1、中国文化菜名英译的异化与归化-红楼梦个案研究摘 要在“民以食为天”并享有世界烹饪王国之称的中华大地,烹饪艺术博大精深、源远流长。随着中外交流不断加强,饮食文化方面的交流也显得格外注目。作为饮食文化的承载者,中国菜名文化广博、深远,悦耳动听,富含浓厚的历史文化底蕴和地方特色。因此,菜名文化的翻译在中国烹饪艺术的对外交流中起着不容忽视的作用。但是,对于这个领域的研究还没有引起足够的重视,出版的研究寥寥可数。 文化菜名,顾名思义,是指具有丰富文化含义的菜肴名称,它们抛开了菜肴的具体内容,竭尽借代、隐喻之能事,不用汤、羹、菜、肴之类的俗字,而以诗文、典故入菜名,讲究韵律、节奏的美感,使菜名蕴含特有的文
2、化气息。一般来说,在翻译像菜名这样含有文化因素的名称时有两种主要的翻译策略:以目的语文化为导向的归化翻译和以源语文化为导向的异化翻译。归化是指把异域文化接近于目的语读者,使目的语文本更容易被目的语读者理解和接受。异化则恰恰相反,它是指把目的语读者带进源语文本,进而带进异域文化,使目的语读者更清楚地了解源语文化和目的语文化之间的巨大差异。由于在源语文化和目的语文化之间存在巨大差异,译者就不得不面临这样的选择:是遵循源语文化,还是遵循目的语文化,所以在从事翻译活动时,难免要对归化还是异化进行选择,但这两种翻译策略一直处于翻译研究的核心地位,引起翻译界的激烈争论。本文以韦努蒂关于归化与异化的翻译理论
3、为基础,选取中国古典名著红楼梦为个案,对中国文化菜名的英译进行了尝试性的研究。通过对红楼梦两个译本的比较,作者对归化和异化两种翻译策略的利弊进行了分析,最后得出结论两种翻译策略相结合才是最好的处理办法。 本文研究的主要问题是富有浓厚中国文化内涵的文化菜名的翻译策略,即是采取异化还是归化,研究方法则是基于文献的定性研究,其中在论文的主要部分,作者从归化和异化的角度对中国古典小说红楼梦的两个英译本中菜名翻译进行对比,还将两个译本中采用归化和异化翻译策略的实例进行了总结,并对两种翻译策略的使用频率进行了统计,结果显示杨、戴译使用异化的频率略高于霍译。作为一名译者,杨宪益夫妇的目的主要是将中国饮食文化
4、尽可能多地传播出去,他们的目标读者是那些想了解中国文化的西方人,而霍克斯的翻译目的主要是吸引那些普通的西方人群读者,因此杨、戴译的异化使用频率高于霍译。虽然两位译者都有着不同的翻译目的以及不同的读者群要去适应,但是研究结果说明中国文化菜名中的大多数文化因素或文化意象都难以在英语中找到对应的表达法,所以两个译本都倾向于使用异化的翻译策略。然而归化策略在两个译本中都有一定I 的使用比率,这说明为了使西方读者正确理解菜肴的食材、烹饪技法等内容而不至于使译文晦涩难懂,归化法也是不可缺少的。总之,由于不同的翻译目的和不同的目的语读者,译者会遵循不同的翻译策略。基于以上分析,本文指出归化和异化是一对矛盾的
5、两个方面,表面看似针锋相对,但事实上他们的关系是辩证统一、互为补充的。因此,我们可以说一篇优秀的译文是归化和异化完美的结合,它不仅能避免极端翻译带来的种种问题,也是对目的语言和文化的最优化。 本文主要由五部分组成:首先,介绍研究背景、意义、研究方法,并对全文框架进行概括;其次,对国内外论题相关内容的研究现状进行总结;再次,分析语言,文化和翻译三者的关系;第四部分首先定义“文化菜名”,并详细阐述韦努蒂关于归化与异化的翻译理论,然后理论联系实际,通过对比红楼梦两个英译本,探讨其中文化菜名翻译的有效途径,以促进中国饮食文化的对外传播;最后总结全文。关键词:文化菜名; 翻译; 归化; 异化; 红楼梦I
6、I AbstractChina, where food is the first necessity of man, is a well-known kingdom of cuisine. Chinese cuisine is broad, profound and has a long history. With the communication between China and other countries being strengthened, the exchange of dietary culture attracts more attention. As the carri
7、er of dietary culture, Chinese dish names are characterized by the extensive and deep cultural connotation, beauty in sound, rich historical elements and local color. Therefore, the translation of cultural elements in dish names plays a quite important part in the international communication. Howeve
8、r, the research in this field has not been attached enough importance to yet, and the published works are small in numberCulturally-loaded dish name, just as its name implies, is a kind of dish name rich in cultural signification, which puts the concrete contents of dish such as ingredients and cook
9、ing techniques away, but makes use of rhetoric devices such as metonymy and metaphor, and cites poems and essays to pursue the beauty in rhythmGenerally speaking, there exist two main translating strategies in dealing with the translation of cultural elements contained in the culturally-loaded dish
10、names, namely, TL culture-oriented domestication and SL culture-oriented foreignization. Domestication means bringing the foreign culture closer to the reader in the target language, making the target text recognizable and familiar to readersForeignization, on the other hand, means taking the reader
11、s in the target language to the source text and to the exotic culture, making them learn the great differences between source language culture and target language culture. Because of the differences between the two, a translator is bound to make a choice in favor of this or that, so it is inevitable
12、 for him to be inclined toward domestication or foreignization when working on translation activities. However, the two translating strategies have always dominated the central place of translation studies and have caused heated debate in the translation field. This thesis makes a tentative research
13、 on the translation ofIII Chinese culturally-loaded dish names based on the Venutis translation theory about domestication and foreignization by selecting Chinese classical novel Hong Lou Meng as a caseThrough the contrast between the two translated versions of Hong Lou Meng, the author analyzes the
14、 merits and demerits of these two translating strategies, and finally concludes that the integrated strategy is the best solutionThe research question of this thesis is which kind of translating strategy should be adopted in the translation of Chinese dish names which features rich cultural characte
15、ristics, foreignization or domestication. The methodology of this research is qualitative study based on the library works. In the main part of this thesis, the author makes a contrastive study on the two translated versions of the Chinese classical novel Hong Lou Meng from the perspective of domest
