中餐菜单动植物词汇英译过程中模因的丢失与增加_英语论文

The Loss and Gain of MEME in the English Translation of Animal and Plant Vocabularies in Chinese Food Menu

摘要

许多中餐菜名都包含有动植物词汇。精彩的菜单英译对中餐餐饮业的发展以及中西文化交流起着及其重要的作用。但是由于中英语言、文化的不同和翻译者自身的局限性，要达到出色的翻译效果困难重重。从翻译模因论的角度看，一些动植物词汇所包含的模因经常在菜单英译中丢失或增加。因而，细致地分析这些模因，保持译文与原文的模因得损平衡性可为最佳翻译提供必要的策略支持。

基于翻译模因论，这篇论文意在解决两个主要问题：①中餐菜单中的动植物词汇在英译过程中主要丢失与增加了哪些模因。②哪些翻译技巧可被运用于此种翻译。通过对一些典型的菜单英译例子的分析与比较，本文得出了以下结论：动植物词汇所含的颜色、形状、意向三种模因经常在菜单的英译版本中丢失或改变，而食材和烹饪方式两种模因经常增加在英译中。接下来，本文将含有动植物词汇的菜单名分为五个小类，并针对性地讨论了翻译技巧。其中，添加备注、附上图片这两种方法被多次提及。最后，本文对政府及翻译者提出了建议。政府应出版标准菜单书目，其中动植物词汇所包含的模因，以及其中西间不同的文化内涵须被分析讨论。知晓各种翻译理论，具备出色的翻译技能，并且拥有丰富的跨文化知识，则是对翻译者的要求。

关键词：中餐菜单；模因；动植物；翻译；丢失与增加 

Abstract 

Many Chinese dishes are named after animal and plant vocabularies. Under the circumstance that English translation of Chinese food menu has taken an important role in the catering industry and has built up a bridge for cultural communication between China and western countries, it is of great significance to providing splendid menu translation for foreign diners. However, it is very difficult to translate these vocabularies well due to the difference of languages, cultures of China and western countries, and the factors of the translator themselves. According to the theory of Translation Memetics, some memes of animal and plant vocabularies are lost or gained or changed in the English version of Chinese food menu. Hence, analyzing memes contained in these vocabularies and keeping balance of the loss and gain of these memes can support for the menu translation task.

Based on the Translation Memetics, this dissertation aims to solve two problems:①What are lost or gained in the English translation of animal and plant vocabularies in Chinese food menu;②What techniques can be applied into this kind of translation. By analyzing and comparing some typical menu translation examples, the results is that generally memes of color, shape and image for those vocabularies are lost or changed in the English version, while memes of ingredient and cooking method are gained. Then some techniques are introduced for five specific types of menu containing animal and plant vocabularies. Through them, adding notes and attaching pictures on the menu are two important methods. And suggestions are given both for the government and the translator. The government should publish books for standard menu translation, in which memes of animal and plant vocabularies and different connotative meanings of these words between China and English speaking countries should be discussed. For the translator, they should have a good command of translation skill and culture knowledge.

Keywords: Chinese food menu; memes; the lose and gain; translation; animal and plant

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 Broad Viewpoint of the Menu Translation 2

2.2 Scattered Theories 2

2.3 Translation Memetics 3

2.4 Translation Process from the Viewpoint of Memetics 4

3. Analysis of the Loss and Gain of Memes for Animal and Plant Vocabularies 6

3.1 Reasons for Loss and Gain 6

3.2 The Loss of Shape, Color and Image 6

3.3 The Gain of Cooking Method and Ingredient 9

4. Techniques for English Translation of Animal and Plant Vocabularies in Chinese Food Menu 10

4.1 Translation Principles 10

4.2 Guidance Principle and Theory 11

4.3 Specific Techniques 11

4.3.1 For Abstract or Associative Dish Names 11

4.3.2 For Dish Names From Natural Scenes 12

4.3.3 For Dish Names Loaded with Culture 12

4.3.4 For Dish Names Existing Lexical Gap or Meaning Conflict 13

4.3.5 Dish Names with Shape 14

5. Conclusion 15

5.1 Suggestions for Animal and Plant Vocabularies Translation 15

5.2 Limitations 16

5.3 Prospect for Further Study 16

References 17