A Probe Into Cultural Mistranslation In Light Of Cultural Functional Equivalence Thory

Cultural mistranslation is a commonly seen but often ignored cultural phenomenon. It is due to the translator's lack or ignorance of the relevant cultural knowledge of the source text. Bassnett (1990) holds that translation is the communication between and inside cultures. The equivalence of translation is the cultural functional equivalence between the source text (ST) and the target text (TT). Therefore, translation is not a pure behavior of language. It roots deeply in the culture of the language. If cultural elements are ignored in translation, then no cultural functional equivalence can be reached and cultural mistranslation may occur. Cultural mistranslation, as a complex cultural issue in translation, is different from common translation errors which are incurred by careless or irresponsible translating at the linguistic level in most cases. This thesis aims to find out the causes for cultural mistranslation in light of the theory of cultural functional equivalence and find means and ways for its avoidance.First of all, the author of this thesis states the necessity of the research by revealing the inextricable connection between or among language, culture and translation. In view of the close relationship between language and culture, translation is inevitably an intercultural activity, rather than a simple process of interlingual transference. The discussion of cultural mistranslation in light of cultural functional equivalence theory can help us resolve cultural translation problems better, thus enhancing cultural communication.Translation equivalence is a phenomenon between ST and TT, which means the linguistic and cultural equivalence a translator intends to establish in his translation from ST into TT. Yet, since cultural turn,"equivalence"has been redefined in the sense of translation, which is no longer seen as the mechanical matching of words in dictionaries, but rather as a strategic choice made by translators. Therefore, functional equivalence is preferred in discussing the scope of modification of the translated version. The present paper presents the key elements of cultural functional equivalence from the four aspects: Cultural Orientation, Communicative Orientation, Domestication & Foreignization, and Paradigm Shifts.Grounded on the above analysis, cultural mistranslation that is caused by cultural...