China News Service, Beijing, February 22nd: Question: In the English translation of Long, what does loong mean?
China News Service reporter Shi Yuanfeng and Wen Longjie
At the end of each year and the beginning of the new year, the zodiac will become an important topic in discussions about Chinese culture at home and abroad.
This year coincides with the "Dragon", which has attracted more global attention as a master of Chinese culture, and its "international scope" has also made its translation issue a hot topic of discussion.
Why did the translation of dragon happen?
Although it has become common practice to translate dragon as dragon, there have always been voices of discussion: in 1882, JE Walker, an American pastor who worked in China, realized the meaning of dragon in the article "Pagoda, Loong and Foong-Shooy" The translation was biased. In 1987, Chinese translator Lu Binghong wrote an article pointing out that dragon and dragon should not be translated into each other. Today, there is discussion about whether the word should be translated into loong.
The translation of dragon as loong is not a new invention.
According to research by scholars, the two translation methods of dragon and phonetic translation existed as early as the 13th century, but the dragon translation won out during the spread of the word.
In Europe, America, Australia, Africa, Russia and the Middle East, dragon is a symbol of evil and the biggest devil in the Bible, which is completely opposite to the positive and positive image of the Chinese dragon.
As Australian sinologist Marklin said, in China and many other places deeply influenced by Chinese culture, the dragon is a powerful auspicious animal. It is a symbol of benevolence and strength and forms the same shape as the dragon in the West. A strong contrast.
In February 2024, a giant dragon lantern was unveiled at the 37th New Year Lantern Festival of Xi'an City Wall in Xi'an, Shaanxi.
Photo by Zhang Yuan
In terms of cultural connotation, translating dragon as dragon may be "wrong" for the audience, but it is "in vain" for the Chinese dragon as the ontology.
But the misnomer can spread. This is partly because Chinese expresses opinions. When translating proper nouns, it is different from most phonetic characters in the world, and it has a lot of room for free translation. On the one hand, it was due to the fact that the exchanges between the East and the West were few and shallow at that time, and the "separation" between them made the English-speaking world's understanding of China inevitably reduced to "imaginary".
Why mention the translation of loong again?
Today, China's international influence continues to increase, exchanges between the East and the West continue to deepen, and a more precise understanding of Eastern and Western cultures has become a general trend.
The "gap" is decreasing, and the "mistakes", "mistakes" and "conjectures" in translation will gradually be eliminated.
Today, the world has a new perception of China and Chinese culture, and based on this, it hopes to have a deeper and broader understanding and understanding. The "correct" translation surrounding China and Chinese culture is naturally on the horizon.
At this time, when people discuss the translation of "truth", it is not the idea of an individual or a group, but the will of history. It is not the wishful thinking of one side of the East or the West, but the synthesis of mutual interaction.
A shop painted with a dragon pattern in the "Chinatown" of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
Photo by Sheng Jiapeng
loong translation provides an exploration.
There are successful precedents for this kind of translation. For example, Tai Chi (tai chi), Yin Yang (yin-yang), Kung Fu (kung fu), etc. have entered English. Similarly, "Baroque", "Salon", "Montage", etc. have been integrated into Chinese. Having pronunciation and then establishing semantics prolongs the process from knowing to using, but it reduces the possibility of misunderstanding.
loong is being accepted and used.
For example, on January 9 this year, when CGTN reported on the "New Year Dragon Dance Challenge" event, it translated "Year of the Dragon" as "Loong Year" and "Dragon Dance" as "Loong Dance"; in its Xiaonian report, CGTN also translated "'dragon'-themed artwork" as "loong themed artwork".
How should it be translated?
Language and culture are not static and unchanging, but dynamic, growing and vital, and can be enriched and developed through integration.
If the two translations of "loong" and "dragon" used to have more of a conflicting relationship, now they are exuding the potential of harmony.
The meaning and image of dragon in modern English are undergoing positive changes. The former is like the positive explanation in the "Chinese Dragon" entry in the "Oxford English Dictionary", and the latter is like the character Toothless in the American DreamWorks movie "How to Train Your Dragon" Toothless.
The loong entries in some dictionaries and Wikipedia all point to the entry "Chinese Dragon".
It should be noted that there is a dialectical relationship between language translation and the objective reality of communication. Mistranslation affects mutual communication. This is good, but it should also be noted that increasingly frequent communication will also make up for the information deficit. and cultural errors to eliminate the miscellaneous elements of "imagination" and "error" in translation.
Perhaps, as time goes by, there is no essential difference between using dragon and dragon. Both of them point to the positive image and connotation of the Chinese dragon.
On February 4, 2024, the New Year dragon dance event was held on the Champs Elysées in Paris, France, to send New Year blessings to the local people.
Photo by Li Yang
Today, Long's English translation has become a topic of concern and discussion at home and abroad, which means that the exchange and interaction between China and the world has entered a new stage.
At present, the frequent exchanges and exchanges between countries are unprecedented in history, and exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations have become a historical trend.
From this point of view, translating "dragon" is just a break from the big article of translating China. Maybe soon we will discuss how to translate Phoenix, Qilin, Xuanwu, Suzaku... and let the world "correctly" translate China, Kungfu may also be Outside poetry.
(over)