On Translations of Political Words and Phraseswith Chinese Characteristics

Abstract

Political words and phrases with Chinese characteristics adopt unique ideology of Chinese traditional culture and?reflect?the exceptional matters and phenomenon of development of China’s society and China’s political system. In the process of communication and cooperation with other countries， political words and phrases have been playing an indispensable?role. Since our changes， developments， policies etc. need to be introduced overseas， the correctness of the translations directly influences the understanding of the progress in our socio-economic development and relevant policies. The thesis will concisely sum up and provide relevant strategies and skills on English translations of political words and phrases through a host of concrete examples.

Key Words：

political words and phrases;?Chinese characteristics; chinglish; translation strategies

Introduction

With China’s rapid social development in many fields， more and more words and phrases with Chinese characteristics emerge in the political documents. As language continuously evolves with the advancement of the age， translations must reflect these changes. How to enable translations of political words and phrases with Chinese characteristics to keep the pace of time becomes a common issue people are extensively studying. Since China’s influence over other countries is expanding， Political words and phrases are inevitably used when introducing our development and policies to foreign countries. Therefore， theses translations play a significant part in our diplomatic affairs.

However， such words and phrases are featured with distinguished Chinese characteristics. Conveying Chinese traditional， customs and conventions， they are products of Chinese special state context and deliberate culture of thousands of years. To make them understood by foreigners is to some extent difficult. Hence， it is of great significance to correctly translate words and phrases with Chinese characteristics from this example.

1 Political Words and Phrases with Chinese Characteristics

With the further development of political and economic globalization， China’s communication with other countries?becomes?more extensive and frequent. When exchanging with the outside world or advocating our policies， we often formulate political terms in current affairs in English. Due to the immense differences in historical background， political and economic policies and cultural forms， it is impossible for us to use ready-made expressions concord with our state condition when it comes to the social phenomenon and special terms produced by our unique social mechanics. Therefore， people usually create?new words and phrases featured with Chinese culture and thought through English words and morphemes， namely， the political words and phrases with Chinese characteristics.?For examples， “三個(gè)代表”can be translated into “three represents”， and “一國兩制” one country， two systems. These words and phrases are political ones with Chinese characteristics.

1.1The Literal Meaning and Figurative?Meaning of Chinese Political Words and Phrases

Chinese places value on images， while English logic. Hence， it’s unavoidable in Chinese-English translation to convert the image. But only the translator must first understand what the source language in different expression actually refers to，?can the significance of the image be translated correctly.For instance：?建立“一站式”中心，提供“一條龍”服務(wù)（Set up“One—Stop”Service Center to provide a coordinated process service.）;堅(jiān)持兩手抓、兩手都要硬的方針（In adherence to the principle of placing equal?emphasis on material progress and ethical progress，with neither aspects neglected）;發(fā)展才是硬道理（Development is the most essential criterion/the absolute principle ）;抓大放小（To manage well large enterprises and adopt flexible policy towards small ones）;人民的生活水平將上一個(gè)大的臺(tái)階（People’s?living? standard? will? yield? substantial progress ）; 清理 “三角債” （To cleanup the“chain debt”）.????In the above mentioned?cases， Chinese expressions“一條龍”“兩手抓”“大小”“三角”“臺(tái)階” are the expression?of images， if translated literally， it makes the reader puzzled and incomprehensible. This requires the translator to focus on the image of those words with Chinese characteristics，?Chinese ways of expression， by converting images?to enable the reader to understand its exact meaning.

With the social development and progress of civilization， a Chinese word is usually used with more than one meaning?in communication， which includes its original meaning and extended meaning. In speech communication， due to different cultural background or personal experience， the different meaning of?the same word will make the choice difficult to make. When translating the political?terms， it is particularly important to note that?we should take into consideration?the terms appearing?in the context， different cultural background and expressive?conventions.For example：民辦教師轉(zhuǎn)正（Convert?the status of community sponsored teachers to that of regular teacher）;街道婦女 （Housewives of the neighborhood）.The former term refers to the special occupation in China and the latter one is also a unique Chinese expression. Foreigners cannot understand the true meaning of these phrases without extra explanation.

