论文总字数：30389字

摘 要

旅游文本作为重要的对外宣传方式之一，体现了世界各地特有的文化风韵。而文化负载词是旅游文本中一个重要的部分，最为直接地体现了不同文化的个性特征。但同时文化负载词给跨文化交流和翻译带来了障碍。因此翻译好旅游文本中的文化负载词具有重要的现实意义。本文将基于目的论的视角对旅游文本中的文化负载词提出相关的翻译策略,忠实地传达出文化中的精髓与灵魂，推动跨文化交流,在国际旅游市场激烈的竞争中打响旅游品牌。

关键词：目的论；旅游文本；文化负载词；翻译方法

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. On Culture-loaded Words 1

2.1 Introduction of Culture-loaded Words 1

2.2 Culture-loaded Words in Tourism Texts 2

2.3 Research Status of Translations of Culture-loaded Words 3

3. Introduction of Skopostheorie 4

3.1 The Development of Functionalism 4

3.2 Definition of Skopostheorie 5

3.3 Three Rules of Skopostheorie 6

4. Translation Methods of CLWs in Tourism Texts 7

4.1 Literal Translation 7

4.2 Explanation 8

4.3 Free Translation 10

5. Conclusion 11

Works Cited 13

1. Introduction

The rapid development of tourism industry has a great influence on different cultures on a worldwide scale. As a consequence, tourism texts play a fundamental role in international tourism industry, giving a huge push to the further tourism development and prosperity in the world. The functions of tourism texts are to attract tourists and promote communications between different nations.

As an essential part of tourism texts, culture-loaded words precisely display the connotations of Chinese traditions of national cultures. In general, culture-loaded words can be classified into four categories: religious culture-loaded words, art culture-loaded words, cuisine culture-loaded words and folk-custom culture-loaded words. Culture-loaded words are formed by various geographical conditions, religious influences and social customs.

With the continuing development of China’s economy and international communication, an increasing number of foreign tourists are sightseeing scenic spots in China. Therefore, in recent years, the studies on C-E translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts, including translating strategies, principles and methods in cross-language and cross-cultural communications, is drawing more and more attentions and interests. The aims of C-E translation of tourism texts are to offer traveling information, promote Chinese culture and attract foreign tourists to come to China. Whether the translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts is proper or not will directly influence the scale of China’s tourism industry.

This thesis will analyze C-E translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts in the light of skopostheorie. Skopostheorie is widely accepted as a standard for C-E translation. The paper will do a study on C-E translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts by using the skopostheorie to explore the basic translation principles and methods. To some extent, after reading this thesis, we will have a comprehensive understanding of C-E translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts.

2. On Culture-loaded Words

2.1 Introduction of Culture-loaded Words

Culture-loaded words embody distinctive national characteristics, which is an indispensable component of excellent traditional culture. In the language system, culture-loaded words refer to words, phrases or idioms that represent specific things existing in a certain culture. (Zheng Ying, 2011:141) They reflect unique activities and social life of a particular nation, which are accumulations of a long historical process. On the one hand, culture-loaded words are unique cultural signs of a specific nation. One the other hand, they are linguistic units that tell the different features of various nationalities.

Diverse cultures are affected by various factors, including geographical environments, economic characteristics and social constructions. (Lu Hongmei, 2008:9) Culture and language are intertwined and shape each other. It is impossible to separate the two. (Xu Lisheng, 2009:119) In consequence, as a crucial reflection of culture, Chinese culture-loaded words are of great distinguishing features. First of all, Generally speaking, we can not get the exact and deep meaning of a culture-loaded word if we take it literally. For instance, 阴阳五行，刮痧，纸老虎 and so on. Besides, Chinese culture-loaded words change with the times. Chinese culture-loaded words are lively descriptions of social phenomena and vivid representation of history. They describe the real social life, reveal the scenes of an age and reflect the spirit of the times, such as 中国梦，改革开放，中国特色社会主义. Last but not least, culture-loaded words have conceptual meanings as well as connotations. (Chen Hongwei and Li Yadan, 2010:26) For example, in Chinese, 岁寒三友 is widely regarded as a sign of unbendable loyalty.

