Differences between English and Chinese with Reference to Translation - Case Study Example

Similarities and Differences between English and Chinese with Reference to Translation Similarities and Differences between English and Chinese with Reference to Translation Translation has a number of meanings based on its contextual use. Translation may refer to the process of communicating the value of a word or sentence from one language to another. It is also defined as the change from one style to another, for instance, translation of thought into action. In addition to these definitions, translation may also be mean to the qualification of an appropriate equivalent of a word or statement. The use of individual words or phrases to express the meaning of the first word or phrase is also an appropriate definition of the term. More so, translation may be regarded as the perception of an aspect of a certain language to another. This paper will discuss the similarities and differences between English and Chinese with reference to translation. Translation is essential in understanding different cultures among different races, religious and cultural groups in the world. Translation plays a key role in understanding significant elements of different language groups (Chang 2003. 38). Translation from English to Chinese and vice versa is, however, impaired as the two are of different language families, these are: Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan. We note that word and sentence order, while relaying the same message, varies from one language to another. Both Chinese and English use the Subject Verb Order logic in sentences. Whereas the syntax applied in one language may be smooth and clear, the same a translation of the message in a word-for-word system may result in the message becoming obscure or incomprehensible (Abacus 2006, 27). For instance, in Chinese, adjectives and adverbs are placed before the noun or verb being modified, while, on the other hand, in English, the modifiers are placed after the noun or verb they are modifying. A good example of the illogicalness associated with literal translations: the original English version: We are in the field practicing. The literal translation in Chinese is “We have football practice field.” The translated version, though acceptable in Chinese, is absurd and wrong in English. Moreover, translation of set statements where the word system is based on traditional use may distort the syntax of the statement when translated into another language. For instance, the traditional Chinese expression “fan-yan sheng-xi” literary translated to English means “multiply and live” (Chang 2003, 49). The translated version is incomprehensible in the English language, with a viable option being,” live and multiply”. This, however, distorts the meaning of the original report by inversing the characters. In addition, Chinese is neither inflected nor declined. This means that there are no precise verb endings. For instance, “he” and “him” can be used interchangeably to transmit a similar message. English, however, is characterized by such verb endings. Moreover, sentences written in English must have a verb while those in Chinese do not need to, leading to an entirely different message being conveyed. The provision of a similar word or sentence may also be used when translating in order to convey a similar message as the original statement. However, there are words that have different meanings from one language to another, or may not have exact equivalents across different languages. This will present a challenge to the interpreter when choosing the appropriate words to use when translating. Other words are specific to one-culture and lack similar words that can refer to the same in another culture. For instance, in the Chinese language, cultural words such as hun-tun (dumpling soup) have no equivalent in English. On the other hand, English words such as salad, Good Friday and hamburger also have no Chinese equivalents. This may result in the interpreter using words that have close enough meaning to the original, but which may end up distorting the meaning intended by the original message. Moreover, we note that different words have meanings based on their use by different people based on their in different social context and cultural environments across the world (Abacus 2006, 27). This will result in a supposedly neutral word having two different associative meanings among the different communities. For example, the word “dog” in English has a flattering meaning, for instance, “top dog” refers to someone considered a friend, whereas, in the Chinese language, it represents something unfavorable. This may restrict the interpreter from using the original word, regardless of its associative meaning in the original language in order to avoid confusion. In addition, in the Chinese language, we realize that there is neither use of past tense nor articles such as “the”, “an” and “a” which are used in English. Notably, omission of the use of these articles in the Chinese dialect does not interfere with the message being conveyed. This difference causes a serious problem when translating sentences found in the past tense from English to Chinese (Abacus 2006, 272). However, we note that both languages make use of ellipses. These are signs and symbols used to indicate the omission of a word or phrase. Whereas in English only repetitive verbs or nouns may be omitted in the subsequent sentences, the Chinese language, on the other hand, uses many ellipses. When directly translated to English, these ellipses distort the proper arrangement of the sentence thus becoming incoherent and illogical. We also note that the meaning of a sentence may be distorted by the stress system applied. In English, the meaning of a word may be changed by stressing a different syllable. However, in Chinese, all syllables have an almost neutral sound making it difficult to distinguish different words. If the right syllable is not stressed, this will undermine the message being put across. Moreover, we note that English has extremely long words whereas Chinese is typically characterized by words with only two syllables. However, when translating from English to Chinese, the problem of unnecessary wordiness comes up. While, in English, a short sentence can be used to indicate a meaning the same message when translated into the Chinese dialect, may become repetitious and frustrating to the reader. Diction varies considerably between different communities around the world. English and Chinese have different systems in spelling and pronunciation. We also note that Chinese does not have an official alphabet, but different characters representing different sounds. This limits the transmission of the relevant message when translating from English to Chinese. The meaning of a word or phrase may become quite distorted if one of its essential features is in the sound or form it is communicated. This is especially prominent in poetry and expressions used in advertising, where sound difference is critical. Here, the meaning of a word is derived not only from its spelling, but also in its pronunciation and will be hampered by an alteration in its pronunciation. Cultural background and native language influence diction as seen through mother tongue