1.2?The Significance of?Translating Political Words and Phrases with Chinese Characteristics

With the increasing economic globalization and political exchange with other countries， it’s unavoidable for China to translate Chinese terms into English to make them understood. The translations will help foreigners better understand our culture and facilitate us to communicate with peoples all around the world.

Besides， it enriches expressions of English language and embodies the creativity of words and phrases. China's?political vocabularies?in?English composition，?in their own unique way， conveying?a rich connotation of Chinese culture， promote the development of the English language. In terms of its form， these political words and phrases?are based on?standardize English?and are combined according to the Chinese way of thinking，?which is an innovative way; In terms of?its content， these new vocabularies?express the unique Chinese social and political system and its?developments.

Globalization has brought another result， i.e.，?the English localization，?which?is a regenerative process?and?is the product of combination of English?and local culture. ?Generated by this localization，?the?political vocabularies?with?Chinese characteristics absorb?the English morpheme and Chinese construction method， meanwhile the content conveys?Chinese culture， hence creating a new language and cultural phenomenon.

2?Chinglish： Influence of Chinese Language on Translations?of Political?Words and?Phrases with Chinese Characteristics

Due to the difference of views of value in historical background， politics， economics， society， culture between China and English-speaking countries， Chinese English?is prone to?appear， just as European Chinese. Therefore， the translator is required not only to be proficient in both Chinese and English，?but also familiar with the lives， way of thinking and language habits of people?in English-speaking countries. We should?always be concerned about the dynamics in English?language， listen to foreign news agencies， read the English original works and articles， and gradually overcome the "Chinglish"?to?make the?English translation more authentic.

2.1 The Main Reasons for the Emergence of Chinglish

Translation is not only a language conversion， but also cultural exchanges. As a translator，?one should?not only understand foreign cultures， but also the culture of their own nation?and?constantly compare?the two cultures?so as to reach the real equation between?the target language and source language in their culture， function， scope， emotion， the impact on each?other?and other?aspects.

However， cultural differences and different habits of?expression often bring?the translators?unexpected difficulties. Above all， the?difficulty we firstly encounter is undoubtedly the word translation. It’s no easy task to render?a large number of Chinese words and concepts featured?with Chinese characteristics and state condition?to foreign language terms accurately and appropriately.?Many?Chinese?political words and phrases?are not fully equivalent to that?in English，?which is?a normal phenomenon caused by cultural differences.?So when?choosing?English words in the process of?translation， we can not help but?take their political connotation and value?into consideration，?without?the slightest carelessness.

Political words and phrases with Chinese characteristics continuously emerge.?Policy of reform and opening?up brings?in a lot of new words?and?the appropriate translation?of them?can not be found?in the English language.?What’s more， it takes a long time for the two languages to adapt to each other.?Translation often means interpreting the source language， if can not explained，?and we have?to translate?it?word for word. Thus Chinglish?probably come into being.

2.2 Major Manifestation of Chinglish

1. Improper?Collocations. Due to the impact of Chinese literal meaning， we make mistakes in collocation rather than the grammar?ones. For instance，“我們將……在新的世紀(jì)里不斷譜寫建設(shè)有中國特色的社會(huì)主義的新篇章?！眎s translated?as“We will go on achieving fresh successes in building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new century.”?“譜寫新篇章” in some context can be translated as “write a new chapter”， for example： “在中泰之間友好交往的歷史中，譜寫新的篇章”can be translated as “we have written a new chapter in the annals of Sino-Thai friendship”. In the last case， it?can not be translated like this because “write a chapter” and “building socialism” can not match?each other.

