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摘 要

淮扬菜是中国传统的四大菜系之一，有着悠久的历史。淮扬菜翻译除了传达菜肴的基本信息之外，还可以弘扬江苏饮食文化。

在翻译目的论的指导下，本文首先分析了淮扬菜命名的两种方法，第一类是写实的命名方式，第二类是写意的命名方式。其次从目的论的角度分析了以淮扬菜为例的中式菜名的英译的策略。作者通过对具体译例的分析，根据菜名分类提出翻译的主要方法：直译，直译加注，音译加注，意译，意译加注，并提出根据菜名的文化内涵灵活选择最佳翻译方法。

关键词：翻译目的论 淮扬菜菜名 翻译策略

1. Introduction

China, an ancient country with 5000 year’s history, devotes particular attention to its dishes. The various kinds of distinctive Chinese cuisines are products of its vast territory, long historical standing, diversified religions and customs, and unique geography and climate. The world-renowned Eight Major Cuisines and Four Major Flavors are vivid manifestations of the charms of Chinese dishes: the food materials, the creative ways of cooking, the enchanting flavors, fragrance and tastes... What’s more, the various names of dishes always convey the historical background or cultural connotations behind simple dishes. Some names are romantic, while others are easily understood under the help of traditional Chinese folks or legends.

Huaiyang cuisine, which is one of China’s four famous traditional cuisines, it is also has a long history. It plays an essential role in many events. Huaiyang cuisine mainly comes from two cities: Yangzhou and Huaian. Yangzhou, famous for scenic spots, has a long history and a splendid culture, attracting lots of tourists from all over the world. Thus, the proper translation of Huaiyang cuisine into English becomes a window from which foreigners could get to know Yangzhou’s food culture and customs. However, we cannot ignore the fact that the lack of standards in the translation of Huaiyang cuisine has increased the difficulty for foreigners in understanding Huaiyang cuisine and the food culture. Currently, many dish names of Huaiyang cuisine are transliterated, probably because translator hope to preserve the uniqueness of their culture connotations. Yet, many of the English versions may be misread. In order to have the least possible misunderstanding of the dish names, the translation of Huaiyang cuisine needs to be more standardized. This thesis will analyze the English translation of Chinese dish names based on the skopostheorie with Huaiyang cuisine as an example in the hope that it can provide some practical ideas for further researches in this field in the future.

2. Literature Review

The Skopostheorie, put forward by Vermeer, is the leading approach of functionalism. The term “Skopos” is a Greek word. It means “aim” or “purpose” and it is for the purpose of translational practice, which determines translation methods and strategies adopted by translators. Vermeer(Vermeer, 1989) calls the results “translatum”. Thus the translator must be fully aware of the purpose of the translation as well as the functions of the target language. (Jeremy Munday, 2010)

There are three basic rules in Skopostheorie: Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. According to Skopos theory, Skopos usually refers to the purpose of the target text. For any translation, the leading rule is the skopos rule. The coherence rule indicates that a translation should be acceptable in a sense that it is coherent with the readers’ literacy. This means that the target text should be readable and make sense in the target culture and the communicative situation in which it is received. Fidelity could be a kind of maximally faithful imitation of the source text which may be the form expected in literary translation. (Nord, 2001)

In all, the three basic rules of Skopos theory are intended to govern the translator’s behavior in the whole translation process. However, all these three rules cannot be always satisfied at the same time due to the fact that the Skopos of the translation is likely to deviate from the intention of the corresponding source text. As regards the order of the three rules, fidelity rule is considered subordinate to coherence rule and both are subordinate to the Skopos rule. The translator’s top concern in the translation process is the purpose or “the Skopos” that should be achieved.

In the framework of Skopostheorie, Xia Fangli(Xia Fangli, 2008) points out that one of the most important factors determining the purpose of a translation is the addressee, who is the intended receiver or audience of the target text with their culture-specific world-knowledge their expectations and their communicative need. Every translation is directed at an intended audience, since to translate means to produce a text in a target setting for a target purpose and target addressees in target circumstances. Food name translation is not an exchange of the language, but more a transmission of implied cultural meaning.

