Cultural Challenges in Translating Official Chinese Documents
Chinese official communication poses unique challenges for translation into English due to cultural differences in dialogue norms. The literal translation can fail to engage Western audiences, relying heavily on aphorisms and stock expressions. Issues like verbosity, repetition, over-conceptualization, and obsessive precision further complicate the translation process. The use of scare-quotes, leaden adjectives, and excessive lists create barriers in conveying the intended meaning effectively.
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Cultural Issues in Translating Official Chinese Documents The Role of China Keywords David W Ferguson 18thJune 2016
Contents Introduction 1. Cultural issues 1. Lists of lists 2. Interminable sentences 3. Verbosity 4. Pointless repetition 5. Over-conceptualising 6. Obsessive precision 7. Scare-Quotes ! 8. Leaden Adjectives 9. Reverse-Nike syndrome 2. China Keywords 3. Conclusion
Introduction The way that Chinese officials and governments at all levels communicate with each other does not lend itself to translation into English. Many cultural norms in Chinese dialogue are very different from Western norms in some cases they are the opposite of what is considered to be good English style and practice. When translated simply, directly, and literally, they can fail to engage with Western target audiences, They ca even risk alienating them. Chinese culture also makes much wider use of aphorisms and stock expressions than Western culture. This has created a plethora of official phrases and expressions requiring translation into English This process often involves the invention of English versions which can be leaden and contrived.
1. Cultural Issues in Translation 1. Lists of lists 2. Interminable sentences 3. Verbosity: Endeavouring to say in one hundred words what could have been said in ten. 4. Repetition: Repeating the same piece of information two or more times in the same paragraph or even sentence. 5. A tendency to over-conceptualise 6. Obsessive precision with numbers 7. Over-use of scare-quotes 8. Leaden adjectives 9. Reverse-Nike syndrome Never just do it
1.1 Lists of Lists Extract from a speech delivered during the Two Meetings: Effort should be invested in improving the modern enterprise system and the supervision and administration of state-owned assets, extending the reform of municipal commercial banks and other corporate financial institutions, supporting the regional financial reform pilot, completing the government budget management and tax-sharing systems at sub-provincial level, establishing and improving the risk prevention and control system of government debts, expanding the pilot program of ensuring basic funding for town-level governments, compiling directories for approved investment projects, regulating local government financing platforms, optimising the link between the increase in land used for urban construction with the decrease in land used for rural construction in order to create an integrated market for urban and rural construction, improving the benefit compensation mechanism for resource exploitation, pressing forward with the marketized pricing of natural gas, and adjusting and optimizing the pricing systems of water and electricity. Presenting this information in the form of a speech does not involve any kind of interaction on any human level.
1.1 Lists of Lists Effort should be invested in: improving the modern enterprise system and the supervision and administration of state-owned assets extending the reform of municipal commercial banks and other corporate financial institutions supporting the regional financial reform pilot completing the government budget management and tax-sharing systems at sub-provincial level establishing and improving the risk prevention and control system of government debts expanding the pilot program of ensuring basic funding for town-level governments compiling directories for approved investment projects, regulating local government financing platforms optimising the link between the increase in land used for urban construction with the decrease in land used for rural construction in order to create an integrated market for urban and rural construction improving the benefit compensation mechanism for resource exploitation pressing forward with the marketized pricing of natural gas adjusting and optimizing the pricing systems of water and electricity. At least it is now intelligible
1.2 Interminable sentences A history of Taiwan: However, the previous Constitution of the Republic of China contained some restrictions on the power of the president ; therefore the resolution retained the Presidential emergency powers during the Suppression Period and the three institutions established during that period: the National Security Conference , the National Security Bureau and the Personnel Administration Bureau of the Executive Yuan , to ensure Lee Teng-hui s continuous grip on real power, which made the KMT-led constitution amendment full of the characteristics of Lee Teng-hui, who repeatedly stressed the purpose of constitution amendment as to meet the demand of the current politics, The Republic of China , after more than 40 years rebellion and suppression period, has accumulated quite a lot of problems in constitutional system, which may greatly hinder the establishment of party politics and further development of democracy, if not resolved thoroughly , and To revise instead of formulating a new constitution , we would make it more suited to the current needs, through reviewing and revising the many constitutional problems such as strengthening the representativeness of the elected representative bodies, promoting the legalization of local autonomy and the generation of the heads of the governments at all levels. (190) By the time you reach the tenth sub-clause you have probably exhausted your readership s capacity to understand what you are saying
