紅色在中西文化中的內涵差異及其翻譯策略

Red is a favorable color for Chinese people. In our eyes， red stands for luck and happiness. However， in those Western countries， people are more willing to regard it as an unlucky color， because violence may occur to their mind. This paper was undertaken to explore the connotation difference of color red between Chinese and western culture and take some effective translation strategies to solve the culture differences problems in the future.

I. The connotation of the color red

In China，Red occupies a unique place in the Chinese culture. During Spring Festival， The elders will give young children some New Year money， which will be put in a red envelope called “red packets”. And in traditional wedding banquet， the groom wears a beautiful red flower in front of his bosom， while the bride put on a red dress and covered a piece of red cloth on her head. And “Red” is often associated with beautiful woman ， such as “紅妝” “紅顏”. Whats more， when it comes to “red face of a child”， it often means that she is very beautiful ； “紅潤” can be used to express one's psychological states.

However， In English， “red” is always applied in a negative sense， and the English speakers often connect “red” with bad things. For instance， “red-light district” refers to a district in a city or a town where there are prostitutes. In addition， Dark red is a symbol of outrage and also symbolizes massacre and blood conflict， such as “the red warfare”. Whats more， in the translation of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber， the famous Chinese linguist Hawks aware that the red color in modern English may make the readers connected vicious， so he translated as ‘The Story of stone. And Red also shows an indispensible role of warning and inhibition. In the ball game， if players the judge may give “red card”， which refers to a player who makes a serious mistake and will not be allowed to play for the rest of it. Nowadays， “running a business in the red” means a business operated in loss， so “red” represents a loss. “Red” as a warning， like the phrases “go into red ink” means the deficit. But， these unpleasant meaning are rare occurrence in East countries.

II. Proper translation methods

Language is the source of culture and also a reflection of culture. Based on above examples， we can easily find that red has quite different meanings in different countries， which can mirror certain cultural characteristics and background of the society. To cope with this phenomenon， several translation methods should be adopted， such as literal translation， free translation， mutual substitution method etc.

The easiest method is Literal translation， which aims to recombination content and style of whole work meantime the figures of speech and the structures of sentence or phrase as much as possible. For example： “紅包” can be easily translated as “red packets” because China is becoming more and more famous in international situation， so it do not need to be translated into “red envelope have money as a gift in it.”

The second method is Literal translation. As is well-known， both China and those Western countries have their own cultural customs and habits， it is very hard to convey in the same way all the time. On this occasion， literal translation may not appropriate. This translation method also can be applied in poetry： “ 接天蓮葉無窮碧，映日荷花別樣紅。” can be translated as “Lotuses in full bloom”， which is more concise.

And the last one is Substitution method， which refers to use another color to substitute the original one. This method can be used when people from different countries put an emphasis on different aspects of the same thing. For example，“紅茶”which is translated into “black tea”in English. The fact is mainly focus on the different ways of the speakers of the people of two countries and their feeling of the physical world. The Chinese people pay much attention to the red color of water， while the English people put their eyes on the black color of tea when it is dry. Translation is a job to amend the gap between countries. Thus， it should be used from different situation.

III. Conclusion

Language and culture not only influences each other but also mutual complement with each other at the same time. The connotation of color red between Chinese and Western countries gives us a better understanding of their culture and customs. Color words have their irreplaceable and unique position in intercultural communication. With the development of globalization， we desire to understand more knowledge about foreign culture and customs. Have a deeper study about the connotation of color red in more states is a good way for us to make further research. In addition， we should know not only their differences but also the similarities as well. Only in this way can we find the most suitable way to cope with the mistake in time， and make our expression more accurate and flexible in the process of intercultural communication.

作者簡介：張潔（1991-），女，漢族，陜西咸陽人，研究生，專業小學教育，研究方向：英語教育。