书法藏品解说词中文化专有项英译

　【摘

　要】

　中国的书法是世界艺术之林中一门独具特色的艺术门类，其特殊的表现形式融汇了中国文人对个人素养的要求，对中国文化的表现，对中国哲学思想的阐释。书法是中国文化的重要元素，翰韵墨影频繁出现在宣传画报书册封面上，国内外各大艺术博物馆争相展出中国书法名作，以供社会各界欣赏学习。书法作为传统中国的符号，也得到越来越多人的认可，在中国对外交流中也起到了重要作用。

　本文第一部分简要地引入了主题，并且介绍了本次研究的背景和意义，探讨了本文中的研究方法和论文结构。第二部分总结了当前中国书法的几大艺术特点：传统性，时代性，审美性，情感性以及简洁性；同时也概括出了中国书法具有释放自我，表达自我，引导大众，批判社会，陶冶情操的巨大作用。第三部分，也就是本文的主题部分，首先介绍了文化负载词的基本定义；并且以此为基础探讨了中国书法术语的翻译策略：注释法，直译法，直译与意译兼并法；最后补充介绍了影响文化负载词翻译策略选择的因素。

　本文研究采用归纳、比较的方法，从相关文献、书籍、网络资源等来源搜集现存的中国书法术语译法，旨在得出有利于推广的精确、地道的译文。中国书法艺术博大精深，笔者谨就以上几方面讨论，以期用翻译为传统文化推广尽

　 关键词: 中国书法； 翻译； 书法术语； 跨文化沟通

　【 【Abstract】

　】

　In the first part of this paper, the author introduces the topic briefly, and introduces the background and significance of this study. The second part summarized several characteristics of the current art of Chinese calligraphy: traditionalism, contemporary, aesthetic nature, emotionality and simplicity; also summarized that Chinese calligraphy has the function of liberating, expressing, guiding, criticizing and cultivating. The third part, as the main part of the paper, firstly introduces the basic definition of cultural-specific items and based on the definition the author discuss the translation strategies: annotation method, literal translation, literal translation combined with free translation; finally the paper described the factors affecting the choice of translation strategies of culture loaded words. In this paper, the author uses the methods of induction and comparison to collect the existing Chinese calligraphy terms from the sources of relevant documents, books and network resources. China calligraphy art is broad and profound, the author only discuss the several aspects above, in order to propaganda propagandize the traditional culture -- calligraphy.

　Key Words: Chinese calligraphy

　Translation

　cultural-specific items

　Cross-culture Communication

　Contents 1

　Introduction ...................................................................................................... 4

　1.1

　Introduce the Topic ................................................................................ 4

　1.2

　Background of the Study ....................................................................... 4

　1.3

　Significance of Selecting the Topic ....................................................... 5

　1.4

　the methodology and the structure of the paper .................................... 5

　2

　Literature Review............................................................................................. 6

　2.1

　Stylistic Feature of Chinese Calligraphy ............................................... 6

　2.1.1

　Traditionalism ............................................................................... 6

　2.1.2

　Contemporaneity .......................................................................... 7

　2.1.3

　aesthetic nature ............................................................................. 7

　2.1.4

　Emotionality ................................................................................. 7

　2.1.5

　Simplicity ..................................................................................... 7

　2.2

　Function of Chinese Calligraphy ........................................................... 8

　2.2.1

　The function of liberating ............................................................. 8

　2.2.2

　The function of expressing ........................................................... 8

　2.2.3

　The function of guiding ................................................................ 8

　2.2.4

　The function of criticizing ............................................................ 8

　2.2.5

　The function of cultivating ........................................................... 9

　3

　Theoretical Framework .................................................................................... 9

　3.1

　Definition and Classifications of CSIs .................................................. 9

　3.2

　Strategies of Translating Chinese Calligraphy ...................................... 9

　3.2.1

　The method of annotation ........................................................... 10

　3.2.1.1

　The liaison between blood and vein ................................. 10

　3.2.1.2

　Coexistence of substance and blank ................................. 10

　3.2.1.3

　well-balanced .................................................................... 11

　3.2.2

　The method of transliteration ..................................................... 11

