毕业论文 试谈文化差异对商务英语翻译的影响

本科生毕业论文

试谈文化差异对商务英语翻译的影响

院系：人文与社会科学系

专业：

学生姓名:

学号：

指导教师：

2009年6月

Influences of Cultural Differences upon Business

English Translation

June 5, 2009

Acknowledgements

It was really a laborious task to accomplish a B.A thesis. Many people gave me support and help in the process of writing the paper. Upon the completion of this paper, I would like to give my gratitude to all those who have granted me help on the paper and on my four-year study in this school.

First, I’d like to give my gratitude to my dear teacher, supervisor Mr Lin Zhiyuan, who generously gave me his kindly help and instructions during the whole process of my paper-writing. I also owe a special debt of gratitude to the other teachers of mine, as they have given me valuable suggestions on my chosen of topic and essay structure of the dissertation.

Very special thanks also go to those reference books and websites. They have provided me with valuable materials and information and given me some good suggestions.

Then I’d like to give my many thanks to my classmates who helped me a lot with my information collecting and paper-polishing. Most important of all, I want to give my thanks to my mother university and all the teachers in the college.

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摘要

随着世界经济全球化趋势的发展，中西方国家之间的贸易往来日益频繁，商务活动所展现出的不仅是一种经济活动，而且还是一种文化上的交流。商务英语翻译作为不同语言的人们之间进行商业交流的交际过程和交际工具就显得尤为重要。自跨文化交流活动以来，翻译实践就与文化产生了不可分割的联系。文化加速了翻译的发展，而翻译又促进了文化的传播，文化与翻译的发展相得益彰。随着全球经济一体化时代的到来，地域不再局限人们的交流空间，跨文化交流愈加频繁。频繁的跨文化交流加速了文化碰撞的呈现，商务英语翻译中出现的文化因素也越来越多。这对于译者来说是个挑战，因为英语和汉语有诸多差异之处，所以很难把地道的英语译成能为大多数中国商务者所接受的汉语；同样，让普通的英语国家的商务者通过译文来理解地道的汉语也不容易。如何克服这些由文化差异所引起的翻译障碍是译者需要面对的一个大问题。本文将分析文化差异与商务英语翻译实践的关系以及文化差异对商务英语翻译造成的影响，通过举出充分的例子来分析文化差异对商务英语翻译造成的影响并提出如何克服由文化差异引起的翻译障碍的方法。本文目的是借助商务英语翻译使人们能更了解文化对语言的影响并有效地进行商务交流。

关键字：商务英语；文化差异；翻译实践

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Abstract

With the development of the economic globalization, business activities are being carried more and more frequently between China and other English-speaking countries. Business English Translation is not only displayed in economic activities, but also a kind of cultural exchange.Since the moment cross-cultural communication exists, Business English translation practice has close relationship with culture. Culture speeds up the development of translation, while translation helps to spread culture. With the age of globalization coming, communication across cultures happens more and more frequently. This is a challenge for translators, because there are many discrepancies between English culture and Chinese culture, it is hard to translate idiomatic English into Chinese that can be accepted by most Chinese traders. Also, how to let average English traders understand idiomatic Chinese is not easy. How to overcome the barriers caused by culture is a big problem that translators need to face．This thesis is to analyze the relationship between cultural differences and Business English translation practice and the influence of cultural differences on Business English translation. By giving plenty of examples the thesis analyzes the influence of cultural differences on Business English translation and tries to offer some approaches to overcome the barriers caused by cultural differences in Business English translation practice, so as to help people communicate more effectively.