2. Duplication?and Redundancy：?Nouns， verbs， adjectives and adverbs are used differently between Chinese and English， so the use of repeated stress also?differs. Chinese often utilize nouns repeatedly， while?English were more likely to use pronouns， phrase， or omit ion to express. For example： “為了推動(dòng)中美關(guān)系的發(fā)展，中國需要進(jìn)一步了解美國，美國也需要進(jìn)一步了解中國?！眎s initially translated as “To promote the development of China-US relations， China needs to know the US better and the US also needs to know China better.”?Later on the translation is revised into?“To promote China-US relations， China needs to know the US better and vice versa.”?Redundancy is avoided in the latter translation which thus reads far more smoothly.

3. Excessive?Use of Modifier. Chinese people often use adverbs?of strong sense?to modify verbs and adjectives， adjectives to modify nouns in order to increase the intonation. When translating， we can not?render it word for word， or it tends?to emphasize too much and reach the?opposite effect， thus weakening the power of the original?sentence. For example：“徹底粉碎”is rendered as “completely smash”.?The original meaning of “smash” is to break completely， now added with “completely”，?the tone?is otherwise weakened. There are some similar examples， “徹底征服” is translated as “Completely conquered”，“偉大的歷史性轉(zhuǎn)變”as?“a great historic change”， which are all wrong translations.

4. Personification.?This phenomenon often appears in Chinese. Due to the influence?of literal Chinese，?;English translation often?tastes?of Chinglish. For example， “中國社會(huì)主義建設(shè)的航船將乘風(fēng)破浪地駛向現(xiàn)代化的光輝岸?！?is translated as?“The ship of China's socialist construction will brave the wind and waves and sail to the glorious destination of modernization?！?We should keep in mind that ship?is lifeless， so the?subject of the?“modernization”?should be a person.

5. Lack?of Attention to Morphological Changes.?Chinese?-English translation is sometimes not completely in accordance with the original text and need to be adjusted and converted according to the?concrete context and classifies of words. For instance， “我們之間關(guān)系的發(fā)展使我們不僅成為親密的朋友而且成為兄弟?！?is translated as ：a. The development of our relations has made us not only close friends but also brothers. ;b. Our relations have so grown that they bind us not only as close friends but also as brothers.Translation b grasps?the essence?of the original text by conversion?and thus is more authentic.

2.3?Ways of Overcoming Chinglish

First of all， we must comprehend the deeper meaning of the original Chinese text， get rid of the shackles of the Chinese literal?meaning， and?restructure the sentence to clearly express the original meaning of the text from the perspective of English readers according to English customs of expression.

Secondly， record?consciously?the translation of common saying?and difficult?cases at work. Listen to foreign news agencies， read the original English text?in large numbers， especially the article on China.?Notice?how foreigners express on the same word， the same thing， and idioms too.?After a comparative study，?choose the better and?more appropriate?one.?However， we must pay attention to their political tendencies and different context when using these borrowed words and expressions.

Thirdly， when reading English-Chinese articles， pay attention to collecting common used words， phrases?and?sentences， think about?how to access to the original English expression?by?using?reverse or back translation approach?and??accumulating?authentic English vocabularies and sentence patterns. This process can be also called English?–?Chinese?- English.

Fourth， where there is a will， there is a way. As long as you have developed a strong interest in language learning， you can learn from the English-speaking people anywhere at any time.

3 Strategies?of Translating Political Words and Phrases with Chinese Characteristics

3.1 Literal Translation

Literal?translation： The?source?language （SL） grammatical?construction is?converted to?their?nearest?target?language （TL） equivalently but?the?lexical words?are again?translated?singly out?of?context. --Peter?Newmark. This citation offers the literal translation，?provided that the SL and TL can be found in almost equal expression， or the meaning of this expression is of not that?big difference in each?other’s?cultures.

In terms of the form， these words are standardized?English; in terms of?the contents， there is?some discrepancy?between their meaning?and?the English original?meaning， because?the expression is?something unique?to?China. We can?look at the following examples：無產(chǎn)階級(jí)政權(quán)： dictatorship of the proletariat， 行政村： administrative village，?民主黨派：democratic parties，?港人治港：?Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong. Since literal translation?retains vivid culture and Chinese way of thinking of the original language， Chinese readers can easily understand its meaning. Since?their semantic and syntactic structures are?consistent with?English， it will not be?difficult in understanding for foreign readers. At the same time， the literal translations?of our political vocabulary convey accurately the political situation， principles and policies in different stages， embodying?the distinctive characteristics of Chinese?English.

