unit 4 Cultural Encounters

Unit 4 Cultural Encounters

Text I Cultural Encounters Susan Bassnett1

1 We live in an age of easy access to the rest of the world. Cheap flights mean that millions of people are able to visit places their parents could only dream about, while the Internet

enables us to communicate with the remotest places and the traditional postal services are now referred to almost mockingly as “snail mail2.” When students go off backpacking3, they can email their parents from Internet cafes4 in the Himalayas5 or from a desert oasis. And as for mobile phones — the clicking of text messaging6 at any hour of the day or night has become familiar to us all. Everyone, it seems, provided, of course, they can afford to do so, need never be out of touch.

2 Significantly also, this great global communications revolution is also linked to the expansion of English, which has now become the leading international language. Conferences and business meetings around the globe are held in English, regardless of

whether anyone present is a native English speaker. English has simply become the language that facilitates communication, and for many people learning English is an essential stepping stone on the road to success.7 3 So why, you may wonder, would anyone have misgivings about all these wonderful

developments, and why does the rise of English as a global language cause feelings of

uneasiness for some of us? For there are indeed problems with the communications revolution, problems that are not only economic. Most fundamental is the profound relationship between language and culture that lies at the heart of society and one that we overlook at our peril.8 Questions:

1. What do cheap flights and the Internet mean to people today? (Paragraph 1)

Cheap flights mean that millions of people can afford to visit places their parents could only dream about, while the Internet means that numerous people are able to communicate with the remotest places with great ease.

2. Exemplify and explain that English has become the most important international language. (Paragraph 2)

Conferences and business meetings around the globe are held in English, regardless of whether anyone present is a native English speaker. English has simply become the language that

facilitates communication, and for many people learning English is an essential stepping stone on the road to success.

Words and Expressions

1. access n. entrance; way in; means of entering or the right to use or look at something Derivation: accessible a.

2. communicate vi. share or exchange feelings, opinions, or information, etc. Derivation: communication n. communicative a.

3. remote a. distant in space or time Derivation: remoteness n.

Comparison: distant, far, remote distant very far away esp. in distance

far describe something that is not near, or the part of something that is most distant from the centre or from you

remote describe an area, house or village that is a long way from any towns or cities

4. mockingly ad. in a way in which sb. or sth. is made fun of

5. regardless of without taking account of or worrying about

6. facilitate vt. help; make easy or easier Derivation: facilitation n. facilitative a.

7. stepping stone any of a row of large stones with a level top, which one walks on to cross a river

or stream; figuratively, a way of improvement or gaining success

8. have misgivings not be sure

9. fundamental a. basic Derivation: fundamentally ad.

10. profound a. intense; deep; very strongly felt Derivation: profoundly ad.

11. at one’s peril (used when advising sb. not to do sth.) with the near certainty of meeting great

danger Sentences

1. We live in an age of easy access to the rest of the world. (Paragraph 1) Translation: 我们生活在一个可以轻松到达世界其它角落的时代。

2. … for many people learning English is an essential stepping stone on the road to success. (Paragraph 2)

Explanation: … for many people the acquisition of English is basically a spring board towards their lifetime achievements.

3. Most fundamental is the profound relationship between language and culture that lies at the heart of society and one that we overlook at our peril. (Paragraph 3)

Paraphrase: There is a basic relationship between language and culture which is an essential part of society and one that it is dangerous if we ignore.

Translation: 最根本的是语言与文化之间的深远关系，它存在于社会的中心，忽视它必然会造成危险。

4 Different cultures are not simply groups of people who label the world differently;

languages give us the means to shape our views of the world and languages are different from one another. We express what we see and feel through language, and

because languages are so clearly culture-related,4 often we find that what we can say in one language cannot be expressed at all in another. The English word “homesickness” translates into Italian as “nostalgia,” but English has had to borrow that same word to describe a different state of mind, something that is not quite homesickness and involves a kind of longing. Homesickness and nostalgia put together are almost, but not quite, the Portuguese “saudade,” an untranslatable word that describes a state of mind that is not despair, angst (English borrowed that from German), sadness or regret, but hovers somewhere in and around all those words. 5 The early Bible translators hit the problem of untranslatability head-on. How do you

translate the image of the Lamb of God for a culture in which sheep do not exist? What

exactly was the fruit that Eve11 picked in the Garden of Eden? What was the creature that swallowed Jonah, given that whales are not given to swimming in warm, southern seas?5 Faced with unsurmountable linguistic problems, translators negotiated the boundaries between languages and came up with a compromise.6

