Abstract:Translation is an important medium for intercultural communication and also a mode of cultural substitution. Nowadays, we are surrounded by a variety of cultures, among which culinary culture has the most direct and close relation with our people. China, a country where people take food as their first need, enjoys a profound and extensive culinary culture. As a consequence of the globalization, Chinese dish is increasingly known by all the nations around the world, and more and more foreigners show great interest in Chinese food. As a consequence, translation of Chinese dish names becomes extremely vital for promoting intercultural communication. As is known to all, Chinese culinary art covers a lot such as history, traditional customs and many ancient celebrities. In order to give Chinese dish more appropriate translations, we need to dig out its culture background and connect culture and translation. China covers a large territory and has many nationalities, hence a variety of Chinese food with different but fantastic and mouthwatering flavor. The famous scholar in translating Chinese dish names pointed that the dish name, as a symbol of the restaurant, if translated in a wrong or in an inappropriate way, will give an expression that the restaurant is not good at cooking this dish, which will result in the customer’s distrust on the restaurant, thus having a bad effect on the reputation of the restaurant and what’s more importantly, hindering the spread of Chinese culture around the world. Since China's local dishes have their own typical characteristics, generally, Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, which have been widely accepted around. Starting from the part of describing types and characteristics of Chinese dish and their cultural background, this paper is mainly divided into three parts, with the following part explaining the naming theories of Chinese dishes. The last part gives an expression to the methods of translating Chinese dish names from the perspective of its culture on the basis of critical translating theories of Susan Bassnett, who pointed that translation is communicating among cultures. There are three principles which can further explain her view of translation: the first is that translators should use culture as a basic translation unit and should not confine the translation to the previous text. Second, more than a simple process including decoding and restructuring, translation is an essential act of communication. Third, instead of merely describing the original text, translation ought to consider the cultural factors and get the functional equivalence of the target language. On the theoretical basis of Bassnett, the paper discussed many translation methods including literal translation, free translation and addition, deletion and transliteration. This paper illustrates various examples of translation of Chinese dish names, making the point of the paper more convincing.

Keywords: translation strategies, cultural connotations, Chinese dish name

Contents

摘要

Abstract

Chapter 1 Introduction-1

1.1Research Background-1

1.2 Relevant Theoretical Research-1

1.3 Research Task and the Structure of the Thesis-2

Chapter 2 The Types and Features of Chinese Cuisines-3

2.1 Types of Chinese Cuisine-3

2.2 Features of Chinese Cuisine-3

Chapter 3 Connotations of Chinese Cuisines-7

3.1 Chinese Cuisine and Its Culture Connotations-7

3.2 Formation and Development of Typical Chinese Cuisines-7

Chapter 4 Translation Methods of Chinese Cuisines-9

4.1 Translation Theory of Susan Bassnett-9

4.2 The Features of Naming Chinese Cuisines-10

4.2.1 Dishes Named by Raw Materials-10

4.2.2Dishes Named by Means of Metaphor-10

4.2.3Dishes Named by History and Legend-11

4.3Methodsof Translating Chinese Cuisine Names-11

4.3.1 Literal Translation-11

4.3.2 Free Translation-13

4.3.3 Transliteration-14

4.3.4 Addition-14

Chapter 5 Conclusion-17

5.1 Achievements-17

5.2 Limitations and Expectations-17

Reference-19

Acknowledgements-22