Keywords: Business English; Cultural difference; translation practice

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TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................ I 摘要...........................................................................................................II ABSTRACT.................................................................................................III TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................IV INTRODUCTION. (1)

PART ONE SURVEY OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND BET (2)

1.1DEFINITION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES (2)

1.2IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS ENGLISH TRANSLATION (2)

1.3INTERACTION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND BET (3)

PART TWO A DETAILED ANAL YSIS OF THE INFLUENCES OF CULTURAL

DIFFERENCES (4)

2.1TRADEMARK (4)

2.1.1 Ambiguity of Trademark (4)

2.1.2 Inelegance of Trademark (5)

2.1.3 Misunderstanding of Trademark (5)

2.2ADVERTISEMENTS (6)

2.2.1 Different Cultural Values (7)

2.2.2 Different Thought Patterns (7)

2.2.3 Different Aesthetic Standards (9)

2.3COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES (9)

IV

2.3.1 Difference in Business Negotiation (10)

2.3.2 Difference in Business N otion (10)

2.3.3 Difference in Business Etiquette (11)

PART THREE PROPER STRETAGIES TO DEAL WITH THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN BET (13)

3.1REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSLATORS (13)

3.2TREATING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES CORRECTL Y (13)

3.3REINFORCING CULTURAL EXCHANGE (14)

CONCLUSION (15)

WORKS CITED (16)

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万方科技学院本科毕业论文

Introduction

International corporation and communication are gaining increasing development since China entered into World Trade Organization. Business English as a bridge linking China and foreign countries is playing a more crucial role, and is gaining increasing popularity.

Business English Translation involves the conversion of two different cultures. Although culture is very complicated, we can roughly classify it into three categories in scope: (a) material culture which refers to the natural environment ;(b) instituted culture which refers to social system, religious system, customs and national psychological etc;(c) mental culture which refers to people’s mentalities and behaviors, their beliefs, perceptions, concepts of value, thought patterns etc. The cultural differences have greatly affected the various aspects of business activities, and determine the success or failure of business activities. Unsuccessful business translation will not only bring significant economic losses, but will also affect the image of the enterprise and even the country. From home and abroad Business English Translation Research, although the translator noted the impact of the cultural differences for translation between East and West, it is still a lack of systematic attention to cultural differences, there is also a unilateral cognition, Which will make the readers get unnecessary misunderstandings. To do an excellent translation work, it is even more important to grasp two cultures than to master two languages, because the word will materialize its meanings only in a particular culture. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to understand the cultural difference in the background of globalization. In order to master English and successfully complete the task of Business English translation from English into Chinese, successful know about the cultural differences is essential. Therefore, in this paper, the author attempts to discuss the problem of translation of business English from the cultural perspective in detail.

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Part One Survey of Cultural Differences and Business

English Translation

Now, the economy is becoming more and more globalized and the culture is becoming more and more integrated. People need communicate between different national cultures, geography, characteristics of the times, while, during the process of exchange translation is very important. The translation’s origin is the exchanging of culture, while, communication and cultural exchanges result the translation.

1.1 Definition of Cultural Differences

Over the years, different scholars have different opinions towards the definition of cultural differences, and it has been defined in many ways. However, most of these definitions put emphasis on different aspects of cultural differences．

According to the definition put forth by Nida, cultural differences refer to the differences between historical heritage, social customs and cultural tradition between different countries and religions, which are the reflection of the history developing. From the above explanation, we may have an understanding about the culture on the whole. Cultural differences is broad and it involves many aspects, so it is very difficult to give an accurate definition. Generally speaking, we can consider that, Cultural differences refers to the different cultural values, different thought pattern, different social norms and different communication styles among different people from different countries and cultural backgrounds.

1.2 Importance of Business English Translation

In the background of economic globalization, business activities have becoming more and more frequently. It is said that there are almost 1.6 billion people who use English as their first language or second language and most of them use business English everyday in the world. Therefore, the business English translation plays an important role in the progress of communication.

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In 2010, Shanghai Expo will be held in Shanghai China. At that time, many enterprises and economic organization will come to invest in China, thus Chinese enterprises may get lots of opportunities to grow and develop. Therefore, when communicating with foreign investors, the business English is very important..

However, during the progress of communication, someone who is not familiar with English may counter lots of trouble. On this condition, the business English translation is in badly needed for them.

1.3 The Interaction of Cultural Differences and Business English Translation

With Chinese reform and opening-up policy are pushing forward continuously, the business activities between China and the world are becoming intensive and frequent. Thus, business English translation is marked with strong cultural consciousness. Someone believes that anyone who is competent in English is able to deal with the translation. That is just the wrong attitude result in the failure of translation.

