Translation In The Context Of Culture

Context permeates language and conteXtual assumptions affoct hoxvwe understand langUage. From Malinowski, Firth and Halliday, moreand more alleniion has been paid to the study of context. Nowada}sthe words 'cu1tIJfe' and 'translation' are being increasingly linked.Questions regarding Whether or not translations can account fOrculture, or to what extCnt culture is relevant are very much at thecenter of the debate Starting from the discussion of translating in theconteXt of cuIture, my thesis is aimed tO do some relevant cuIturaland intercultural studies concerning translation as an interlingualcommunlcatlve actlvltV.The thesis is divided into six chapters fClaPter 1 ffoderstandtw COnhaChapter 1 begins with a development of the theory of context. Britishanthropologist Malinowski was among the first who rea1ized thatlanguage could only be understood with reference to context.Linguists Firth and Halliday developed Malinowski's ideas andpointed oat the importance of examining contextuaI assumptions.CIaPter 2 APPrehending CuItureChapter 2 continues by introducing the subject of culture. Cu1ture isperceived in this thesis as an accumulated pattern of values, beliefs,and behaviors shared by an identifiable group of people with acommon history and a verbal and nonverbal symbol system. Thischapter serves as an olltline of the major influences culture can haveon tfansIatlon.ChaPter 3 Translation in the Contat of Chlture: ReasonsLanguage and culture are close1y linked f language expresses,embodies and smpbolizes culture. Translators reconstruct theequiva1encies of words across linguistic boundaries, meanWhile, theytransplant the emotional vibrations of another culttire. Hence,trans1ation must be done in the wider context of culture.ClaPter 4 Translation in the Conan of Culture: DgulticsNon-equivalence occurs when lexical meanings are different in thesource and the target lanSmages. Subtler is the cultural connotation.one of the main reasons why trans1ators make so many mistakes intheir hanslations. Common types of non-equivalence at and aboveword levtri are the focuses of ChaPter 4.ChaPter S Transladen lvi the Contert of Culture: SforteghChaPter 5 begins wtth a discussion of literal translation and culturaltranslation, poiflting out that these twO are similar to a large eXtCnt.Therefore, what is of essemial importance to the trans1ator is thegrasp of cultWal connotations of the source and the target langUages.This is the basic principle of dealing with non-equivalence. Prachcalmethods of translaton with examples and comments are suggested inthis chaPter.vClaPter 6 Translation in tI1e Contcrt of Culture: ConclusionChapter 6 draws a conclusion by discussing the role of the translator.With the continuing globalization, the professions will need to changefrom being seen as inefficient human dictionaries to faciIitators fOrmulual understanding between PeopIe tYom different cultures. Theproposal is for a new role fOr the traditional tTansIator, tha of a'cultural mediator'. This conclusion takes us back to the mainconcern of this thesis f improving translation across cultures.