Euphemistic Expressions and Translation Strategies in Business English

馬彪 冶莉婷

【Abstract】Business English is a practical style， and it is also a cross-cultural communicative activity which focuses on the practical effects.Euphemism， one of the most important English rhetoric devices， is various in forms， flexible and wide in usage， and it is also a significant measure to attract customers， seize business opportunities and explore the market.This thesis analyzes the functions of euphemistic expressions in business English，and explores the translation strategies for business English under the usage of euphemistic expressions in order to achieve smooth business communication as well as the best economic effect in practice.

【Keywords】Business English； Euphemism； Translation Strategies

1.Introduction

Business English is a common language for cross-cultural communication in background of the international business.Different nation has different historical backgrounds， customs， and cultural traditions， so business English translation will also be influenced by the cultural factors； what's more， the property of the translation may be related to the success of the economic exchange.

2.The Definition of the Euphemism

Euphemism comes from the Greek prefix“eu”as“well” and the root“pheme”as“speaking”， which means saying good words.In English， the definition of euphemism is to use the harmless or sweet words to replace the more direct or abrupt words， and is also a modification means to use kind words to cover up the facts.

For example， people sometimes avoid pronouncing certain syllables to get better communication effect.Business English especially are easy to cause discomfort or inappropriate discrimination.That is the reason why we can see a lot of sentences begin with“I wanted”， “I wonder”or“Could you”.

When talking about the cultural factors in the translation of business English， Gao Rui says：We should pay attention to the cultural factors in the translation of business English， especially the difference of the meaning of colors， the numbers and the understanding towards things.

In order to truly realize the internationalization of business English， we must pay attention to cultural factors implied in it.Therefore， we often use euphemism in business translation and business contacts to take account of the Western countries' culture， custom， taboo and the characteristics of words expression.Then we can take appropriate measures and carry out the translation and exchange activities.

3.The Function of Euphemism

Euphemistic expressions are widely used in business English， almost touching all areas of business activities and all aspects of the transaction process.Therefore， in order to have a place in the fierce market competition， the mastery of the function of euphemism in business English translating is of great significance.

3.1 Avoiding Taboo.Because of people's fear to some certain things or phenomena， and the situation that sometimes we have to speak about our words when we are unwilling or dare not to say the things we want express， we will use euphemism to instead.

For example， the various ethnic groups have their own euphemism for“dead”.The English-speaking countries avoid saying“dead”directly， so there exist various expressions of “dead”in English.People often use“to pass away”，“to depart”，“to leave us”，“the final sleep”and“to have found rest”to replace“to die”.

3.2 Avoiding Vulgarity.Language is a tool for exchange ideas.When we are communicating， due to different time， place， and people， sometimes we often feel inconvenient to express our ideas directly， such as some parts of the body， urine and so on.If we say bluntly， it will tend to make people feel uncomfortable， and the listener will also feel the speaker is too vulgar.Therefore， euphemistic expressions are applied in the English to resolve this embarrassment.

Except tears， all the vocabularies of the body waste are considered to be taboos.“Men's lavatory”is known as“Gent's， the John”；“Women's lavatory”is called“Lady's， Mrs.Jones”.For example， when in the meeting， if someone wants to go to toilet， to say“Sorry！ I have to go to the toilet”considered to be impolite and inappropriate.But we can say“Sorry， I have to give myself ease.”

3.3 Showing Courtesy.Another feature of the euphemism is to avoid presumptuous and impoliteness in communication.If we are compelled to talk about unpleasant things， we should use euphemistic expression to avoid hurting each other's feelings.In social communication， people always pay attention to be courteous to others.It will help to not only make us polite， but also get others' goodwill and recognition because of taking care of each other's feelings by using the euphemism.Such as if we always mention "the old woman" when meeting the old lady， it will often make us be ignored.Therefore， some euphemisms emerge， such as using senior citizen， second childhood and the longer living rather than old age or senility.

3.4 Concealing feelings

There also exist a number of diplomatic euphemisms in some political activities.Diplomatic personnel are the main users of such euphemisms.They often make their true purposes vague to others in order to make the seriousness of the international tensions reduce to the minimum.

For example， we are familiar with the Ping - Pong， diplomacy， which is used to describe the history of Sino-US relations through the exchange of table tennis team to promote the normalization of diplomatic relations euphemistically.

