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A Study on English Translation Strategies for Food Culture in Savoring Yanzhao from the Perspective of Cultural Translation

Author(s)

Bingqing He, Lu Yang

Affiliation(s)

Changchun Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China

Abstract

As Chinese culture reaches out to the world, the translation of local cultures into foreign languages has drawn growing scholarly attention. Chinese traditional cuisine, one of the treasures of Chinese culture, embodies the cultural genes and local customs of the Chinese nation and forms a part of traditional Chinese culture that cannot be overlooked. Yet many culture-specific items in Chinese food culture are difficult for foreign readers to grasp, and obstacles do arise when such texts are translated for overseas audiences. Taking the local food-culture text Savoring Yanzhao of Hebei Province as a case study, this paper examines from the perspective of cultural translation the methods adopted in its English rendering, and shows that the translator’s use of cultural retention, cultural compensation, cultural transformation, and cultural integration succeeds in conveying food-culture information while preserving the source culture and raising the acceptability of the target text. Through this case analysis, the paper hopes to offer some reference for the translation of local food cultures.

Keywords

Cultural Translation; Food Culture; Translation Strategies; Culture-Loaded Words; Savoring Yanzhao

References

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