英汉语言文化差异范文

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篇1

前言：每个民族在发展过程中都有属于自己的经历，这些特殊的经历对人们的思维方式和行为习惯造成影响，形成不同的文化传统和语言表达方式。从对英语以及汉语分析中我们会发现，语言有相同的地方，但是在使用方法上又会有自己的习惯，这背后就隐藏着文化差异，可以说，文化造就了语言，语言又传承了文化。

一.语言与民族文化之间的联系

人类在认识世界的过程中需要使用语言这种工具，描述自己理解的这个世界需要使用语言，与别人交流自己感受的过程也需要使用语言，如果没有语言，世界的精彩就无法被描绘。在研究各国语言与文化的过程中我们不难发现，语言与文化之间是密不可分的，一个民族的语言既是自身文化的组成部分，也是文化的载体，语言中凝聚了一个民族的思维模式以及人民对这个民族的所有感情，反过来说，文化又是语言的基础，没有任何一种语言是脱离文化独立存在的，语言的产生和发展必然要以文化作为依托，文化环境促进语言的发展，同时也是制约语言发展的因素，文化习惯影响人们的表达习惯[1]。

二.从习语角度分析英汉语言文化差异

（一）地理环境与语言文化

地理环境是造成文化差异的重要原因，也是影响语言使用习惯的重要因素。英国人民生活在群岛上，邻近大西洋与北海，这个民族在历史发展过程中离不开海，最初经济不发达时期人们主要的生活来源就是出海捕鱼，因此形成了一种海的文化，虽然如今社会经济已经发达，人们不需要再将出海捕鱼作为谋生的手段，但是有关海、水、船和鱼一类的俗语却被沿用至今。例如，在形容“害羞的人时”，他们会说“shy fish”，在形容“错过机会”时，他们会说“miss the boat”，而中国处于亚洲东部，领土中有三分之二是山地、高原和丘陵，地形处于半封闭式，人们对海有一种敬畏感，认为海就是自然的天限，因此关于海的语言都给人一种神秘莫测的感觉：例如，用“天涯海角”来形容不可触及的远方，用“大海捞针”来形容一件希望渺茫、几乎不可能做到的事。我国的土地资源丰富，农耕是人们生存的主要方式，因此在很多成语和习语中中都能够展现出“土”的文化，例如五谷丰登、根深蒂固等。即使想要表达同一个意思，二者的表达习惯也会有所差异，例如，在形容一个人花钱浪费时，英国人会说“spend money like water”，而中国人会说“挥金如土”，可见地理环境对语言文化的重要影响[2]。

（二）风俗习惯与语言文化

一个地区人们特定的生活方式被称为该地区的风俗习惯，风俗习惯与很多因素有关，是人们在漫长的岁月中积淀、形成的，包括饮食习惯和居住习惯等。面包和牛奶是英国人的主食，因此在他们的语言中包含了大量关于bread、cheese、milk的词汇，例如，在形容“大人物”时，他们会说“big cheese”，在形容好酒的时候，会说“mothers milk”，而饮食在中国文化中占据着重要位置，自古以来就有“民以食为天”的说法，中国人使用的食材是非常丰富的，“下饺子”、“生米煮成熟饭”等俗语就能够体现出我国的饮食文化。从居住上来说，英国人建造的住宅一般都是独门独户，周围用低矮的栅栏或者是篱笆围起来，因此在他们所流传使用的俗语中，有很多都是关于建筑材料和结构的，例如，表示“失言、出错”时，他们会说“drop a brick”，而中国人在居住上讲究天人合一，建筑中以对称为美，讲究精致的雕刻艺术，雕梁画栋、亭台楼阁等就是形容我国古代建筑的成语。

（三）宗教习惯与语言文化

宗教习惯与语言文化也有着密切关系，西方国家的大多数人都信仰基督教，他们认为“上帝”主宰一切，生活中的习惯用语很多都与《圣经》有关，例如，在形容“最后的时刻”时他们会说“at the eleventh hour”。而在中国，最盛行的是佛教，佛教的宗旨就是劝戒人们行善，例如，“放下屠刀、立地成佛”，就是劝人们不要再做恶事，而关于“和尚”的俗语更是数不胜数，“小和尚念经――有口无心”，是说小和尚虽然在念经，但是不明白自己在念什么，用来指做事没有“走心”[3]。

（四）历史发展与语言文化

任何一个民族传统文化的形成都与历史的变迁息息相关，文化差异在很大程度上都是由历史决定的。英国与罗马自古就有渊源，历史中英国曾被罗马人占领，占领时间长达四百年之久，因此英国很多经典俗语中都可以折射出古罗马文化，例如我们所熟知的“入乡随俗”就用“Do in Roman as the Romans do”。另外，英国历史中发生过几次重要的战争，主要是和法国、荷兰争夺权力，因此有关French以及Dutch的俗语都带有一定的贬义色彩，例如，形容“防御的虚张声势”，就用“Dutch defense”表示。而我国在数千年的历史发展中经历最多的就是改朝换代，一些家喻户晓的俗语很多都是出于历史典故或者说有名的历史人物，如果不了解这些历史，就很难理解这些成语或者俗语的意思，例如，“项庄舞剑”，就描述了著名的历史典故“鸿门宴”中的情景，另外，我国人民爱好和平，反对战争，因此有“化干戈为玉帛”这样的说法[4]。

三.从礼貌原则角度分析英汉语言文化差异

无论一个国家有怎样的传统文化，“礼貌”都是文化中重要的组成部分，只是由于文化因素的影响，每个国家的礼貌习惯或者说礼貌用语都会有所差异，人们在社交中遵循属于自己的礼貌原则，每种原则的侧重点不同，重要性也有所差别。

（一）英语礼貌用语原则

英国人在交际过程中主要讲求以下原则：首先是讲求策略，就是在交际过程中要尽量使他们受益、尽量减小他人付出的代价，同时尽量让自己吃亏，减少自己受益的可能性;其次是讲求赞扬，赞扬在英国人民的社交中占据重要位置，在与人交流的过程中要尽量发现别人的优点，哪怕是一句简单的“You look great”也会让人觉得很舒服，同时尽量少赞扬自己;第三是讲求赞同，在交际的过程中减少与别人的分歧，尽量对他人的观点表示赞同;第四是讲求同情，交际中如果发现对方有不好的情绪或者是发生了不幸的事，要表达自己的同情之感。

英国人非常注重个人隐私，初次见面时一般以“天气”作为聊天的切入点，不会问起年龄、婚姻状况等，他们认为这是不礼貌的表现。从称呼上来说，熟人之间都会直呼其名，甚至父母子女之间也是如此，他们认为这是关系亲近的表现，如果称呼“先生”、“女士”，会增强双方的距离感。很多英国人为了表示对祖辈的尊重，在给小辈取名字时，会使用与祖父或者是父亲一样的名字，在小辈名字前加上“小”字以示区别[5]。

英国人是非常喜欢被赞扬的，因此在听到别人赞美自己时，会欣然接受或者表示感谢，赞美别人时也只是单纯的赞美，不会贬低自己。从委婉用语上来说，英国人似乎更加直接一些，对于女人怀孕这件事，他们会直接表达出来，没有什么禁忌;在听演讲的过程中，如果发现有自己不赞成的观点，他们会用一句“Excuse me”来打断，然后表述自己的观点，没有人会认为这是不礼貌的行为，因为在打断之前已经说过“抱歉”了。

（二）中文礼貌用语原则

我国自古以来就是礼仪之邦，从小我们就被教导要“尊重父母、尊重师长”，分析人们在社交中的礼貌表现，我们可以将中国人的礼貌原则概括为以下几点：首先是尊人贬己的原则，在与人交流过程中往往会通过贬损自己来抬高对方，贬损自己在交际中是一种谦虚的表现;其次是文雅原则，就是在交际过程中避免使用粗俗的语言，尽量不使用使人不愉快或者是反感的字眼;最后是求同原则，这一点与英国礼貌原则有相似之处，就是在交际过程中力求和谐，即使想要表达不同意见，也要遵循“先褒后贬”的原则，这一点不仅表现在人们的日常交际中，我国在与其他国家进行外交时也强调“”[6]。