　3.2.3

　The method both of transliteration and free translation ............. 11

　3.3

　Factors Influencing the Selection of Strategies ................................... 12

　3.3.1

　Influencing factors of pre translation behavior .......................... 12

　3.3.2

　Influencing factors in Translation .............................................. 12

　3.3.3

　Influencing factors of post translation behavior ......................... 13

　4

　Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 13

　1 Introduction 1.1 Introduce the Topic As one of the most important symbols of Chinese culture, Chinese calligraphy bears the profound Chinese culture. Chinese calligraphy is a surprising miracle in the development process of five-thousand-year Chinese civilization. Chinese calligraphy is known as one of the four quintessences in china, which also includes Beijing opera, martial arts and cupuncture.As a unique form of art in China, calligraphy is bound to be closely related to Chinese traditional culture, especially traditional Chinese philosophy. The spirit of the Chinese civilization has nurtured Chinese calligraphy and its unique aesthetic values, which are unique in the world. Just because of this, translators must fully consider the cultural factors in the translation process of Chinese calligraphy terminology to improve their own cultural and artistic accomplishment and improve calligraphy terminology translation strategies, so that the cultural connotation of calligraphy term has been retained as much as possible, so as to carry forward the culture of calligraphy with long history. 1.2 Background of the Study The "calligraphy terminology” refers to the collection of conceptions used in the art of calligraphy. Since the calligraphy culture began to spread, all kinds of calligraphy terminologies‟ translation appears, even the authoritative dictionaries not always have the same translation for the same calligraphy terminology. It is not difficult to find many false translations. One of the main reasons is that the calligraphy term contains rich cultural connotations. China calligraphy is a unique type of in world art forest, for its special form filled with Chinese literati‟s wisdom and efforts, incisively and vividly display the Chinese culture, and Chinese literati‟s ideological interpretation of philosophy. In recent years, Chinese people are forwardly preparing for many activities to propagandize Chinese culture all over the world. Chinese calligraphy is an important

　element in Chinese culture: Chinese calligraphy frequently appears on the cover of numerous books; Chinese calligraphy works are also displayed in many major domestic and foreign art museums for the community to enjoy and learn. Calligraphy, as a symbol of traditional China, has been recognized by more and more people, and also played an important role in cross-cultural communication. However, the translation of terms in famous calligraphy works has not been paid much attention. Some Chinese cultural propaganda material and the museum‟s interpretation usually relate to Chinese calligraphy translation and the introduction, but its translation is still barely satisfactory. Calligraphy terminology translation lacks of theoretical guidance, so there are many mistakes and errors in the translation of the calligraphy terminology, which hinders the Chinese calligraphy culture spreading. 1.3 Significance of Selecting the Topic The Chinese calligraphy art has a long history and is a valuable art crystallization of Chinese culture for thousands of years. Thousands of years ago, Chinese invented Chinese characters. Through decade‟s dynasties‟ improvement and development, Chinese characters have been recreated creatively and artfully to form a unique art of calligraphy, showing various style of Chinese culture, such as classicism, romanticism, realism and so on. Now, Peking Opera, calligraphy and martial arts, Chinese acupuncture are known as the four quintessence of China.

　Chinese calligraphy is the perfect combination of art and culture. The calligraphy works are mainly composed of two parts: the cultural loaded words and the calligraphy terms. To find and master how to flexibly control the English language in translation, can not only accurately convey the calligraphy terminology, but also perfectly disinter the charm of Chinese calligraphy. 1.4 the methodology and the structure of the paper To conclude, with the development of globalization, the communication among different cultures is more and more frequent. Therefore, translation is also playing an increasingly significant role. As a country that possesses thousands year‟s history, China has a lot of cultural treasure, of course Chinese calligraphy is one of them.

