英漢姓名翻譯

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          英漢姓名翻譯

          [Abstract]Ascarriersofcultures,ChineseandEnglishnamesarefullofculturalconnotations,andresultinculturalgapbetweenEnglishandChinese.Personalnamesarenotonlysymbolsthatdistinguishonepersonfromothers,butalsosocialsymbols.Itis“amirrorofculture”.Throughcomparativestudyona

          nation’shistory,religion,conceptsofmoralandvalue,wecanseedifferentculturalconnotationsbetweenEnglishandChinesenames.Andthensuggestsometranslationprinciplesandmethods.TherearesomesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChinesenames,suchastotemism,consciousnessofroot-seeking,specializingpoints.InChinesenames,wecanfindthecultureofreligiousconcepts,Confucian-worship,hierarchy.Andthereligion,personal-orientation,individualismcanalsobefoundinEnglishnames.InthetranslationofChineseandEnglishnames,translatorsshouldfollowthepronunciationoftheowner’slanguageandadopttheestablishedpopulartranslatednames,usetransliterationandparaphrasesoastoreflecttherealmeaningofEnglishandChinesenames.

          [KeyWords]EnglishnamesandChinesenames;culturalconnotation;translationprinciple;translationmethod

          [摘要]姓名,作為一種文化載體,蘊(yùn)涵著極其豐富的文化內(nèi)涵,英漢姓名因而存在著巨大的文化差異。姓名不僅僅是一種簡(jiǎn)單的區(qū)別于他人的符號(hào),它同時(shí)也代表一種社會(huì)文化現(xiàn)象,被喻為“文化的鏡像”。通過(guò)對(duì)英漢姓名的歷史淵源,宗教信仰,價(jià)值觀念等的對(duì)比研究,揭示出英漢姓名的深層文化內(nèi)涵及社會(huì)文化因素的影響,進(jìn)而對(duì)這種富載文化內(nèi)涵的姓名的翻譯提出翻譯原則和翻譯翻譯方法。英漢文化的共性,如圖騰崇拜,尋根意識(shí),特指性,心理暗示等使英漢不同姓名的系統(tǒng)中出現(xiàn)一些類同的現(xiàn)象。英漢文化內(nèi)涵的差異,如中國(guó)的宗教觀念,崇儒思想,等級(jí)制度等文化因素都可以從中國(guó)人的姓名中反映出來(lái)。而英語(yǔ)民族的宗教信仰,個(gè)人取向,強(qiáng)調(diào)個(gè)性也在英語(yǔ)姓名中有所反映。由于英漢姓名的文化差異,在翻譯英漢姓名時(shí)應(yīng)遵循“名從主人原則”和“約定俗成原則”,采取音譯法和釋義法,或者兩者相結(jié)合,使人名的真實(shí)內(nèi)涵得到體現(xiàn)。

          [關(guān)鍵詞]英漢姓名;文化內(nèi)涵;翻譯原則;翻譯方法

          1.Introduction

          Namesareusedbyhumanbeingsandtheyarethesignsforpeopletodistinguishonepersonfromtheothers.Theyhavesomeparticularfunctionsthatnoothersignscanperform.Theyarenotonlylinguisticsymbols,butalsosocialsymbols,representingrelationshipinsocietiesandcultures.“Eachpersonhashisnamewhichdistinguisheshimselffromothermembersinthecommunity,andeachcountryhasitsownnamesystemowingtotheirdifferenthistoricalandculturalbackground”.[1]P1Inaword,personalnamesarewindowsforpeopletoseethroughdifferentculturesindifferentsocieties.Forthesereasons,thetranslationofChineseandEnglishnamesshouldfollowthepronunciationoftheowner’scountryandadopttheestablishedpopulartranslatednames,usetransliterationandparaphrasesoastoreflecttherealmeaningofChineseandEnglishnames.

          2.Relationbetweenpersonalnameandculture

          Personalnamesaretheproductsofthehistoricaldevelopmentofhumansociety.Theyreflecttheancientcivilizationandsplendidculturesfromdifferentrespects.Thechoiceofnametellssomethingabouthumansocietyandreflectsthesocialculture.Therefore,thedevelopmentofpersonalnamescannotbeisolatedfromthesocialculturebackground.Namesaretheinseparablepartofcultureandtheinevitableoutcomeofculturalevolution.Likeotherlinguisticphenomenatheyplaytheroleofcarrierandpropagatorofcultures.

