/风水/冤孽/报应/政工人员/乌纱帽/护身符/随缘 • 文化要素的空缺/cultural gaps。如：儒/释/道/法和诸子百家的观点 • 文化距离/cultural distance 所造成的不同文化暗含。如：走狗/松鹤/龙凤/外宣/地主/非公有制 • 汉文化中独一无二的事物、现象和概念。如：汉语中表达血缘关系的词汇（kinship terms）很具体，现有英语就无法如此简洁再现这种具体 • 汉语典故/俗语/神话等。如：郑人买鞋/乌鸦嫌猪黑/后羿射日/嫦娥奔月/女娲补天 • 汉语中不断涌现的新词。如：回头率/扎媒子/皮包公司/打货的/老顽童/托爷 • 汉语的独特表达方式。如：铁公鸡/铁饭碗/铁杆哥们/知青/走资派/五七干校/阳谋 • 中国56个民族文化习俗的介绍等。如：赶表/踩歌堂/姊妹节/清寨（除邪）/锅庄/冬不拉。

10. 1）文化空白（cultural gaps） • 茶馆/tea house（c．f．茶室/tea room） • “修长城”/playing mahjong • 狗撵鸭子 —呱呱叫。/Excellent? • （麻将）三缺一/a table-three（of mahjong）；a mahjong-three • 中国卤菜/Chinese medicine meat/pork（sometimes，vegetables as well） • 中国药膳/Chinese medicinal food • 八仙桌/A traditional Chinese table for eight • 麒麟/kylin(s)；chilin(s)（中国神话中杜撰出来的一种神兽） • 灶王爷/the kitchen god • 东方的十二生肖与西方的十二星座/Oriental 12 zodiac animals & western 12 star groups 2）词汇缺项（lexical gaps） • 门神/menshen（traditional Chinese door-god） • 气功/qigong • 平底船/sampan (junk) • 冬不拉（琴）/dombra（a musical instrument popular in Xingjiang） • 睡婆/a charcoal heater in a bamboo basket put under the bed cover to warm it（only in winter）before one goes to bed．

11. 3）在中国文化中产生的英语新词语/新表达 • Chinish/中国英语 • kaifang/开放 • anti-poverty counties/扶贫县 • arrive-in-a-night/over-night trains/夕发朝至列车 4）China English 中有现代中国文化特色的表达 • 三八红旗手/March 8th Red Banner Pace-Setter • 五好家庭运动/the Five-Good Family Campaign • 文明礼貌月/the Civil Virtues Month • 现代中国的这些运动、倡议很多，都具有汉语的表达特点，英文应形成对应的表达。 5）汉语语言的特定概念词 • WSK/外语水平考试普通话（官话）/putonghua（mandarin） • HSK/汉语水平考试 （汉语） • 量词/Chinese measure words • 白话文/baihua wen八股文/eight-legged essays • 吴语/Shanghai dialect（包括中国的九大方言的表述） • 中文象形/会意字/Chinese characters of diagrams/pictographs/ideograms • 汉语拼音符号/拼音方案/Chinese Phonetic Symbols/The Chinese Phonetic System • 声母表/韵母表/The Initials/The Finals of the Chinese Phonetic System • 隔音符号/Syllable Division Sign，e．g．Xi'an • 声调符号/Lexical Tones（Signs for the Four Tones）

12. Borrowed Expressions 6）中国新兴事物 • 中国电信/China Telecom（Chinacom） • 中国电脑联网/Chinanet • 三峡工程/the Three Gorges（Dam）Project • 希望工程/Project Hope • 京九铁路/Beijing-Kowloon Railway • 扶贫工程/Anti-Poverty Project • 菜篮子工程/Vegetable Basket Project • 温饱工程/Decent-Life Project（a well-to-do life project） • 安居工程/Economy Housing（Anju）Project • 扫黄运动/Porn-Purging Campaign • 长城信用卡/Changcheng（Great Wall）Credit Card 7）特有的汉语词汇（表达） • 阴阳水/half boiling water and half cold water mixed together • 抱拳（致礼）/to clasp one's palms with left one over right to salute to friends or colleagues • 本命年/this animal year of sb

13. Syntactic Borrowings • 狗仗人势/like a dog counting on its master's backing • 调虎离山/to lure the tiger away from the mountain • 一龙九种/A dragon begets nine offspring each one different． • 投鼠忌器/Don't smash a jade vase to catch a rat． • 龙蛇混杂/Snakes are mixed up with dragons． • 有眼无珠/to have eyes but not see • 熟视无睹/too familiar/close to see • 水中捞月/to catch the moon in the water • 门可罗雀/You can catch sparrows in the doorway． • 一衣带水/only a narrow strip of water in between • 因小失大/to lose the main goal because of small gains • 走马观花/look at the flowers while riding on horseback • 欲擒故纵/to set the enemy free in order to catch him later • 拔苗助长/to try to help the rice seedlings grow by pulling them upward • 虎落阳坪被犬欺/A tiger out of the forest is tormented by a dog． • 路遥知马力，日久见人心。A distant journey tests the strength of a horse and a long task proves the character of a man．

14. Overseas Perspective • Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged （2000） （以光碟 2.5 版为語料庫）

15. 结论与启示 • 任何领域的词汇都有可能被国际英语所吸收，但得先创造有利的条件，有其存在意义。 • 找出英语里现成的汉语外来词，赋予时代意义，增加曝光率，让被打入冷宫的词汇有重见天日的机会。 • 若无现成的汉语借词，或既有的又不合时宜。可依“借词、定语修饰、借译、音义混成、翻译、会意转成、派生”等手段造新词。 • 以前使用邮政式、威妥玛式拼音者，大部分可改为汉语拼音。 • 英语里有现成的词汇无须避讳，一样可以造新词，在赋予不同的本义或涵义之后，一起加入与之竞争。 • 与其强势推销汉语借词，不如师法先哲，本诸王道，创造有利的条件以吸引西方的兴趣。 • 可以预料：随着中国的经济迅速发展，会有越来越多的汉语借词进入英语。

16. 跨文化翻译中的中国英语 • Thank you for attention!