中国人看重集体利益，认为人与人之间要坦诚相待，不应该有所隐瞒，因此初次见面一般都会问到年龄、

婚姻状况等基本信息，以此为基础进行进一步交流和了解。从称呼上来说，长辈可以直呼小辈的名字，但是小辈不能直呼长辈的姓名，对于父母更是如此，如果直呼其名是非常不礼貌的表现。中国人在给小辈取名时一般都会按照族谱，遵循“某”字辈的原则，即使不按照族谱取名，也不会沿用祖辈的名字，否则会被认为“大逆不道”。

中国人在听到别人赞扬自己时，一般不会欣然接受，一般会说“哪里”，表示认为自己没有对方说的那么优秀，否则会被看做是不谦虚的表现。在与人交流时会更注重使用委婉词句，对于女人怀孕这件事一般不会直接说出来，而是用“有喜了”表示;在听演讲的过程中，如果发现演讲者与自己有不同观点，也不会立即打断，否则会被认为是一种非常不礼貌的行为，往往都是在演讲结束以后再表达自己的观点，不会直接指出对方哪里不对，而是先表示赞扬。

总结：人类数千年的文化之所以能够传承和发展，就是因为有语言这个载体，可以说没有语言就没有文化，没有文化也就没有语言的发展。要想了解一个民族的文化，就要先了解他们的语言，要想理解一门语言的含义和使用方法，就要先了解他们的文化，总而言之，二者是息息相关的，不能被分开理解。（作者单位：四川建筑职业技术学院）

参考文献：

[1]薛勤.论英汉语言文化差异与大学英语教学[D].南京师范大学，2005.

[2]何志伦，陈国红.从文化传统差异角度辨析英汉语言内涵差异[J].改革与开放，2011，10（12）18：191.

[3]梁景宏，罗红梅.礼貌原则在英汉语言文化中的差异表现[J].教育实践与研究，2005，12（14）02：55-57.

篇2

Some defects and even unsuccessful advertisements are made because of the poor quality of translation. This paper proceeds from problems in advertising translation that the translators do not have a good command of the nation-specific culture and is too adhesive to the advertisement’s superficial meaning while there are a lot of cultural factors hidden in the present advertising translation. In fact， advertisement translation requires more than just rendering sentences into another language. Translators have to convert the ideas and thoughts behind the sentences into the target language by applying the knowledge of the target culture. This paper suggests some methods to make advertising translation in view of the language and culture differences.

[Key words] advertising language; culture difference; advertising translation

【摘 要】 广告作为文化的产物，可以更直接地展示语言和文化的关系，所以广告语言是一门具有浓郁文化色彩与时代特点的艺术形式。本文对中、英广告语言进行了探讨，揭示了中英广告的语言在语音、语义、文字形式及修辞等方面的差异以及文化差异。然后，文章分析了广告语言翻译中存在的问题，从文化的角度提出了有关广告翻译的艺术的有效方法。

因为全球的经济一体化，所以广告语言涉及了大量的文化知识。既然广告语言的目的是劝导目标消费者购买其产品或服务，那么充分理解中西文化差异就成了一项举足轻重的任务。本文从六个方面进行分析，它们依次是一元论和多元论、集体主义和个人主义、含蓄和率直、形象和抽象、权威意识从众心理和自身功效自身价值、社会历史背景、审美方式等差异。

中英广告的互译中，有许多不理想的实例，有的甚至导致了销售挫折.本文分析了问题的原因，主要是在于当今广告翻译同样蕴藏着大量的文化，而译者却没有足够的文化的驾驭能力，太拘泥于原文表层。事实上，广告的翻译不是简单地把句子翻译出来。翻译人员要充分运用目标文化知识，把句子后而所承载的思想、概念尤其是文化传递给译入语的目标消费者。所以本文旨从广告语言文化差异的角度出发介绍几种英汉广告互译的方法。

【关键词】 广告语言；文化差异；广告翻译

1.Linguistic Differences Reflected in Advertisements

Shen xiaolong[1] once summarizes that western languages are rule-governed while the Chinese language is people-governed. In other word， Chinese is a language governed by meaning. Chinese is regarded as a flexible language which can be long or short in its lexical units， and is based on the language of logic phrase chunks while Western language are made up of verb central elements which are inflexible.

The following part of this paper will discuss seven aspects of linguistic differences reflected in advertisement.

1.1 Flowing chunks vs. SV structure

Jin Huikang[2] compares the Chinese and English languages in details. In view of syntax， Chinese sentences connect minor-clauses according to chronological or logical order. The structure seems short and loose. It seldom focuses on one rigid point but moves according with the logical order and the changing rhythm. Unlike the Chinese structure， English sentence displays a spatial arrangement with the verb as a center. They are clear in meaning and tight in structure. Therefore， Chinese syntactic structures usually employ parataxis， while English adopts hypostasis. In translation， we must get rid of our own way of thinking， and arrange sentences conforming to the target rules and conventions. The following examples show these intrinsic differences working in Chinese and English， and help us explore some plausible translation methods.

(1) 境内西湖如明镜，千峰凝翠，洞壑幽深，风光绮丽。

The West Lake is like a mirror， embellished all around with green hills and deep caves of enchanting beauty. [3]

Obviously， the original structure is changed in the target text. The structure of the Chinese advertisement is loose with some short clauses， whereas the English one breaks it into one sentence， which is centered on a verb， with modifiers of participle phrase， proposition phrase， and noun phrase around it. By doing so， the translation emphasizes the central meaning in the SV structure "The West Lake is like a mirror" and specifies the implied logical relationship in the surface form. Reflecting linguistic features of English language， the translation is a successful one in both content and function.

1.2 Flowery language vs. concise wording[4]

“When concerning about the rhetoric， Chinese tends to use gorgeous words while English has a vivid character of conciseness.

“Chinese is good writer to express their feelings by writing and try their best to apply grand vocabulary to describe beautiful and moving images to be sounded elegantly. Many high-sounding words can be found in Chinese. For instance， in Chinese advertisements we frequently see words like“一流”(first class)，“完美”(perfect)，“独特”(specific) regardless of the quality of goods being advertised. With regard to language forms， the Chinese language strives for symmetry in structure and rhyme in sound， hence reading neat， implicit and musical. For example， four-character phrases， parallelism， antithesis appears frequently in Chinese. In order to achieve rhyming， emphasis or neat structure Chinese language often resorts to tautology.

“On the contrary， western literature and art have been developing under the theory of imitating the reality. The English language reflects this theory and proves to be objective， factual and rational. It has tight sentence structure， meticulous stream of thought， and logical relationship between linguistic units， concise wording and straightforward description. All in all， brevity is the soul of wit， or in other words， a proper word in a proper place is good English. Abusing of florid language is forbidden in good English， for it is considered illogical and may harm the original meaning or communication.

“Thus Chinese and English advertisements are quite different， especially when describing scenery in tourist advertisements. It is a language for poets to give expression to special feelings instead of defining or judging. Even when describing sceneries， English displays a beauty of form， straightforward， explicit， objective， unlike the casual， subjective Chinese. For example， the following advertisement written by a native speaker of English is concise and plain， and through simile and combination of concrete scenes， it provides enough space for imagination. However， from the point of view of Chinese， it may be too plain. For example:

(2)Tiny islands are strung around the edge of the peninsula like a pearl necklace. Hunks of coral reef， coconut palms and fine white sand.

“If we translate it word by word， it will not meet Chinese readers’ expectation. So abundant modifiers such as“礁红”，“成片”，and“如银”，and four-character phrases like “玲珑小巧”，and“如诗如画”are employed to make the translated version read beautiful.

“ 座座岛屿玲珑小巧，紧密相连，像一串珍珠缀成的项链，环绕着半岛边缘。

岛上珊瑚礁红，椰树成片，沙滩如银，景色如诗如画。

“The bold characters add charm to the scenic spot and contribute to the whole rhyming structure but mean nothing to English readers because they are repetitive and wordy. The same is true that in C-E translation， those superfluous modifiers should be omitted， adapted or implicit between lines so as to make the target version conform to the westerners’ aesthetic standards.”

