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Business English Chinese Culture and Translation

[Abstract] Business English is the main language used in foreign-related activities in my country. Business English, as a language, is also a concrete embodiment of culture; in business English translation, in addition to mastering the necessary translation skills and basic knowledge of language, familiarity with culture, especially cross-culture, is also necessary for good business English translation. An indispensable condition. This article conducts an in-depth analysis of business English translation from a cross-cultural perspective, aiming to improve the level of business English translation.

[Keywords] Business English cross-cultural translation

Business English refers to the English used in business communication, but business communication cannot only use business-specific vocabulary Or it can be done in terms, but it involves all aspects of production and life. Therefore, cross-cultural knowledge is an important component in business English communication. Cross-cultural communication refers to the communication between individuals with different cultural backgrounds. It usually refers to the communication between people or groups from one cultural background and people or groups from another background. In business English translation, in addition to understanding the rules and characteristics of business English, you also need to understand the cross-cultural factors in business English in order to translate well.

1. Understanding and Translation of Animals

The comparative relationship between the symbolic meanings of English and Chinese animal words is inseparable from the comparison of their connotations. In the vast ocean of words, animal words often contain rich meanings. Emotional color, it not only has direct, superficial, dictionary meanings, but also connotative, emotional and transferive meanings. The conceptual meanings of animal words in different languages ??are sometimes the same or similar, but sometimes they are quite different. For example, when talking about "rooster", Chinese people often think of "the chicken dances", "the golden rooster crows at dawn", and "the rooster sings and the world becomes white". However, the "Golden Rooster" brand alarm clock and "Golden Rooster" brand shoe polish are sold in the United Kingdom and the United States. If the product name Translated as "Golden Cock", "Shoeshine Cock" is probably unknown. Because cock in English means "male animal genitals", this unflattering association will naturally make the product unsalable. For another example, the difference between the image of “dragon” in Chinese and Western cultures is well known, so “hope one’s son to become a dragon” should be translated as “expect one’s son to become an outstanding personage”. Never translate "Wish your son a dragon, your daughter a phoenix" as: Wish your son a dragon, your daughter a phoenix. The Chinese call themselves "descendants of the dragon", which is bound to misunderstand Westerners. Therefore, some people suggest that the Chinese "dragon" should be translated into long instead of dragon. It is not unreasonable.

2. Understanding and Translation of Colors

In Eastern and Western languages, there are very rich vocabulary for different colors, which requires special attention from translators in business translation. For example: red symbolizes auspiciousness and joy in Chinese culture, while in Western culture we often say a red battle (bloody battle), red alert (air raid alarm); white is a basic taboo word in Chinese culture, and Westerners often use a white soul ( pure heart), white wedding (bride), a white lie, harmless lies, etc.; black symbolizes seriousness and justice in Chinese culture, as well as evil and reaction. In Western culture, black is a taboo color, such as black words (unlucky words). words), black deed (extremely bad behavior), give me a black look (look at me angrily); green in Chinese culture not only means narrow meaning, but also means wild evil, while green in Western culture means freshness and no Experience, jealousy. Such as a green hand (novice), green with envy (full of jealousy).

In terms of color, business translators should first clarify whether it has special pragmatic meaning in the source language and the target language, and then determine the appropriate method to convey it. And because business planning, advertising and language promotion should be representative and sustainable of the corporate image, carelessness in color application and expression will lead to serious consequences of losing everything.

3. Understanding and Translation of Numbers

In business translation, another thing that needs special attention is numbers. Due to the influence of cultural traditions and religious beliefs, there are also obvious differences in numbers in Eastern and Western cultures. For example, in my country, there are products whose numbers are used as trademarks such as “666”, “999”, “Golden Liufu”, “Three Guns”, and “Thirteen Incenses”. In European and American countries, you can also see products with trademarks such as "7-Up", "Mild Seven", and "7-Eleven". But there will be trouble if you use three, six, and thirteen as trademarks for goods or as dates, because six symbolizes the devil, and thirty is an unlucky number, while three is considered an unlucky number in Benin, Botswana and other places. . Another example is that although 4 is a bad symbol in both Chinese and English, in Chinese it is homophonic with "death", while in English "four" represents vulgarity and cheapness. For example: Four-letter words refer to vulgar and obscene words. From this comes the four-letter man (a person who likes to use vulgar and obscene words). Another idiom formed by four is: Four-sale (cheap beer; a pint of beer that originally cost only fourpence per pint). A good business case occurred in the 1990s. In order to show that golf balls exported to Japan were cheap and high-quality, an American company packaged them as a set of four balls. Don’t you know that Japanese culture was born out of Chinese civilization, and the two are inextricably linked. In Japanese culture, the number "four" also represents "death", which is something people avoid. You can imagine the sales situation of this American company's golf balls in Japan.

IV. Conclusion

Business translation is a complex issue. Among the many factors that need to be considered, cultural factors are an important aspect. When it comes to the translation of animals, colors, and numbers, it is necessary for us to study the relevant cultural factors in the two languages, especially their cultural implications in the country into which they are translated. When engaging in business translation, you must pay attention to the above cultural differences and adopt appropriate translation methods on this basis, so that you can effectively convey correct business information and effectively help companies explore international markets.

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Related literature:

[1] Liu Huihua: The nature and style of email language [J]. Journal of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 2004 (2 )

[2] Li Junru: Analysis of Business English Email Genres [J]. Foreign Languages ??and Foreign Language Teaching, 2007 (7)

[3] He Guangming: Business English Email Genre Analysis Writing[J]. Self-study in English, 2006 (5)

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