The variety of culture-loaded words shows multicultural backgrounds. According to Peng Li, culture-loaded words can be classified into four categories: natural environment words, material culture words, social culture words and mental culture words.

2.2 Culture-loaded Words in Tourism Texts

Tourism text is a particular variety of text, which may appear in various forms. It has its own language functions, which are mainly informative, directive and evocative functions. (Liu Zhuyan, 2013:108)

As an essential part of tourism texts, culture-loaded words precisely display the connotations of Chinese traditions of national cultures. They are widely used in tourism to show the unique characteristics of Chinese culture and promote international communications. To a certain extent, the classification of culture-loaded words in tourism texts is different from what is mentioned in the previous section.

In general, in tourism texts, culture-loaded words fall into four main groups. The first is religious culture-loaded words. As a kind of social ideology, religion takes up an important position in the history of the human culture. It has a great influence on science, art, literature as well as political system, legal thoughts and so on. (Zhang Dainian and Fang Keli, 2004:227-228) Here are some religious culture-loaded words: 四大道场，文殊院，少林寺 and 布达拉宫. The second is art culture-loaded words. Art culture-loaded words include many parts: words related to Chinese folk music, opera, sculpture, Chinese calligraphy and painting, etc. (Jin Huikang, 2005:181-189) For instance: 河北吹歌，京剧脸谱，何园，潍坊木板年画（山东）. The third is cuisine culture-loaded words. In China, food culture not only has developed highly, but also has a great social importance. In the first place, feasting is often an indispensable arrangement. Secondly, cuisine is an important means in social life. Thirdly, business agreements may be achieved more efficiently and satisfactorily on the dinner table than elsewhere. (Mao Zhonglong, Jia Aibing and Yan Jinglan, 2008:112) Therefore, cuisine culture plays an essential role in Chinese society. The following are some cuisine culture-loaded words: 元宝鸡（南京），淮扬菜，鱼香肉丝（四川）. The last is folk-custom culture-loaded words. Ethnic customs and specialties are attractive to foreign tourists and domestic tourists, such as 那达慕大会，赛马，敖包盛会.

From what has been analyzed above, it can be seen that the translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts is much more complicated than other sorts of texts, since it deals with bilingual and bi-cultural conversions. Therefore, the translator shall not only focus on informative function and aesthetic function, but also gives insights concerning the cross-cultural values during the translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts.

This paper chooses an innovative point, C-E translation of culture-loaded words in tourism texts, and makes analysis from the perspective of skopostheorie. Translation practice needs practical and effective theoretical guidance. German Functionalism has drawn worldwide popularity. And increasing attention has been paid to the core of it—skpopstheorie. Therefore, it is of great importance to make a comprehensive research on the functions of skopostheorie in the translation of culture-loaded words. Based on skopostheorie, this paper will chiefly analyze translation methods of culture-loaded words in tourism texts in the following parts.

2.3 Research Status of Translation of Culture-loaded Words

It is well-known that exact translation of culture-loaded words does not only spread national culture, and reserve national features, but also promote international communications and friendly cross-cultural exchange. In consequence, it is of great importance to focus on the translation of culture-loaded words and choose the most suitable translation method. However an increasing number of existing problems in translation of culture-loaded words are gradually emerging, which obstruct the realization of international communications and cross-national cultural exchange.

Here are several main problems existing in C-E translations of culture-loaded words. The first problem is the ignorance of differences between Chinese culture and English culture. As we all know that the words “culture” and “translation” are being increasingly linked. (Katan, 2004:7) Chinese and English are originated from different cultural soils. The differences exist in many ways, which lead to the lack of semantically concordant words. This is what we call semantic zero. Therefore, the translator should have a clear knowledge of the differences in understanding the same culture-loaded words of both the source language reader and the target language reader. The second is the dissociation of theories and practical translations. Sometimes, the researchers focus on the description of translation principles and theories, but they ignore the link between translating theories and practical translating methods. The last is out-dated translation principles and theories of culture-loaded words. The translating principles and theories have been constantly developing and changing.