          Cultureinfluenceseveryaspectofhumansociallifeandinfluencespeople’sbehavior.Personalnamesaretheoutcomeofpeople’sbehavior,sotheinfluenceofculturecanbeseenfromthechangingofpersonalnames.Forexample,“inancientChina,“龜”(gui,tortoise)wasoftenusedaspersonalnamewhichhadgoodconnotationoflongevity.However,afterMingDynasty,theconnotationofthecharacterchanged,whichindicatesamanwhosewifeisnotloyaltohim.Thenfewpeopleuse“龜”aspersonalnames”.[2]P2Inaddition,personalnamesarerestrictedbyculture,forinstance,ChinesepeoplearegreatlyinfluencedbyConfucianism,soobviousproprietiescanbeseeninChinesenames.“EnglishpeoplebelieveChristianandreligioussensecanbefoundintheirnames”.[3]P51Ontheotherhand,asakindofsocialreality,personalnamesexertitsinfluenceandactiononsocietiesandcultures.Forexample,thetabooonusingthepersonalnamesofemperorswasformedundertheinfluenceoffeudalhierardyculture.Onceithadbeenformeditbegantorestricteveryaspectofpeople’slife.Inshort,personalnamesandcultureinfluencerestricteachotherandactoneachother.Frompersonalnames,peoplecanseetheculturalsimilarityanddifferenceindifferentsociety.

          parativestudybetweenthetwonamesystems

          Everynationhasitsownhistory,duringwhichithasshapeditsownparticularcharacteristics.Asaspecialsocialandlinguisticphenomenon,namesrelatetoculturesextensivelyandprofoundly.Whenwelearnaforeignlanguageandtrytomakeeffectivecommunication,wemustunderstanditscultureandneedtoknowaboutnamesandnaming,justaswhenwestudyalanguageweneedtoknowitsvocabularyanditsgrammar.Inthissection,wearegoingtomakeacomparativestudyontheseaspectsbetweenChineseandEnglishnamesystems.

          3.1SimilaritiesbetweentheTwoSystems

          3.1.1Totemism

          “Atbeginning,thebasicofpersonalnameistotemism.Totemismmaybeanimals,plantsorunlivingthings.Thegroupoftentakessometotemastheirancestor,andthenuseditastheirownnames”.[4]P51“Inancienttimes,thehumanbeingswerenotonlyafraidofnaturalpower,butalsorespectit.Therefore,bothinChineseandEnglishpersonalnames,wecanfindlotsofnamesfromplace,animal,plant,unlivingthingsinnatureornaturalphenomenon”.[5]P82Forexample,inChinesenames,YanEmperor(炎帝,oneancestorofChinesepeople)livednearJiangWater(姜水,anameofariver),sohistribeusedjiang(姜)astheirtribename,HuangEmperor(黃帝,anotherancestorofChinesepeople)livednearJiWater(姬水,anameofariver)andusedji(姬)asthetribe’sname,andyao(姚)camefromtheplacecalledyaoxu(姚墟)whereShun(舜,anancestorofChinesepeople)lived.InEnglish,peopleusedthenaturalphenomenonasfamilynames,suchasFrost,Rain,andSnowetc.Andsomenamescomefromanimalnames,forexample,Bird,Bull,Lion,Fox,Wolfandsoon.Somecomefromplantnames,forinstance,Flower,Apple,Lily,Rose.Thisphenomenonreflectssimilarculturalconnotationthatnamesareassociatedwithprimitivetotemism.

          3.1.2Consciousnessofroot-seeking

          InChineseandEnglishnames,wecanfindnamestakenfromtheirbirth-placenames,suchasLiuZongyuan(柳宗元),afamouspoetinTangDynasty,wasbornatHeDong,sohehasanothernameLiuHedong(柳河?xùn)|).InChina,nowadays,wealsohavenameslikeWangChangcheng(王長(zhǎng)城),LiChangjiang(李長(zhǎng)江),etc.ThesenamesarecloselyconnectedwithChineseplaces.InEnglishpeoplealsotakeplacesastheirpersonalnames.“Forexample,Washington(華盛頓),Brook(溪流),Well(泉),Wood(林木)andsoon”.[6]P81Thesesimilaritiesshow,ashumanbeing,theyallhavetheconsciousnessofroot-seeking.

          3.1.3Specializingcharacter

          Mostnamesinliteraryworkshavespecialmeaning.“Theysymbolizesomeconnotationsthatgofarbeyondtheirliterarymeanings.Theybecomesomegeneraltermsindicatingcertainmeaning,symbolizingcertainpeople,orreferringparticularlytocertainsituationsoractions”.[7]P31

          Forexample,Shylock,inShakespeare’scomedyTheMerchantofVeniceindicatessomeusurersandbusinessmenwhoaremeanandcruel.Itcanalsobeusedasverbreferringtotheactionofowingusury.Forinstance,“Hisincomederivedfromillicitactivities-bookmaking,gambling,shylocking,andquestionableunionactivities”.

