A Cross-cultural Perspective Study on the Translation of Documentary“Henan, where China began”

【Abstract】Many places in China have produced their own public documentaries of the places of interests to attract foreign visitors so as to develop local tourism industry. Therefore， the correct and elegant translation of those documentaries must be taken seriously. Based on the theories of cross-cultural communication， this paper intends to make an analysis of the translation strategies adopted in the specific documentary “Henan， where China began”.

【Key words】cross-cultural communication; public documentary; translation strategy

【作者簡介】呂欣盛（1995.11.25-），女，漢族，新鄉(xiāng)人，長安大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院2017級外國語言學(xué)及應(yīng)用語言學(xué)專業(yè)，碩士研究生，研究方向：教學(xué)法。

1. Introduction

More and more Chinese public documentaries are presented in the western media. However， with different cultural background， the communication between different countries would meet many obstacles. As a carrier of information， translation becomes increasingly important. Based on the theories of cross-cultural communication， this paper intends to make an analysis of the translation strategies adopted in the translation of documentary “Henan， where China began”， and to prove that by adopting proper methods， the conflicts and obstacles that may occur during the process of translation would be reduced.

2. Analysis on the documentary “Henan， where China began”

2.1 Transliteration

Transliteration means to transform the pronunciation form from the original language to that of the target language. The original meaning of the language is no longer exist. The strategy of transliteration is often used in the translations of places.

龍門石窟is translated as Longmen Grottoes by using two different strategies in the documentary. Free translation is used to translate石窟. However， 龍門refers to the specific places that do not have the corresponding words in the target language， so it is transliterated.

Besides， except for the translation of places， some specific words which have Chinese characteristics and connotations also need to be transliterated. In the documentary， 太極and功夫are translated as Tai Chi and Kungfu by using the strategy of transliteration because these specific martial arts only exist in China.

By using transliteration， the translation can show the cultural background， which is easy for the foreigners to understand and learn more about Chinese culture.

2.2 Literal translation

Literal translation is the translation of text from one language to another. It usually keeps the sequence and form of the original language. Although sometimes cultural losses are caused in this way， the basic goal of the cross-cultural communication is achieved. In the documentary， 白馬寺 is translated as White Horse Temple rather than Baima Temple because it has its cultural background. It is said that this temple was set up to honor the hardworking of a white horse which carries the precious scriptures from the west back to Luoyang. Therefore， the translation of a documentary must be closely related to its cultural background.

2.3 Free translation

Free translation is a way to mainly convey the meaning of the original language without changing sentence patterns or figures of speech. The public documentary involves many words with specific cultural connotations. In some circumstances， using transliteration or literal translation will make the meaning obscure. Using free translation will make the documentary easier to understand.

殷墟is translated as Yin Ruins by taking free translation， which is a scenic spot in the city of Anyang， Henan Province. Yin was the capital city of Shang Dynasty， but the political turmoil and the war made the city of Yin ruined. Therefore， the descendants called this place Yin Ruins. By using free translation， this word retains the history of the name of this place， and helps the visitors have a deeper understanding of this place.

3.Conclusion

Chinese public documentaries undoubtedly undertake the responsibility of spreading Chinese culture to the world and publicizing the image of the country. Hence， the comprehensive understanding of both the source language and the target language is very important， and the proper use of different translation strategies also attaches great importance.

References：

[1]Newmark Peter.. Approaches to translation. London： Pergamon Press，1982.

[2]金惠康.跨文化旅游翻譯[M].北京：中國對外翻譯出版公司，2006.