3. Introduction of Skopostheorie

3.1 The Development of Functionalism

Functionalism originated from Germany in 1970s. Broadly speaking, the formation of functionalism has passed through three stages.

The first representative figure is Katharina Reiss. Her book Possibilities and Limits of Translation Criticism is believed as the emerging point for the scholarly analysis of translation in Germany. Reiss develops a model of translation criticism based on the functional relationship between source and target texts by taking equivalence as her basis, According to her, the ideal translation is one in which the aim in the TL is equivalences as regards the conceptual content, linguistic form and communicative function of a SL. She defines the kind of translation as “integral communicative performance” (Nord, 2001:9).

The second representative figure is Hans J. Vermeer. Vermeer has gone much further in trying to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and he built the basic theory of functionalism—skopostheorie. In Vermeer’s approach, translation is a form of translational action based on a source text, which consists of verbal and non-verbal elements. According to him, one of the most fundamental factors determining the goal of a translation is the addressee, who is the intended receiver or audience of the target texts with their culture-specific world-knowledge, expectation and communicative needs. Every translation is directed at an intended audience, since translation means “to produce a text in target circumstance” (Nord, 2001:12).

The third one is Justa Holz-Manttari. Her theory is based on the principles of action theory and is designed to cover all forms of intercultural transfer. She puts special emphasis on the actional aspects of the translation process, analyzing the roles of participants and the situational conditions in which their activities take place (Nord, 2001:13).

The fourth one is Christiane Nord. She regards translation as a purposeful intercultural communicative activity between individuals instead of something which is to a text by a translator. Nord puts forward her own functional model: function plus loyalty (Nord, 2001:126).What is noteworthy is that the loyalty in this model is quite different from the traditional connotation of “faithfulness”.

3.2 Definition of Skopostheorie

Skopostheorie is the central part of functionalism. Skopos is a Greek word for “purpose”. According to Skopostheorie, the prime principle determining any translation process is the overall translational action. In addition to the word “skopos”, Vermeer uses the four related words: aim, purpose, intention and function.

Aim is defined as the final result an agent intends to achieve by means of an action (Nord, 2001:28).

Purpose is defined as a provisional stage in the process of attaining an aim. Aim and purpose are thus relative concepts (Nord, 2001:28).

Function refers to what a text means or is intended to mean from the receiver’s point of view, whereas the aim is the purpose for which it is needed or supposed to be needed (Nord, 2001:28).

Intention is conceived as an “aim-oriented plan of action” on the part of both the sender and the receiver, pointing toward an appropriate way of producing or understanding the text (Nord, 2001:28).

3.3 Three Rules of Skopostheorie

The first and the most important rule of skopostheorie is skopos rule. According to Vermeer, translation is a purposeful human action, and target texts must be determined by the expected way of target language receivers. That is to say, translations do not have to be equivalent to original texts. Therefore, skopos rule often opposes to traditional translating principles which is based on equivalence. The degree and form of loyalty are determined by the requirement of translating purpose. The translator is a decision-maker, who judges the most important particular purpose to be carried out.

Apart from skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule are often mentioned together. These rules are also known as intra-textual coherence and intertextual rule.

Coherence rule requires that a translation should acceptable in the sense that it is coherent with the receiver’s situation (Nord, 2001:32). Therefore, translators should give sufficient consideration to the cultural background and social environment of target language receivers and translate meaningful target texts. In other words, when translating original texts, one must have a comprehensive and deep understanding of target culture and make the translating version acceptable.

Fidelity rule refers to certain relationships between target texts and source texts. Receivers have to be able to understand the target texts and target texts should make sense in the communicative situation and culture in which it is received (Nord, 2001:32). Only when the receivers interpret a communicative interaction as being completely coherent with their situation can it be considered as a successful one.