          TakethepersonalnameZhuGeliang(諸葛亮)asanotherexample.Itcanbeusednotonlytorefertothespecificpersonwhooncereallyexistedinhistory,butalsousedasacommonnoun.“諸葛亮”inthesaying“三個(gè)臭皮匠,頂個(gè)諸葛亮”(Workingtogether,threeordinarymencanbeaswiseasZhugeLiangwhowasaverywisemanintheThreeStatesPeriod)isnotspecificaperson,itreferstosamewisemenlikehim.InChineseliterature,wemayfindnameswithspeciallyimpliedmeaningchosebywriterswhotendtotakeadvantageofhomophone,whichactsasapun.Forexample,charactersinTheStoryofStonethatwrittenbyChaoXueqin.JiaYucun(賈雨村),Jiahua(賈化),ZhenShiyin(甄士隱),whichpronouncethesameasjiayucun(假語(yǔ)存--liesexist),jiahua(假話--telllies),zhenshiyin(真事隱--truthishidden).

          BothinChineseandEnglish,therearealsonamesingreatauthors’writingswhicharetakenascurrentvocabulary.

          HamletistheheroinShakespeare’stragedy“Hamlet”.Hisunclemurdershisfathersohewantstotakerevengesonhim.Buthehesitatessomuchinhisavengingplanthatintheendhehastopretendbeingmad.“Hamlet”inpresentEnglishisnotonlyoneofthecharactersinShakespeare’stragedy,butalsoconsideredasasynonymtoapersonwhoishesitatingindoingsomethingortoahesitatingaction.Ifpeoplethinksomeoneisveryhesitatingindoingsomething,theymaysay“YouareHamlet”.RipVanWinkleisoneoftheheroesintheworksoftheAmericanwriterWashingtonIrving.Heisahen-packedman.Oncebeingscoldedbyhiswife,herunsintotheCatskill,amountainnearhisvillage.Hefeelsrelaxedthereanddrinkstoomuchbeforefallingasleep.Whenhewakesup,itistoomanyyearslaterthateverythinginthevillagehasbeengreatlychanged.RipVanWinkleisnowreferringtosomepeoplewhoareold-fashioned,orwhosemindsandthoughtsaredroppedfarbehindfromthepresentsociety.Peoplemayexpresssomeone’sideathatisoutofdate,bysaying“ThisistheopinionofsameRipVanWinkle”.

          3.2Differencesbetweenthetwonamesystems

          Itissaidthateverycoinhasitstwosides.Wetalkedabouttheirsimilaritiesabove,andnow,wearegoingtotalkaboutthedifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishnamesystemsandtheircultureconnotation

          3.2.1Originoffamilynames

          Familynamesreflectdifferentnationalculturesandancientcivilizationfromvariouspointsofview.Beingakindofsocialphenomenonandcomplicatedpsychologicalprocess,familynamesrevealsocialreality.Sothedevelopmentoffamilynamescannotbeseparatedfromthesocialandculturalbackgroundonwhichtheyrely.Theformanduseoffamilynamesaredevelopingprogressivelywiththeevolutionofhistoryandchangingofsociety.

          (i)OriginofChinesefamilynames

          “ThenumberoffamilynamesinChineseismuchsmallerthanthatofEnglishname.Sofar,wehavealltogetherlessthantenthousandfamilynames,inwhich6363familynamesarefromtheHannationality.Butinthewest,thereare156thousandfamilynames,amongwhichthirty-fivethousandarefrequentlyseenindailylife”.[8]P6“ItisthoughtthatChinesefamilynamescameaboutinmatriarchalclansociety.Atthattime,everyclangotthedistinctiveclannamebasedontheirtotemordwellingplaces.TheclannamesaretheearliestfamilynameswhichinChinesearecalled姓(xing)”.[9]P9Afterpopulationofaclanmultiplied,theclandividedintoseveralbranchesandmovedtodifferentplacestolive.Theneachbranchwouldgettheirownbranchnametodistinguishthisbranchfromtheothers.Thenameofeachbranchiscalled氏(shi).Thedifferencebetweenthemisthat,theformeroneisusedtotellapartdifferentfamiliesinranksoffamilyinthesociety.So“xing”isnotchangeable,but“shi”canbechanged.InancientChina,therewouldbethousandofpeoplesharedthesamefamilynames,theycamefromthesameclansandlivedinthesamevillages,someofthemmaymovetootherplaces,buttheycouldn’tchangetheirfamilynames.

          Accordingtohistoricalrecords,inXia,ShangandZhouDynasties,“xing”and“shi”begantohaveclasscolorbesidestheiroriginalfunction.“Shi”,especially,wasbestownedbytheirruler.Asaresult,“shi”becamethemarkofthearistocracy.Onlythearistocratshad“shi”,andtheordinarypeoplehadno“shi”.Allthearistocratsweremenatthattime.Therefore,onlymenhad“shi”.“Thedistinctionbetween“xing”and“shi”disappearedinQinandHanDynasty.Theybecameonethatiscalled“xingshi”inChineseandreferstofamilynames”.[10]P10Thisphenomenonindicatesthattheoriginalfunctionanddistinctionof“xing”and“shi”wereofnosignificanceafterthecentralizedfeudalsocialsystemwasestablished.