3.2 Free Translation

It’s difficult to find ready-made equivalents?of many political words and phrases with Chinese characteristics?in the original English dictionary. The translators are required to utilize their intelligence to express?the exact meaning?of?the original idea correctly as well as make?the expression understood by the international community.?Hence， free translation comes into being.?Translation is?not only?a continuous process of improvement， but also?of creativity. As?the translator's sense of innovation is concerned， as translators， we must have the spirit of keeping abreast?of the times， thoroughly understand the?emerging words， and?give?initiative full play，?convey the information contained in the original language through the target language， and strive to achieve the goal of integrating?both the image?and meaning.

Literal translation is not restricted?to the translation of the original?word and phrases.??Through understanding of the deeper meaning of the original words，?it is reproduced by translations.?Free translation?is actually a paraphrase of meaning， which pursues similarity in spirit rather than?in image.?For example：?十五計(jì)劃： the Tenth Five-year Plan以人為本： People oriented 建設(shè)社會(huì)主義新農(nóng)：building a socialist new countryside黨的作風(fēng)建設(shè)?the improvement of the Party's?work style繼往開來： carry forward our cause into the future.

As for the expression of unique?matters and?phenomenon in?Chinese society， ?the best way is to recur the original meaning through free translation on the basis of accurate understanding of the text， since it is difficult?to harmonize the original content and the form of the target language.

3.3?Free Translations with Annotation

Political words and phrases with Chinese characteristics contain many acronyms， particularly new words?with numbers， such as Three?Represents， Four Cardinal Principles and so on. This kind?of words are expressed concisely， vividly and enjoyed by readers. However， because of?strong?sense of?politics， the target translations can not arbitrarily change the wording.?It’s difficult to achieve the desired goal?alone through literal or free translation. In order to both accurately convey information?and?retain the features?of Chinese， it is best to add a comment?by literal approach. For?instance：四項(xiàng)基本原則： the Four Cardinal Principles （the?principles of adherence to the socialist road， the people's?democratic dictatorship， the leadership of the Communist?Party of China， and Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong?Thought）?三個(gè)代表：Three Represents（The Communist?Party of China must always represent the trend of China's advanced productive powers， the orientation of China's?advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the?overwhelming majority of the Chinese People） Literal?Translation?annotated is mainly used for the firstly-appeared?vocabulary in some newspapers and political magazines. As?some English translations are gradually being accepted?by?some Western readers， the annotation can?be omitted. As above mentioned，?Three Represents， and the Four Cardinal Principles?are known without annotations.

Conclusion

The field of translation is a colorful world. Translation of political words and phrases with Chinese characteristics is merely one aspect of Chinese-English translations.?Strategies and skills of translation mentioned in this thesis do not cover?all， exactly to say， only a small part?of English translation. In most cases， different translators have different translations of the same text?when?conveying?the same information.?But as a translator， we particularly need to make practice?of?translation rooted in the theory of translation?when translating this kind of words and phrases，?especially the theory suitable for China's?state condition.

China's comprehensive national strength?has been?notably increasing and its international position is also rising. Introducing?China to the world?and?let the world know more about?China is our due?responsibility of contemporary translators. We should study and work seriously?and meticulously to make the cause of our Chinese to English?translation?continuously flourished?so that China's state condition in politics， economic and even society?and culture are understood by people in the world.

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作者簡介：

葛路陽，女，漢族，1986--，籍貫河南，四川外國語大學(xué)畢業(yè)，2013級(jí)翻譯碩士研究生，研究方向?yàn)橛⒄Z口譯，持有CATTI二級(jí)筆譯證書。現(xiàn)任職于廣東酒店管理職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院，為應(yīng)用英語系專任教師。

（作者單位：廣東酒店管理職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院）