On the Effects on Translation of the Difference between Chinese and Western Patterns of Thinking10.docx

1、On the Effects on Translation of the Difference between Chinese and Western Patterns of Thinking10On the Effects on Translation of the Difference between Chinese and Western Patterns of ThinkingI. Introduction“So far as the definition of translation is concerned, it is easy for us to copy one from d

2、ictionary; translation is a rendering from one language into another, but that seems to be too simple.”(Hornby 65) Actually, translation concerns with not only the rendering between the original and target languages, but also the communication between the two cultures. And the most difficult thing i

3、n translating is just the translating of the two cultures. notes that the most essential difference between Eastern and Western cultures lies in the different “ patterns of thought”. Language is the reflection of the thought. andthoughtcontrols language. So language expressions result from the relat

4、ion between language and thought. The process of translating is not only the transfer of language forms but also the transfer of thought. Making the transfer of thought patterns with purpose in the course of translation we have to have the knowledge of“ the differences of the patterns of thought” is

5、 contributive to the natural and idiomatic translationPorter and Samovar point out that thought is the process which uses the conceptions,judgment and reasoning to reflect the objective world. It is proved by psychologists that thoughtcan process all kinds of information which enters the human brain

6、 and what we think can reflectthe material essences and solve the problems. For pattern of thought, there have been many other expressions to denote the same meaning: “mode of thinking”, “ways of thinking”, “thinking style”. “The form of reasoning prevalent in a society may be called the pattern of

7、thought in that society, which has been an aspect of culture that influences social perception.”(Pribram 121) Karl Program notes that mutual understanding and peaceful relations among the peoples of the earth have been impeded not only by the multiplicity of languages, but to an even greater degree

8、by differences in patterns of thoughtthat is, by differences in the methods adopted for defining the sources of knowledge, and for organizing coherent thinking. The most striking differences among philosophical doctrines are attributable to deep-seated divergences the methods of forming fundamental

9、concepts and of defining the functions of Reasonthat is, the cognition power of the human mind and the extent and validity of that power. “The research on Chinese and Western patterns of thinking, especially on the contrastive study of Chinese and Western patterns of thinking, is not only a kind of

10、old subject but also a new one.”(Deng 63)In the past 20 years,Many previous renowned scholars such as Yam Fu and Lin Yutan as well as many have been done on the issue and some have been used in studies from the past study. Contemporary specialists and scholars both in China and abroad have had their

11、 incisive ideas, which produce far-reaching influence in this field of study. The following discusses mainly the researches carried out by Chinese scholars.“The first person who gave a fairly complete comparison of Chinese and Western patterns of thought in China was Yam Fu. His study covered the fo

12、llowing three aspects. (qtd. in Zhang 23): Firstly, Chinese world outlook was a backward one in that it regarded things as going round and round again, while Western world outlook was an advanced one in that it regarded things as going forward continuously.Secondly, Chinese people were used to assum

13、ptions before making a decision, while Western people estimated things by experiments.Thirdly, Chinese were stagnant because they did not find a logical system like that of Westerners. They only stayed on the basis of the experiences accumulated in earlier times. Yam Fus points of view have a profou

14、nd and lasting influence on later generations. It was after Yam Fu that Chinese people began to pay attention to the lack of logic in Chinese patterns of thought in the contrastive study of Chinese and Western patterns of thought.During the period of “May 4 Movement”, the new cultural movement asked

15、 for “democracy and science”. Its purpose was to reveal the shortcomings of traditional Chinese pattern of thought as displayed in feudal society. Therefore, the contrastive study of Chinese and Western patterns of thought went deeper and further.According to Go Hanging, the famous scholar, “the Eur

16、opean people should learn from us Chinese people at the aspect of way of thinking.”(qtd in Lian 57) In favor of this point of view, Deng Summing tried to prove that traditional Chinese culture was superior to democratic Western culture in philosophy in his book Oriental and Western Cultures and Thei