　 Besides, the topic promote Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges and cooperate. It makes Chinese calligraphy more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Improving the culture level of China and enhancing national soft power. These issues motivate me to choose “Translating Culture-Specific Items in Annotations to Chinese Calligraphy” as my thesis topic. My thesis will mainly resort

　to analyze translation strategies of CSIs in Chinese calligraphy. The following steps will be taken: 1) Briefly describe the present research status and limitations of CSIs‟ translation. 2) The keyword CSIs in Chinese calligraphy will be studied further, including its definition, features, and classification. 3) Translation on difficulties points of CSIs in Chinese calligraphy and its influencing factors will be illustrated. 4) Analyze translation principles, methods and strategies with examples. 5) The way to conduct this research and the aspects of this thesis are decided by reading and commenting many relative essays and texts of as well. 2 Literature Review 2.1 Stylistic Feature of Chinese Calligraphy Calligraphy is a wonderful Chinese classical art, which eventually evolved into a unique art form, and has a long history. In the contemporary, it does not reduce any amount of its charm especially in a society not only with the progress of modern science and technology and the popularization of computers, instead, it still maintain a strong momentum of development, which has attracted the most Chinese participants, and the most extensive audience

　2.1.1 Traditionalism The essence of calligraphy art is tradition, which is determined by the characteristics of calligraphy. As a kind of Chinese character, calligraphy is too limited to create. Firstly, calligraphy, as a cultural representation or an art form, is not the same as other cultures or art form. Compared with painting, which has lots of space and possibility to imagine and create, a word, no matter how to write, we cannot make the structure change with excessive deformation, otherwise it is not the word that people do not know it. Secondly, the calligraphy‟ creation must be subjected to scope of the structure of the word. And all kinds of creation have been shown by the Chinese ancients during thousands of years. All kinds of styles, all kinds of books are basically can be found in record, so that it‟s difficulty for people today to achieve some breakthrough developments. At the same time, this also determines that the first mission for the contemporary calligraphers is to inherit, because the characters are the

　root of a nation"s cultural heritage. Calligraphy, as a representation of beauty, cannot lose its proper form in free creation. 2.1.2 Contemporaneity Any Calligrapher"s artistic creation would be influenced by the era of his life, so calligraphy art generally has a distinctive contemporaneity. For example: poetry reached its peak at Tang Dynasty, and calligraphy has reached its extreme; Li Bai"s poetry has a strong romantic color; Zhang Xu, Huai Su"s untrammeled calligraphy reflected the strong flavor of the Tang Dynasty‟s vitality and prosperity; the Song Dynasty CI creation reached a realm, with a strong bold style, and Su Dongpo"s words are representative. Influenced by the style of Su Dongpo"s Ci poems, the calligraphy of Huang Tingjian was also very bold and unrestrained, which reflects the appearance of the Song Dynasty. 2.1.3 aesthetic nature Calligraphy is a kind of aesthetic image; people appreciate it, for it is a beautiful image. We pursue the connotation of the art of calligraphy, but because of the particularity of the calligraphy art, it must firstly have the image of beauty. The formation of calligraphy is a kind of beauty, giving people the feelings of formalism. Therefore, the image of calligraphy is more abundant than the formal beauty of calligraphy. The beauty of this image must be considered from two angles: historical necessity and objective law. As a kind of traditional art, calligraphy has been developed for a long time; people have formed a lot of common understanding. Calligraphy, as an art form, has its own regularity. Therefore, the beauty of calligraphy image is not random. 2.1.4 Emotionality The calligraphy art has the sentiment. The calligraphy work which lacks of emotional expressions is hard to impress the audience. Making a fuss, ruthless and barely book, such works in whatever form, will be the lack of flexibility, lack of a breath from the author. Only love can evoke love, in order to strengthen emotion, in order to be move the audiences. If calligraphers are not good at express their emotion, their work are bound to be difficult to convey their feelings, then it will not create an emotional connection. Therefore, good calligraphy works must convey human‟s emotion; only such work can make audiences excited. 2.1.5 Simplicity The simplicity of calligraphy art is the rich connotations in simple structure. This

　principle has the following several aspects: simplicity, the combination of virtue and reality, a simple form of rich contents behind. Calligraphy, as a kind of line art, the composition of the line builds the unique art of writing

　[1] . In the history of calligraphy‟s development, some calligraphers preferred complex structure and expressing form. So there seems to be such a misunderstanding, that is, the more complex the calligraphy is, and the more difficult for audience to recognize the word, calligraphy is better. Simple is a kind of realm: people, who can make the complex simple, are at a kind of high level; people, who often make simple complex, are deliberately mystifying. Getting rid of tedious words and structures, and achieving simple, also seems to be the pursuit of many ancient calligraphers. Wang Xizhi"s "preface to Lanting Pavilion" is a natural, simple and representative works, which created a new generation of Chinese calligraphy history

