Influence of Differences Between Chinese and English Mindset on Translation

【Abstract】Translation is not only a language activity， but also a kind of thinking activity. Through comparing with the way of thinking habits and thinking style on translation， this paper analyzes the differences between Chinese and English mindset. And it also explains the influences on translation based on different mindsets. At last， this paper considers translators should pay great attention to thinking differences in order to thoroughly understand the source text， so that the translation can be faithful， expressive and elegant.

【Key words】Chinese and English differences； mindset； translation

【作者簡(jiǎn)介】趙思璐，云南農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)。

I. Introduction

“Thought is human， language is the state. ” This is the basic of language translatability. As English learners， we must not only accumulate rich vocabulary and language knowledge， but also profoundly understand the differences in thinking patterns and language expressions between English and Chinese， gradually cultivate the habit of thinking in English， and grasp the direction of language learning as a whole.

II. Differences Between English and Chinese Mindset

The way of thinking is the bridge between communication culture and language. This paper analyzes subjective thinking vs. objective thinking， linear thinking vs. circular thinking and abstract thinking vs. image thinking to summarize English and Chinese thinking mindset differences.

1. Subjective Thinking of English vs. Objective Thinking of Chinese

Chinas culture and philosophy put humanity as the center of the universe. Confucius said “Between heaven and earth， people are the most valuable. ” Mencius said “Everything is prepared for me”. Therefore， Chinese culture regards human beings as the focus of its humanistic spirit. The performance and achievements of Chinese culture revolve around this core. Chinas subjective form of thought means that mankind begins to observe the world from itself， emphasizing human subjectivity. This thinking mode is an objective thing to observe， analyze， approve and study human beings as the core.

The spirit of Western culture and philosophy regards nature as a cognition. Western culture originated in Greece， where handicrafts， business and maritime were developed， and it led to the ancient Greek philosophers interested in geometry， astronomy， physics and mathematics， which made Western traditions discover the curiosity of nature. Western traditions regard nature as a cognitive object， believing that human beings can master， explore and conquer nature only by understanding nature. People distinguish the inner world from the external essence， distinguishes between self-consciousness and cognition object， and takes nature as the object of study. Beneath these influences， English-speaking people gradually become objective mindset， the objective world as observation， analysis， reasoning and research center.

2. Linear Thinking of English vs. Circular Thinking of Chinese

In the cultural mindset of intercultural education， Kaplan put forward the view that culture affects the mode of thinking， and he defined the oriental thinking model as circular thinking. （Kaplan 1966） Circular thinking is characterized by reselling， not directly speaking of opinions or frank but cursed， and using rhetoric such as metaphor， analogous development ideas， then back to the subject， or deliberately referring to history， traditions or other things to cover up the real theme. Circular thinking is also called inductive thinking or special thinking. （Pribram 1949） Inductive method refers to the process of inferring conclusions， or from concrete to general conclusions.

Kaplan thinks Western thinking is linear mindset （Kaplan 16）. Westerners are accustomed to talking about this topic attracting the attention of the audience or the reader. Linear mindset is characterized by direct speaking of their own view. An idiom “playing spades” is a description to linear mindset. Linear mindset is also called mindset and general mindset， which proposed by Pribram （Pribram 1949）. It is from general to concrete， from general to individual， from abstract to concrete， from results to rational， from little to large， and utilizes general understanding. For example， Kim is five years old， a 5 year-old-child who likes to eat. From this example， we can infer a special case： Kim likes to eat.

3. Abstract Thinking of English vs. Image Thinking of Chinese

Image mindset is one of the most important features of Chinese traditional culture. Image mindset is a psychological development in which human beings reshape memory in the brain to form new memories. This means that human analysis， synthesis， processing and remodeling in their minds do not appear. For example， Chinese people used to use “astronomical phenomenon” to predict the weather in ancient. Image mindset uses image correlation - imagination rather than abstract mindset - a concept of judging reasoning and reflecting the image of objective things.