6 Compromising is something that speakers of more than one language understand. When there are no words in another language for what you want to say, you make adjustments and try to approximate.7 English and Welsh speakers make adjustments regarding the color spectrum in the grey / green / blue / brown range, since English has four words and Welsh has three. And even where words do exist, compromises still need to be made. The word “democracy” means completely different things in different contexts, and even a word like “bread” which refers to a staple food item made of flour means totally different things to different people. The flat breads of Central Asia are a long way away from Mother’s Pride white sliced toasties, yet the word “bread” has to serve for both. 7 Inevitably, the spread of English means that millions of people are adding another

language to their own and are learning how to negotiate cultural and linguistic differences. This is an essential skill in today’s hybrid world, particularly now when the need for

international understanding has rarely been so important. But even as more people become multilingual, so native English speakers are losing out, for they are becoming ever more monolingual, and hence increasingly unaware of the differences between cultures that

languages reveal. Communicating in another language involves not only linguistic skills, but the ability to think differently, to enter into another culture’s mentality and shape language accordingly.8 Millions of people are discovering how to bridge cultures, while the

English-speaking world becomes ever more complacent and cuts down on foreign language learning programs in the mistaken belief that it is enough to know English. Questions:

1. Supply specific examples to prove that language and culture are closely related to (but delicately different from) each other. (Paragraph 4)

a drop in the ocean 沧海一粟 to laugh one’s head off 笑掉大牙 to shed crocodile tears 猫哭老鼠 to spend money like water 挥金如土

to be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth 生长在富贵人家

2. Explain and illustrate what “compromising” and “the spread of English” mean. (Paragraph 7) Compromising is something that speakers of more than one language understand. When there are no words in another language for what you want to say, you make adjustments and try to approximate. the spread of English means that millions of people are adding another language to their own and are learning how to negotiate cultural and linguistic differences.

In today’s China, the mastery of English has become an important skill which is of great use and value in all walks of life.

Words and Expressions

12. label v. fix or tie on sth. a piece of paper or other material that gives information about it; use a

word or phrase to describe sb. or sth. n. a piece of paper or other material, fixed to sth., which gives information about what it is, where

it is to go, who owns it, etc.

13. longing n. strong wish; a strong feeling of wanting sth.

14. despair n. complete loss of hope or confidence; sth. that causes this feeling Synonym: desperation n.

15. hover vi. be in an uncertain state; stay around one place, esp. in a way that annoys other people

16. head-on ad. & a. with the heads or front parts meeting, usu. violently

17. not be given to not usually do sth.

18. unsurmountable a. too large or too difficult to be dealt with Synonym:

insurmountable, insuperable Antonym: surmountable

19. negotiate vt. discuss sth. in order to reach an agreement, esp. in business or politics Derivation: negotiation n.

negotiable a. (not used before a noun)

20. come up with produce; think of a plan, reply, etc.

21. compromise v. & n. settle an argument or difference of opinion by each side agreeing to some of

the demands of the other; an agreement reached in this way that is acceptable to both sides

Collocation:

compromise on / with

22. adjustment n. changing slightly in order to make right or suitable for a particular purpose or

situation Collocation: make adjustments

23. regarding prep. as regards; concerning; on the subject of; in connection with Synonym:

concerning, considering, in terms of

24. range n. the measurable limits within which variable amounts or qualities are included Comparison: scope, range

scope n. the limits within which sth. operates, exists, or is effective

range n. the amount, number or type of something between an upper and a lower limit

25. inevitably ad. unavoidably; that which is certain to happen; that which cannot be prevented

from happening

Derivation:

inevitability n. Synonym:

unavoidably

26. unaware a. not having knowledge or consciousness of sth. Derivation:

unawareness n. Collocation:

be unaware of Antonym:

aware

27. reveal vt. show or allow sth. previously hidden to be seen; to make known sth. previously

secret or unknown Synonym: uncover, unveil Derivation: revelation n.