16、ication and foreignization, sums up the examples of dish names which are translated by using domestication and foreignization in two versions, and calculates the frequency of usageThe result shows the Yangs frequency of using foreignization is higher than that of the Hawks. The Yangs purpose is to i
17、ntroduce the Chinese culture to the western readers as much as possible. He regards the westerners who want to know about the Chinese culture as the target readers. But Hawkes purpose is to attract the public, the ordinary western readers, so the Yangs frequency of foreignization is higher. Although
18、 the two versions have different translation purposes and different target readers to adapt to, the result of study accounts for the fact that most cultural factors or images have no equivalent expression in English, so the two versions tend to use foreignization. Nevertheless, domestication also ha
19、s a certain frequency in two versions, which shows that domestication is indispensable to inform western readers of the contents of dishes and avoid obscurity as well. Based on the above analysis, the thesis points out that domestication and foreignization seem to be contradictory but actually suppl
20、ementary. Therefore, we can say a good translation is the perfect combination of domestication andIV foreignization, which can not only avoid many problems arising from word-for-word translation, but also optimize target language and culture mostlyThis thesis consists of five parts: at first, the au
21、thor introduces the background, significance, methodology and outline of the research; next, the current researches of theme-related contents at home and abroad are reviewed; then, the relationship between language, culture and translation is analyzed; the forth part is the combination of theory and
22、 practice, in which “culturally-loaded dish name” is defined, Venutis translation theory about domestication and foreignization is set forth in detail,and then the efficient way of translating culturally-loaded dish names is discussed by contrasting the two translated versions of Hong Lou Meng to pr
23、omote the spread of Chinese dietary culture; finally the whole thesis is concluded Key words: culturally-loaded dish names; translation; domestication; foreignization; Hong Lou MengV 独创性声明 学位论文版权使用说明书 Abstract Chinese Abstract English CONTENTSChapter One Introduction1 1.1 Research background1 1.2 Re
24、search objectives2 1.3 Methodology2 1.4 Contents of the thesis2 Chapter Two Literature Review4 2.1 Culture and translation4 2.2 Translating strategy6 2.3 Translation of culturally-loaded words8 2.4 Translation of dish name9 2.5 Translation of Hong Lou Meng10 Chapter Three Culture and the Culturally-
25、loaded Words13 3.1 The definition of culture13 3.2 The definition of culturally-loaded word15 3.3 The relationship between culture and translation.17 Chapter Four A Case Study of Translation Culturally-loaded Dish Names in Hong Lou Meng.20 4.1 The definition of cultural dish name.20 4.2 Translating
26、strategies.24 4.2.1 Definition of domestication and foreignization24 4.2.2 Debates on domestication and foreignization27 4.3 Application of domestication in Hong Lou Meng30 4.3.1 Free Translation30 4.3.2 Substitution34 4.3.3 Amplification.36 4.4 Application of Foreignization in Hong Lou Meng.37 4.4.
27、1 Transliteration38 4.4.2 Literal Translation.39 4.5 Statistics of the Translating Strategies41 Chapter Five Conclusion.43 5.1 Summary of the research and its findings43 5.2 Implications and limitations of the research.44 Bibliography46 Acknowledgements.49Table 4-122 Table 4-241Chapter One Introduct
28、ion Chapter One Introduction The study of translation of dish names belongs to the new research field in China as well as in the West. Published researches of this field are countable. This thesis attempts to employ the two most widely-used translating strategies, i.e. foreignization and domesticati
29、on, in analyzing the English translation of Chinese culturallt-loaded dish names. This approach of cultural analysis happens to cater for the fashion of cultural studies. As an introduction, this chapter presents the background of current research, research objectives, and the methodology employed.
