翻译中餐菜谱的英译及中西饮食文化差异

The English translation of Chinese food menu and The difference of diet culture between China and West

Abstract: As society advances , more and more Chinese food become prevalent in the west , and it is necessary to have a perfect English translation of Chinese food menu. Firstly, this paper reviews some studies about the definition of the Chinese food menu . Then , it will analyses the difference of diet culture between China and West . In summary , it will contribute to the development and the transmission of the Chinese food .

Key words: English translation; Chinese food menu; the difference of diet culture

1. Introduction

In China , the Chinese dishes are various, also , the name of the food is distinctive and have characteristics . Some of the dishes name after in the way of realism . They usually make up of the raw material , the origin of the history and so on , and in order to reflect the features of the dished ; while others name after in the romantic ways . For example, some are expressed in the way of metaphor , hyperbole and so on . Thus, it will suit the customers and everyone’s hope of lucky . As we all know ,both of these dishes reflect the traditional dishes of the history in China .

Speaking of the diet culture , people often think of "to eat" , however , it cannot include the diet culture . Diet culture is the creation of human in eating behaviors and achievements, involving human’s consciousness, concept, philosophy, religion, art and so on . Therefore, a little "to eat" word, absolutely can’t contain the broad and profound content . Different countries may have different characteristics , such as China and western countries . Due to the geographical features, climate environments , customs, the influence will appear on the eating habits of different degrees . So , the difference between Chinese and western culture makes Chinese and western diet culture different . There is a saying , “to the people foodstuff is all-important .” Chinese people pay attention to the "nature and humanity", but westerners pay attention to the "people-oriented".

2.The English translation of Chinese food menu

Due to the inheritance of the history and the development of the globalization , not only the Chinese food menu has become multiple , but also the English translation

of the dishes are diverse . The following content will account for it . Yanfu writes in his preface to his translation of Evolution and Ethics and said that translation is difficult in three parts , namely faithfulness , expressiveness and elegance . And most authors also have a emphasis on the equivalence . In my view ,those are all indispensable in the translation of the Chinese food menu .

What is known to all is that the Chinese food menu are consisted of the raw material ,the founder , the birthplace and so on . However , most dishes are translated word by word including the raw material . Examples are as follows, Pork with preserved vegetables and Ham with fresh bamboo shoots . The dishes which contains the raw material and the assistant material are in order to express explicitly the content of the food menu so that customers can choose what they like easily . Sure , the item of the food in the menu sometimes add the methods of the cooking into to , such as the steamed bream . As we all know, the roast Beijing duck is renowned in the world . From that structure of the name ,you can see that it contains the origin of the place ,and it is also a good way to entitle a dish .

In brief , we can call it is the literal translation . Just as what Yanfu stated in the preface to his translation of Evolution and Ethics that what is faithfulness. Also , the elegance is important .

Beside the literal translation , the free translation sometimes can show the elegance to us . As we all know , language and culture are closely connected , and language is one the part of the culture . With the modern developed society , it is widely used nowadays . It is often used to describe by its shape or the form so that it can please and charm the customers . However , generally speaking , Chinese culture is very different from the western culture . The foreigner may in trouble if they do not orient themselves in such translation of the dishes ,for instance , showing Auspicious omen with a dragon entangling a phoenix and the Thick soup of snake ,cat and chicken . Although the vivid name will attract many people ,especially the foreigner , and it corresponds with the elegance , there are still some weaknesses . In my opinion , Chinese is extensive and profound, which is magnificent cultural heritage in China .

3. The difference of diet culture between China and West

1. Differences in the concepts

On one hand , as we all know , China is a country with a long history , including the diet culture . In general , the Chinese especially pay attention to pursue the taste of the food . They always evaluate the quality of the food from the color , incense , flavor , shape and so on . It is may like Chinese paintings , the artistic conception is his aim . What is more , they also focus on the mental enjoyment . On the other hand , they ignore to combine the nutrition healthy . It is not good for us to grow up .

However , the western’s diet culture is scientific . They concentrate on the nutrition value , the protein , heat , the bad side of the food and so on . They think it is only an important way to live in the world . The education about eating begun in the childhood so that they will have a balanced diet , and they do not like to put the food

mix together . Therefore , with the developing of the food , we should learn the perfect from the western diet culture .

2. Difference in the contents

To most Chinese , vegetable consumption is higher than anything else in the habits . In my opinion , there are two reasons can account for it . First , China is a populous nation . There is a long time that China is under the poverty , it is an extravagant thing to eat meat except the emperor. Second , because of the religion , they think it is not good to kill the animals except in the New Year . But with the development of the life ,the consumption of the meat is on the increase , as well as the milk . The Chinese like to eat the hot food , so , only before the main course is cold . Meanwhile , you can see a lot of dishes in the menu, such as redcaviar ,sour cucumber , diced meat , friedboiledpork and so on .[zhou xiangping , China and the west diet culture differences and the English translation of Chinese menu, the north from the review]

Instead , due to hunting and fishing , westerners like to eat meat ,such as steak . The cold food is their favorite , for example , salad . What is more , they usually to eat the raw vegetables , not only the tomatoes and the cucumbers ,but also the cabbage , onion and broccoli . Whether eating or wearing , they are extracted from animals mostly .Slowly , the diet structure is tend to the same . [Gao yongchen ,The differences between Chinese and western diet culture theory]

3. Difference in the dietary patterns

Of course , the same eating habits between the Chinese and the West is that they always sit together . The difference between China and the west is that Chinese sit in the fixed place . It can show the respect between the people ,and how much they got is not certain .Also , they are toast ,clip vegetables to the others and it reflects the comity of merit , the peace , and the reunion of the atmosphere ; The westerners , they accustomed to have a quantitative supply . They have no fixed seat , and can walk around by themselves . It is really a good and interesting thing . This , not only can satisfy the person’s hobby ,but also a good way to make friends .

In the conclusion , whatever in the translation of the food menu or in the diet culture , we can see that there exist a lot of differences between the Chinese and the West . However , because of the technology in the world village , China has imported some kinds of western food ,such as KFC. And China’s opening up policy make us live in the multicultural world . And with the close communication , I believe the elegant translation in the diet will be accepted in the most people in the world .

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