17、r Philosophies. In Hun Shis opinion, he disapproved of Dengs point of view. “He believed that there were great differences between Chinese and Western cultures. He noted that the functions of humans mentality were roughly the same, so schools of thought were on the whole the same with only slight di

18、fferences.”(Wang 75) Differences in Chinese and Western patterns of thought were due to the fact that their social surroundings in which they came into existence were different. If the social surroundings of China were the same with that of the West, China would have had the same culture with Wester

19、n culture. It is obvious that the comparative study done by Liang Summing and Hun Shi went one step further than before. They demonstrated the similarities and differences in Chinese and Western patterns of thought, and proposed the question of “How to unite the two together so as to form a new patt

20、ern of thought”. Their answers to the question were not the same, though. Liang Summing was in favor of “going eastward”, while Hun Shi in favor of “going westward”.How the patterns of thought are formed is still not known. For the psychologists, the patterns of thought restricted and influenced by

21、physiological bases especially the brain structures are mainly the products of cultures, particularly influenced synthetically by the modes of production, historical tradition, geographic conditions, and philosophy. . Comparison between Chinese and Western Parent of ThinkingOn the basis of researche

22、s done by earlier scholars, the major features of Chinese and Western patterns of thinking are summarized in this chapter. Mutual understanding and peaceful relations among the peoples with different cultures have been impeded not only by the multiplicity of languages but also to an even greater deg

23、ree by differences in patterns of thinking.A. The Integral Pattern of Thinking vs Western Pattern of ThinkingAs mentioned in Chapter One, the relative stability of agricultural society made Chinese people in harmony with nature. Chinese people were clear that everything came from nature and that the

24、ir existence was dependent upon the bestowal of nature. The integral pattern of thinking has been developed gradually. Chinese people considered it to be an indivisible and interactive whole between man and nature, human order and universe order, individual and society, between spirit and substance,

25、 thought and existence, subject and object. In the opinion of Shaanxi, the great ancient Chinese thinker, life would disappear once there were some clear classifications in it. This is also a Chinese national character. They are afraid of establishing a clear-cut definition of the world. Rather, the

26、y would like to get a general comprehension of the matter, which resulted in ambiguity sometimes.In the West, Plato first proposed the thought of “separation between subject and object”. Since the latter half of the 15th century, the natural science has adopted the induction on the basis of observin

27、g and experiments, and thus metaphysic thought took the dominant part. The logic of Western pattern of thought puts emphasis on the research on appearance on the basis of nature, which resulted from analyzing the whole things. The analytical pattern of thought is prevailing in the West. The Western

28、systematic world and analytical pattern of thought often leads to clarity. From the above, it can be concluded that one of the major differences between Chinese and Western pattern of thought is that: Chinese people carry out a pattern of thinking in which man and nature are regarded as an integral

29、whole. The ideal of life is to unite man with nature, since they are originally a whole unit. This pattern of thinking is applied in analyzing nature, society and human beings. “While the Western people implement a pattern of thought in which man and nature are separate, the world is composed of ego

30、 and non-ego.”(Baugh 83)Such a difference comes from the different systems feudal society and capitalistic society, natural economy and commodity economy. In natural economy, nature is an object for man to worship and observe. The highest standard is the “Nature-Man Oneness”. In commodity economy in

31、 the West, nature and society are only the objects for man to make use of. The relationship between man and nature is: a) Man is above nature and outside nature, granted with the right to govern nature; b) Man and nature are opposites, nature is the object for man to win over, analyze, and realize;

32、c) Man can only exist in the struggles for conquering nature. As a result, different attitudes toward nature lead to the basic differences in Chinese and Western patterns of thought. These differences have produced two different culturescollectivistic culture and individualistic culture. In the coll

33、ectivistic culture of China, the individual will connect him or her to a large group. So Chinese patterns of thinking tend to consider it more important to comply with direct requests from others, to maintain self-control in front of the others, and to share credit for the successes and blame for the failures of the others. While members of Indi