A Contrastive Study On Translation Of Color Terms Between Chinese And English

The colors in the nature are rich and various, they are closely related to human beings, and we are dealing with the colors all the time. There are countless kinds of colors in the world, and they not only have their own unique physical attributes, but also a distinct reflection in the language. The realization of colors is one of the basic cognitive areas. Although different languages have their own color terms to express the color, they also have many colors in common, such as the basic color words, black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, etc. However, because of the different geographic conditions, national customs, histories, politics, economy and national psychology, they are in the different expression during the translating from one language to another. They all have their own cultural characters. This requires different methods during the process of translation.There are plenty of color words in both Chinese and English, but their connotations are quite different. This thesis discusses the different implications and applications of color words between English and Chinese in politics, religion, economy, military events and social life by means of contrast. Different semantic meanings of Chinese and English color words lead to the different comprehensions to their metaphoric meanings. There are many differences in the use of colors and color words as well as in the understanding and mastering the same color for reasons of different language habits, thinking styles, social systems, traditional customs, geographical surroundings, national psychology and other factors. Therefore, it is necessary to know and study these differences so that we can improve our language ability and make the intercultural communications successful. This thesis is going to do a contrastive study on the common used color terms of Chinese and English. It mainly analyzes the characteristics of color words and the distinctions of color terms between Chinese and English from the aspect of cultural connotation. Later, because the differences exist in two languages, this thesis is to discuss the color words from the perspective of translation methods, aiming at confirming the suitable translating method and accurately transmitting information, which is also beneficial to the cultural exchange and can help to enrich cultures on both sides.