III. Influence of Differences Between Chinese and English Mindset on Translation

We have no doubt that people think differently because they have alternative views of reality， but their thought patterns are also influenced by their cultures. That is， the way in which a culture views the reality determines the way in which people see the world and interact with that world.

1. Influence on Religion Translation

Religion is an indispensable part of culture， and it has also had a tremendous impact on the way people look at the world.

We know that as early as 2000 years ago， Christianity was a medieval British state religion. Later， after the Bible and the religious reform， the relationship between God and the people became closer. Thus， under the influence of religious thought， many expressions were invented. Such as “God bless you！”.

However， under the influence of oriental Buddhism， the Chinese think that the most powerful God is Heaven. While the western couples go to church to get married， the Chinese couples prostrate themselves before Heaven and Earth to marry each other. For instance， China believes Buddha， the highest God.

It is obvious that Heave and God are two different things. One represents truth and another seems little superstition.

2. Influence on History Translation

Both China and the west have long histories of war. In English， there are “stick to ones gun”（堅(jiān)持立場(chǎng)）， and “mask ones batteries”（掩蓋敵意）； in Chinese， there are“背水一戰(zhàn)”，and “知己知彼，百戰(zhàn)不殆”. However， different historical realities would lead to confusions to persons of the different cultures. For example， if one is unfamiliar with the failure of Napoleon in the Waterloo Battle， he or she may fail to find the relatively proper translation“一敗涂地”，to the phrase “to meet ones Waterloo”. So， without thinking about history， a translator cant understand the mode of mind， nor can he understand a good translation.

Influence on Customs Translation

The belief system is the core of peoples thinking and action. They are people who are convinced of something. They tell people how the world works. For example， if you believe that the snake is sticky， you will avoid them； but if you believe that only through the treatment of the snake， he / she can find God， he / she will deal with them， believe that faith will protect him / she is protected from poison.

One of the most significant actions of faith systems is that they are foundation on peoples values. A value was officially defined as “a lasting faith， personal or social behavior in a certain way or a lifetime state on another” Since value is of such importance， it surely influences the way which people look at the world. Let us take peoples different standpoints towards age for example. In Chinese culture， the elders are considered to be the persons who possess more intelligence， power， and authority. In most places of China， it is usually no wrong to put the word“老”，before or after certain appellations. So such callings as“老師傅、老干部、老大爺”. It is widely used to show peoples respect. On the contrary， in the west， people show more esteem to the youth who are regarded as the future of the nation and who stand for continuous hope and indefinite probable. There is a proverb in English saying， “It is better to learn well and be younger”.

Influence on Thinking Habit Translation

Different nationalities observe things at different angles， so they think about the same way of thinking sometimes even just the opposite. This is one of the reasons for the discrepancy between Chinese and English

Chinese and English have many courtesy sentences， “take you first please” For example. I asked students in the teaching of this sentence of English expression. The first reaction of most students is “You first”. In fact， “After you！” is the usual expression of English “first” “after”. This pair of antonyms in Chinese and English cultures in different languages.

The same language meaning is “We must take steps before it is too late. ” It is clear that this translation does not conform to the expression of Chinese. The translation does not conform to the Chinese expression. “We must take the Measures. ” “Will be more fluently， smoothly？”

Conclusion

After the contrast of differences between subjective thinking vs. objective thinking， linear thinking vs. circular thinking and abstract thinking vs. image thinking， this paper analysis differences between influence on religion， history， customs and thinking habit on translation. As a conclusion， language is an arbitrary phonetic symbol system for human conversation， instead of an isolated phenomenon that suspended in a vacuum， it is a basis part of culture. In summary， English learners should pay enough attention to the influences of thinking on language， understand the relationship between thinking and language， and be familiar with the expressions of differences in thinking between English and Chinese. In translation， they must pay attention to the influence of differences between English and Chinese thinking on translation in order to fully understand the original text， which aim at making the translation faithful， expressive and elegant.

References：

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