30、Also, an outline of the structure of the whole thesis is reported1.1 Research background China is a country which has a long history and boasts a variety of cuisines with distinct features. Chinese cuisine is regarded as a great wonder of collection of cooking skills in foreign peoples eyes. Western
31、ers are often attracted to the looks, forms and designs of Chinese food besides their delicious aroma and taste. While the sight of Chinese food brings pleasure, the names of dishes also capture close attention of foreign people. The Chinese dish names are euphonic, and have great cultural elements
32、of both history and local color. For example, many dishes are named after the animal and plant which the Chinese people love to see and hear. Some are of folk characteristics, while others are of artistry, which is used to cater to diners good tasteWhen people from different cultural backgrounds enj
33、oy Chinese food, they are often curious and eager to know the exact meaning of the name of certain dish. They are also interested in its origin. Since the name of a dish is the first impression given to a dining person when he or she decides to order a dish, they can also appreciate the floweriness
34、of Chinese culture. It is important to convey accurate information to the customers. A precise and informative translation of a dish name carries a sound message and arouses interest and appetiteIn recent years, the ever-increasing importance of the exchange of food and cuisine culture between China
35、 and the West has been evident. The cooking world is so diverse and attractive that it merits a thick brush of description. For China, its rich cuisine culture has continued to be exported overseas, arousing worldwide acclaim and applause to cement a lasting reputation. To bridge different cultures,
36、 the 1 Foreignization and Domestication in the C-E Translation of Chinese Cultural Dish Names translation of dish names, as a significant and indispensable part to a fine dish, plays an important role and faces a high demand raised by the profound and complex nature of Chinese and foreign dish names
37、 and culinary terms. It is no easy job to name the dishes and it requires painstaking and strenuous intellectual efforts1.2 Research objectives As the title of the thesis suggests, the current research intends to discuss foreignization and domestication employed in translation of Chinese culturally-
38、loaded dish names. In order to compose this thesis with typical examples, the author selects the Chinese classical novel Hong Lou Meng as the case for study. Based on the exchange of food and cuisine between China and the foreign countries, and confronted with the formidable and towering task of Chi
39、nese menu translation, this thesis aims to employ a variety of translating methods to clarify and address these problems in the two translations, and to discuss the best translating strategy in translating the culturally-loaded dish names1.3 Methodology The method of this research is qualitative stu
40、dy that is mostly based on library works, the original of Hong Lou Meng and its two translations in particular. Hong Lou Meng is the greatest success in art, in which the cuisine culture is most wonderfulCao Xueqin depicted the luxurious dishes in the noble families in the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dyna
41、sty as well as so many delicate snacks of areas south of Yangtse River for us in an exquisite writing style. The beverage, candy, cookies, cakes and soup have description of producing area, cooking skill, living habit, custom, etiquette, ideology, literature art and historic story and so on. All exa
42、mples in this thesis are given in this novel as they are more prestigious and influential, which will give affluent evidence for the authors analysis. All these efforts are expected to compare those two translations and get implication for the selection of translating strategy in translating the Chi
43、nese culturally-loaded dish names, which will be helpful for the intercultural communication1.4 Contents of the thesis This thesis is composed of five chapters. Chapter One introduces the background Chapter One Introduction of research, research objectives, methodology and an overview of the whole t
44、hesisChapter Two provides a comprehensive review of the researches related to Chinese culturally-loaded dish names translation at home and abroad, including researches on culture and translation, translating strategy, culturally-loaded words, translation of culturally-loaded dish names, and translat
45、ion of Hong Lou MengChapter Three clarifies the relationship among language, translation and culture, and the definition of culturally-loaded wordsChapter Four focuses on the translation of culturally-loaded dish names in Hong Lou Meng, including the definition of culturally-loaded dish name, classi
46、fication of translating strategy, the application of domestication and foreignization in the translation and the table of the usage of these two strategiesChapter Five offers a conclusion. In this chapter the author makes a summary of the whole thesis. Furthermore, the author discusses the implicati
47、ons and the limitations of the present study, and also develops the suggestions for further study in this field3 Foreignization and Domestication in the C-E Translation of Chinese Cultural Dish Names Chapter Two Literature Review2.1 Culture and translation Traditionally, translation is considered as
48、 a kind of inter-lingual activity and translating should be the linguistic analyses and textual comparisons. Language is a part of culture as well as a carrier of culture. Therefore, the translation process will be influenced by the cultures behind two languages. In the 1960s, Nida, a famous America
49、n translation theorist, set foot in cultural translation for the first time. He points out in fact, to a translator, the problems caused by cultural differences are larger in number and more complicated than those caused by differences in linguistic structure in his book Toward a Science of Translating. In the 1970s, more and more people began to pay attention to the special relationship between language and cultureJuri Litman, a former Soviet Union semiotician suggests that language and culture are correlated with each other. The close relationship between language and