For example, “six” is an unpopular figure, and people regard it as an unlucky number in western culture. However, in China, people often use the number “6” as the trademark of commodities which they think it can bring good fortune, such as “666”, “金六福” and so on. When these products are exported to the western countries, they will receive a cold welcome. The reason is that six is also a symbol of devil in the western culture.

The above example shows how important cultural differences mean to business English translation. So, it is critical to pay special attention to cultural differences for the translator. Thus, the failure of translation will be reduced and avoided on a certain degree.

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Part Two A Detailed Analysis of the influences of

Cultural Differences

Nowadays, a number of products have been exporting to the international market. However, most of them fail to capture the market. The reason for that mainly lies in the improper marketing strategies and advertising campaigns. In other words, the neglect or unawareness of cultural differences can result in the failure.

2.1 Trademark

Trademark is the sign of product, which plays an important role in sale. It is the concentration of commodities’ distinct characteristics, the core of commodities’ culture, and the powerful weapon for an enterprise to participate in international competitions. It is not only a logo, also a lure, the final goal of which is to attract customers and sell commodities. The well-known trademark often guarantees the products’ quality, which is a symbol of the reasonable price and good service. Trademark translation conforms to the conception of semi logy. Trademark translation is the process from decoding to coding and the process of re-creating and further processing. That is to say, trademark translation is the transplantation of two kinds of cultures. A good trademark translation may bring an enterprise huge wealth, whereas a bad one may let an enterprise suffer great loss. Therefore, an enterprise’s future is closely linked with trademark translation. At the same time, trademark translation can widen the linguistic research field, enrich the connotation of linguistics, and accelerate the combination of linguistic theoretic research and its practical application.

2.1.1Ambiguity of Trademark

When we export products to foreign countries, we always overlook the culture shocks. As a result, these neglects make the trademarks unpopular and affect the sales of products.

Sprite is the meaning of wizard and goblin in English. At the eve of Halloween, children often dress themselves up as wizards or monsters, and ask for candy from house to house. However, in China, the wizard and the fairy is symbol of evil. That will not be

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acceptable to consumers by the literal translation. Therefore, the trademark of “雪碧” can be accepted by consumers easily in China, which makes the consumers have a cool feeling. Another translation happens to be politically inappropriate. When introduced to foreign countries, the Chinese trademark of canvas shoes“大鹏”is rendered as “ROC”, which is a sort of giant bird in Arabic fables. However, “ROC” happens to be the abbreviation o f “Republic of China”. Obviously, the translation stirs up inappropriate political associations. 2.1.2 Inelegance of Trademark

As we all know, the same words in different backgrounds may have different meanings. However, many translators usually overlook this problem during the process of translation of the logos.

For example：Translation by using Chinese phonetic letters coincides with English words with derogatory sense. The typical example is“马戏扑克”.The version“Maxi Puke” reminds the English consumers of something revolting and unpleasant, for "maxi" means big in English and “puke” indicates vomited food or drink.

As we all know, “雄鸡” is a trademark name for a clock in China, this trademark is not only indicates the function of the clock but also fits for Chinese culture. Moreover, cocks are mascots in ancient China, and they are always used on ceremonial occasions. But for the westerners, the word “cock” contains obscene meaning, and it is usually avoided in formal English. If the producers in China u se “cock” as the trademark name, the image of the product may be damaged. When exporting to the western market, the original English trademark name for the“雄鸡”was “Golden Cock”，but changed into “Golden Rooster” latterly . This trademark name is more suitable and attractive for the westerners.

So, we should pay more attention to the translation of the elegant name of trademarks on condition that we understand the cultural differences.

2.1.3 Misunderstanding of Trademark

It is not enough for advertising translators only to know the literal meaning of an ad, for it may be endowed with extended meaning and cultural implication. Fully competent

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advertising translators are supposed to have a good command of religions, traditions, ethnic attitudes, the spirit of community, and purchasing habits of the target countries. Otherwise, the translated ads might go against the original intention of the producers.