1.3 Speech contrast[5]

The pronunciation of the language can cause the mentally different sense of hearing result， and stir up the different reaction mentally， however it is soft or clear and crisp or strong， or dignified. In advertising language， we usually make use of onomatopoeic motivation， sound symbolism and echoism which could easily cause the target audience’s aesthetic feeling. But there exist a great difference between Chinese and western speech， onomatopoeia and rhythm. As a result， it makes translator puzzled .In English advertising words， in order to make the ad full of aesthetic feeling， they often make use of alliteration， assonance， rhyme， and consonance. For example， the advertisement phrase” Never late on Father’s Day. " There are two assonance [ei] which sound musically harmonious. However， it is quite difficult to attain this aesthetic feeling in its Chinese translation. Moreover while translating we should still notice some advertisements phrase sound may cause to lead to bad meaning in another language. For example the Japanese company of Toshiba once uses an advertisement :

(3)" 东芝(Toshiba) ， 东芝(Toshiba) ， 大家的东芝”.This is a advertising lyric .The first “东芝”is translated into the sound "To shi ba". Hence young people jokingly read it as“偷去吧，偷去吧，大家的东西”In this way ，there’s no solemnity at all.

1.4 Semantic contrast[5]

Language is an essential part as well as the carrier of a culture， which not only reflects its racial history and cultural background， but also includes the views， life style， and thinking method. Meanwhile， advertising language， one branch of the language， is also reflected by the culture. It is not enough for advertising translators only to know the literal meaning of an ad， for it may be endowed with extended meaning and cultural implication. Fully competent advertising translators are supposed to have a good command of religions， traditions， ethnic attitudes， the spirit of community， and purchasing habits of the target countries. Otherwise， the translated ads might go against the original intention of the producers in the following four aspects.

1) Translation conveys a derogatory sense in the target culture. For example， the Shanghai-produced pen branded as“白翎” could receive welcome in English-speaking countries， for the brand is translated as White Feather". Unfortunately， "white feather" is a symbol or mark of cowardice in English. It derives the connotation from the belief that white feather in a gamecock’s tail is a sign of a poor fighter. The English idiom， "show the white feather"， means "sneak away at a critical juncture". Therefore， "white feather" is used to represent caitiffs. The translation nullifies the strengths of the company on the international market and becomes a disadvantage that fails to serve the interests of the producers or those of the distributors.

2) Translation happens to be politically inappropriate. When introduced to foreign countries， the Chinese brand of canvas shoes“大鹏”is rendered as "ROC"， which is a sort of giant bird in Arabic fables. However， "ROC" happens to be the abbreviation of "Republic of China". Obviously， the translation stirs up inappropriate political associations.

3) Translation is not elegant enough. In English， "cock" usually has the implied meaning of a certain part of human body. If the brand name“金鸡” is literally translated into "Golden Cock"， the translated term will annihilate the good image of the products and leave the target audience the impression of vulgarity. In fact， there is a better version for“金鸡，’-Golden Rooster.

4) Translation by using Chinese phonetic letters coincides with English words with derogatory sense. The typical example is“马戏扑克”.The version "Maxi Puke” reminds the English consumers of something revolting and unpleasant， for "maxi" means big in English and "puke" indicates vomited food or drink.

1.5 Differences between character form[5]

It is self-evident that various countries， nationalities and regions use a variety of characters. Furthermore， likes and dislikes for certain characters are widely pergent. It is reported that Japanese are in favor of such Chinese characters as“诚”、“梦”、“爱”、“愁”and “美” while most Chinese are accustomed to“福”、“寿”、“喜”and“乐”.In accordance with the American author Irving Wallace， the most beautiful English words are chime， golden， lullaby，melody and murmuring， etc. Since Chinese is a visual symbolic system with the most precise structure for recording human speech， the pictographic and associative Chinese characters are not only potential in transmitting message， but also offer great additional aesthetic function so as to arouse consumers’ positive reaction. Unlike Chinese， English is an alphabetical system of writing and can hardly produce artistic image only through its words. In consequence， it is by no means an easy job to give accurate and elegant English versions for the Chinese ads.

In case of untranslatability arising from character differences， advertising translators have to exert all strengths to seek other methods， for instance， to create a completely new ad for the same product intended for the target market. When introducing its products to China， Japanese Toyota Automobile Company ingeniously employs“车到山前必有路，有路必有丰田车”to stimulate Chinese consumers into purchases.

1.6 Rhetoric contrast[5]

English is rapidly becoming the universal language for international business. It is inevitable for Chinese producers to translate their ads into English to gain a place on the world market. Rhetoric devices are the most commonly used tools in English advertising copywriting. There do exist differences in rhetorical figures between Chinese and English， and these differences may put translators in a difficult position. For instance:

(4) 黄河冰箱，领“鲜”一步。

This ad adopts the rhetorical device of pun， which is difficult to translate. The translator can hardly render the meaning without sacrificing the form， or maintain the original flavor without distorting the meaning. The translation of rhetorical devices in Chinese ads is a knotty problem， which has blocked the way of many translators of Chinese ads. As stated in the previous part of the thesis， what should be borne in mind is that communication becomes effective abroad only after the message has been appropriately translated. Without this adequate and expressive translation， it is very unlikely to produce an impact on the foreign consumer. Therefore， the author tries to make a study of the rhetorical devices used in advertising English to pave the way for the application of English rhetoric to the translation of Chinese ads.

1.7 The influence on the advertising translation

Translation is a bilingual and bicultural activity. The translator always seeks to strike a balance between the two languages and two cultures involved in the activity. Any shift of emphasis from the source language and culture to the target counterparts or vice versa may result in the difference between literal translation and free translation， faithful translation and idiomatic translation， semantic translation and communicative translation， word-for-word translation and adaptation. As the major function of advertising is to encourage sales， i.e.， to persuade the target audience to make a purchase， advertising translation， which aims at promoting sales on the overseas market， should necessarily lay its emphasis on the overseas audience， i.e.， the target language readership. What should be favored in advertising translation is the message rather than the form， the sense instead of the words， the spirit and not the structure. In order to convey the original message， render the primary sense and display the right spirit， the form， words and structure of the source advertising text can be retained if possible， adapted and even converted if necessary. The translator must try， by hook or by crook， to produce the corresponding effect， or in other words， to create similar response from the target language readership.

2.Theoretical Background

Two aspects of advertising language will be discussed in this part， the one is about cultural differences and the other is concerning about the advertising translation.

2.1 Relation between language， culture and thought

According to Bernstein， language is something which both influences culture and is in turn influenced by culture， with the second influence apparently stronger than the first. According to Brown， culture is really an integral part of the interaction between language and thought. Culture patterns， customs and ways of life are expressed in language; culture-specific worldviews are reflected in language.

2.2 Culture and advertising language

Advertising language is reflective of literature， psychology and aesthetics of the cultural community. It carries marks of influence of that cultural community’s tradition in its worldviews， social values， religion and the like. For instance， American advertisements mirror Americans’ cultural psychology-quest for adventure and inpiduality. This is suggested by the linguistic preference for words like adventure， different， fearless， exhilarating， bold， new and innovative， whereas， the psychology reflected in Chinese advertisements tends to be pursuit for， say， kinship， perfection and family unification.

The culture differences reflect on the language， especially on the advertising language. Therefore， there are certain concepts which can be activates by an English word but not by its Chinese equivalent. It is quite possible that a Chinese version of an American advertisement may not trigger the intended response in the Chinese consumers， and what’s worse， it may not be understood by them.

Hence， the more a translator knows about how a cultural group view such things as humor， interpersonal relationship， life and work style， the more successfully he or she will be able to produce an effective advertisement translation.

3.Cultural Differences in Advertising Language

The faster the economy grows; the more exchange there will be. Because of the global economic market， culture differences can be reflected everywhere. The advertisement is the active constituent in the whole market， and the advertising language is full of abundant culture. So a qualified advertiser should know clear about the basic cultural differences and he or she can make a competitive advertisement， which can be well understood and arouse the sympathetic purchasing action. Thus this chapter will explain the basic cultural difference from the six aspects.

3.1 Monism versus pluralism[6]

From the aspect of culture basic form， Chinese culture has the monism viewpoint and the western culture has the pluralism viewpoint. "Nature and human are in oneness" is one of Chinese philosophy concepts in Chinese traditional culture. It insists that nature and human should be in harmony. Contrary to the Chinese culture， the western culture insists on the view of pluralism. It emphasizes on the changes and differences of the matter， self-development， and enterprising spirits.