1.2 Interminable Sentences However, the previous Constitution of the Republic of China contained some restrictions on the power of the president . The resolution therefore retained the Presidential emergency powers during the Suppression Period and the three institutions established during that period: the National Security Conference , the National Security Bureau and the Personnel Administration Bureau of the Executive Yuan . This was to ensure Lee Teng-hui s continuing grip on real power, and as a result the KMT-led constitutional amendment was heavily influenced by Lee. He repeatedly stressed that the purpose of the amendment was to meet the demands of current politics, saying: After more than 40 years of rebellion and suppression, the constitution of The Republic of China is beset by numerous problems, which if not fully resolved threaten to hinder the establishment of party politics and the further development of democracy. He added: By revising instead of formulating a new constitution we will make it more suited to current needs, addressing problems such as the need to strengthen the representative nature of the elected representative bodies, to legalize local autonomy, and to improve the quality of heads of government at all levels. Here is the same information presented in five sentences. It is now intelligible.
1.3 Verbosity A document concerning provincial measures to implement the requirements of the current 5-year Plan: To strengthen atmospheric pollution prevention and control, people s governments at all levels in the province will set up special funds for atmospheric pollution prevention and control to intensify effort in supporting atmospheric pollution abatement, according to the Provincial Government. (39 words) According to the Provincial Government, local authorities at all levels will set up special funds to strengthen atmospheric pollution prevention and control. (22 words) There is not one single piece of important or useful information in the first sentence of 39 words that is not contained in the second sentence of 22 words
1.4 Pointless Repetition A newspaper article about China s high-speed rail: Joint action by the two ministries ultimately created a CRH380 series, a milestone and a turning-point in China's high-speed rail technology, reversing the direction of the development of China's high-speed rail technology. An official book about grassland culture: Lamb pilaf, prepared with mutton or mutton chops, carrots, onion and rice, is a very popular food combining rice, mutton and vegetable. Each of these sentences can stop at the point that the text has been changed to red
1.5 A tendency to over-conceptualise A School Principal s speech on a visit to an American educational conference: Under the guiding idea of cultivating perfect students through aesthetic education, various campuses are accelerating integration, promoting connotation, and advancing integration process of resources, in order to achieve the goal of "cultures in communication, teachers in harmony, and quality in common". This sentence contains a lot of words which are (more or less) in the right order, but mean absolutely nothing.
1.5 A tendency to over-conceptualise "I am going to promote connotation" simply means nothing at all. "I am going to accelerate integration" means nothing unless you explain what you are going to integrate, and what you are going to integrate it with. "I am going to advance the integration process of resources" means nothing because the phrase "integration process of resources" means nothing. Quite literally, you might as well say "I am going to reverse the channelling process of dumplings - it is equally meaningless. A sentence of 41 words in which, under a guiding idea so vague as to be practically meaningless, various campuses are going to engage in three actions which are utterly meaningless, in pursuit of a goal so vague as to be practically meaningless.
1.6 Obsessive precision From a book about investigating the Daming Palace in Chang an: A field survey was carried out at the remains of Hanyuan Hall. The foundation of the hall was 15.6m high, 67.33m wide from east to west and 29.2m long from north to south. The hall covered a total floor area of 1,966.04m2. That invaluable final digit (4) renders this figure correct to a precision of one five hundredth of one percent equivalent to a postage stamp on a tennis court! From a general guide to Beijing City: In 2014, the turnover of securities in Beijing s market reached 23.23186 trillion yuan, including 8.57145 trillion yuan from stock trading and 11.06575 trillion yuan from bond trading. This goes ten times better. The final digit (6) renders this figure correct to a precision of one five thousandth of one percent The obsessive precision renders the figures absurd. These are not scientific treatises they are documents presenting information to a general readership. In such cases, there is no need for any more than two decimal places in the second example, or any at all in the first.
