The Differences between Chinese Long and Western Dragon.docx

1、The Differences between Chinese Long and Western DragonThe Differences between Chinese Long and Western DragonAbstract In this paper, I would like to discuss the differences between Chinese Long and western dragon. The two words “Long(龙)” and “dragon” are often translated into each other in English-

2、Chinese or Chinese-English translations. But they are quiet different under the background of Chinese and western culture. In my paper, I will introduce the difference between Chinese Long and western dragon, and then analyze some misunderstanding caused by this mistranslation. The conclusion and su

3、ggestions will be showed in the last part. Main bodyWith the rapid development of the Internet and transportation, intercultural communication is become more and more frequent, people mainly get the information of other culture through translations, so accurate translations become in great need. But

4、 there are great differences existed in different languages. People in every nation always understand other nations culture with their own views without considering whether they are right or wrong in origin. Thus the misunderstandings between different nations come into being. So the misunderstandin

5、g caused by translations is worth our concerns. Taking Chinese word “Long(龙)” for example, Long is a traditional culture-loaded word in Chinese which is the symbol of auspiciousness and authority. This word is always translated into English word dragon in many translations. But in Western peoples ey

6、es, the English word dragon is the symbol of devil and bugbear. Because of the translation from Long to dragon, great misunderstanding arises between Chinese peoples and western peoples minds.A. Long in China In ancient China, there are many origins about Long, such as lizard, crocodile, dinosaur an

7、d so on. Long is regarded as totem in ancient times. People in that times admired Long though it is just an imaginary animal in the legend. In China, Long is attached to a plenty of commendatory cultural meanings. Since the ancient times, Long has been regarded by Chinese people as the incarnation o

8、f their ancestor. Consequently they like to think themselves as the offspring of Long. Hence loong has been regarded as the symbol of China and Chinese people. In Chinese culture, the traditional symbol of royalty is Long. The word Long stands for the Chinese emperor. Therefore many things which are

9、 connected with the emperor contain the word Long.In Modern Chinese Dictionary, the original meaning of Long is a kind of a supernatural animal, which carries horns and whiskers and only has one head. It can make rain as wanted in legend. The second meaning is the head of animals, which can be black

10、 or bright, can be slender or coarse, can be short or long, flying to the sky in spring, and diving in the sea in autumn. In other words, Long is the head of changeable water animals, which is helpful for everything. So people awe and admire it as totem. And Long can also be regarded as imagery of h

11、eroes and wise persons. B. Dragon in Western CountriesThe dragon is often a symbol of devil to westerners. They regard the dragon as a fierce monster that can destroy other things. Therefore, in their opinion, it can make many disasters. There are several stories of heroes dealing with the struggles

12、 against such monsters, which in most cases are killed in the end. And these can be seen in many western films. For example, in the film Harry Potter, dragon is a cruel character, in this movie, Harry fights against the dragon to stop it from destroying the world. Western films can reflect western c

13、ultures. Of course, the characters in their films can reflect directors opinions. The image of dragon in the films is the reflection of dragon in western legend.In Bible, Satan, a devil, is called the great dragon. Revelation in the Books of The New Testament of Bible describes dragon like this: A g

14、reat red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his head. And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there is no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thro

15、wn down, then ancient serpent, which is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. In Microsoft Encyclopedia, dragon is described as a legendary reptilian monster similar in form to a crocodile and usually repr

16、esented as having wings, huge claws, and a fiery breath. Above it is about the appearance of dragon. From the description, dragon is very ugly, and its figure is very huge.In Europe, there is a famous dragon named Hydra, which is very cruel and rude. Hydra has nine heads and has long life. It is ver

17、y different from Long in China. And European people hate Hydra very much. Thus dragon in western countries mainly means cruel and bad things. For example, “we call her a dragon” means she is very rude. “The Old Dragon” refers to the Satan in Bible, and in the phrase “chase the dragon”, dragon means

