The Language Appropriateness in English—Chinese Translation under the Context Theory

蔡燁莉

【Abstract】Language is the most important tool in the communication of human beings. The appropriateness of language means the clear and accurate utterance， the smooth expression and the proper expression effect. Language context refers to the real situation in which language is used， which is a significant factor during the translation activities. This thesis studies the appropriateness of language under the context theory through cases and comparison and proposes some ways to better achieve the appropriateness of language under the English-Chinese context.

【Key words】Language Appropriateness； English-Chinese Translation； Context Theory； Culture Difference

1. Introduction

The appropriateness of language refers to that the content of the utterance is clear and accurate， the expression is smooth and the effect of the expression is proper. The principles of appropriateness demand that the participants in the communication should base on the context or the specific situation to choose proper utterance to achieve the best expression effect.

2. The Context Theory

Context is the abbreviation of langue and parole. The conception of context was initially put forward by the British anthropologist， B.Malinouski. He differentiated two kinds of context. And one of them is linguistic， another is the non-linguistic one.

3. The Problems of Language Appropriateness in English-Chinese Translation

Translation between English and Chinese is the representation of two different languages and cultures， so there are a lot of difficulties to achieve full equality. The translator can only make the best effort to realize the appropriateness of language.

3.1 Linguistic Problems

Linguistic problems cover a great deal of complexity， and the following part will bring a brief introduction to the linguistic problems， which are mainly divided into two aspects， the improper choice of words as well as the wrong choice of grammar.

3.1.1 Choice of Wrong Words

The meanings of words own polysemy， ambiguity， generality and emotional coloring. The ultimate one refers to the commendatory or derogatory sense of a word. Faced with the same objective facts， different people will have different reactions. When people need to repeat the truth， they may add their own views to the truth， forming the emotional coloring of words. Therefore， a lack of misunderstanding of the words emotional coloring and context will lead to inappropriateness.

3.1.2 Choice of Wrong Grammar

Compared to the simplicity and brightness of Chinese sentences， English sentences tend to be compact. The complicated and changeable English sentence structure is caused by the existence of conjunctions， relative pronouns， numerous phrases， etc. In terms of the translation of compound sentences， the main clause in English is deemed as a main part and it is placed at the beginning of the sentence， while in Chinese， it is placed in the end of the sentence according to the logic and chronological order. This case should be paid more attention in the process of translation.

3.2 Non-Linguistic Problems

The problems of language appropriateness in English-Chinese translation under the context include two categories， that is， linguistic and non-linguistic problems. The latter embodies two cases， situational mistranslation and cultural mistranslation.

3.2.1 Situational Mistranslation

Context and discourse are independent. A specific context demands a specific context. The combination of context and translation is called situational translation， which involves a few features， namely， the relationship between the speaker and the listener， time， location and means.

3.2.2 Cultural Mistranslation

Culture is a kind of complicated social phenomenon， representing the philosophy， history， geography， belief， human value， religion and rules of conduct of a nation. Cultural translation regards the cultural difference as the premise， and it is defined as the practice for the purpose of presenting ones own culture or solving issues concerning culture like dialects， food and architecture. The translator is supposed to show respect to the source and target culture.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion， the essence of the translation is a cultural activity that show the style and thought of the original text. The translator ought to take numerous factors into consideration， such as the reception ability and the experiences of audience， and should do certain adjustment of the relationship between the target and source language culture. The purpose of the appropriateness in the language translation is to make the readers have the similar experience and feeling just as the reappearance of the original text.