          (ii)OriginofEnglishfamilynames

          “ThehistoryofEnglishfamilynamesismuchshorterthantheChineseones.ItcameaboutintheMiddleAges”.[11]P34Theyareinlargenumber.SocialculturalfactorsplayanimportantroleinthedevelopmentofEnglishfamilynames.TheyreflectacompletepictureofEnglishfeudalsociety.SotheyarethelivingfossilsforstudyingEnglishhistoryandculture.

          EnglishfamilynamesarethehistoricalproductofEnglishsociety.Theyexperiencednearlythreecenturiesfromnonexistencetofulldevelopment.Therewasatimewhennoonehadahereditaryfamilyname.“WhentheancestorsofEnglishpeopleinvadedBritaininthe5thcentury,theyformedatribalsociety.Englishpeopledidn’tgetfamilynamesuntil1066whenNormansconqueredBritain.TheNormanscertainlydidn’thaveafullydevelopedfamilynamessystem”.[12]P80Itwasnotyettheirconsciouspolicytoidentifyafamilybyonename.Buttherewerenotenoughnamesfordistinction.Inacertainperiodmoreandmorenameswereduplicated.Thisphenomenonbroughtgreattroubletopeopleincommunication.Sowhenpeopleweretalkingaboutapersonwhowasabsent,theyoftenemployedadditionalphrasesforfurtheridentification.Forexample,whentheyreferredtoJohnwholivedunderthehill,theywouldadddescriptivephraseas“fromthehill”.ThenJohnbecame“Johnfromthehill”toindicatewhichJohntheyweretalkingabout.Althoughtheadditionalphrasescanplaytheroleforfurtheridentification,theyaretoocomplicated.Therefore,someunimportantwordsareoftenomitted.Then“Johnfromthehill”ischangedinto“JohnHill”.Withthedevelopmentoffeudalsociety,therewasanurgentneedforpeopletosolvetheproblemofpersonalidentification.Forthisreason,peoplecreatedanewwayforexpressionthattheybegantoaddtheirfather’sormanor’snamebehindtheirgivenname.Infact,theadditionalphraseswhicharecalled“bynames”aretheembryosofEnglishfamilynames.TheyplayedanimportanttransitionalpartinthedevelopmentofEnglishfamilynames.Gradually,thesebynameswereturnedintohereditaryfamilynames.

          Fromthebeginningofthe15thcenturynearlyallEnglishpeopleinheritedfamilynamesatbirthandtheword“surname”wasusedwiththemeaningwegiveittoday.IthadbeenborrowedfromFrench“surnom”,derivingfromLatinsuper,andwasusedatfirsttomean“anextraname”or“anickname”.ModernFrenchtranslates“surname”asnomdefemile,soinEnglishsurnameisalsocalledfamilyname.

          3.2.2Formsofnamesandculturalconnotation

          (i)Formsofnames

          InbothChineseandEnglish,thepersonalnamescanbedividedintosurnamesandgivennames.Aperson’sfamilynameisinherent.He/Shegothis/herfamilynamebeforehe/shewasborn.Thereforefamilynamesarenotselectable.Thecaseisdifferentingivennames.Givennamesarenotinherentbutselectable;onecanchoosehisgivennames.Butthewayinwhichthesenamesareusedvariesinthetwolanguages.Afundamentaldifferenceistheorderinwhichthesenamesoccur.InChinese,thefamilynamecomesfirstandthegivennameisplacedafterit.Andtherearetwokindsoffamilyname,oneissinglesurname,theotherisdoublesurname.Forexample,王國(guó)強(qiáng)(WangGuoqiang),司馬相如(SimaXiangru).Here王(Wang)and司馬(Sima)arefamilynames,國(guó)強(qiáng)(Guoqiang)and相如(Xiangru)aregivennames.