Some Chinese advertisements meet the culture psychology of Chinese public， and create some preferable advertising words. For example:

(5)天堂水沏的龙井茶，娃哈哈矿泉水茶饮料。(Beverage)

(6)天地间造化，动静皆风云。(Car)

(7)一份好奶，一片云;

远在天边，

近在你我心间……

天生的好奶，天山雪。

(Fresh Milk)

The three advertising examples take advantage of the idea "Nature and human are in oneness"， and create imagining language in the way of empathy. The means of artistic expression attract the readers’ attention and the advertisement gets its ideal effect. The advertiser takes the Wahaha beverage as the holy water from Paradise by using a metaphor. "Water from the Paradise” comes from the five-thousand-year-old Chinese culture. The myth makes the common water noble and mysterious. The consumers feel it should be out of ordinary if they buy the merchandise. The pure， the holy and the rich fragrant make the tea beverage be the essence of heaven and earth. So the products fascinate the consumers so much that arouse the people’s enthusiasm and the strong purchase desire. This advertisement gets it goal.

The English advertisements are affected by the pluralism viewpoint of western culture which prefers the inpidual freedom， self-development and the creative ability. It also encourages people to transform world and conquer the nature. These advertisements highlight the importance of person self-development， and publicize their products from point of view of personality. They show the ideas in western value system that people can change everything and people can create everything. The advertisements manifest the beliefs that people should pursuit the freedom and the self-development， and create the future. Theses expressions satisfy the consumers’ personality development and arouse the sympathetic responses.

3.2 Collectivism versus inpidualism[6]

At the value aspect， the Chinese culture worships the selfless dedication. Personal value lies in the dedication. In China’s traditional culture， philanthropism， kind and justice always is the society value in worship. To Chinese， personal happiness is in accordance with the collective benefits. Consideration， care and love have been the state of mind that the people emphasize. Therefore， Chinese people pay more attention to national affairs， family affairs， everything concerned， and giving others with very considerate and concerning care is regarded as virtue. But in the western society culture， people emphasize the character personal freedom， ego development and personal spirit of enterprise， personal benefits are beyond on the collective benefits. The different value will reflect by all means at each ad language. The examples listed below could prove:

(8) 妈妈，我又梦见了村边的小溪，梦见了

奶奶，梦见了您。妈妈，我给您捎去一样好东西。威力洗衣机，献给妈妈的爱。(威力牌洗衣机)

(9) 让妻子从繁重的家务中解脱出来，这是每个丈夫的职责.

The author of these Chinese advertisement places oneself among the consumers. We can easily found something tender and affable. Adopting the empathy of feeling， arouse the consumer’s family affection and friendship. Therefore， the ad read very human. Show consideration to the others， the kind and justice universal love， respect the old and love the young， the peaceful family have been the virtue that the our country publicizes in the traditional culture， But these advertisement give these traditional virtues for product， with a thick affection color took into exaggeration， making a claim that the product can be trusted and feel warm with it .On the contrary， English advertisement emphasize the personal struggle， person freedom and ego realization， encouraging character development is usually an English advertisement claim method. Such as:

(10) Lufthansa

Our personal service will appeal to your inpidual taste.

( Lufthansa Airline)

(11) For the man who makes his own rules.

Premier

From Johnnie Walker

Rare Old Scotch whisky， aged to perfection. The result of over 170 years of expertise. (Premier whisky)

3.3 The implicit way versus the direct way

In Chinese traditional culture， there is a public feeling that the words should be conservative and， implicit. Because the unsaying words are very meaningful and can achieve an ideal state. In the Chinese articles， there are some words that seem unrelated， which highlight the theme. To some extent， there are a few words about the peculiarities and the functions of the products. For examples:

(12) 自己人，不玩虚的，贵府酒。 (贵府酒)

(13) 鹤舞白沙，我心飞翔。(白沙集团)

(14)朋友情谊，贵乎至诚相处，互相支持帮助。啊，滴滴香浓，意犹未尽!

(15) JUST WHAT THE DENTIST ORDERED.

In all， Chinese nation think highly of friendship. So these means mentioned above can achieve the sympathetic effect. The advertisements get the goal. For another example:

Now there’s something more dentists ca n recommend for your gums that’s proven to help get them healthier. Crest Plus Gum Care is the only cavity of getting toothpaste that’s so effective; it’s clinically proven to help reserve the gum disease gingivitis. (Crest佳洁士牙膏)

From the advertisement above， it can be seen that the frank， candid， and efficient attitudes. The advertisers show the peculiarities and functions of the products straightforwardly. The words are very reliable and convincible. This direct expressing way of advertising complies with the western people’s style and gives good impression to the western readers.

3.4 The imagery pattern versus abstract pattern

In Chinese traditional culture， the mode of thinking is belonging to the imagery pattern most of time. To some extent， the abstract pattern is little. Chinese people often put their feelings in the concrete objects and things. When a person sees an object， he/she will think of another familiar person. This is the common sense of Chinese people. So the advertisers often show a comparably concrete scene or an analogy， in order that the readers can think of the products easily.

The thought of western people are used to be leaping and thoughtful. They prefer the abstract thinking pattern than the imagery pattern. So they often utilize the creative language， and give the readers a kind of novel ideas in order that the consumers can get a profound and favorable impression. For example:

(16) THE SMOOTHER SIDE OF SUCCESS.

(J&B wine)

(17) Minolta. The simplicity of intelligence.

(Minolta typewriter)

(18) Comfort， care， dedication.

We’ve put it all in our airline. ---Welcome to civilized aviation.

(Swiss International Air Lines)

3.5 Respect of authority versus respect of self-performance[6]

From long time ago， Chinese culture stresses on the public opinion. It insists that people should solicit comments and suggestions from other person outside his/her organization. And it also regards that the records can prove everything including the last， the present， and the future. The authority has a great power to affect the purchase of the consumers. So this is one important feature of Chinese advertisements. The advertisers often enumerate the honors and certificates and let them occupy a pivotal position， when the advertisers introduce the products to the readers. For example:

(19) 上海名牌产品、IS9001国际体系认证、“中国环保产品质量信得过重点品牌”称号。干洗机1000元起价，培训技术。

(20)中国驰名商标，中国名牌，国家免检产品，优质更超值。

But different from Chinese advertisements， English advertisements have this kind of expressing way rarely. Because they have the successful realization of self-value. So the practical consciousness appeared here and there in English advertisements.

3.6 Difference social history background. [7]

So if only the advertisers design the English advertisements by taking the consumers’ the essential interests as the base and by taking the idea of self value realization as the goal. in culture centers on the personal value， western people treat the official position as the very common thing. Western culture pays more attention on the personal value and self interests. It ad may lead to the dissimilarity in advertising translation. Such as the trademark " 白熊"， should it be translated to" White Bear" or "Polar Bear"? This is something to do with the current politics. Along with the change of the international political situation，" Polar Bear"( 北极熊) have already had another extra meaning， people may easy regard it as the nickname which refer to a kind of political power in the world. Therefore， "White Bear" may be more acceptable. When Japanese company Toyota firstly entered into the Chinese market， they created an advertisement slogan " Where there is a way for car there is a Toyota." this has borrowed from one of China’s colloquialism. But if publicized in the United States still remain this， it will make people puzzled. Hence they changed the advertisement language into" Not all cars are created equal" Everyone knows the history of the United States may understand that the first sentence of Declaration of Independence is" All men are created equal"， By using this borrowing sentence ，Toyota make its declaration that the quality of their cars is much better than others’.

3.7 Difference of aesthetics[8]

The public aesthetics has a close tie to the advertisement translation. Aesthetic mind is a integrated cultural consciousness involving political standpoint， religious concept， life style， customs and habits...etc..

The psychology structure of Chinese citizen is known as "humanity"， "practicality"， " endurance”. The formation is special to aesthetic mindset， which is mainly subjected to the Confucian thought method influence of" the doctrine of the mean”. Aesthetic requires to be" astringent" and is beautifully-unified. Compared with western esthetic sense of blatant mentalism， Chinese aesthetic may come more objective.

The western aesthetics emphasizes the corpus affection and imagination intuitional beauty. This difference of aesthetics has resulted in the difference between Chinese and western advertisement culture. Chinese shows a kind of unified value to their culture， they believe in the authority， common opinion， boon rather than fact， motif， and the personality comes on top of other factors. While the westerner’s cultural psychology is complicated in the structure which is on the basis of “human root ” “recognition” and “behavior”. 4.Impact on Advertising Translation

Because the advertisement is a world-wide product， the advertising translation is worthy of being mentioned. Bad advertising translation can result in the sales failure. So this chapter introduces four ways to deal with the problems in the advertising translation.

