ABSTRACT:When many people in the West think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell of how dragons killed brave knights and ate beautiful maidens. For Chinese people however, the dragon is not an evil monster at all. It's a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual. Millions of Chinese have the word ‘long’, meaning dragon, as part of their name.
Recently, some experts claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make Western countries have a negative view of China. But an internet survey indicates that 90% of Chinese people want to keep the dragon, and as more and more people are all familiar with that Chinese symbol, people in the West would no doubt want China to keep the dragon as well.
This essay is aimed to prove that there is no need at all for our translators to give up dragon, the totem of Chinese, only for the sake of catering to the taste of the West, and as translators, we should promote some regulatory translation strategy about dragon in order to realize the mutual cultural balance between the West and China as well as to preserve the Chinese civilization, extensive and profound, with a time-honored history, in the long-run.
The main content of this paper is divided into four parts. First of all, based on some examples in terms of Chinese and Western culture, it is essential to realize the mutual cultural balance between the West and China. Secondly, take the various translation versions of “The Four Asian dragon” for example, when dealing with some issues concerning dragon, there is no need for our translators to avoid the usage of dragon in order to cater for the Western taste. Thirdly, discovering the recognition and acceptance of the West toward Chinese dragon and the unified English expression from some Western countries and regions, like Wales for instance, we can utilize the word dragon in front of Westerners without causing misunderstandings as well as cultural shocks and conflicts. Last but not least, the final part plays a crucial role in this essay, promoting some regulatory translation strategies about dragon as well as introducing the feasibility and significance of this kind of strategy.
Key words: Chinese dragon Western dragon difference cultural exchange balance translation strategy
摘要:中西方文化内涵的“龙”的意象相差甚远，在如何翻译中国“龙”的问题上，一直以来都是一个争论不断的话题。为了避免西方人对“龙”意象的敏感反应，不少翻译家有的“见龙则避”，失去应有的文化内涵，有的译“龙”为“虎”，造成表意混乱。随着中国综合实力的增强和中外文化交流的进一步展开，越来越多的西方人士在西方文化平台上（出版的书籍和词典以及制作的影音资料）表示已经认识到：中国“龙”和西方文化的“龙”意象完全不同。在其语言的表达上非常接近或已经认同中国传统文化中“龙”的意象和内涵。在经济全球化的今天，文化也有某种程度的全球化：只有民族的，才是世界的。在中外文化交流越来越强调双向性的今天，我们既要接受先进的外来文化，也要向外推介灿烂的中华文化，从而理直气壮得翻译出中国“龙”的文化内涵。
文章的主要内容分为四部分：
第一，从中西方文化实例入手，论述中西文化交流双向的必要性。
第二，以“亚洲四小龙”翻译的混乱现状为例，论述中国“龙”的翻译，不能一味迎合西方的文化审美要求。
第三，发掘西方人士对正宗中国“龙”文化的认同和英国威尔士“龙”以及亚洲多个国家 “龙”的统一英文表达，论述中国“龙”的翻译，不必屈从西方的传统口味。
第四部分，举例说明关于中国“龙”翻译策略调整的可行性以及重大意义。
作为翻译工作者，应调整在中国“龙”问题上的翻译策略，必须与时俱进，使“龙”文化和其他灿烂的中华文化得体地走向世界，为维护源远流长的中华文化做有现实意义和长远意义的伟大工作。
关键词：中国龙 西方龙 意象差异 文化双向交流平衡 翻译策略调整