1.7 How not to use Scare Quotes From a memoir detailing experiences during the Cultural Revolution: I participated in the revolution when I was not a target More than two hundred graduates joined other Beijing youth from different schools and got on board a chartered train There is no reason for any of these words to be in scare quotes . They appear to have been selected on an entirely random basis
1.7 How to use Scare Quotes What are scare quotes for? To flag up that the writer is using a recently-coined phrase with which readers might not be familiar e.g. New Normal To flag up that the writer is using a word or expression out of its normal context possibly in a figurative sense: e.g.This was no ordinary act of terrorism There is no such thing as an ordinary act of terrorism. To indicate that the writer is challenging some feature of the literal meaning of the expression: e.g. China will talk about Western media references to the China threat to make it clear that it rejects the legitimacy of the accusation. The point of scare quotes is that they are supposed to be used sparingly. Imagine watching a two-hour long horror movie in which a zombie leaps in front of the camera every two seconds
1.8 Leaden Adjectives From a book about the anti-Japanese war: Thousands of Chinese youth left their classrooms and devoted themselves to the struggle under the resisting-the-Japanese- aggression banner raised by the CPC Thousands of Chinese youth left their classrooms and devoted themselves to the struggle under the banner of resistance against the Japanese aggression raised by the CPC. This vigorously-opposed-to-the-Japanese-invasion man continued the struggle This man, who was vigorously opposed to the Japanese invasion, continued the struggle Both of the highlighted phrases are adjectives
1.9 Reverse-Nike Syndrome never just do it A Scottish politician s diary: This morning I got out of bed, washed my face, put on my clothes, and ate my breakfast (18) A Chinese politician s diary: This morning I strenuously got out of bed, relentlessly washed my face, earnestly advanced the putting on of my clothes, and unswervingly adhered to promoting the development of my breakfast eating work practice construction in an all round way (39) A series of words that are in many instances entirely redundant: strenuously, relentlessly, unwaveringly, unswervingly, advance, adhere to, promote,development, work, practice , construction, respectively, successively, in an all round way
2. China Keywords There are hundreds of expressions in common use in Chinese official communications that are familiar to Chinese readers: Historical: The Mass Line Crossing the river by feeling for the stones Reform & Opening Up The Important Thought of Three Represents The Scientific Outlook on Development Contemporary: The Chinese Dream The Two Centennial Goals The One Belt and One Road The Four Comprehensives Three Stricts and Three Earnests These are fundamental to Chinese political thinking, and it is essential that they be rendered accessible and understandable to a Western audience
2. China Keywords Some of these expressions need to be explained to a Western audience Others need to be revised to turn them into something closer to native English: The Four Comprehensives -> The Four-pronged Strategy Three Stricts and Three Earnests -> Six guidelines for ethical behaviour and responsible action The China Academy of Translation (CAT) is involved in a major project called China Keywords The objective of the project is to produce a glossary of terms that can be easily accessed by Chinese translators and Western readers Ultimately, the project will cover several hundred important Chinese terms and expressions See http://www.china.org.cn/english/china_key_words/
3. And finally An exercise try to back-translate this into your own language and see what you end up with: What needs to be done is to press on along the path of combating corruption and upholding a clean government with Chinese characteristics to strive for overall advancement of political integrity through efforts in upholding the Party s progressive nature and purity, in improving Party conduct, and in combating corruption and upholding clean government and endeavor to bring into being a corruption-free atmosphere where officials are honest, the government is clean, and political integrity is upheld, so as to promote the scientific development of politics, provide the various undertakings of the Party and state with corruption- free soil and make political integrity a reliable guarantee for the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Is this really the ideal way for China to present itself to the world ?