4.1 Problems in advertising language translation

Following the economic enhancing， the economy becomes global and every nation’s products， come to the world market. Therefore， the advertisement plays a decisive role. So the quality of the advertisement translation between English and Chinese has the direct effect on the products’ sale and image in the international market. Culture differences in international marketing make the potential for a global brand advertised with global message very limited. Therefore， translating of an advertisement in one should invariably take the target culture into account. In order that effective communication may take place， consumers’ perceived meaning. The most cost-effective way to do this seems to develop a global product and communication concept and to allow for local adaptation of the message . . .

4.2 Requirements of advertising language translation

"Advertising translation is a commercial activity with predetermined purpose." [9] (P95) Some people advocate that criteria of advertisement translating are naturalness， exactness. This idea is applicable to almost all kinds of translating practices. Some people claim that advertisement translating can not follow the conventional translating paths; neither literalism nor free-ism would do [9] [10] but they do not address the problem from the same perspective; Some approach it from the angel of marketing and others. Out of the consideration of interlingual communication， all give the hint that advertisement translating is practically oriented. "The very nature and purpose of advertising determines advertising translating to be more than conventional translating. More often than not it is more of rewriting and recreating. Mr.靳涵身observes， “The work (advertising translation) is restricted so much by the product’s marketing strategies， market conditions， relevant laws and regulations， and cultural barriers in the target market countries that in practice it is more creating a new advertising text than conventional translating." Translator cannot be too language-dependent. As copywriters have the license to make creative sentences， translators of advertisements also have， and more accurately， should exercise the freedom to make creative renditions. This is not a matter of keeping up to Joneses. Neither should be， opinion be dismissed as eccentric.

Different from literary translation， which makes a point makes a point giving due respect to original text and keeping the style of the source text author， advertisement translation is function-oriented. As discussed in Function of Advertising Language， the most important thing of an advertisement is its directive or persuasive function. To put it simply， an advertisement is supposed to promote sales. Likewise， its rendition is expected to help sell the product or service in a different marketing context. Hence， the ultimate hallmark of a good rendition is how well it helps promote sales. No matter how faithful in form a translation is to its foreign counterpart， it is a failure if it dues not fulfill its sales promoting task.

4.3 Some methods of intercultural advertising translation

A good advertisement is one that elicits the intended emotion in the customer， who will in turn act in an expected manner accordingly， a good advertisement translation is one that reproduces the effect as closely as possible in the target culture and in so doing leads potential consumers to buying action. Every translator desires to be faithful to the original. to do this， he must not only communicate the same information， but also attempt to evoke the same emotional response as the original text does. In many ways， the emotional tone of a passage is the key to real communication effectiveness. The author may wish to crate a feeling of urgency， persuasiveness， and tentativeness， exuberance or despondency. It is important that this same emotion be communicated in the translation. For an effective transfer of the tone if the text， the translator must be well acquainted with both the source and receptor language and culture.

The main function of advertisement is to move the readers and to arouse the readers’ purchasing desire. So does advertisement translation. "The advertisement translation not only supplies the clear and well-understood information of product but also creates the same atmosphere and sense to the readers. So the effect of translation and the feeling of consumers are most important focuses of advertising translation. A advertising translator should be clear that he/she Is not only a translator but a writer who creates a perfect work which can achieve a good sale. Then the advertising translation will be discussed from tour aspects in the following， passages.

4.3.1 Target culture orientation in conception

Advertising language is required to he novel and original in conception. The advertiser should choose an object from an appropriate view of point according to the market strategy. Not only the conception but also the expression should be particular and the advertisement itself should set up an artistic conception， and give a kind of emotion. In all， the words should be attracting and arouse the consumers’ sympathetic response. And the advertisement translation should be according to these principals of advertisement language in order to achieve an ideal effect. Meaning lost in reproducing advertisements across language is especially big if poorly handled. Further more. if the translator does not transfer the source culture to the target culture well. he or she will not express a novel and original conception. Then how translators should retain the effect achieved through the unique linguistic features in the target text is esteemed as a particularly challenging hard nut. In an effort to approximate the effect of the original text in the target consumption market， advertisement translator frequently make up by use of different linguistic devices in the target text. And every advertising translation should obey the target cultural principles in order to make a cultural oriented advertisement which will be well accepted. For example

(21) Until the last drop…(Nestle coffee)

译文:滴滴香浓，意犹未尽…(雀巢咖啡)

(22) My Goodness! My Guinness! (Wine)

译文:此酒只应天上有! (桂尼斯酒)

(23)轻松一点，精彩无限(网站)

译文:Miracles Touch (Web-site)

4.3.2 Being compendious and widely read in the target culture

Generally speaking， the advertising language is concise and comprehensive. It has strong sense of rhythmic and rhyming. Those peculiarities can make the advertising language attracting and popular because of being well read. Then the translation from one language to another， that is to say， from one culture to another， the advertisement should be compendious and widely read. So the translation must be accord with the principles of target culture. And the translators should be familiar with the cultural differences and grasp the requirements of target culture. For example:

(24)青而不淡，浓而不艳.

译文:Xifeng wine， mellow and smooth.

(25)Only your time is more precious than this watch. ( Watch)

译文:手表诚可贵，时间价更高

(26)We care because you do (An insurance company)

译文:关心着你的心

The first advertising example is grasping the main idea and makes its language concise and easily remembered. Chinese advertising is very rhythmic and rhymed with two words“淡”and “艳”.If the translator translates the Chinese words one by one， the English version will be tedious and lose the original style. So the translator translates the pith of these Chinese words， and also achieves a good effect. The second advertisement is about a kind of watch. The Chinese version of the English advertisement makes full use of Chinese poetry which is well-known， rhythmic and well read. This rendition is an imitation of“生命诚可贵，爱情价更高”，a line written by Hungarian poet. So this Chinese version has the glamour of poetry. The third advertisement’s Chinese version is originally a line in a popular Chinese song entitled "Hand in Hand"， which has been virtually spread from lips to lips. So the Chinese version has a strong artistic appeal.

4.3.3 Employment of different language deviation devices of the target language

In translating creative advertisements translators can adopt language deviation devices different from those used in the source text. Most language deviation devices in English advertisements have correspondents in the Chinese language. The replacement of one device with another one in the target language is often very rewarding. For example:

(27)Growing fast (the stock)

译文:牛气冲天

(28) The pen is mightier than the sword. The pen is a Parker.

译文:千军万马难抵大笔一挥——此笔乃派克。

(29) Out of blows， friendship grows. (Typewriter)

译文:不打不相识

The first translating example is very creative because， for one thing， it imitates the Chinese idiom“怒气冲天”，suggestive of force and power; for another thing，“牛气”means "bull market"， as against "bear market"， a popular term used in stock exchange， suggesting prosperity. The second English advertising language has been translated by using a metaphor， which shows that intelligence is better than power. And Parker is an ideal image of intelligence. The third advertising translation version has made full use of pun. This piece of Chinese version is also an idiom which has lost the original meaning. At the present， if the consumers use this kind of typewriter， it will help them to have better interrelationship. This kind of translation is very humorous.

4.3.4 Utilizing the effective advertisement of the target culture

There are so many famous and creative advertisements in the world. And advertising campaign itself involves a profound element of competition. To some extent， translator can utilize some of them to create a new one. This is another way to promote the sales. Those famous or successful advertising language have already had effective influence and the consumers have been very familiar with those advertisements and the products. So if the advertiser or the translator has connected their advertising language with those popular advertising languages， their advertising language will be welcome too. Then the products’ promoting work will be on the prosperous way. For instance， IBM appealed to buyers of their machines by I THINK THRERFORE IBM. The campaign is successful. IBM has made a global status. One of its competitors AMSTRAD follows it closely and tries to establish itself in the market by imitating the IBM’ slogan. It comes with I THINK MORE CAREFULLY THEREFORE I AMSTRAD. The slogan echoes the IBM slogan and at the same time hints that if the consumers choose rationally， he/she choose Amstrad. The "Don’t show me any other. But show me Black Sister" campaign of toothpaste brand Black Sister is another illustrative example Black Sister slogan in the American market cleverly imitates the English slogan of a famous glass goods manufacture， which goes，” Don’t show me the crystal. Show me Galway." The Black Sister advertising campaign might not be as successful as expected， for the establishment of a brand in the market is complex and gradual process， which advertising alone can not realize. However， it makes a good start. Its association with the Galway is very likely to arouse the interest of the American consumer. The same thing， if the translator adopts some famous advertisements which have already been welcome in the target culture because the consumers have the confidence on the products advertised expecting that the products are as good as those good ones， he or she will receive the good effect. Below are more examples of the type.

