A Report On The Simulated Simultaneous Interpreting Of The Grand Canal Of China Guided By Cultural Translation Theory

The Grand Canal,as a brand of China’s profound history and brilliant culture,is not only a precious treasure cherished by the Chinese people but also the common wealth shared by the whole human society.Since the approval of the Grand Canal onto the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 2004,the Chinese governments at all levels have constantly emphasized the conservation,inheritance and utilization of the Grand Canal culture,evidenced by the construction of the Grand Canal cultural belt and the release of relevant documentaries.The Grand Canal of China,a documentary produced by China Central Television(CCTV)10 in 2014,gives a vivid introduction to the Grand Canal.Till now,this documentary does not have a translated or interpreted version.It has been selected as the material for the simultaneous interpreting task in the hope of facilitating the communication of the Grand Canal culture and promoting Chinese culture "going global".This translation report is a simultaneous interpreting report on the first episode of The Grand Canal of China.It analyzes three difficulties in the task and accordingly proposes feasible solutions.This report concludes that material culture-specific items,social culture-specific items and linguistic culture-specific items are three significant challenges that the author encountered in her interpretation.Confronted with these difficulties,the author made full preparations before interpreting,searching relevant information concerning the Grand Canal.During the interpreting process,the author adopted mimesis and compensation,two tactics in accordance with the cultural translation theory,including specific methods like mimesis,substitution,explanation,and deculturation.This report finds out that the cultural translation theory as proposed by Liu Miqing provides the theoretical basis for the handling of culture-specific items in interpreting cultural documentaries,and helps to avoid some of the errors caused by the cognitive load in the interpreting process.Based on the simultaneous interpreting task,this report attempts to enlighten the interpreting of cultural documentaries and help foreign friends obtain a better understanding of the Grand Canal culture in particular and Chinese culture in general.