In the western culture, peacock is considered as an unlucky animal. It is often used to describe a person who is walking on air. So, in western countries, if we use the word peacock as the trademark, the misunderstanding may occur. so, the“孔雀” TV set does not use the trademark “Peacock” but “Uranus”, which is a name of a star. On the contrary, peacock is an auspicious animal for the Chinese, because people believe it is a good sign that peacock spreads its tail. Therefore many Chinese commodities like to use the trademark name “孔雀”, for example one Chinese watch trademark “孔雀”.

The Shanghai-produced pen trademark as“白翎” could receive welcome in English-speaking countries, for the trademark is translated as “White Feather”. Unfortunately, “white feather” is a symbol or mark of cowardice in English. It derives the connotation from the belief that white feather in a gamecock’s tail is a sign of a poor fighter. The English idiom, “show the white feather”, means “sneak away at a critical juncture”. Therefore, “white feather” is used to represent caitiffs. The translation nullifies the strengths of the company on the international market and becomes a disadvantage that fails to serve the interests of the producers or those of the distributors.

2.2 Advertisements

Following the economic enhancing, the economy becomes global and every nation’s products, come to the world market．Therefore, the advertisement plays a decisive role. Advertisement is closely related to the culture. The purpose of an advertisement is to persuade target customers to buy the advertised products or services. Thus, it is a most important task to be aware of the differences between Chinese culture and western culture. Some defects and even unsuccessful advertisements are made because of the poor quality of translation. This paper proceeds from problems in advertising translation that the translators do not have a

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good command of the nation-specific culture and is too adhesive to the advertisement’s superficial meaning while there are a lot of cultural factors hidden in the present advertising translation. In fact, advertisement translation requires more than just rendering sentences into another language. Translators have to convert the ideas and thoughts behind the sentences into the target language by applying the knowledge of the target culture. Cultural differences greatly affect the advertisements and the sale of products, because people have different cultural values, thought patterns and aesthetic standard which influence people’s judgment between East and West.

2.2.1 Different Cultural Values

Culture values can be classified into many categories, but we would like to discuss about collectivism and inpidualism, because they are the main factors which can determine the success or not in the intercultural business communication. Let us take a look at the differences between collectivism and inpidualism.

Chinese culture puts emphasis on the values of collectivism, so the advertisements of Chinese products also put emphasis on family and affection. Take the advertisement of “孔府家酒” for example, this trademark name reminds people of family and affe ction. Therefore, it fits for Chinese people’s values and easily gets success during the promotion of the product. On the contrary, westerners focus on themselves and develop the value of inpidualism, so most of the advertisements in western countries are always inpidual-centered. For example, the advertisement of “just do it（想做就做）” which is promoted by Nike Company, is a typical demonstration of such spirit. Thus Americans show the courage to challenge and emphasize personalized experience.

2.2.2 Different Thought Patterns

Thought patterns, which can be defined as ways of thinking, play an important role in intercultural business communication. People in different cultures have different thought

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patterns, because every culture has its unique development history, thought patterns and would also be different from one another.

On the contrary, western literature and art have been developing under the theory of imitating the reality. The English language reflects this theory and proves to be objective, factual and rational. It has tight sentence structure, meticulous stream of thought, and logical relationship between linguistic units, concise wording and straightforward description. All in all, brevity is the soul of wit, or in other words, a proper word in a proper place is good English. Abusing of florid language is forbidden in good English, for it is considered illogical and may harm the original meaning or communication.

Thus Chinese and English advertisements are quite different, especially when describing scenery in tourist advertisements. It is a language for poets to give expression to special feelings instead of defining or judging. Even when describing sceneries, English displays a beauty of form, straightforward, explicit, objective, unlike the casual, subjective Chinese. For example, the following advertisement written by a native speaker of English is concise and plain, and through simile and combination of concrete scenes, it provides enough space for imagination. However, from the point of view of Chinese, it may be too plain. For example:

Tiny islands are strung around the edge of the peninsula like a pearl necklace. Hunks of coral reef, coconut palms and fine white sand.

