跨文化交际Unit 4课件

Reading I How Is Language Related to Culture
Language reflects the environment in which we live. (snow, wine) Language reflects cultural values. (time) In ICC or translation: do dictionaries always help? We translate concepts from a foreign language and culture with words that fits our priorities. e.g.: dog Identical words with rather different meanings: administration, manager/director, force majeure (不 可抗力)
Reading II Language-and-Culture, Two Sides of the Same Coin

“Language-and-culture” Language and culture are clearly fused; one reflects the other. Language is a product of culture, but it also plays a distinct role. Language is a window to the culture.
grammatical rules? Language = neutral codes and
We make cultural choices when we select words, form sentences and send a message. All languages have social questions and information questions. social questions ---- a lubricant to move the conversation forward information questions ---- asking for information Words in themselves do not carry the meaning. The meaning comes out of the context, the cultural usage.
“Why time flies?” “Because somebody wants to kill it.” “你有什么了不起，能把我吃了！” “不能,我是回民！” 外甥打灯笼照(舅)旧 as before; as usual; as of old 狗撵鸭子呱呱叫 very good
More examples
恋爱“三草”原则: 女：你说你很寂寞，为什么不去找你以前的女朋友而来追我 呢？ 男：好马不吃回头草！(A good horse will never turn round to graze on an old pasture.) 女：你们班上也有女孩呀！我们俩相隔这么远，为何来追我 呢？ 男：兔子不吃窝边草！(A rabbit doesn„t nibble the grass near its own hole.) 女：那你现在为什么又要抛弃我呢？你这个混蛋！ 男：天涯何处无芳草！(There are plenty of fish in the sea.)
Reading I How Is Language Related to Culture
Language lives, and it changes over time. Words and phrases that are used commonly at one time may be discontinued or their meaning may change overtime. “gay” purity of a language A language, if spoken in different parts of the globe, ultimately develop differently. “Englishes”
Unit 4
Language and Culture
Pun:
Warm Up
amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings, or of a word with the same sound but different meanings Things like puns defy translation across languages.

拍马屁 寄人篱下 夸夸其谈 小菜一碟 画蛇添足 乱七八糟 五十步笑百步 白日做梦 button one‟s lip much cry and little wool look for a needle in a hay stack
Connotations of animal words

壮如牛 犟牛 蠢猪 拦路虎 河东狮 母夜叉 落汤鸡 胆小如鼠 一丘之貉
as strong as a horse as stubborn as a mule as stupid as a goose a lion in the path old gray mare an absolute dragon a drowned rat chicken-hearted birds of the same feather

Reading I How Is Language Related to Culture

Communication across cultures and languages is difficult and full of hurdles and pitfalls. Even if two people from different cultures can speak a common language, they may misinterpret the cultural signals. The result is confusion and misunderstanding.
- Watchdog (舆论监督) - Love me, love my dog. (爱屋及乌) - Every dog has his day. (凡人皆有得意日) - Be faithful as a dog - I am too old a dog to learn new tricks. (行家里 手) - He is top dog in the office. (头儿)
More examples
More examples
I am sorry. I am sorry, too. I am sorry three. What are you sorry for (four)? I am sorry five.
Reading I How Is Language Related to Culture
பைடு நூலகம்
“Language-and-culture” in the five dimensions of culture

Language and cultural products Language and cultural practices Language and cultural perspectives Language and cultural communities Language and persons

Reading I How Is Language Related to Culture

打落水狗, 斗鸡走狗, 狗恶 酒酸, 狗吠不惊, 狗急跳墙, 狗头军师, 狗血喷头, 狗眼 看人, 狗仗人势, 狗嘴里吐 不出象牙, 挂羊头、卖狗肉, 关门打狗, 狐朋狗友, 鸡鸣 狗吠, 嫁鸡随鸡、嫁狗随狗, 狼心狗肺, 鼠窃狗盗, 偷鸡 摸狗, 指鸡骂狗, 猪卑狗险, 狗皮膏药, 狗走狐淫, 丧家 之狗, 狗行狼心, 狗胆包天, 关门打狗
Idiom Translation
lick somebody‟s boots: sit at somebody‟s feet. have a big mouth a piece of cake carry coals to Newcastle at sixes and sevens the pot calling the kettle castles in Spain 守口如瓶 雷声大，雨点小 大海捞针
Case Study 14

Version 1: the literal translation strategy faithful to the original but easy to confuse the readers in the target language Version 2: the liberal translation strategy attempting to convey the original meaning as precisely as possible but losing the original poetic flavor (the rhetoric device — pun — is not reproduced)