　[2] . 2.2 Function of Chinese Calligraphy 2.2.1 The function of liberating It is an important function of the art of calligraphy. The calligraphy art is helpful to realize the liberation of people"s psychology, and help people to get the rest of the mind, and the spirit. 2.2.2 The function of expressing The art of calligraphy is a historical mirror, it reflects the basic features of China"s history and culture; at the same time it is a mirror of the individual, it can reflect the individual"s mental state and personality; it is a mirror of the society in the future, reflect the pursuit people having to the development of the society. The "reflection" feature of calligraphy art originates from the expressive function of calligraphy art. The important function of art lies in its performance. Calligraphy art also has the function of this kind of expression; it is to show the writer"s affection. 2.2.3 The function of guiding Many artists are philosophers and ideologists, for they have their own views on the development of society and life, and they express their ideas through art forms such as calligraphy. Their views on the development of society and the value on the orientation of life will be reflected through calligraphy, which has a positive effect on the wisdom of people and the development of society and life. 2.2.4 The function of criticizing It is also an important function of art to reflect and criticize the real society. There are many critical social calligraphy works in the history of our country; it has

　played a positive role to rectify malpractices from. 2.2.5 The function of cultivating As an art form, calligraphy art has a very important role in improving people"s comprehensive quality and cultivating people"s sentiment. The pursuit of the art of calligraphy can cultivate people"s ability to appreciate beauty and create beauty, to help people free from the heavy, monotonous life and get a quiet and gentle life instead, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing the burden of people"s life. It seems that the whole state of mind is washing and transformation by grasping the rhythm of calligraphy, which brings us enjoyment. 3 Theoretical Framework 3.1 Definition and Classifications of CSIs The concept of culture-specific items is first proposed by Aixelá [3] , who defined “culture-specific items (CSI)” as “textually actualized items whose function and connotations in a source text involve a translation problem in their transference to a target text, whenever this problem is a product of the nonexistence of the referred item or of its different intertextual status in cultural system of the readers of the target text”. According to Hermans [4] , proper nouns can be divided into two categories: conventional and loaded ones. In most societies literary translation seems to have become so important that the very concept of translation tends to be restricted to literary translation in comparison with other types of translation and other texts. Furthermore, translating culture-specific items in literary translations seems to be one of the most challenging tasks to be performed by a translator. 3.2 Strategies of Translating Chinese Calligraphy China traditional calligraphy is an indispensable part of Chinese culture, which plays an important role in the cultural exchange. However, in English literature, the phenomenon of poor quality translation and mistranslation is not uncommon, and this is the main problem currently Chinese traditional calligraphy literature translation faced with. In order to cross the cultural divide to spread China traditional culture in a better way, we are supposed to take everything into consideration, such as cultural background factors .Some sociologists believe that language reflects the characteristics of a nation

　[5] , which not only contains the historical and cultural background of the nation, but also plays an important role in culture. In a word, language and culture interact with each other. Therefore, if we want to understand a language, we need to understand the culture associated with it.

　Vocabulary, the basic unit of a language, especially the word loaded with some kind of specific cultural connotations, has an important role in translation, so this paper mainly focuses on the cultural-specific items and expressions, such as China traditional calligraphy terminology translation. Generally speaking, the translator should have a comprehensive analysis of the source text in the process of dealing with the cultural factors. We should take effective measures to realize the difference in communication and understanding between cultures when translating the source text. However, there is still not a guiding principle to choose to provide some directions to the translation of cultural-specific items. Chinese traditional calligraphy terminology translation is not only a question of skills but also the basic problems that whether culture loaded words meaning can get complete reproduction in the target language, and whether the cultural exchanges can be successfully completed in the translation

　[6] . So the choice of culture loaded words translation skills will constitute the basic research of cultural exchange. In this paper, the author tries to make a tentative study on the principles of translation of cultural loaded words from the perspective of the main factors affecting translation. The following is an example of translating culture loaded words. 3.2.1 The method of annotation Sometimes, it is impossible to find the appropriate corresponding cultural translation in the target language, which can only be annotated. For example, the Beauty of Whole work