          However,inEnglish,thefamilynameisattheend,andthegivennameisinthefront.“ThegivennamecouldbedividedintoChristianname(firstname)andmiddlename(secondname)”.[13]P58

          Inwesterncounties,mostpeoplehavemiddlenames,thenumberofwhichcanbeone,two,threeorevenmorethantens,suchas“anAmericanwriterRobertPeterTristramCoffinandaBritishwriterOscarFingalO’FlahertieWillsWilde”.[14]P11HereRobertandOscararegivennames,PeterTristramandFingalO’FlahertieWillsaremiddlename,CoffinandWildearefamilynames.Middlenamesareonlyusedinveryformalsituationforofficialpurpose,suchasonadocument.Usuallypeopleomitthemorusethecapitallettersinstead.ThereforethewritermentionedaboveiscalledRobertCoffinandOscarWildeonmostoccasions.AsmostEnglish–speakingpeoplebelieveinChristianityorCatholic,accordingtothereligiouscustom,ababywhowasbornaroundoneweekshouldbebaptizedandnamedinthechurch.SothegivennamecanalsobecalledbaptizednameorChristianname.AlthoughgivennamesarefrequentlyreferredtoasChristiannames,thisdoesnotmeanthatthepersonisaChristianorthenamehasbeengivenbythechurch.Nowadays,itisusuallyusedasasynonymfor“givenname”.Manyparentstaketheirbabytochurchtobebaptized,butthegivennamesarechosenbytheirparentsbeforethis.Andevenifapersonhasneverbeenbaptized,theirnamescanstillbecalledChristiannames.

          (ii)Culturalconnotation

          TheoppositeordersofChineseandEnglishnamesarereflectionofdifferentculturesonpersonalnames.Chinesefamilynamesrepresenttherelationshipofclan,groupandconsanguinity;TraditionalChinesecultureemphasizesthegenerality.Therefore,inthiskindofcultureatmosphere,Chinesepeopleputtheirfamilynameswhichrepresenttheirancestors,clansandgroupsbeforetheirgivennames,whichsymbolspersonindividualitywhilethewesternpeoplenotonlyemphasizeindividualpersonandindividuality,butalsovaluetheindependentpersonalityandself-consciousness,theythinkthegivennamesarelifeandsoulofaperson,sotheyhighlyvaluethem.

          Contrarytothehighesteemofgivennames,Englishpeoplethinkfamilynamesarenotveryimportant.Thereflectionofthissenseleadstothedifferentorderofname,i.e.givennamesareputbeforefamilynames.Andwecanalsofindthedifferentcultureconnotationinwomen’snames.Chinesewomenremaintheirfamilynamesandgivennames,eveninthepast.However,inmostwesterncountries,thewomenoncemarried,theyshouldchangetheirfamilynametothatoftheirhusbands’accordingtothecustom.Forexample,whenMaryWhitemarredJohnBrown,hernameshouldbechangedintoMaryBrown.

          Incidentally,asmentionedabove,thegivennamesinEnglish-speakingcountriesarealsocalledChristiannames.Thephenomenonreflectstheimportantroleinpeople’slife.

          3.2.3Patriarchy,Confucian-worship,religion

          “WiththeinfluenceofPatriarchy,Chinesepeopleoftenusebirthordersortheirfatherorgrandfather’sgivennamesasshi(氏).InZhouDynasty,peopleusedthecharacters孟(meng),伯(bo),仲(zhong),叔(shu),季(ji)toindicatethebirthorderofchildren.Andtheywereusuallyusedasshi”.[15]P16AccordingtotheruleofPatriarchy,theemperor’ssonwascalled王子(wangzi,sonofanemperor),sonof王子iscalled王孫,(wangsun,grandsonofanemperor),andthesonof王孫mustusethisgrandfather’sgivennameashis“shi”.ChinesenamearenotonlyinfluencedbyPatriarchy,butalsoinfluencedbyConfucian-worship.Anobviousfeatureistheuseofgenerationcharacter.Thatismembersofeachgenerationofapatriarchalfamilyusethesamecharacterintheirgivenname,differentgenerationusedifferentcharacter.Thusthenamecanshowtheirbearer’spositioninthefamilyhierarchy.However,thegenerationcharacterisgraduallydisappearingwiththedisappearanceofclanfamiliesandthefulfillmentoftheone-childpolicyinChina.Today,religioninfluencecanalsobefoundinEnglishpersonalnames.“Religion,especiallyChristianityplaysagreatimportantroleinthedevelopmentofEnglishpersonalnames.NotonlytheChristians,butalsocommonpeopleareinfluencedbyit.Therefore,theirnameshaveconnectionswiththereligion,theyreflectEnglishnationalcultures.InEnglish-speakingcountries,“John”isaverypopularnameusedbymen,whichcomesfromHebrew,Yohananmeansing“thegiftfromgod”.“John”isanameofbelieverinBible,soitbecomessopopularonpersonalnames”.[16]P35Inthe16thand17thcentury,Puritansshowgreatbeliefsinreligion.Theygavetheirchildrenslogannames,suchasBe-courteous,Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith,the-lord-is-near.Suchnamesweremuchlaughedatbythepublic.Themoresensiblepuritanshadinthemeantimemanagedtodisplaytheirreligiousbeliefsinlesseccentricwaysandcreatedagroupofnames,whichhavesurvivedtothepresentday.Thisnaminggroupfeaturedthe“virtues”anditincludessuchnamesasCharity,Faith,Grace,Honor,Joy,Hope,Patience,PrudenceandFelieity.