If we translate it word by word, it will not meet Chi nese readers’ expectation. So abundant modifiers such as“礁红”，“成片”，and“如银”，and four-character phrases like “玲珑小巧”，and“如诗如画”are employed to make the translated version read beautiful.

“座座岛屿玲珑小巧，紧密相连，像一串珍珠缀成的项链，环绕着半岛边缘。

岛上珊瑚礁红，椰树成片，沙滩如银，景色如诗如画”。

The bold characters add charm to the scenic spot and contribute to the whole rhyming structure but mean nothing to English readers because they are repetitive and wordy. The

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same is true that in C-E translation, those superfluous modifiers should be omitted, adapted or implicit between lines so as to make the target version conform to the westerners’ aesthetic standards.

There is such an advertisement “欢迎来到天涯海角”, and the translator once translated it into “Welcome to the end of world”. As a result, Hainan Island had become “the ends of the earth (世界末日或大难临头) ”. Such improper translation made it become a terrible place, who dares to travel there? So, when we make an advertisement, it is important to consider the culture factors. That causes the difference of thinking habits and processes, which is the best reflection of the different culture background. In order to avoid these mistakes caused by the different thought patterns, it is necessary for us to be familiar with the different thinking habits of people in different culture backgrounds.

2.2.3 Different Aesthetic Standards

As a means of business activities, advertisement itself is an important social culture. The aesthetic standards play an important role during the progress of translation. So, we should respect the aesthetic level of popular culture.

“藕粉”is a kind of popular food in the West Lake of Hang Zhou. However, when being publicized to the market, it is translated into “Lotus Root Starch”. As we know, starch has the meaning of “淀粉”, but people in western countries are unwilling to buy this food, that is because starch always makes people get fat when eating too much. Latterly, the “starch” is changed to “powder” or “pudding”. As a result, the sale of product increases greatly in the foreign markets.

The Japanese company of Toshiba once uses an advertisement: “东芝(Toshiba) , 东芝(Toshiba) , 大家的东芝”.This is a advertising lyric .The first “东芝”is translated into the sound “To shi ba”. Hence young people jokingly read it as“偷去吧，偷去吧，大家的东西”In this way ,the re’s no solemnity at all.

2.3 Commercial Activities

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Today, business activities are common in the international market. In order to establish business relationship with the oversea customers, the translator should have a better understanding of the business notion, business etiquette and business negotiation. The commercial activities under different cultural conditions come to cultural negotiations. With the economic globalization and the frequent business contacts, cultural differences seem to be very important; otherwise they could cause unnecessary misunderstanding, even affect the result of the commercial activities. This means it is very important to know the different culture in different countries and the ways to avoid the culture conflicts in the international commercial activities

2.3.1 Differences in Business Negotiation

People in different culture have different understanding toward the negotiations. When we negotiate with people from different countries or regions, we must take cultural factors into consideration. Thus, the business can achieve success on the premise that you are conscious of the differences between different cultures.

According to the Chinese people’s personality, they would like to negotiate with principles firstly and then the detailed things. On the opposite, westerners prefer to negotiate with detailed things, and avoid negotiating with principles. This difference always makes the two parties come into trouble. Chinese people often seek common points but reserve difference and then deal with the difference in detailed. Under these conditions, Chinese people always gain initiative and achieve successes in the negotiations.

2.3.2 Differences in Business Notion

There are differences of communication habits between easterners and westerners. In western countries, it is an impolite behavior to ask a person’s age. People dislike someone to ask their ages, especially for women. Besides, the friendly greeting may be considered as malicious infringement. But there is no such taboo in China. This lies in people’s psychological characteristics in the different cultural environment. Such the matter can not be

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ignored during the business activities.

For example, a newly graduate college student goes with a client who is above 60-year-old to book a room in the hotel, before leaving, the student says, “You must be very tired, Sir, you had better have a good rest since you are old”. Then the customer becomes very angry, saying “No, I am not old, and I am not tired at all”. So, the young per son becomes confused and embarrassed. As western cultures attach great importance to privacy, they have many taboos in their daily life, such as the age of a lady or income of a gentleman. So, when chatting with some foreigners, we should avoid these taboos.