28. complacent a. pleased or satisfied with oneself or with a situation, often unreasonably; not

worrying, even though one perhaps should be Derivation: complacency n.

29. cut down on reduce an amount done, eaten, etc. Sentences

4. … languages are so clearly culture-related (Paragraph 4)

Paraphrase: Languages are so clearly connected with a specific civilization or the state of cultural development of a particular people.

5. … given that whales are not given to swimming in warm, southern seas. (Paragraph 5) Paraphrase: … considering the fact that whales are not likely to swim in warm, southern seas.

6. Faced with unsurmountable linguistic problems, translators negotiated the boundaries between languages and came up with a compromise. (Paragraph 5)

Paraphrase: Faced with the unconquerable linguistic problems, translators managed to deal

with the differences between languages and thought of a vision that was similar to the original in spirit.

Translation: 面对不可逾越的语言障碍，译者们对语言的界限进行揣摩，并最终达成一个折中的解决方案。

7. When there are no words in another language for what you want to say, you make adjustments and try to approximate. (Paragraph 6)

Translation: 当另外一种语言里没有词语来表达你想要说的话的时候，你就得做出调整，表达出尽量贴近你想要表达的意思。

8. Communicating in another language involves not only linguistic skills, but the ability to think differently, to enter into another culture’s mentality and shape language accordingly. (Paragraph 7)

Translation: 用另一种语言交流不仅需要语言技巧，还需要有换另一种方式思考的本领，也就是进入另一种文化思维状态并用相应的语言来表达的能力。

8 World peace in the future depends on intercultural understanding. Those best placed to help that process may not be the ones with the latest technology and state-of-the-art mobile phones, but those with the skills to understand what lies in, under and beyond the words spoken in many different languages.9

Questions:

1. According to the writer, what is the great function of intercultural understanding? (Paragraph 8) The writer says, “World peace in the future depends on intercultural understanding.” In other words, intercultural understanding will play a most important role in the promotion of world peace in the future.

2. Who will probably be most able to help the process of world peace in the future? (Paragraph 8) Those, who have acquired the skills to understand the literal, implied, figurative, or cultural meanings of the words spoken in many different languages, are most competent to contribute to the process of world peace. Sentences

9. Those best placed to help that process may not be the ones with the latest technology and state-of-the-art mobile phones, but those with the skills to understand what lies in, under and beyond the words spoken in many different languages. (Paragraph 8)

Translation: 最有助于促进世界和平进程的（人们）也许不是那些掌握最新技术或使用最时髦的移动电话的人，而是那些掌握了理解许多不同语言的字面含义、隐含意义与超越词语本身意义的技巧的人。

IV Exercises for integrated skills 1. Dictation

The main reason for the widespread demand for English / is its present-day importance as a world language. / Besides serving the infinite needs of its native speakers, / English is a language / in which some of the most important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, / and not always by native speakers. / It is a language of wider

communication for a number of developing countries, / especially former British colonies. / Many of these countries have multi-lingual populations / and need a language for internal communication / in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education / as well as for international communication / and for access to the scientific and technological developments in the West. 2. Cloze

Languages are marvelously complex and wonderfully complicated organs of culture: they embody the quickest and the most efficient means of communicating within

their respective culture. To learn a foreign language is to learn (1) another culture. In the words of a poet and philosopher, “As (2) many languages as one speaks, so many lives one lives.” A culture and its (3) language are as inseparable as brain and body; (4) while one is part of

the other, neither can function (5) without the other. In learning a foreign language, the best (6) beginning is with the non-verbal linguistic elements of the language, its (7) gestures, its body language. Eye contact is extremely important in English. Direct eye contact

(8) leads to understanding, or, as the English maxim has it, seeing eye-to-eye. We can (9) never see eye-to-eye with a native speaker of English (10) until we have learned to look directly into his eyes.

