Cultural Differences And Mistranslation

"Fidelity to the original"has always been seen as the primary principle and criterion in most translation theories, old or new, at home or abroad. Under the guidance of this criterion, in the early period of the translation studies, the deviation from the original form and content is taken as mistranslation. However, owing to the differences in linguistic structure and culture between English and Chinese, absolute fidelity is impossible. Mistranslations especially those related to cultural factors reflect vividly the collisions and distortions of the two languages and cultures and studies on mistranslation contribute indirectly to the promotion of communication and understanding of different cultures. So exploration for cultural mistranslation is of profound significance to translation practice and cultural exchange. Since the"culture turn"in 1970s in translation studies, the common sense towards translation has changed greatly: translating activity is a complex human activity, it is not only an activity of linguistic transference, but also the communication of cultures. Translation never takes place in a vacuum but is restricted by all kinds of socio-cultural factors. So as to mistranslation, what should be required is to exam it in a broad socio-cultural environment, analyze the causes of them objectively and then take corresponding attitudes, instead of denying them completely. Cultural Mistranslation can further fall into two kinds: intentional cultural mistranslation and unintentional cultural mistranslation. Incorrect comprehension, expressive defects and lack of social cultural background are normally the three resources for unintentional cultural mistranslation. Intentional cultural mistranslations are closely connected with the receptor's cultural environment. Anyway, either intentional cultural mistranslation or unintentional cultural mistranslation is of great significance to translation studies on the condition that those mistranslations are not induced because of the translator's ill responsibility in translating.In this thesis, the author explores the inter-relation of language, culture and translation. Obviously the translation issue mainly discussed is called cultural mistranslation. On the one hand, language, being an intrinsic part of culture, carries culture, mirrors culture, spreads culture and helps develop culture. On the other hand, language is deeply rooted in culture. Consequently, as a transfer of languages, translation is not merely considered as an interpretation of verbal signs, but also as a cultural transplantation. Viewing translation from the perspective of culture, we find there are similarities and dissimilarities among cultures from different nations. Cultural similarities make translation easier, while cultural dissimilarities pose major barrier in translating. The most serious mistakes in translating and interpreting are usually not the result of verbal inadequacy, but of wrong cultural assumptions. Hardly any text can be successfully translated without properly dealing with the differences between source culture and target culture. Through the tentative exploration of the phenomena of mistranslation, the author hopes that mistranslations could be reduced in the further translation process to improve the efficiency of the cross-cultural communications.