　[7],

　which means the pattern of calligraphy, allows the audiences to appreciate it carefully from macro to micro in every detail. It is necessary for the translators to know that the calligraphy art‟s essential is the connections among every word and every line to penetrate into an organic whole, to show changes in rhythm and harmony, in the static as well as dynamic way. 3.2.1.1 The liaison between blood and vein The liaison between blood and vein refers to that no matter in the calligraphy style, form which is mutual contacted, or the images, all the factors get together into a whole one to function harmoniously and perfectly

　[8] . There is a vivid metaphor can help us understand it: when writing is just like to entertaining guests, we are supposed to care about every one of the them so that they are not feeling lonely and get along well with each other.

　3.2.1.2 Coexistence of substance and blank A piece of calligraphy, the place where is full of lines and words is called

　substance, and the place where noting stays is called blank. The calligraphy work should be regarded as an organic whole. The coexistence of substance and blank makes the calligraphy more beautiful and meaningful. 3.2.1.3 well-balanced This is another principle of a good calligraphy. The seal script, official script, regular script require a tidy modality. However, cursive script and grass script do not emphasize the principle of tidy, and display a free style.

　3.2.2 The method of transliteration

　The transliteration refers to translate directly the literal meaning of calligraphy term

　[9] . When we try to translate a noun, if its original meaning in source language is consistent with the word‟s meaning in target language, and the translation can meet the public"s aesthetic and cultural psychology, and the literal translation will not cause any uncomfortable or disgusting feelings, then we can choose the method of transliteration. The advantage of literal translation is to retain the original name, and can accurately convey the original information and emotion. For example, The Beauty of Composition: from the angle of structure, there are single words and combined words in the Chinese characters, whether it is a single word or a combined word, each word has a center or focus. In order to help beginners find the center to make the calligraphy structure and arrangement reasonable, there is a paper which called a rice shaped copybook, because in the block diagram there are four red lines

　which just like the Chinese characters "米" [10] . How to arrange words and reflect the beauty of calligraphy, it can be summed up in five aspects: straight and even, well-balanced, uneven and not uniform, coherence, and dynamic. Transliteration can convey the meaning of the original style

　[11] . But literal translation has some limitations. For example, sometimes the calligraphy is wordy and obscure, and then the transliteration cannot convey the correct meaning of the original text, sometimes even creating counterproductive effect. Therefore, mistranslation would happen if we care nothing about the situation, the differences between the two languages, different historical backgrounds which bound to result in different ways of thinking and different forms of language expression. So if the literal translation cannot function well, we can use free translation.

　3.2.3 The method both of transliteration and free translation The method require the translator to preserve the cultural meaning of words in the target language: when things and concepts that does not exist in western culture

　during the process of translation, translators should pay attention to whether there is overlaps or communication barriers between different culture, and then overcome the barriers of communication based on the cultural factors in order to obtain cultural equivalence as far as possible in the translation. For example, when introducing five Chinese style of calligraphy, in order to enable the reader to understand calligraphy style, the translator should refer to their cultural background, characteristics, scope and purpose. 3.3 Factors Influencing the Selection of Strategies Contemporary translation studies show that translation as a dynamic process, there is no fixed law, and there are no absolute correct translation methods. The attitude towards translation strategies should be avoided in the search for "loyalty" and "equivalence" between two different languages, or in a fixed translation mode

　[11] . The translator should try to narrow the gap caused by various cultural differences, and need to use compensation measures for various modifications in the choice of translation strategies and the choice of the words. The translator must consider comprehensively, and analysis carefully, in order to achieve the purpose of translation. 3.3.1 Influencing factors of pre translation behavior The first step of translation is to identify the problem. First of all, we must consider the situation and the external environment, including political environment, cultural environment and economic environment, etc.