Hints:

4) There should be a transitional word to denote contrasting. 7) What will you use when you can not express yourself by words? 8) A verb is needed to collocate with “to”, which means “result in”. 10) A conjunction meaning “up to a particular time” is needed here.

VII Listening Exercises

You are going to hear part of a radio program called Talk of the Nation. The host of the show, Robert Siegel, asked the radio audience if they could take time off, what would they do? One of the people he called was Chris, a student at a junior high school in La Mesa, California. He had a clear idea about what he would like to do if he had the opportunity to take time off. A. Pre-listening discussion

1. If you could take time off for a year, what would you want to do? 2. Would you do it alone or would you take somebody along with you?

B. Listen to Robert’s radio conversation with Chris carefully. After that you will hear eight

statements. Decide whether the statements are true or false.

1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. F 6. F 7. T 8. T

C. Listen again. Underline the word or phrase in each set of brackets that gives the correct

information according to the conversation.

Chris, who is about (nine, fourteen, twenty) years old, says that if he (had a lot of money, took time off, were older than he is), he would bike (across the ocean, only in Asia, on several continents). Chris likes this idea for two or three reasons. One reason he gives is that by biking, he could (lose weight,develop his body and strength, gain weight). Another reason he gives is that in making this trip, he would (learn interesting things, be away from his parents, see beautiful places).

He says that if he went on the trip, he would go (by himself, with his best friend, with several people), and when he returned, he would (sleep for a week, run a marathon, encourage others to make a similar trip). Script

Host: Chris, you’re on the line, I gather, from La Mesa, California. Chris: Yes, I am. Host: Hi.

Chris: If I were to take time off — I’m actually an eighth grade student in Montgomery Mills

School — I would take time off from school and bike all the way around the world in a chance to see different cultures and get an exposure, to be able to come back where I live and be able to tell people how different — be able to compare all the different cultures to the United States culture.

Host: How would you get across the ocean?

Chris: Well, I would probably fly across or take a boat across, and then I would travel between

the continents on a boat, and then once I got to the land, I would bike or ride across.

Host: You like biking, I assume. Chris: Yes.

Host: You don’t think it would be very, very tiring and wearing or it would take a long time? Chris: No, as long as I got enough sleep and food and water, I think I’d be pretty much all

right. Of course, it would be a chance to gain some muscle.

Host: Yeah, I should say, because if you biked all the way around the world — you’re starting

out in the eighth grade — it could be time for college by the time you finished this bike trip. It’s a long way.

Chris: Well, yeah.

Host: That doesn’t scare you off?

Chris: No, it doesn’t, because I’d like — in the process, I’d be learning a lot of things going to

different countries. I’d be learning about their cultures, so it wouldn’t be just — I’d be learning while having fun.

Host: Hear, hear! Would you take anybody along with you?

Chris: I’d probably want to do it by myself and then tell people about it when I came back. And

then ...

Host: I’m sorry, I missed what you said just a moment ago.

Chris: And tell people about what it was like and encourage them to do things like that, or if

they can, take time off and get a chance to see the rest of the world.

Host: Well, of course, that sounds like a great idea, and thank you very much for calling and

telling us about it. Thank you.

Chris: Bye-bye.

Host: That was Chris, who’s in eighth grade in La Mesa, California. I’m Robert Siegel, and

this is Talk of the Nation.

Statements

1. Chris lives in Chicago. 2. Chris is not a college student.

3. He wants to travel so he can earn a lot of money. 4. He likes to ride his bicycle.

5. He is not interested in learning about other cultures. 6. He would like to make this trip with his father and a friend. 7. Chris wants to travel around the world on his bicycle.

8. Sleep, food and water are the three things that Chris could not do without.

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