2.3.3 Differences in Business Etiquette

Etiquette refers to the ways of communication which are gradually formed and developed by the daily life. However, business etiquette has its own unique forms of expression. Differences among different cultures will definitely result in misunderstanding of etiquette in commercial activities. So as a translator, you should promote the sensitivity of culture difference.

For example, when you meet the foreign investors at the airport, if you say, “You must have had a tough journey, please let me help you with the luggage(您一路辛苦了，请让我来帮你拿行李)”. He will be surprised at what you said, and then he may say, “No, No, my journey is okay and I can manage my luggage”. The reason is that you ignore the culture differ ences. The correct expression is “How about your journey? How are you doing, Sir? A short rest would do you some good, would not it? ”.

An American host or hostess, when complimented on his of her cooking, is likely to respond, “Oh, I am so glad you like it. I cooked it especially for you.” In contrast, the Chinese host and hostess will instead apologize profusely for giving you nothing even slightly edible and for not showing you enough honor for not providing enough dishes.

Another example of Chinese indirect language is evident in their practice of politely refusing an offer three times before they accept. It has also left many Chinese hungry at an

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American table. An American hostess commented on this situation:

Once you have learnt the signal and how to respond, life becomes infinitely easier. When Chinese guest comes, I know I should immediately ask if they'd like a cup of tea. They will respond, “Please don't bother.”which is my signal to fetch tea.

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Part Three Proper Strategies to deal with the Cultural

Differences in BET

Business English translation is a kind of cross-cultural exchange, which requires a skilled translator who not only has the knowledge of the language, but also is familiar with various cultures.To complete the task of business English translation successfully, the translators should overcome the barriers of cultural differences and avoid pragmatic failure by making the necessary adjustments according to the context．

3.1Requirements for Translators

As we all know, translators who engage in international business play an important role in the progress of business translation, they influence the development of Chinese foreign trade economic situation. So, it is necessary to know the differences of different national culture for them. Any negligence of cultural differences may arouse misunderstanding and lead to the failure of translation. A good translator must be a first artistic writer. He or she must first be able to know clear about the cultural differences; and then to identify the cultural constraints; the last is to facilitate across-culture communication by overcoming the obstacle set by the constraints.

For example, Chinese well-known “白象电池” which was translated into “White Elephant Battery” was exporting to the w estern market, but the white elephant means something useless and cumbersome in the western culture. Thus people in the English-speaking countries will not buy the brand for the White Elephant batteries. The reason for this is that translators do not understand the cultural differences between the east and the west.

In a word, the cultural differences require translators to master the characteristics of the western culture. In this way, the failure of translation may be reduced and avoided on the whole.

3.2 Treating Cultural Differences Correctly

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Every country and religion has its own culture. As a translator, we can not deny any of them. What we should do is respect the cultural differences of different countries and religions, and put emphasis on the importance of cultural differences in the international business English translation.

For example, owing to the differences of thinking pattern, concept of value and style negotiation, sometimes we may find even if the two parties have good sincerity, they still can not reach agreement. In this case, face to such cultural crash, both of us should understand the cultural differences. Thus, we can promote the bilateral trade and achieve common progress.

The source of cultural differences is the different historical heritage, social customs and cultural tradition, the best way to solve the problem of cultural differences is communication with each other. On the basis of respecting and understanding various differences, we should shorten the differences and find a meeting point in the business translation.

3.3 Reinforcing cultural exchange

As we know, every nation has its own unique social and cultural backgrounds. There exist great cultural differences between nations, especially in modern times. No country can ignore the existence of other countries. As long as there is cooperation, it will inevitably have the communication. As long as there is communication, it will inevitably have differences. And cultural differences are an important factor in any business communication. And any national culture is not static, it constantly integrate other countries culture with the development of the society. So the inter-cultural communication becomes more and more important. Business workers will not be in a advantageous position in international business unless establishment the concept of a global culture

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