18、drug, which can make people crazy and go to death.C. Comparison between Long and DragonAccording to the analysis above, Long and dragon can be compared as follows. Dragon: (1) Having many heads (2) Ugly in appearance (3) Evil force Long: (1) Having one head (2) Emperor (3) Wise people; It is obvious

19、 that there are many differences between them, they originate from different cultures. In fact the Chinese word Long has much more meanings than dragon. And meanings of Long are fine, while dragon mostly means bad things.DMisunderstandings Caused by the Wrong TranslationThe improper translation exis

20、ts in different parts of life. The wrong translation make Chinese people face a lot of difficulties. Some Chinese students who study in European countries are laughed by westerners, when they introduce their nation is a country of dragon. Though it is just a word, it has hurt the feelings between Ch

21、inese and western people. Words are also languages in some extents. What is a language? It refers to the culture of one country, and can embody personality of one country. So languages in different countries are different, though they have something in common. If using Chinese dragon for Long, weste

22、rn people maybe give the differences between dragon and Chinese dragon, but they still cannot imagine what Chinese dragon is like. The translation cannot embody the characteristics of Long. There are also many other misunderstandings. For example, Chinese phrase “Wang Zi Cheng Long(望子成龙)” means long

23、ing to ones son successful. If some people translate it into longing to ones son to be a dragon, western people will think why Chinese people want their children to be a cruel person. The bad impression of dragon in western peoples eyes is deep for a long time. It is very difficult to let them accep

24、t it. In Chinese culture, Long means authority. But in western peoples eyes, dragon is a kind of bugbear that destroys the whole world. Many heroes want to fight against it. It is very difficult for westerners to understand why Chinese people like it.All the misunderstandings make the cultural commu

25、nications go on badly. The best symbol of China faces a serious problem in communications. In order to change the situation and solve the problem, correcting the English name of Long is an inevitable action.Since mascots of 29th Olympic games were informed, many people were very surprised at that Ch

26、inese Long，which is regarded well by Chinese people all over the world, was not chosen. Beijing Olympic Committee explained that Long has many different definitions and understandings in different countries. If choosing Long as mascot and then translating it into dragon, many people all over the wor

27、ld will misunderstand China. From this event, it can be known that the wrong translation has affected the leaders of China to make decisions.Even though Chinese people maybe correct the mistake, westerners still use the word dragon to interpret Chinese word Long. In their minds, Chinese kings are ve

28、ry cruel to people, which is just like the impression of dragon in their hearts. But foreigners do not realize the differences between them, so their view is one-sided. Chinese word Long has much more meanings than what they think. And it mainly means kindness. In order to make the communication be

29、more harmonious, the misunderstandings should be paid attention and eliminated.Some foreign scholars gave the speeches or wrote articles on the internet and other occasions. They regarded the offspring of dragon as the child of devil, being based on that dragon is devil and bugbear. They are lack of

30、 benevolence, and have bad imagine on China. The world is unified, and the civilizations have different forms. The globalization should be the combination with all kinds of civilization, not be one kind. Chinese people cannot think westerners opinions with their eyes. At the same time, Chinese peopl

31、e cannot ask them to understand Chinese people with our eyesight. EConclusionChinese culture has its specialty. If we want to introduce it to other countries, and make foreigners understand or accept it correctly, the culture-loaded words must be translated properly. If not, misunderstandings will h

32、appen, and the functions of cultural communication will not exist.Because of improper English translation dragon, many foreigners do not understand Chinese Long culture. They cannot understand why Chinese people regard Long as Chinese symbol. The cost is very ponderous. Because of this misunderstand

33、ing, the Olympic Committee did not choose loong as Olympic mascot. Because of the improper translation, westerners think Chinese people ugly, and think Chinese culture aggressive. This mistake has been in peoples minds for a long time. When Chinese people communicate with foreigners and introduce Chinese Long cu