Discussions about English translation of Chinese dish names can also be found in chapters of books on translation studies. Xia Fangli points out that translation is a form of translational action based on a source text, a translator in translation action, should give us many details as possible about the purpose, explaining the addressees time, place occasion and medium of the intended communication and the function of the text is intended to have. The purpose of translating English translation of Chinese dish names from the perspective of the Skopos theory is to offer as much as possible information about the Chinese culture and catering culture to foreigners, further to help foreign people has a better understanding of Chinese dish and have a better appetite in dining. Culture contains many aspects and Chinese cuisine belongs to one of the important cultures in China and catering culture has been the important part in Chinese historical culture. (ibid)

In “On English Translation of Chinese Dish Names from Perspective of Skopos Theory”, Lu Jing points out points out that the "skopos" and main function of dish name is to stimulate customers' desire to order the dish. To realize such "skopos", the translator shall not only provide basic information of dish name (the informative function), but also bring the TL receiver aesthetic enjoyment and try to retain as much culture information as possible in the translation process. In the process of Chinese dish name translation, translators should try to realize the four functions of dish names: the informative function, the aesthetic function, culture-transmitting function and appellative function.（Lu Jing, 2010）

Research on Chinese dish name translation is rare in both domestic and international academic fields. In his book, Chen Xiaowei classifies Chinese dish names into the common type and the culture-loaded type. He points out that the functions of dish names are mainly two: the informative function and the appellative function. He also summarizes the principles for translating Chinese dish names. He regards the principle of transferring information to readers as the top one, and translators should retain as more the original "taste" as possible in the process of translation (Chen Xiaowei, 2006). In the book Culture and Translation, the author Mr. Bai Jingyu compares the difference between Chinese and English dish names. He holds the opinion that in the process of translation, Chinese dish names are required to retain the original elements. His ideas are also illustrated with examples: "Vanilla Pudding", it is translated into“xiang cao bu ding”，with the word "Pudding" still retaining its sound in translation. There are also other examples, such as “Vegetable Curry( shen jing ga li )”, “Cheese Omelette(ru lao chao ji dan )”, “Potato Salad( tu dou sha la )”, and “Shrimp Toast(xia he tu si )”. ( bai jing yu，1990:178). In the book (2007), the writer Wang Ying and Lv Hefa summarize the features of English dish name. They think that the translated Chinese dish names need be in line with the features of English dish names. They regard "being concise and easy to be understood by TT receivers" as the principle guiding the English translation of Chinese dish names. Ren Jingsheng, an associate professor at Hefei Institute of Technology, summarizes features of the translated Chinese dish food. Based on the features, he also recommends some translation methods for Chinese food and dish names(Ren Jingsheng，2001: 56). Professor, Liu Qingbo(Liu Qingbo，2003:52) explains rules for naming Chinese dish and the relation between the headword and the premodifiers or postmodifiers. He holds that the principle of pragmatism and conciseness must be followed in translation. Professor Jin Huikang(Jin Huikang，2004) and Professor Lu Hongmei(Lu Hongmei，2006: 127) also express their opinions on the translation of Chinese dish names. During the process of research preparation, the writer notices that research on Chinese dish name translation is not mature enough and it needs to be further done. Of the limited research which has been done, they are mainly concerned about the classification or suggested translations for dish names. Little research has been done to analyze Chinese dish names on a theoretical basis. If research is done without any theory as a guideline, translation practice is probably done at random, and no translation principles can be worked out to direct the whole translation process. Thus, the writer intends to find a theoretical framework to guide the study of Chinese dish name translation.

3. Application of Skopostheorie to Chinese Dish Names Translation

3.1 Viewpoints towards Translation of Chinese Dish Names

3.1.1 Traditional Viewpoint towards Chinese Dish Name Translation

In traditional approach of translation, Chinese dish name translation is a bottom-up process. Translation practice is regarded as a code-switching process, and lexical or sactic equivalence is emphasized. Traditional approach of translation usually starts from source text analysis, and then each phrase or even word is translated one by one. Then, the translation is modified in structure until they seem acceptable for the communicative situations from the translators' personal view. In traditional approach to Chinese dish name translation, the faithfulness to the source text in both linguistic and meaning is highlighted. The degree of loyalty to ST is the top-ranking principle for translators to bear in mind. For fact-telling dish names, the traditional translation approach can better retain the original information in ST.

The following are some examples:

卤酥羊腿Stewed Lamb Leg

鲍鱼红烧肉Red-cooked Pork with Abalone

However, for these dish names with cultural elements, the traditional approach of translation may result in translation errors. Taking the dish name“孔雀开屏”as an example,it would be translated into "Peacock Spreading Its Tail". Such a translation is faithful to ST in both linguistic Ieve1 and meaning. However, the response from TT receivers is neglected. What's more important, the function of the dish name has not been realized. The translation lacks the basic information for a dish name.

3.1.2 Functionalist Viewpoint towards Chinese Dish Name Translation

Functionalists emphasize the functionality of the target text in target culture. The translator is encouraged to make full use of all the sources of information and is entitled to choose whatever translation strategies he or she thinks appropriate to achieve the intended function of the translation. That reflects the main concept of Skopos Theory: "The end justifies the means."

In functionalist viewpoint towards Chinese dish name translation, the principle of being faithful to the ST is no longer the top rule. The whole translation action is determined by the skopos of the translation. The following will explain in detail how Skopostheorie can be applied to English translation of Chinese dish names.