          3.2.4Hierarchyandequality

          “Confuciusemphasizedthedistinctionbetweenupperclassandlowerclass,thesuperiorgenerationandinferiorgeneration.Thehierarchyruleswerestrictlyobeyed”.[17]P75Infeudalsociety,whenpeoplecameacrossthegivennamesoftheemperor,theyhadtoavoidthem.Ifaperson’sowngivennamewasthesameastheemperor’sincoincidence,hehadtochangehisowngivennameevenfamilyname.Forinstance,“theemperorineastHanDynastywasnamed劉莊(LiuZhuang),when莊忌(ZhuangJi)inWestHanwenttoEastHan,hehadtochangehisnameinto嚴(yán)忌(YanJi)Notonlytheemperor’snamesweretaboos,thenamesoftheordergenerationwerealsotaboosfortheyoungergeneration.Therefore,inChinaasonneverusedhisfather’sgivennameashisownnames”.[18]P44

          Whatishighlyvaluedinthewestisindividualismandasaresultequalrelationshipamongpeopleishighlyvalued.Andthereforewhatisadvocatedisnottheobligationsandresponsibilitiesascribedtoeachmemberofthesocietyaccordingtohisorhersocialpositionbuthumanitarianismandhumanrights.Thewayofusingtheirfatherorgrandfather’snamesastheirownnamesisapracticalwayofnaming.Forexample,“BritishpoliticianWilliamPittandhissonWilliamPitt,AmericanartistGeorgeInnessandhissonsharedthesamename”.[19]P44Thatisbecausebeforetheappearanceoffamilynames,theconsanguinityoffamilywasmainlymanifestedthroughduplicationofnamesandalliteration.Andduplicationofnamesisthesimplestway.Latterfamilynamesappeared,butthetraditionofusingfatherorgrandfather’snametonameababysurvived.Forthepurposeofidentification,“theelderandtheyounger”or“senior”or“junior”arerespectivelyputbehindthefatherandson’snames.Suchas,JamesEarlCarter,Sr,andhissonJamesEarlCarter,Jr,usuallyinBritainpeopleuse“theelderandtheyounger”,inAmerica,peopleuse“senior”,and“junior”.

          3.2.5Otheraspects

          “Chinesepeoplenotonlyhaveformalnameandcourtesyname(字),butalsohaveliteraryname(hao號(hào)),whichisnotuniquephenomenainChinesenames.Westernpeoplealsohavenickname,butitisnotascommonasChinese”.[20]P14ZiandHaoaretheproductsofancientChineseculture.“Zi”isusedbythepersonofinferiorpositiontoaddressthepersonofsuperiorposition.ThisreflectstheworshipofgivennamesandhierarchyinancientChina.“Hao”,whichiskindoflaudatorytitle,usuallyshowsaperson’sinterests,hopeorspiritualsustenance.Although“hao”hascomeaboutveryearly,itprevailedafterTangandSongDynastiesandreacheditsclimaxinMingandQingDynasties.ThisistheresultoftheprosperityofliteraturesinceTangandSongDynasties,butitisnotusednowanymore.

          InbothsystemsofChinesenamesandEnglishnames,therearediminutivesorhypocoristicnames.ThesenamesareuseddifferentlyinBritainorAmericaandChina.Chinesediminutivescanonlybeaddressedbythefamilymembersorveryclosefriends.Theyoungergenerationandotherpeoplecannotaddressapersonwithhisdiminutives.WhileEnglishdiminutivesareassociatedwiththegivennamesandusuallyarethevariantsofgivennames.Andaperson’sdiminutivesareusedinhiswholelifeandcanbeaddressedbyotherpeoplebesideshisfamilymembersandfriends.

          4.TranslationofNames

          4.1Basicrulesinthetranslationofnames

          Namesareusedtoindicateoneindividualinordertodifferhimfromotherpersonsinthecommunity.Therefore,themethodsandprinciplesintranslatingnameseitherfromChinesetoEnglishorEnglishtoChinesearehighlyregardedinthetranslationfield.Thetranslationofgeneralnamesshouldfollowtwobasicrulers:namelyfollowthepronunciationoftheowner’slanguageandadoptestablishedpopulartranslatednames.Besides,themethodsofannotatingtransliterationandparaphraseandothersarenecessaryintranslationinmanycasessoastoreflecttherealmeaningofthenames.

          4.1.1ChinesenamesintoEnglish

          “Followingthepronunciationoftheowner’slanguagemeanswhentranslatingpersonalnames,oneshouldfollowthepronunciationoftheowner’slanguage.Accordingtothisprinciple,thenamesofChinesepeopleshouldbetranslatedaccordingtoChinesePhoneticAlphabet”,[21]P70whichalsocalledtransliteration.However,ChinesenamesarequitedifferentwiththatofEnglishnames,greatconfusionappearsinspellings.Ifone’snameisZhangJianhua,theremaybeeightwaysofspelling.

