A Comparative Study Of English And Chinese Euphemism And Their Translation

According to Habermas, to fulfill a successful communication between people, one should acquire both linguistic competence and communicative competence. Euphemism is an effective means to achieve both communicative and linguistic competence. It is a common cultural as well as linguistic phenomenon. Euphemism, because it can save the face of parties involved in communication and avoid hurting others or embarrassment, is widely adopted both by English and Chinese people. As language is the embodiment of culture, the differences between the West and China, including culture patterns, social customs and religions, will inevitably be reflected in euphemism. These differences pose as difficulties that every translator must face. With the development of intercultural communication and cultural exchanges, the translation of euphemism becomes more and more important.However, the present study on euphemism translation is not so satisfying both in theory and practice. Therefore, the thesis takes the translation of euphemism as the primary concern. The thesis begins with literature review, followed by a brief introduction to English and Chinese euphemism. After that, a detailed comparison of English and Chinese euphemism with regard to cultural pattern, religion and social customs is introduced with a great number of examples. Last but not least, on the basis of former discussions and in light of the difficulties often met in the translation of euphemisms, four skills for the English-Chinese and Chinese-English translation of euphemisms are proposed. It is hoped that such a study will be helpful and beneficial.