Chinese Cultural Limitations Of Words And Their Translation

The author of this thesis,regarding translation of Chinese culture-bound terms as a bridge for intercultural communication and as a means of introducingChinese cultures, presents a panoramic view in this field of study in terms of var-ious definitions of culture, and possible relationships among language, culture,and translation. Perhaps the translation of Chinese culture-bound terms is one of the most difficult points and major barriers in Chinese-English translation.The author first comes up with a simplified definition and rough classifica-tion of Chinese cu1ture-bound terms in order to draw attention to some basicproblems. The emphasis is then 1aid on clarifying the translatability and princi-ples of translating such terms. The author strongly holds that most Chinese cul-ture-bound terms are translatable in terms of meaning, but loss of informationis sometimes inevitable, and proposes five self-complementary translation princi-ples as a guide for translating such terms. Some of the commonly used method-ss of translating such terms are reviewed. The author points out that each method has its own merits and demerits, and it is usually the case that these methodss are often used together to fully convey the cu1tural connotations of such terms. Several important factors should be taken into account so that the Chinese culture-bound terms can be rendered into English accurately and ap-propriately.The author concludes that it is not an easy matter to exactly translate Chi-nese cu1ture-bound terms into English. Only by a good mastery of two cultures and languages, through constant practice and with full consideration of various factors can translators find a f1exib1e and proper way of translating such terms into English.