Thinking on Chinese Translation of Political Slogans

董宏

English and Chinese are totally two distinct languages，and that is the reason why the translation between them is not an easy task.The translation of Chinese political slogan is of double difficult.Language is the bridge connecting China and other countries while translation plays an important role in the process of communication.For nowadays political slogan are windows to a countrys image，the language of political slogans is a very significant part of communication with other countries.

1 Selected three types translation of Chinese political slogans

1.1 Similar to English expression

If a translation version could be accepted by the target language readers，it could be existed in the target language culture.For example，Chinese slogan “一國(guó)兩制” is rendered to “one country，two systems”.Although this kind of version does not confirm to English sentence structure，it can be accepted and understood by western peoples.The exactly correct version should be “one country with two systems.” But there is the similar pattern used in English world as “one world，one dream.” Thus，its meaning is clear to foreigners.

1.2 Unknown metaphor to English-speaking people

Some of Chinese slogans use metaphors，for example “高舉鄧小平偉大理論旗幟”.This slogan is translated into English as “Hold high band of Den Xiaopings theory”.It is hard for western people to understand the real meaning and they feel puzzled that why Chinese people just “hold the band”，even “highly”.In fact，there is a metaphor in “Hold high band of Den Xiaopings theory”.That kind of expression embodies the features typical of that era with high Chinese characteristics.

1.3 Violating the English grammar

Chinese slogans usually contain numbers.And the translation of them confused western people a lot.“三個(gè)代表”and “三個(gè)有利于” are rendered respectively as “Three represents” and “Three favorables”.Adding “s” to a verb and an adjective is not confirmed to the English grammar.How could the target readers understand or accept it？ This is the translation with Chinese characteristic that highly conclusive.In order to make the target reader understand them，the direct way is to explain their content faithfully behind the slogan.Thus，“三個(gè)代表” at last rendered as “three represents theory （The Party should always represent the development needs of Chinas advanced social productive forces，always represent the onward direction of Chinas advanced culture，and always represent the fundamental interests）.The “three represents” is in a long line of numerically inclined slogans.Of course，this translation strategy is not the best way to render this highly-conclusive Chinese slogan； it explains the real meaning in a faithful way at least. BBC News in 2002 broadcast an article written by Tim Luard named Chinas Number Game in which he expressed the great confusion and puzzle of western people towards some translation of Chinese political slogan.“The constant changes in Chinese Communist theory are made no easier to follow by this stubborn tradition，tidy though it may be，of grouping things by numbers.The‘two lines，the‘three red flags，the‘four clean-ups and the‘five small industries were all mastered by your average apparatchik at an early age.But to most outsiders，unused to counting counter-revolutionaries，they do not add up too much.”（Tim Luard，2002）.

2 General translation strategies of Chinese political slogans

There are four general translation strategies of Chinese political slogans，they are literal translation，literal translation with paraphrase，free translation and transliteration with paraphrase.

第一，“和平崛起”is translated as “peace rising”.

第二，“五講四美三熱愛(ài)”is translated as “the movement of ‘five stresses，four points of beauty and three aspects of love（stress on decorum，manners，hygiene，discipline and morals； beauty of mind，language，behavior and the environment； love of the motherland，socialism and the Communist Party.）”

第三，“統(tǒng)一思想”is translated as “to achieve common understanding”.

Although Chinese translators apply these translation strategies in Chinese political slogan translation，there still exist the puzzled and confused alien translation versions.This phenomenon is caused not in a single way，in other words，it caused by efforts of many factors.

3 China English VS Chinese English

Any language introduced into one country will be combines with culture，which means the language is embedded with characteristics of the country.（張妮，劉欣，2013）.

“The definition of ‘China English can be traced back to the early 1980s.Each country communicates its own national and ethnic characteristics in English with Chinese feature.Linguistics hold different opines towards the definition of china English，there are three aspects of China English are widely acknowledged： ①Standardized English serves as its core and reference；②China English has distinct Chinese characteristics，which is used to express things and phenomenon peculiar to Chinese culture；③China English is one variety of world English.It beneficial for the enrichment of English expression by spreading Chinese culture and it can be a part of standardized English.”（王莉，2011）.

Chinese English is an interlanguage of English learners.Chinese English users impose Chinese grammar and rules on English，translating word by world.Such English with apparent Chinese feature is Chinglish.It is a mixture of Chinese and English belonging to the non-standard use of language.（萬(wàn)鵬杰，2005）.

Therefore，China English frequently appears to the translation of Chinese political slogans.Although it is hard for English- speaking people to understand those alien translation versions，as long as the Chinese translators have tried their best to offer the final versions，the explanation and paraphrases with the translation could help.

4 Thinking on translation of Chinese political slogans

4.1 Is Chinese translator the only factor of Chinese political slogan

Andre Lefeveres manipulation theory （1992） was formulated，which has two major components： the control factors that constrain and determine the production and reception of rewriting and various forms of rewriting.（Gentzler.2004）According to Lefevere （1992），the translation activities are constrained by three factors： ideology，poetics，and patronage.The first component must be considered in analyzing the translation of Chinese political slogans.On the one hand，Ideology occurs to power and discourse.Translators are confined by their own position and have to confirm to the countrys leading power in political slogan translation.On the other hand，Ideology comestible with the culture influence.British scholar Susan Bassnett argues that a writer does not just write in a vacuum： he or she is the product of a particular culture，of a particular moment in time，and the writing reflects those factors such as race，gender，age，class birthplace as well as the stylistic，idiosyncratic feature of the individual.（Bassnett﹠Lefevere，2001）

It is not only the translators responsibility but also many other object factors that confine the translation of Chinese political slogans.

4.2 Should English world accept the versions of Chinese political slogan with an open mind

Standard English may not actually exist in the world.American or British English has always been treated the native English that other countries are learning.But the cross-cultural communication plays more and more import role in that era.For those difficult translation tasks of Chinese political slogan，English world might be open-minded to try to understand and accept those translation versions.Of course，this is not the pretext that Chinese translators and interpreters would be free from these emerging slogans.

5 Conclusion

Chinese translation of political slogans is a complex study that involves many factors.Its complexity in turn shows the features and differences between Chinese and English and the translation theory of it.Every language is changing all the time as well as the world.Chinese political slogan translation would also change with the development of the Chinese and English.

References

[1]Bassett S.& Lefevere.A.Constructing Culture：Essay on Literary Translation[M].Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2001.

[2]Gentzler E.Contemporary Translation Theories[M].Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2004.

[3]Tim Luard.Chinas Number Game[J].BBC news，2002.

[4]王莉.中國(guó)英語(yǔ)與中式英語(yǔ)[M].北京：當(dāng)代教育出版社，2011，3.（12）：129-130.

[5]萬(wàn)鵬杰.中國(guó)英語(yǔ)與中式英語(yǔ)之比較[J].上海翻譯，2005（2）：41-44.

[6]張妮，劉欣.Pedagogical Implications of China English and Chinese English[J].海外英語(yǔ)，2013（2）：22.