The third rule is loyalty rule, which is proposed by Nord. She finds out that there are two defects existing in functionalism. One is that due to different cultural patterns, people in diverse cultural backgrounds have various opinions on a qualified translation. Another is that if the target text’s communicative goal, determined by skopos rule, goes against the intention of original text, then we are prone to obey skopos rule instead of loyalty rule. Therefore, Nord puts forward loyalty rule. Her personal version of the functionalist stands on two pillars: function plus loyalty. Function refers to the factors that make a target text work in the intended way in the target situation. Loyalty refers to the interpersonal relationship between the translator, the source-text sender, the target-text addressees and the initiator (Nord, 2001:126). She believes that a translator should be responsible for both the original author and the target readers. This rule further improves skopostheorie. A translator is liable for making mediation between the interests of the source-text sender, the target-text addressees and the initiator.

4. Translation Methods of CLWs in Tourism Texts

4.1 Literal Translation

Literal translation follows words of original text very closely and exactly. That is to say, when using literal translation, we must keep the original’s form and meaning. At the same time, the translation must be smooth. According to Tylter, a translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work（Tylter, 2007:10）. Literal translation has the following two advantages. Firstly, it can keep the expression form of the original. Secondly, it can convey the meaning of the resource language. Therefore, under the premise of retaining the meanings of the original, we can choose literal translation. Here are some examples.

Example 1:

芦笛岩是桂林最精彩的岩洞。

Translation: The Reed Flute Cave is the most magnificent of all in Guilin.

In the English introduction, the culture-loaded word “芦笛岩”is translated as “the Reed Flute Cave”, which is a kind of literal translation. From the translation, tourists can know the features and its charm. If translated into Ludiyan or Ludi Cave, the target-text receivers can only know the name of a location, thus it designative meaning is not adequately translated. According to the skopos rule, the target texts must be determined by the expected way of target language receivers. The translation of “the Reed Flute Cave” shows target-text receivers the unique charms and characteristics of this scenic spot as well as realizes its informative function.

Example 2:

海天佛国—普陀山

The wrong translation: Sea sky and Buddhism kingdom—Putuoshan

The improved translation: Mount Putuo—the heavenly Buddhist land on the sea (Lu guofei 80)

These are two versions that choose literal translation method when translating the culture-loaded word “海天佛国 ” into English. In fact, Mountain Putuo is known as Buddhist holy land and surrounded by sea. From the perspective of skopostheorie, a translator should give sufficient consideration to the cultural background of target language receivers, create a reality-close atmosphere and translate meaningful target texts. The improved translation of this culture-loaded word displays us the geographic information as well as the profound culture implication of Mountain Putuo.

Example 3:

清代的苏绣以精细雅洁而闻名，当时的苏州更有了“绣市”的誉称。

Translation: Well known for its smoothness and delicateness, Su embroidery won Suzhou the title “City of Embroidery” in the Qing Dynasty. (Mao zhonglong，Jia aibing and Yan jinglan 243)

These culture-loaded words “苏绣”and “绣市” are literally translated as “Su embroidery” and “City of Embroidery”. In the translating process, loyalty rule must be taken into full consideration. A translator should be responsible for both the source-text author and the target-text readers. From the translation, we can have a direct understanding of the definition of “苏绣” and the important role of Suzhou in the embroidery field. It creates a lively atmosphere for foreign tourists to enjoy pure Chinese culture and promotes international communications.

4.2 Explanation

Explanation is a statement that tells target-text readers how things work and makes it easier to understand some unfamiliar things. China is a country with long history and abundant cultural heritages, so there are a great number of culture-loaded words in this country. When visiting scenic spots in China, many foreign tourists may feel confused with culture-loaded words in tourism texts. Improper translation of those words may result in superficial understanding or even misunderstanding. Thus informative function will not be achieved. As a result, explanation is widely used when a translator comes across culture-loaded words in the process of translation tourism texts.

Below are some typical examples.

Example 1:

满汉全席是我国一种具有浓郁名族特色的巨型宴会，一直被推崇为中国宴席的经典之作,其取材广泛，用料精细，山珍海味无所不包。

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