4.Translation of Euphemism in Business English

Euphemism is not only a variation of the language convention， but also an art of language.It is an important rhetorical device.Because of the competitive market， it is important for the business people to master the translation strategies of euphemism well.To understand and to study the euphemism of business English are indeed meaningful.

4.1 The Lubricant Strategy of Business English Translation.The success of the negotiations should rely on the maintenance of both the long-term friendly relations.Therefore， in the process of negotiations， in order to create a harmonious and friendly atmosphere， both the two sides should not only actively express their point of view， but also acknowledge the other's advantages， express the kindness and use the euphemistic words， so that to make the process go on smoothly.This can not only please each other， avoid communicating fatigue， moreover， a new ideas of cooperation may appear.For example，

（1）Could we come back to that later on？

我們可以稍微晚一點再回到這一點好嗎？Or

we can translate these“It is interesting/ surprising/ amazing/ important/ crucial/ vital/ imperative”into“那很有趣/令人吃驚/神奇/重要/了不起/極為重要/必要”。

From above， we can conclude， the more euphemistic， the better.

（2）I don't think it is wise for either of us to insist on his own terms

我不認為你我雙方各自堅持自己的條件是明智的。

我認為，你我雙方各自堅持自己的條件是不明智的。

Comparing these two translations， we can find that the sentence （1） is much more bluntly than the （2）.Sentence（1） uses“不認為”to deny the other's view directly.In English， westerners often put“I don't think...”or“I am not sure...”as an euphemism at the beginning of sentence to weaken the negative tone， but it does not also fit in Chinese euphemistic way.Although the translation is correct， it still makes the reader think that the writer is too vulgar.However， in the sentence （2）， we just put the meaning“no”in later of the sentence， which has done to weaken the writer's negative tone and release the atmosphere.Therefore， when we want to deny others' ideas， we should not express our opinions directly.We can use decent words to make the sentence more polite and a discussing tone to present our suggestion， which will make others easy to accept.

4.2 The Catalyzer Strategy of Business English Translation

In business activities， especially in business negotiations， both the sides want to make every effort to convince the other party to accept his own requirements or suggestions.If at this time， the words of one party or both of the two sides are too sharp and straightforward， or even seem a bit aggressive， then， both of the parties will feel that the other one hurts his own face， therefore， the negotiations and the cooperation may not proceed smoothly.On the contrary， if the two sides can use euphemisms of“I was wondering...”，“Could you possibly...”， or“I am afraid...” instead of those blunt words of “I want...”，“I am wondering...”，“We want you to...”to avoid the arbitrary decision in negotiations and cooperation， both will feel themselves to be respected by each other， and their face have been maintained.

We can use fuzzy， affirmative and tentative words as catalyzer to release the serious business atmosphere.Such as“也許（perhaps）， 大概（presumably）”or“我們更希望有一個不同的解決辦法（We would prefer a different solution）”or“如果我們同意...， 你們會準備...嗎？（If we agree to...， would you prepare to...？）”The usage of these three types of words can make the speaker avoid being too assertive but the idea clear.Besides， it also reduces the negative elements in business activities， and shows our kindness and respect.What's more， the euphemistic catalyer can also make others to make decisions quickly and increase the possibility of keeping consistency.

5.Conclusion

Thus it can be seen that the form of euphemistic expression is various， the methods are flexible， and the usage is wide， which is an effective means to attract customers， grasp the business opportunities， promote the products and develop the market.It is important for us to take the correct words and grammar for business English translation under the guidance of euphemism.The master of the English euphemism and the business translation skill is important to every businessman.

“Friendliness is conducive to business success”is not only a widely spread common saying in the competitive market， but also one of the guiding principles of the business operation.“Friendliness”refers to the euphemistic expressions here.When we are translating in business activities， we should try to reflect the politeness principle， and to make good use of the politeness principle to solve the problems between the two sides.

Therefore， euphemistic expression is an important part of the business English and a good method to win the customers in the competition that we should not sneeze at， and we should be polite and have a sense of propriety， in order to effectively achieve the business objectives.

Reference：

[1]Geoffrey Leech.2005.Politeness： Is there an East-West Divide？[J].Journal of Foreign Languages.

[2]Peng Qianqian.2006.Linguistic Realization of Politeness Strategies in English Business Negotiation[D].Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.

[3]Tong Lili.2008.The Translation Theories and Methods Applied in Business English Translation[D].Harbin Engineering University.