          ZhangJianhuaZhangJian-huaZHANGJianhuaZHANGJian-hua

          JianhuaZhangJian-huaZhangZhangJianHuaJianHuaZhang

          “Thesedifficultiesarecausedbythedifferencebetweentwonamingsystems.Thebasicsolutiontothemisculturetransmission”.[22]P39Inordertoletpeoplewhocomefromdifferentcountriesgetfullunderstandingofeachother’sculture,weneedsomeprinciplestostandardizethesenamingspelling.

          (a)Toputfamilynameaheadofgivenname.Forexample,“張健”shouldbetransliterateinto“ZhangJian”,butno“JianZhang”.

          (b)“Familynameandgivennameshouldbedeparted.Thereshouldbenotanyspaceormarkslikehyphenorpointbetweendifferentcharactersinthegivenname.Andthefirstletterofthemmustbecapitalized”.[23]P82Forexample,“鄧小平”shouldbetranslatedinto“DengXiaoping”.

          SomenamesofChinesepeoplearenottranslatedaccordingtoChinesePhoneticAlphabet.Theyadopttheestablishedpopulartranslatednames.ForexampleConfucius(孔子),Sunyat-sen(孫中山),SoongChingLing(宋慶齡),TanKahKee(陳嘉庚),YuanShi-Kai(袁世凱),ChouEn-Lai()andsoon.

          4.1.2EnglishnamesintoChinese

          OwingtothedifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishnamingsystems,therearedifficultiesandconfusioninthetranslationofnames,principlesarealsoneededtostandardizethetransliteration.

          (a)Toputthefamilynameatlast

          Asweallknow,Englishnameshavetheirownforms:firstname+middlename+familyname.Accordingtotheirtraditionalculture,weshouldputtheirChristiannamesatfirstandthenmiddlenames,andfamilynamesintheend.

          (b)Thereshouldbeapointamongthefirstname,themiddlenameandthefamilyname

          Inthethirdpartofthisdissertation,wehavemadeacomparativestudybetweenthetwosystems.Chinesegivennamesmaycontaintwocharactersbutthesetwocharactersareconsideredasone.InEnglish,firstnameisdifferentfrommiddlename;theyhavedifferentfunctionsandareusedrespectively.Therefore,intransliterationEnglishfirstnameandmiddlename,thereshouldbea“.”betweenthem.And“.”isalsoneededbetweenfamilynameandgivenname.Forexample,“JohnF.Kennedy”shouldbetransliterationinto“約翰.F.肯尼迪”.Astotheshortformofmiddlename,wecanremainitinthetransliteration.

          (c)TokeepthenationalcharacteristicsofEnglishnames

          “TranslatorsshouldtrytokeepthenationalcharacteristicsofEnglishnamesintransliteration”.[24]P49Forexample,“Smith”into“史密斯”,“F.R.LeavisintoF.R.利維斯,J.Edgar.HooverintoJ.埃德加.胡佛”.[25]P79

          AlthoughthesetransliterationsofnameskeepthenationalcharacteristicsofEnglishnames,theyaretoolongforChinesepeopletorememberthem.SosomepeopletranslateEnglishnamesaccordingtoChinesecustom.“Suchas‘VirginiaPenn’into‘潘美今’,‘MargaretFung’into‘馮美琪’,and‘HenryLewisStimson’into‘史仃生’andetc”.[26]P49Actually,thesearetheChinesenamesratherthantranslationoftheirEnglishnames.WhenfacingthesenamesChinesepeoplewillbemuchconfusedbywonderingwhethertheyareChineseorforeigners.

          TherearesometranslationofEnglishnamesadopttheestablishedpopulartranslatednames.“Forexample,‘Wilde’(awriterofEngland)into‘王爾德’,butnot‘懷爾德’,‘Holmes’into‘福爾摩斯’,butnot‘霍姆斯’,‘BernardShow’(awriterofEngland)into‘肖伯納’,butnot‘肖納得.肖’,’Caesar’into‘愷撒’,butnot‘西澤’,‘Shelley’(apoemofEngland)into‘雪萊’,butnot‘謝利’”.[27]P237

          4.2Translationofliterarynames

          Astocharactersinliteraryworks,wehavetwomethodsfortranslation.Thefirstoneisthattheycanbetranslatedaccordingtotheirpronunciation.Thereasonwhywetranslateliterarynamesinthiswayisthatsomenamesplaylessimportanceintheliteraryworks,themainfunctionofthemistodistinguishthemfromothercharactersintheliteraryworks.Theotherisparticularnamesinliteraryworkswithconnotation.Inmostcases,thesenameslosttheiroriginaldistinguishingfunctionbutbecomegeneralwordsreferringtosomepersonsoractionsorsituations.Iftranslatorsdisregardtheirconnotationbytranslatingthemdirectly,thismayresultinthemisunderstandingandconfusion.