influence when speaking. Translation, which is an illustration of an account to a point of view, from Chinese to English by a Chinese native, may result in the use of an interlanguage that has its own phonetic rules and syntax, thus distorting the originally intended meaning. For instance, the different pronunciations of the consonant “r” by different groups of Chinese speaking natives will undermine the substance of the intended message in the mind of an English listener. For instance, the word “rake” may be pronounced by a Chinese speaker as “lake”, resulting in an entirely different meaning from what was originally intended. Moreover, we note that in the Chinese dialect, variations in the pitch of a sound can totally change its meaning. Another distinctive difference between the two languages is the distinction of personal pronouns. While in English female and male pronouns are differentiated, Chinese does not obey the same principle, and the listener has to assume the sex being referred to, from the context in which the pronoun is used Similarities and Differences between English and Chinese with Reference to Translation . English is a language that depends on the use of vowels. It has a vast collection of vowels than Chinese. This will result in the wrong pronunciation when translating a sentence to Chinese as the speaker may use an entirely different word from the first word used. Words such as full and eat may be pronounced differently by Chinese speakers. Translation may also be referred to as the variation from one form to another. In translation, thoughts are converted into actions. The interpretation of certain words may result in the listener conducting a different action from what the speaker originally intended. In conclusion, we note that context always attributes to the meaning of a word or statement. In English, critical messages are reflected in the use of auxiliaries by verb inflections. Inflections such as “is/are/were” are used to illustrate different meanings and carry unique messages. However, in Chinese, verb inflections are missing and messages are put across through word order and the common understanding of the statement by the community (Schuessler 2007, 75). This will present a challenge when translating a sentence from Chinese to English. Moreover, in English, modal verbs are used to indicate likelihood, permission or obligation. Chinese, on the other hand, does not have such a wide range of modal verbs, which can result in the translated version conveying an authoritative tone, whereas the original English version was intended as a request. Lack of articles in the Chinese language may further compound the problem of direct translation. This results from aspects of singularity and pluralism not being accurately conveyed when translating a message from English to Chinese and vice versa. Differences in cultural ideas and language between English and Chinese may result in miscommunication arising from the impossibility to translate cultural ideas from one language to the other. The relationship between culture and language is demonstrated through the many ways people from communities, say Chinese, refer to things that commonly appear in their environments (Lai, 2004). Such reference words may lack in other languages resulting in inappropriate use of words showing associative meaning. We also note that traditional definitive words in English may lack in the Chinese language resulting in the misinterpretation of an intended message. Words such as “yes” and “no” may not display alternate words in the Chinese language (Francis 1999, 29). Moreover, difficulty in pronunciation of certain words by people from a different language group may result in extremely accented speech. Intonation variations in accents when translating from and to, either English or Chinese will result in the realization of a different meaning altogether. We also recognize that English has a number of phrasal verbs, which carry a different meaning from the verb used. However, in Chinese, phrasal verbs are missing, which may end up distorting the original message intended. Differences between word order in Chinese and English will affect translation from one of these languages to the other. Word order in English implies the meaning of the sentence, whether it is a statement or a question. On the other hand, inn Chinese, the subject and verb are not inverted to convey a different meaning. This will result in a question, in English being translated to a statement in Chinese. Various cultures have distinctive expressions used by people in different relationships. Both Chinese and English have different connotations of relationships between people of certain groups. The language used between members of a group varies considerably from the language used by the same people when talking to people from a different group. Both English and Chinese exhibit a different language used between friends and bosses and their employees. However, when translating these expressions from either language, the actual sense intended may be distorted as the different languages have different expressions for members of certain groups. Moreover, we realize that perspectives on different issues change among different cultures. The perspective of the Chinese people may be inaccurately described in English for lack of appropriate words to convey that point of view. For translation to be effective, the aboriginal interpretation must be conveyed in the translated text. We can, therefore, establish that some ideas cannot be appropriately put across as some words cannot be translated from Chinese to English and vice versa. Moreover, the Chinese language does not include slang, as opposed to English. Slang words in English can, therefore, not be translated to Chinese, without losing the intended meaning. Chinese is seen as a much formal language that English. Translation is essential in understanding various aspects in different cultures. Translation is also important when adopting either Chinese or English as one’s second language. It is vital for one to appreciate both languages’ grammar and speech systems. Word-for-word translation or literal translation does not work to effectively convey the original message as it may result in the passing of an entirely different message from what was inially intended. Translators should, therefore, adopt context oriented translation which will effectively relay the intended message without the possibility of vagueness or illogicalness being experiences. Specific circumstances should be translated to suit the understanding of the reader or listener. Contextual translation will also serve to preserve the identities of the different language groups. Bibliography Lai, H. M. 2004. Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions. Lanham: AltaMira Press.  Abacus Chinese Translation Services. 2006. Chinese Translation and Interpretation: An Overview. U.S: Alhambra. Pollard, D. and Sin-wai, C. 2001. An Encyclopaedia of Translation: Chinese-English, English- Chinese. Hongkong: Chinese university Press. Perkins, B. 2008.  The American Tradition in Literature (12th ed.).Columbus: McGraw-Hill Ye, Z. and Xiaojing Shi, L. 2008. Introduction to Chinese-English Translation (Chinese Edition). 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