The Translation Of Cultural Elements In Texts With Different Language Functions

Culture, which covers a wide range of contents, has a close interdependent relation with language. In translating, cultural discrepancies carried by SL and TL often bring about gaps more difficult to cross than those posed by purely linguistic differences. So the proper translation of cultural elements poses a higher requirement for translators. After careful studies on the research concerning this issue, the author of the present thesis has made the tentative endeavor to handle the translation of cultural elements in texts with different functions based on the approaches of semantic translation and communicative translation.To start with, the thesis offers an analysis of culture, language and their relationship and points out the difficulties in translation owing to the differences of cultures. Then the author looks back on different translation approaches and theories dealing with the translation of cultural elements both at home and abroad. In China, Yan Fu advanced his three-character standard for translation: faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance. The other translators after him, like Lin Yutang, Fu Lei, and Qian Zhongshu improved translation standards and methods on the basis of his theory. In the west, translation theories of 'equivalence', held by I. C. Catford and Eugene A. Nida, become prevailing, having great influence on translators all over the world. These translators give more consideration to the faithfulness to the SL text, so-called source-oriented approach. The translators represented by Toury have come to realize the limit of single source-oriented translation and pointed out that translation from the perspective of the target culture should be considered. Whatever theories these translators use, they haven't taken into adequate consideration the different text types of the original language, and the corresponding methods of dealing with cultural elements in those different text types. Their theories have limitation of handling cultural elements. Therefore,the thesis introduces Peter Newmark's translation theory - semantic translation and communicative translation-which acts as a theoretical basis of the thesis. In semantic translation, more attention should be paid to the SL text while in communicative translation more emphasis is laid on the appropriate use of the target language for the target readers' easier acceptance. A corresponding approach should be used in different text types.With reference to the classification of various text types based on the functions of language, the author of the thesis classifies texts into three general types: the expressive, the informative and the vocative. A text does not have only one function, but any text should have one major function. In the expressive text, such as serious imaginative literature, personal correspondence, autobiography, and essays, the core is the mind of the speaker, the writer, the originator of the utterance, hence the language form and the content should be equally important. So semantic translation is used, in which the translator should keep the style intact and close to the original as much as possible. The informative text includes non-literary works, textbooks, scientific papers, articles in newspapers or periodicals, etc., whose core is external situation, the facts of topic, reality outside language. The vocative text, such as notices, instruction, propaganda, etc. whose core is to call upon the readership to act, think or feel. Communicative translation is chiefly used in these two texts with the TL reader as the center and more attention should be paid to the essence of the original and the influence and value of the TL text.In order that cultural elements can be rendered in the most appropriate way, a large space of this thesis is devoted to discussing different methods in the three major texts based on Peter Newmark's translation theories: semantic and communicative translation. With this guidance, cultural elements in three main text types - expressive texts, informative texts, and vocative texts -...