　[12] . After that, the translator should also be aware of the key subjects involved in translation, which is a prerequisite for translation. In order to achieve the ideological communication among the readers, translators and authors, translators should attach great importance to the ways of thinking and emotional factors to build accurate interpretation of the authors to the readers. Therefore the reader"s way of thinking and aesthetic ideas should also be taken into consideration. And the ethics of the translator and translation view concept also affects this process. So, the author"s ideas and the translator"s ideas are the important factors influencing the pre translation behavior. 3.3.2 Influencing factors in Translation The first task of translation is to realize the transformation of language, that is to say, the translators should change the source language into the target language by means of vocabulary and syntax. In this process, the translator"s linguistic competence is an important component of translation, which is also the most important and

　fundamental factor in translation

　[13] . In addition, the language translation is also affected by the author"s writing style, language structure and expression, as well as the textual factors such as the source text, text type and so on. 3.3.3 Influencing factors of post translation behavior Generally speaking, the most important job is to check after the translation about the words, syntax, fluency, and further polish, until the completion of the final draft, which is largely influence by the relevant professional knowledge, language ability [14] . Moreover, translation is also affected by market factors and the evaluation of readers. At this point, the translator will stand on the position of the demand side to reexamine the text with, more consideration of the needs of readers the translation market. 4 Conclusion

　In the process of translation, we must take full account of the cultural factors. In the specific translation, if we can directly find the cultural image equivalence in the target language, we can use the method of literal translation. If the term relates to complex cultural connotation, we are supposed to use free translation combined with literal translation to explain. For few Chinese calligraphy terms full of characteristics, which are unable to find English similar things and express it with English relatively complicated jargon, it can be considered to use directly transliteration, and let the audience gradually get to know the meaning of the terms during the process of reading the text

　[15] . To sum up, in the context of intercultural communication, translation should be based on the cultural factors, which can be used to explain the cultural connotation.

　 R R eference

　[1]顾毅，薛晓林，2013,北京故宫书法藏品解说词中书法家官职的翻译.《博物馆学》第 1 期,23-25. [2]杨晓波,2009，中国书法书体名称英译对中国书法史的误读，《海译论坛》第 1期，67-69. [3]Aixelá, J. F. 1996. Culture-specific Items in Translation. In Álvarez, R. & M. Carmen-África Vidal. (eds.) Translation, Power, Subversion. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 52-78 [4]Newmark. P. 1981. Approaches to Translation.Oxford: Pergamon Press, 21-22. Newmark. P. 2001. A Textbook of Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 45-49. [5]Reiss, 1989. Text Type. Translation Types and Translation Assessment. Helsinki: Oy Finn Lectura Ab.,108-109

　[6]Theo, H. 1988. „On Translating Proper Names, with Reference to De Witte and Max Havelaar‟, Modern Dutch Studies. London:Athlone, 11-13. [7]顾毅，2013,博物馆书法展品解说词中审美术语的翻译——以“平正”为例，《翻译研究》第 5 期，41-45. [8]金惠康.跨文化旅游翻译，北京：中国对外翻译出版公司，2006. [9]李莹.从文化角度看博物馆文物翻译中的归化异化[J]， 《广东外语外贸大学学报》（1）20-25,2005. [10]赵佳（2014），试论符号学视角下象喻性书法术语的英译.中间翻译（6）：93-98

　[11]杨晓波（2009），中国书法书体名称英译对中国书法史的误读，中国科技翻译 22（1

　[12]陈廷佑（2010），《中国书法》。北京：五洲传播出版社 [13]曹利华（2014），中国书法史上的兰次飞跃，美与时代旬刊（3）；82-86 [14]王克非．英汉比较与翻译［M］．北京:外语教学与研究出版社，2010:3

　[15]金惠康．跨文化交际翻译［M］．北京:中国对外翻译出版社，2003:258．

　 Acknowledgement Many people have made invaluable contributions, both directly and indirectly to my research. I would like to express my warmest gratitude to my supervisor, for his instructive suggestions and valuable comments on the writing of this thesis. Without his invaluable help and generous encouragement, the present thesis would not have been accomplished. At the same time, I am also grateful to my teachers and classmates for providing me with valuable advice and access to the related resources on my thesis. Besides, I wish to thank my colleagues, who helped me search for reference. What"s more, I wish to say "Thanks!" to the 100 subjects in this study for providing me chances to do the empirical study. Finally, I greatly appreciate my parents and husband"s support and endless love. My heart swells with gratitude to all the people who helped me.