(30) Just do it. (Nike)

译文:心动不如行动

(参照的是:心动不如行动-travel agency )

(31) 带给您无限精彩((a web site)

译文:Where wonder never ceases

(参照的是:Where miracles never cease-Casio)

However， advertising is a kind of marketing practice， which is disciplined by marketing laws and regulations. Imitating without the least variations runs the risk of infringing the intellectual right. This frequently happens with the translation of brand names. Registered brand names are protected by relevant laws and regulations. Therefore， translators must be very careful not render a brand name into something exactly the same as what already exists in the target language market. Moreover， frequent imitation tends to result in triteness. It is quite possible that people know the advertisement itself without knowing what it exactly sells.

5.Conclusion

Advertising is an implicit form of persuasion. Language and cultural differences can be reflected from the advertising language. This paper has shown that language and culture differences can influence the advertisement from so many aspects. On the basis of analyzing the problems which has appeared in the advertisement translation between Chinese and English language， this paper suggests the requirements and methods of advertisement translation nowadays.

To make a good advertisement and to influence the behavior of potential customers toward a predetermined direction， the advertisers try to produce memorable and attracting works. Following the economic growing， the market becomes a global one and the competition becomes more drastic. So making clear of the features of each culture is the most urgent task to advertisers. "Do as Romans do" the advertisement should be designed according to the nation-specific culture. Only if the advertisers do so， this advertisement can achieve its goal that it can satisfy the consumers， and help the product to be well sold. Thus， as the translator， he or she should know the nation-specific culture further， grasp the pity and make full use of it.

The goal of advertising translation is to persuade target language consumers to buy a product or service. To attract and communicate to them in a way that produces this desired result， translators must acquaint themselves with target language consumer’s way of thinking， with those factors that motivate them to buy， and with the environment where they live. In this sense advertising translating is more of a marketing practice. A good advertisement translator must be a first artistic writer. He or she must first be able to know clear about the cultural difference; and then to identify the cultural constraints in a given advertisement; the last is to facilitate across-culture communication by overcoming the obstacle set by the constraints. In all， a good advertiser can do the contribution to the products’ sale.

Bibliography (References)

[1]申小龙. 文化语言学十年感言[J]. 长沙水电师院社会科学学报，1999年第4期.P15

[2]金惠康. 跨文化交际翻译[M]. 北京:中国对外翻译出版公司，2003.P11-13

[3]郭建中. 实用性文章的翻译(下)[J]. 上海:上海科技翻译， 2001年第4期.P16

[4]韦 钦. 跨文化交际中广告文化的传递及对译[J]. 广西大学， 2004.年第3期.P41-42

[5]张 娜. 国际广告的语言差异与翻译策略[J]. 安庆师范学院学报， 2005年第5期.P1-2

[6]郝钦海. 广告语言中的文化内涵[J]. 山东外语教学， 2000年第2期P18

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篇3

【基金项目】本文是基金项目（GY-S11041和GY-S10043）的研究成果之一。

【中图分类号】H319 【文献标识码】A 【文章编号】2095-3089（2013）02-0097-03

引言

文化渗透于社会生活的各个方面，文化因素如宇宙观、价值观、思维方式、社会习俗和等对语言有制约作用，而语言是文化的重要载体，语言表层结构的差异反映了不同的思维模式和言语行为。语言在人类的一切活动中起着十分重要的作用，是人类社会生活不可缺少的一个部分，因此，人们在言语交际中不仅涉及语言系统，而且涉及同语言系统紧密关联并赖以生存的文化系统。中西方文化的巨大差异直接导致中国人和西方人的思维模式和语言表达方式截然不同；中西文化差异是中国人习得英语困难的根源，因此，只有充分了解中西文化背景知识，深刻理解不同民族思维模式的差异，对比分析英汉两种语言风格和表达方式的异同，才能减少母语文化在外语学习中的负迁移作用，从而提高英语学习的效率；才能在跨文化交际中避免误会和尴尬，实现有效交际。

1.文化的内涵及中西文化差异

英国人类学家爱德华·泰勒（E.B Tylor， 1871）在他的著作《原始文化》（Primitive Culture）中给文化下定义：文化是一个复合体，包括知识、信仰、艺术、道德、法律、风俗以及人类社会里所获得的一切能力和习惯。《韦氏新国际词典》（Merriam-Webster， 2000）把文化定义为人类行为及其产品的总和，表现为思想、言论、行动及制成物品。中西方文化存在差异，其中宇宙观、价值观和思维模式的迥异是导致其他文化现象产生差异的源动力。

1.1 文化的内涵

文化有广义和狭义之分，学术界主要探讨广义的文化，上述的两种文化定义正是广义的文化内涵。从上述定义可知，文化并不是抽象的，而是人类所感知的一切，人类以自己的情感、技能和智慧创造、更新、丰富了自己的文化；不同国家、不同民族活动的多样性和观念的多元化使其文化内容和形式出现多样性。学界对文化的定义和层次分类可谓百家争鸣（胡文仲，1988；浦小君，1991；戚雨村，1992；裘克安，1993），笔者倾向于将文化的精髓归为外在文化（行为——语言、手势、习俗等；产品——文学、艺术、音乐、人工制品、建筑等）和内核文化（观念——信仰、价值观、道德观等）。张占一（1990）指出，文化可按功能分为知识文化和交际文化。知识文化是指当两种不同文化背景的人进行交际时，不直接影响准确传递信息的语言和非语言文化因素，而交际文化是指当两个文化背景不同的人进行交际时，直接影响信息准确传递（即引起偏差或误解）的语言和非语言文化因素。

1.2 东西方文化差异

文化具有共性和个性，首先，文化具有人性趋同、参透性、可融性、传承性等共性特征，文化的共性特征使跨文化交际成为可能；同时，文化也具有民族性，每个民族的文化都带有各自历史发展的痕迹。英汉民族的历史发展不同，其语言中沉积的文化内涵也不相同。文化对思维方式产生直接的影响，不同的社会文化背景形成不同的思维系统和思维模式；不同的思维模式直接造成言语行为的差异。文化的个性特征体现文化差异，造成跨文化交际中的文化休克和误解。中西方文化差异的核心内容是宇宙观相反、价值观各异以及思维方式不同。

1.2.1 宇宙观相反

西方文化呈线性，强调人与自然、凡与神均一分为二，界线分明，凸显二元的并存与对立；一分为二的线性宇宙观有利于发展科学探索自然。西方人普遍认为人类是在与天斗的过程中求生存。古希腊哲学家、数学家、物理学家阿基米德有句名言：只要给我一个稳固的立足点，我就能够移动地球（Give me but one firm spot on which to stand， and I will move the earth， Archemedes said）。阿基米德的这一豪情壮语道出西方人敢于与天斗的豪迈和勇气。

中国文化呈环性，表明人与自然、凡与神均合二为一，环抱涵容，注重二元的依存和统一；合二为一的环性宇宙观有利于发展伦理改革社会，坚持人类是在天人和谐中求生存。中国文化最古老的典籍《易经》的最基本思想就是阴阳之道，反复强调的就是阴阳并存、天人和谐之道，在中国人看来，阴阳是一个事物的两个方面，或者一个东西的两种成分，两者缺一不可。《易经》是中国传统思想文化中自然哲学与伦理实践的根源。

1.2.2 价值观各异

西方文化的主线是个体本位和权利本位。西方文化以个体主义为导向，以权利为基准，强调个人潜力的发挥、个人目的的实现以及个人利益的追求；西方线性价值观对于倡导自强自立，克服因循守旧心理，树立个人进取精神有着积极意义。由于重个体本位，西方人特别在乎个人“隐私权”；关注个人声誉，原则性强，不讲情面；凡事界线分明，彼此独立，即便是夫妻，也实行AA制。西方人信奉“人之初，性本恶”，所以他们建立健全法律制度，要求事事服从严格周密的律令，依靠强大的法律力量来维护社会秩序、保障个人权利。一句话，西方的“罪感”（guilt）文化是以法制人，关注如何限制人们学坏（林大津，2002：263-266）。

