Translation Of Texts With Cultural Default

CultWal default is a cornmon1y seen bul often ignored cultural phenomenonin written texts. It is the absence of the releva*nt cultural knowledge shared by the writerand his ifltended readers. The construction of the coherence of cultural default in a textis secured in that the readers can retrieve the relevant cultural information from theirmemory schemata. According to the Reception Aesthetics theory, the occurrence ofcultWal default in a text can stimulate the readers' imagination, increase theconununicative efficiency between the writer and the readers, and hence strengthen theaesthetic effect of the text. Bul in translation, cultural default of the original texts oftentUrns out to be a' tough nut to crack due to the difference of cultures. The present thesisallemptS to probe into the various aspects of the influence imposed by cultural defaulton tTanslation as well as the many problems bred by culttiral default in translationpractices in the hope of finding some practical aPproaches to translating texts withcultural default.First of all, the author of this thesis states the necessity of the research by revealingthe inextricable connection among language, culture and translation. In view of theclose relationship between language and culture, translation is inevitably aninter-cultural activity, rather than a simple process of inier-lingual transference. Thediscussion of translation of texts with cultural default can help us resolve culforaltranslation problems betteT, thus enhancing cultural conununication. The aUthor thenmakes an overall analysis of cultural default from the aspects of its definition,mechanism of fOrmation, aesthetic value and classifications.Because of cultUral disparity in translation, cultural default of the original textsposes a big challenge to the translator The translator, as a mediator between the SLwriter and the TL readers, must qualify himself with the fOllowing aspects. On one hand,he must have a good conunand of the two language-cultures concerned; on the otherI 1}j.2hand, he shou1d make an accurate assUmPtion of the TL readers' cultural knowledge soas to form a correct judgment. In translation practices, nevertheless, translationproblems arising from cultUral default are not rare due to the translator's incompetencein cultUral knowledge or inadequate assumption of the TL readers' cultural Anowledge,or sometimes due to the interference of cultural presupposition in the translator'sinterpretation of the SL texts.Grounded on the above anaIysis, this thesis systematically explores the translationprinciples, aPproaches and methods of texts with cultural default. The author first setsout discussing the general tfanslation principles, and then proceeds to presellt the greatcofltribution translation has made to cultural exchange and development, therebystressing on the foreignization of the translation of texts with cultural default. Theauthor sums uP fOur translation methods commonly used in tTanslation practices, naxnely,literal translation, literal translation with notes, literal translation with coniextualexplanation, and free translation. The pertinence of each is fully discussed. At the sametime, the athor points ollt the inevitable translation loss in the translation of texts withcultural default.The thesis finally concludes that translation and cultural exchange arecomp1imeflting each other. Along with the development of cultural exchange, morecases of cultural default of the original texts will be directly recognized and accepted bythe target readers, Which, of course, relies greatly on the translator's conscious andpersistent efforts.