Viewing Translator as the Cultural Mediator from a Sociological Perspective

Chen Di

【Abstract】Cultural differences， are different in their languages， their behaviour patterns， and values， therefore， an attempt to try to convey shared assumptions and responses using another language are unlikely to work. However， translator， being as the central role in the process of translation， functions as the cultural mediator through communicating and acting. The paper will mainly discuss translator as the cultural mediator incertain social context and explain it from a sociological perspective.

【Key words】translator； cultural mediator； sociology

Introduction

Sociology is commonly said to be the science of social facts， namely the science of those phenomena which show the life of societies itself（Durkheim 1982：175）. As all spheres of human activity are affected by the interplay between social structure and individual （“agency” refers to the capacity of individual to act independently and make free choices， whereas “structure” relates to factors or principles that limit or affect the choice and actions of individuals）， sociology therefore， focus not only on the human communication and behaviour within social context， it also analyses other areas involved in human activities such as translation as well as the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge.

Ifbeing viewed from a sociological perspective， translation distinguishes itself as a particular type of activity with its specific nature （Foran 2012：140）. It can be seen obviously that the most basic and prominent function of translation is to communicate， to try to move the barriers between people with different languages. Therefore， translation fulfils a specific social function by virtue of being what it is： as such， it increases the likelihood of social interaction. Various approaches within translation studies show the development of sociology of translation， and the majority of these approaches were elaborated in the wake of the “cultural turn” which involved many issues developed later in more sophisticated social contexts and formed considerations related to power， politics， ethics， or individual agency （Gambier and Doorslaer 2010：337）.

Translator as the cultural mediator

Translation cannot be simply perceived as an activity mainly about language exchanges， in effect， translation is a complicated process involving interpreting a certain culture to another group of people with a different kind of culture. According to the explanation of culture， it refers exclusively to the humanist ideal of what was civilised in a developed society （the arts， the education system， and the architecture） or the way of life of a people and their beliefs （Munday 2009：74）. In terms of the relationship between language and culture， some believe that they are two distinct entities and translation is only a linguistic activity， using languages to transferring meaning from the original text to the target text. Others， such as Nida， claims that “the context actually provides more distinction of meaning than the term being analysed”（Nida 2003：29）， therefore， when reading a translated work， readers are likely to receive the text based on their own expectations， and translation is necessarily a relativist form of “manipulation” （Hermans 1985：32）. In this respect， translator can be seen as a cultural mediator who， besides linguistic function， plays a role in introducing various cultures among groups of people.

According to Jenks， culture is the outcome of the “pressures” that social structures apply to social action. That is， culture lies in the language that we speak and the value that we hold. Translation is， therefore， decoding textual signals and negotiating among peoples with various cultures. Hence， translator is the person who plays the role as the cultural mediator， the one who facilitates communication， understanding and action between groups of people who differ with each other in terms of language and culture. Translator as a mediator in the process of translation is performed by interpreting the expressions， perceptions， intentions and expectations of each cultural group to the other， in other words， by constructing and balancing the communication between them. Nevertheless， from sociological and cultural perspective， when translating， the translator is committing the task of interpreting the existed culture and language in a certain group and converting these messages to another group of people in a form that they could understand. For example， in an international conference， the translator or interpreter is of vital importance to the success of this conference. Here， the task of the translator is not only conveying the message of the speaker， but also expressing the intention behind those words as well as the position the speaker holds. In such case， the translators function is more socially and culturally oriented. When translating a text， say a literature text， the translator needs to have an idea of the text type he or she is going to translate and what culture-bound features it may represent. As a cultural mediator， he or she should consider how the text has been written and also how it will operates in the target culture. At this stage， the translator need to take into account the requirements of other actors， such as the author of the original text， commissioner and the intended reader， and the translators own beliefs about how to translate .

Conclusion

Translation is an activity involving intercultural communication which requires the translator to treat the text itself as only one of the clues of meaning. Other “hidden”， “unseen” and “unconscious” factors which may relate to cultural and social phenomenon determine how the target text will be understood. Therefore， the translator should be able to put the translated text in the social context of the target culture to see if it is so appropriately rendered as to fullfill the golden principle of “faithfully， expressively， elegantly”. The ultimate purpose of translation is without doubt， to negotiate among different groups of people and to promote the development of society to a right direction.

Reference：

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