          Intheabovechapter,wehavementionedthefurtherconnotationofthename“Hamlet”.Nowlet’stakeupthefollowing:“IamHamlet”.Inthissentence,theEnglishreadersorsomeoftheChinesepeoplewhoknowsomethingabouttheprinceinShakespeare’stragedywillhavenodifficultyinunderstandingthespeaker’srealmeaning.ButtothosepeoplewhodonotknowwhoisHamlet,itisimpossibleforthemtounderstandtherealmeaningwhenfacingtheChinesesentence“我不是哈姆雷特”.Ifwetranslatethissentenceinto“我決不猶豫”,thereadersmayloseachancetoknowtheculturalinformationofHamlet.Soweshouldtranslateitbycompoundingthetransliterationandtheparaphraseofconnotation.Accordingtothisprinciple,“IamnotHamlet”wouldbebesttranslatedinto“我不是哈姆雷特,決不猶豫”.

          5.Conclusion

          Thephenomenaofpersonalnamesareputinthescaleofcultureandrevealthedeep-goingcultureconnotationindifferentcultures.Fromtheanalysis,wecanseetherolesofvarioussocialfactorsplayedinnaming:patriarchysystem,hierarchyandConfucian-worshiparethekeyfactorswiththeinfluenceonChinesepersonalnames;religionandtheemphasisofindividualismarethekeyfactorsfunctionedinEnglishnamingprocess.TheChinesenamesystemisquitedifferentfromthatofEnglish,notonlyintheformsandnamingprinciplesandculturalbackground,butalsointhetranslation.Allthesedifferencesplayanimportantroleincommunication.Intranslationofpersonalnames,translatorsshouldbefullyawareofthesedifferences.

          ThestudyofChineseandEnglishnamesandtheircultureconnotationsandtheirtranslationhelpustohaveabetterunderstandingofChinesecultureandChinesepeopleaswellasEnglishlanguageandEnglishpeople.Thusintheinterculturalcommunicationwecancommunicatemoreeffectivelyandsuccessfully.

          Bibliography(References)

          [1]吳芳.姓名的跨文化研究.廣西大學(xué),2002.P1.

          [2]鄧衛(wèi)峰.姓名,透視文化的窗口—漢英姓名對(duì)比研究.河北師范大學(xué),2002,P2

          [3]孫守玉,岳紅麗.英語(yǔ)姓名文化淵源淺探[J].淄博學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào),2001,9,第17卷第3期:P51.

          [4]同[3],P51

          [5]龔愛(ài)華.英漢姓名文化內(nèi)涵比較及其互譯要領(lǐng)[J].南京審計(jì)學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào),2005,5,第2卷第2期:P82.

          [6]黃碧蓉.英漢姓名的文化底蘊(yùn)及其翻譯[J].安徽工業(yè)大學(xué)學(xué)報(bào),2004,7,第27卷第4期:P81.

          [7]同[1],P31.

          [8]同[1],P6.

          [9]任瑞.跨文化交際下的中英姓氏比較研究[J].蘇州大學(xué),2004.P9

          [10]同[9],P10

          [11]李世榮.英語(yǔ)姓名的文化闡釋[J].延安教育學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào),2002,第3期:P34

          [12]同[6],P80

          [13]饒小飛.漢英人名姓氏的文化心態(tài)來(lái)源與命名習(xí)俗探微[J].培陵師范學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào),2003,7第17卷第3期:P58.

          [14]同[2],P11

          [15]同[2],P16

          [16]同[11],P35.

          [17]汪旭琴.從文化淵源看漢英姓名習(xí)俗[J].安徽電子信息職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院,2004,第1期:P75

          [18]同[2],P44

          [19]同[2],P44

          [20]章輝.漢語(yǔ)姓名與漢民族文化心理特征[J].畢節(jié)師范高等專科學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào),2005,6,第23卷第2期:P14.

          [21]任朝迎.中國(guó)人姓名的音譯之探討[J].有色金屬設(shè)計(jì),2003,第30卷第2期:

          P70

          [22]同[1],P39.

          [23]同[4],P82.

          [24]李慶云.英語(yǔ)姓名的來(lái)源及其翻譯[J].大同職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào),2002,9,第16卷第3期:P49.

          [25]朱紅梅.英語(yǔ)人名翻譯初探[J].鄭州輕工業(yè)學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào),2002,3,第3卷第1期:P79.

          [26]同[13],P49.

          [27]隋榮誼.英漢翻譯新教程[M].中國(guó)電力出版社,2004,5.P237