3.2 “Translation brief” of Chinese Dish Names

The phrase "translation brief' is translated from German by Janet Fraser, which means "translation commission", "translation assignment" or "translation instruction". When the translators receive translation assignment, they are also provided with other information about the translation, such as the receiver, the form of translation, the purpose of translation and so on. All the information is important to translators as it can serve for the realization of the assignment.

Translation brief is also highlighted in Skopostheorie. From Nord's viewpoint, an ideal translation brief includes the following information:

the (intended) text function(s),

the target-text addressee(s),

the (prospective) time and place of text reception,

the medium over which the text will be transmitted, and

the motive for the production or reception of the text. (Nord 2004:60)

To better understand the "translation brief' in Chinese dish name translation, it is important to analyze the situations dish names translation may involve. Dish name translation is mainly used for restaurants or hotels. The initiators are mainly restaurant owners who are in need of an English menu to serve foreign customers (target text addressee). Such translations are in written form (menu). Sometimes, the initiator can be the government agencies. The motive for translation is to correct dish name translation in existing market.

Translation brief in Chinese dish name translation can be summarized in the following aspects.

The intended functions are informative function (to provide TT receivers with information about the dishes), and the appellative function (to stimulate TT receivers' desire to order the dish).

The target-text addressees are mainly potential customers in English-speaking countries or English learners who are interested in the translation of Chinese dish names.

The (prospective) place of text reception is mainly at restaurants in both China and English-speaking countries. They may also appear in some textbooks or magazines that introduce the translation of Chinese dish names.

The medium over which the text will be transmitted is bilingual texts. It may be any publications available like restaurant menu, government publicity materials, books, magazines or periodicals which introduce the Chinese culture.

The motives for the production or reception of the text are various. The translation is mainly serving the operation of restaurants that may have English-speaking visitors. It may also be used to introduce to English speakers Chinese dishes. The translation may also be used as a guide for correcting current translation problems in dish name translation.

Usually, the above information should be offered to translators before translation. However, on real occasions, translators may not be given an explicit translation brief. The initiators of translation have not realized that a good brief makes a better translation. Based on the source text in the source settings, an experienced translator is able to infer the brief himself and make some variations upon the target text, in order to make it meaningful to target culture receivers. In addition, the translation brief does not tell the translator how to go about their translation job, what translation strategy to use, or what translation type to choose. These decisions depend entirely on the translator's responsibility and competence (Nord, 2002:30).

3.3 Translation Principles for Chinese Dish Names

Even though the ideas of Skopostheorie are various, the main concept remains the same: "Let your translation decisions be guided by the function you want to achieve by means of your translation." It can be summarized as "The ends justify the means." There are three rules in Skopostheorie, namely the skopos rule, the fidelity rule and the coherence rule. 'The skopos rule, the top-ranking rule for any translation, states that any translation action is determined by its skopos. The coherence rule (or intratextual coherence rule) specifies that the translated text must be readable and comprehensible to its receivers, and conform to the norms of the local culture. The fidelity rule (or intertextual coherence) concerns the degree of faithfulness to the original text.

The three rules can serve as the guiding rules for any translation under the Skopostheorie. As Nord states, "These rules can effectively solve the eternal dilemmas of free vs faithful translation, dynamic vs formal equivalence, good interpreters vs slavish translators, and so on." It means that the "Skopos" of a particular translation task may require a "free" or a "faithful" translation, or anything between these two extremes, depending on the purpose for which the translation is needed.

Translators can choose literal translation, free translation or other translation method according to their purposes of translation. As Reiss has said, "Any translation type (such as word-for-word translation, literal translation or learned translation) may be justified in particular circumstances for a particular translation aim" (Nord, 2001:46).

Skopostheorie holds the opinion that the skopos rule, the coherence rule (or intratextual coherence rule) and the fidelity rule (or intertextual coherence) are the guiding principles for any translation. These three principles can also be used to guide the English translation of Chinese dish names. They help to realize the function of dish names, to localize the cultural differences in the target language and avoid culture barriers and to make the translated version as faithful to the original text as possible.

1) Realization of the Functions of Dish Names

In Nord's model of text function, there are mainly four functions: the referential function, the expressive function, the appellative function, and the phatic function. As mentioned in Chapter 1，the functions of dish names are the informative function, aesthetic function and appellative function. Once dish names are translated, one more function will be added: culture-transmitting function. According to the analysis of the relation of the functions, the informative function is the fundamental function, and appellative function is also an important function as it is the final purpose of translation. The other two functions, the aesthetic and culture-transmitting function should serve for the appellative function.

In translating Chinese dish names from the perspective of Skopostheorie, translators should obey the following rules.

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