中国文化的主线是群体本位和义务本位。中国文化以集体主义为导向，以义务为基准，注重群体关系的和谐、群体目标的统率和群体利益的维护；中国环性价值观对于倡导顾全大局，克服自我中心观念，发挥群体优势，树立团队协作精神有着积极意义。由于重团体本位，中国人常把个人之事视作大家之事，比如，关心某个人的个人问题；做事爱面子，比如，朋友熟人之间借钱可以不立字据，以免伤和气；倾向戒骄戒躁，乐意贬抑自己以突出他人或团体；中国文化信奉“人之初，性本善”，重视榜样的力量，相信公众舆论能使人抑恶扬善，培养出犯规可耻的纯洁心灵。中国的“廉耻”（shame）文化是以情感人，重在教人学好（ibid）。

1.2.3 思维方式不同

西方人的思维模式呈直线型，如同直线切划，细分明析。西方人注重抽象思维，喜欢化动为静，为此，英语名词经常翻译成汉语动词；擅长逻辑思维，推崇清晰精确，有利于理论建构；注重求异（逆向）思维， 使之更具创造性。西方人的个人本位和一分为二的思维方式决定了他们的家庭观念：一个家庭由丈夫和妻子组成，夫妻意见不和就可以分开，所以西方人结婚不易，离婚容易。

中国人的思维模式呈螺旋型，犹如圆环内封，纵观合察，寻求直觉顿悟。中国人善于形象思维和情感论述；讲求模糊含蓄，有助于体察真谛；辩证思维时，注重宏观与整体，具有从众心理。中国人的人伦本位和合二为一的思维方式认为，一个家庭必须要有丈夫和妻子，夫妻两人分开了，家就不成家了，所以中国人结婚容易，离婚相对较难。

2.文化差异对英汉语言表达的影响

西方人的直线型思维催生了形合语言。线性思维和形合语言的特点使英语表达直截了当，简洁明了；篇章衔接的形合手段丰富而缜密。英语的线性特点表现为句子结构以直线枝形铺排，由主到次，递相迭加，犹如枝繁叶茂的大树；英语段落也呈直线展开，主题明了，理据罗列逻辑清楚。中国人的螺旋型思维具有立体感和间接性，环性思维造就了意合语言（汉语）；汉语语言表达含蓄委婉；文章衔接以意驭形，形散意合。汉语的环性特点体现为句子结构像竹节那样，相对独立，但意义又相互关联；语段以环状波式流动，像波涛滚滚的大江。

2.1 句子结构

英语是形合语言，注重时态和词形变化，句子之间还需用连接词语进行显性连接，以理清逻辑关系。而汉语是意合语言，主要靠词序变化、上下文语境及言外事实逻辑来明晰思路。

2.1.1 句序与时序

英语借助时态及连接词语来表示动作发生的先后顺序，因而无需按照动作发生的先后顺序陈述。例如：完成了毕业论文，我就去度假。可英译为：

After I had finished my dissertation， I went on holiday.

Or：I went on holiday after I had finished my dissertation.

而汉语是按照动作或事件发生的先后顺序陈述，时间顺序与句子顺序基本上是一致的。例如：她一直在实验室做实验，所以昨天我们遇见她时，她显得很憔悴（先实验，后憔悴）。

但是其英译句子的句序却相反：She looked exhausted when we met her yesterday because she had been doing experiments in the lab.

2.1.2 句序与距离

英语在时间和空间距离描述上是由近及远，而汉语句子在时空描述上是由远而近。例如：

He had flown ④ in just the day before from Georgia where he had spent ③ his vacation basking in the Caucasian sun after the completion ② of the construction job he had been engaged in ① in the south. （他原来在南方参加①一项建筑工程，任务完成②之后，上乔治亚州/格鲁吉亚去度假③，享受高加索的阳光，前一天才坐飞机回来④。）

上述英语句子中的四个行为动作的时间顺序④③②①译成汉语变成①②③④，只有这样，中国人才觉得句子语序与事理逻辑相吻合。

又如：There is a very beautiful garden on campus. As you enter the garden through the university gate， you will find an elegant pavilion standing right in the center. At the back of the pavilion are some white stone benches. 该句子的空间描写是按照由近及远的顺序进行的。

2.1.3 句序与从小

英语叙述和说明事物时，习惯于从小到大，从特殊到一般，从个体到整体；汉语的顺序则与此相反。例如：

It happened in February about twelve years ago. （这是发生在12年前的二月份。）

Shanghai is one of the biggest cities in the world. （上海是世界上最大的城市之一。）

2.1.4 头轻与脚轻

英语句子从左到右顺线延伸，使句尾呈开放式，句首呈收缩式，显得头轻脚重；汉语句子则是从右到左逆向延伸，使句尾呈收缩式，而句首呈开放式，显得头重脚轻。例如：

He lent me the book.

He lent me the book which was borrowed from the library.

He lent me the book which was borrowed from the library that never opens on weekends.

他借给我那本书。

他借给我那本从图书馆借来的书。

他借给我那本从那个周末从不开放的图书馆借来的书。

2.1.5 急性子与慢性子

英语族人“急性子”，英语常常是从未知到已知；汉语族人“慢性子”，汉语句子则从已知到未知。例如：Where are you going？ （你去哪儿？）

英语句式总是先表态后叙事，先结论后分析，先假设后前提，先果后因，与汉语的句式形成鲜明的对比。例如：I feel highly honored to be asked to make a speech here. （让我在这里做报告，我感到万分荣幸。）

2.2 语篇结构

东西方人的思维模式差异直接导致篇章结构和语言风格的迥异。英语语篇结构呈直线性，汉语的话语结构则呈螺旋性。英语的线性语言结构严谨，重形式上的连接，有利于促进逻辑思维的发展；汉语的环性语言结构自由，重意义上的隐性连贯，有利于形象思维的发展。

2.2.1 直线性和螺旋性

英语段落呈直线展开，先有主题句，后加以论证说明，最后收尾，其间不附加任何与主题没有直接联系的内容。汉语语篇的螺旋型是指作者不直接论证主题，而是从各种间接角度做好铺垫，然后慢慢进入正题，这种在主题团团转的谋篇布局风格让英语族人困惑不解。

2.2.2 形合法与意合法

英语篇章结构的展开使用形合法，而汉语的语篇展开使用意合法。英语篇章主题浅显明了，结构稳定不变；语篇呈直线展开，充分利用关联词语来说明句子内容、句子之间、乃至段落之间的逻辑关系。汉语篇章主题突出，但是结构灵活，以神统形；少用连接词语，缺乏形态变化，体现隐性连贯；语篇展开犹如环弧状的浪花，此起彼伏，似连似分，高低无序，但沿着一定的语义方向流动。

2.2.3 简洁明了与华而不实

从语言风格来看，英语文章简洁明了，偏重于“实在”信息的传送，不引经据典，也无需华丽的辞藻；而汉语文章既有“实在”信息的传递，又引用典故、习语等，从不同角度重述论点，利用形象化的语言来增加信息的情感因子。这在英语族人眼里，就显得华而不实。

3.启示

通过对比中西文化差异及其对英汉语言的影响，我们得知：英汉思维模式不同不仅导致英汉语言行为差异，而且产生英汉句子表达和篇章结构的差别。此外，不同语言中的习语和历史典故是历史文化的一个重要内容，要正确理解和诠释不同语言中的习语和历史典故，就必须对该语言所反映的历史文化有所了解。

3.1 文化差异对英语学习的启示

要学好英语，仅仅背诵英语单词和英语语法规则是远远不够的，有必要了解英语国家的文化，了解他们的思维模式和语言表达方式；通过对比英汉语思维模式和语言表达方式的差异，提高英语学习的效率。仅仅从文字表达差异是难以全面解释含义的差别的，为此，对语言文字的正确理解与表达应该立足于两种文化的对比；不了解一种语言所属的文化，难免出现让人啼笑皆非的语言表达。比如：英美人听到赞扬，回答“谢谢”，而中国人回答“哪里哪里，还差得远”，这是社会文化因素对语言使用的影响；又如：He went to Beijing by air.（ 他坐飞机去北京），例句中英汉语的语序编排不同，这种约定俗成的编排是受思维模式影响的。

