Contents
Abstract I
Key Words I
摘 要 II
关键词 II
Introduction 1
Ⅰ. A Brief Introduction to Colour Terms 2
A. The Definition of Colour Terms 2
1. Classification of Colour Terms 2
2. Function of Colour Terms 2
B. Colour Terms’ History in English 4
C. Colour Terms’ History in Chinese 5
Ⅱ. The Difficulties in Translating Colour Terms 7
A. The Difficulties in Translating Basic Colour Terms 7
1. The Usages and Features of Basic Colour Terms 7
2. Basic Colour Terms’ Cultural Connotation in Chinese and English 9
B. The Difficulties in Translating Object Colour Terms 11
1. The Common Characteristics of Object Colour Terms in Chinese and English 11
2. The Different Characteristics of Object Colour Terms in Chinese and English 11
C. The Other Difficulties in Translating Colour Terms 12
1. Non-Equivalence in Referential Meaning 12
2. Non-Equivalence in Pragmatic Meaning 12
3. The Various Concepts of Chinese Colour Terms 13
Ⅲ. Translation Techniques for Colour Terms 14
A. Domestication 14
1. Creative Translation 14
2. Liberal Translation 15
B. Foreignization 16
1. Literal Translation 16
2. Annotation 17
Conclusion 19
Acknowledgements 20
Bibliography 21
Abstract
In today’s multi-cultural society, translation, as an important device in the cross-cultural communication, is a mode of cultural transfer. Colour terms are closely connected with culture. As a part of language, colour terms are endowed with abundant cultural connotations. Moreover, colour terms’ lexical meaning and symbolic meaning reflect various cultures and cultural backgrounds. In order to promote the development of the multi-cultural society and cross-cultural communication, it is significant to understand and grasp colour terms and their functions in the cultural transfer.
This thesis, targeting at improving translation proficiency and promoting cross-cultural communication, makes a careful analysis of colour terms, including the definition, the history in English and Chinese, the translation difficulties and the translation techniques.
Key Words
Colour terms; translation difficulties; translation techniques
摘 要
在文化多元化的今天，翻译作为跨文化交流的一种重要手段，是文化转换的一种模式。颜色词与文化有着极为密切的关系。作为语言的一部分，颜色词被赋予了丰富的文化内涵，其词汇意义和象征意义都反映了不同的文化及文化背景。为了促进多元文化社会的发展和加强跨文化交流，了解和掌握颜色词及其在文化转换中的作用具有极为重要的价值和意义。
论文从探讨颜色词的概念及其在中英两种语言中的历史比较出发，仔细研究了颜色词在翻译中存在的困难，并在此基础上总结和论证了颜色词翻译的主要技巧，包括同化和异化两种翻译技巧。论文旨在认真分析颜色词及其翻译的基础上增强人们的翻译实践能力和跨文化交际能力。
关键词
颜色词；翻译困难；翻译技巧