3.2 文化差异对跨文化交际的启示

在跨文化交流日益增多的今天，我们不仅要了解相关国家的语言，还必须了解他们的文化，做到二者同步发展。众所周知，思维方式不同足以造成跨文化交际不顺畅，乃至彻底失败，只有充分了解对方的文化、思维和语言表达方式，才能避免误会和尴尬，从而实现有效交际。不同文化背景的人对同一个词语，心里联想到的词语含义却不尽相同，所以我们不能只注意词语的字面意义，而应该研究词语的“心理意义”。比如“狗”（dog）在英美人眼里是“宠物”，所以You are a lucky dog意指“你是个幸运儿”；中国人对“狗”往往产生“恶畜”的联想，于是就有很多与狗相关的贬义词，如：走狗、哈巴狗、狗汉奸、狗急跳墙、狐朋狗友、狗嘴吐不出象牙……

3.3 文化差异对习语理解的启示

习语不仅是一种语言现象，更是一种文化产物，许多英汉习语源于历史典故，因此习语除了传递话语信息外，更重要的是传递文化。要正确理解习语的内涵，必须了解习语的文化背景，领悟习语所承载的文化内涵。例如，汉语习语“说曹操，曹操到”，曹操是中国的历史人物，英美人不知他为何人，所以必须套用意思相似的英语习语：“Talk of the devil， and he’s sure to appear.” 英语习语“A loss may turn out to be a gain.” 相当于“塞翁失马，焉知非福。”。此外，各民族所处的地理位置和生态环境不同，形成了不同的地域文化，这不仅影响语言的表达方式，而且使人们对同一事物产生不同的理解和语义联想。比如，英国是一个岛国，英国人的生活与海、水息息相关；而中国在亚洲大陆，中国人的生活离不开土地，因此，“花钱大手大脚”，英语是“spend money like water”，而汉语是“挥金如土”。

4.结语

语言是文化的组成部分，反映一个民族的文化，揭示该民族的文化内容，语言不能离开文化而存在，语言与文化相互影响、相互制约。一方面，语言是文化的基石，没有语言，就没有文化；语言作为文化的传播工具，对文化的传播有着极大的制约作用。另一方面，语言忠实地反映它所属的文化，不同的民族心理和民族文化对语言有着深刻的影响；在异族文化的传播过程中，又会出现一些新的词语和表达方式，这样，文化又影响和制约着语言。可以说，语言反映一个民族的特征，它不仅包含该民族的历史和文化背景，而且蕴藏着该民族对人生的看法、生活方式和思维方式。总之，理解语言必须了解文化，理解文化必须了解语言。

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[7]Merriam-Webster. Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary（《韦氏第3版新国际英语词典》），Merriam-Webster， 2000.

篇4

早在1904年Jespersen曾说：“Learning about the culture is the highest purpose of language learning.”英语教学，几乎是从第一天起就开始接触中西方两种交际文化差异这个难题。语言离不开文化，文化依靠语言，英语教学是语言教学，当然离不开文化教育。

人类文化中有着许许多多共性的东西，但也不可否认，不同的民族、不同的文化之间也存在着差异，尤其是在交际文化方面，中西方之间存在着较大的差异，这给我们学习与正确使用英语带来一定的困难。由于交际文化涉及面非常广，所以在英语教学中，我们要在培养学生英语语言能力的同时，让其更多地了解中西方语言中的文化差异，否则，我们的英语教学只能是对毫无意义的语言符号的教学。本文通过阐述外语教学中文化差异对语言的主要影响，分析了加强文化意识培养的重要性。

1.文化背景的差异产生语言意义的差别

维果茨基（1978）曾提出过“文化工具盒”。他认为，孩子所获得的母语的概念和意义来源于他所属的文化。文化背景的差异造成语言意义的差别。比如说，我们把亚洲最发达的四个国家和地区称为“亚洲四小龙”，在英语中很多人会译成“four dragons of Asia”，这是由于不了解文化背景差异所造成的。在英美文化中，“龙”是一种带有迷信、宗教色彩的动物，甚至是带有消极意义的动物。虽然最近十几年里，随着改革开放的进行，中国在国际舞台上逐渐树立起自己的形象，西方社会逐渐了解了中国的“龙”文化，但是对于普通老百姓来说仍然不能接受“dragon”的这种“positive”（正面的）形象。在英语里，“亚洲四小龙”的正确说法是“four tigers of Asia”。

2.中西方文化差异影响其风俗习惯并由此产生了不同的习语

中西方文化的差异还影响到了风俗习惯，尤其是在节日和宗教方面，以及由此形成的不同习语。除中国和英语国家共同的节日（如New Year’s Day）外，双方还各有自己独特的节日，中国有Spring Festival，Dragon Boat Festival，Mid-autumn Day等；英语国家有Valentine’s Day，Easter，April Fools’ Day，Mother’s Day，Thanksgiving Day和Christmas Day等。中西方节日的风俗习惯也很不相同，在节日里，对于别人送来的礼物，中国人和英语国家的人也表现出不同的态度。中国人往往要推辞一番，接受后一般不当面打开。如果当面打开并喜形于色，就可能招致“贪财”之嫌。而在西方文化中，人们对别人送的礼品一般都要当面打开称赞一番，并且欣然道谢。

自古以来，中西方就存在着的不同，与有关的习语也大量地出现在英汉语言中。佛教传入中国已有一千多年的历史，人们相信有“佛主”在左右着人世间的一切，与此有关的习语很多，如“借花献佛”、“闲时不烧香，临时抱佛脚”等。在西方许多国家，特别是在英美国家，人们信奉基督教，由此产生了很多相关习语：God helps those who help themselves.（上帝帮助自助的人）；God sends fortune to fools.（傻人有傻福）；God is always on the side of the strongest battalions.（上帝总是站在实力雄厚的军队一边）；Whom the gods love die young.（好人不长寿）。也有God damn you！（该死的！），Go to hell！（下地狱去！）这样的诅咒。

3.中西文化的差异导致内在感情上对同一事物的不同理解

由于中西方文化的差异，同一个事物会在我们的心里唤起相同或不同的表象，不论它表达的是什么意思，往往不同文化背景的人感受同一事物时的感觉是不一样的，同一个事物在具有不同文化意识的人的脑中所映射的表象也许是一致的，但对于其内涵意义，内在感情却是不同的。如“He is a wolf.”这个句子会使英美人理解成“他是个色狼。”，而中国人会想到“他豺狼成性。”，因为英美人所理解的“wolf”有“下流”等内涵意义，而中国人则偏重于“凶残”、“野蛮”这一类的内涵意义。英语国家的人在赞美一个事物美好时，如用“nice”则带有“女性”的特殊内涵的感彩，而用“good”则在内涵意义上是“中性”的，也就是不带文体和感彩，由于文化的不同，中国人对这两个词在内涵意义上的细微差别也许就不甚明了。

4.文化的差异产生了不同的禁忌语言

禁忌语和体态语言也属于交际文化范畴。我国电影的“金鸡奖”，先译成Golden Cock Prize，但“cock”一词除“公鸡”外，还有“雄性器官”的意思，在英语里属于禁忌语，后改译为Golden Rooster Prize。再比如，欧美人十分喜爱养狗，有狗户口、狗居室、狗罐头、狗洁身剂等。他们认为狗是人类最忠实的朋友，不会离弃，更不会背叛，在这样一个文化背景之下，英语中的dog常用来指忠实的伙伴，常以狗的形象来比喻人的行为，属于褒义词：jolly dog（快活的人），You dirty dog.（你这个坏小子，常带疼爱色彩，属褒义），to help a lame dog over a stile（助人于危难，仗义勇为），top dog（当权者），a big dog（大亨）等。形容人“累极了”用dog-tired。而中国人对狗的态度却截然相反，尽管近些年来养宠物狗的人数大大增加，狗的“地位”似乎有所改变，但狗的贬义形象却深深地留在汉语言文化中，常常带有厌恶的色彩，在汉语中属于贬义或禁忌语，如，“狗仗人势”、“狗血喷头”、“狗胆包天”、“狗急跳墙”、“狗苟蝇营”、“狗尾续貂”、“鸡鸣狗盗”等。

总之，人们常常借助于语言来表现某种文化，文化是一种“载体”，文化上的错误比语法上的错误后果更为严重，语法上的错误只要不影响表达，是可以忍受的，但是文化上的错误会给对方造成伤害，而对说话者来说也是一种损失。