学文网[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，作为一种文化载体，蕴涵着极其丰富的文化内涵，英汉姓名因而存在着巨大的文化差异。姓名不仅仅是一种简单的区别于他人的符号，它同时也代表一种社会文化现象，被喻为“文化的镜像”。通过对英汉姓名的历史渊源，，价值观念等的对比研究，揭示出英汉姓名的深层文化内涵及社会文化因素的影响，进而对这种富载文化内涵的姓名的翻译提出翻译原则和翻译翻译方法。英汉文化的共性，如***腾崇拜，寻根意识，特指性，心理暗示等使英汉不同姓名的系统中出现一些类同的现象。英汉文化内涵的差异，如中国的宗教观念，崇儒思想，等级制度等文化因素都可以从中国人的姓名中反映出来。而英语民族的，个人取向，强调个性也在英语姓名中有所反映。由于英汉姓名的文化差异，在翻译英汉姓名时应遵循“名从主人原则”和“约定俗成原则”，采取音译法和释义法，或者两者相结合，使人名的真实内涵得到体现。
[关键词]英汉姓名；文化内涵；翻译原则；翻译方法
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,“龟”（gui,tortoise）wasoftenusedaspersonalnamewhichhadgoodconnotationoflongevity.However,afterMingDynasty,theconnotationofthecharacterchanged,whichindicatesamanwhosewifeisnotloyaltohim.Thenfewpeopleuse“龟”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(黄帝,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(柳河东).InChina,nowadays,wealsohavenameslikeWangChangcheng(王长城),LiChangjiang(李长江),etc.ThesenamesarecloselyconnectedwithChineseplaces.InEnglishpeoplealsotakeplacesastheirpersonalnames.“Forexample,Washington(华盛顿)，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（诸葛亮）asanotherexample.Itcanbeusednotonlytorefertothespecificpersonwhooncereallyexistedinhistory,butalsousedasacommonnoun.“诸葛亮”inthesaying“三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮”（Workingtogether,threeordinarymencanbeaswiseasZhugeLiangwhowasaverywisemanintheThreeStatesPeriod）isnotspecificaperson,itreferstosamewisemenlikehim.InChineseliterature,wemayfindnameswithspeciallyimpliedmeaningchosebywriterswhotendtotakeadvantageofhomophone,whichactsasapun.Forexample,charactersinTheStoryofStonethatwrittenbyChaoXueqin.JiaYucun(贾雨村)，Jiahua(贾化)，ZhenShiyin(甄士隐)，whichpronouncethesameasjiayucun(假语存--liesexist),jiahua(假话--telllies)，zhenshiyin(真事隐--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,王国强(WangGuoqiang),司马相如(SimaXiangru).Here王(Wang)and司马(Sima)arefamilynames,国强(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王孙，（wangsun,grandsonofanemperor）,andthesonof王孙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刘庄(LiuZhuang),when庄忌（ZhuangJi）inWestHanwenttoEastHan,hehadtochangehisnameinto严忌(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号),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,“张健”shouldbetransliterateinto“ZhangJian”,butno“JianZhang”.
(b)“Familynameandgivennameshouldbedeparted.Thereshouldbenotanyspaceormarkslikehyphenorpointbetweendifferentcharactersinthegivenname.Andthefirstletterofthemmustbecapitalized”.[23]P82Forexample,“***”shouldbetranslatedinto“DengXiaoping”.
SomenamesofChinesepeoplearenottranslatedaccordingtoChinesePhoneticAlphabet.Theyadopttheestablishedpopulartranslatednames.ForexampleConfucius(孔子)，Sunyat-sen(孙中山)，SoongChingLing(***)，TanKahKee(陈嘉庚)，YuanShi-Kai(袁世凯),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“约翰.F.肯尼迪”.Astotheshortformofmiddlename,wecanremainitinthetransliteration.
(c)TokeepthenationalcharacteristicsofEnglishnames
“TranslatorsshouldtrytokeepthenationalcharacteristicsofEnglishnamesintransliteration”.[24]P49Forexample,“Smith”into“史密斯”，“F.R.LeavisintoF.R.利维斯，J.Edgar.HooverintoJ.埃德加.胡佛”.[25]P79
AlthoughthesetransliterationsofnameskeepthenationalcharacteristicsofEnglishnames,theyaretoolongforChinesepeopletorememberthem.SosomepeopletranslateEnglishnamesaccordingtoChinesecustom.“Suchas‘VirginiaPenn’into‘潘美今’,‘MargaretFung’into‘冯美琪’,and‘HenryLewisStimson’into‘史仃生’andetc”.[26]P49Actually,thesearetheChinesenamesratherthantranslationoftheirEnglishnames.WhenfacingthesenamesChinesepeoplewillbemuchconfusedbywonderingwhethertheyareChineseorforeigners.
TherearesometranslationofEnglishnamesadopttheestablishedpopulartranslatednames.“Forexample,‘Wilde’(awriterofEngland)into‘王尔德’,butnot‘怀尔德’,‘Holmes’into‘福尔摩斯’,butnot‘霍姆斯’,‘BernardShow’(awriterofEngland)into‘肖伯纳’，butnot‘肖纳得.肖’,’Caesar’into‘恺撒’,butnot‘西泽’,‘Shelley’(apoemofEngland)into‘雪莱’,butnot‘谢利’”.[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“我决不犹豫”,thereadersmayloseachancetoknowtheculturalinformationofHamlet.Soweshouldtranslateitbycompoundingthetransliterationandtheparaphraseofconnotation.Accordingtothisprinciple,“IamnotHamlet”wouldbebesttranslatedinto“我不是哈姆雷特，决不犹豫”.
5.Conclusion
Thephenomenaofpersonalnamesareputinthescaleofcultureandrevealthedeep-goingcultureconnotationindifferentcultures.Fromtheanalysis,wecanseetherolesofvarioussocialfactorsplayedinnaming:patriarchysystem,hierarchyandConfucian-worshiparethekeyfactorswiththeinfluenceonChinesepersonalnames;religionandtheemphasisofindividualismarethekeyfactorsfunctionedinEnglishnamingprocess.TheChinesenamesystemisquitedifferentfromthatofEnglish,notonlyintheformsandnamingprinciplesandculturalbackground,butalsointhetranslation.Allthesedifferencesplayanimportantroleincommunication.Intranslationofpersonalnames,translatorsshouldbefullyawareofthesedifferences.
ThestudyofChineseandEnglishnamesandtheircultureconnotationsandtheirtranslationhelpustohaveabetterunderstandingofChinesecultureandChinesepeopleaswellasEnglishlanguageandEnglishpeople.Thusintheinterculturalcommunicationwecancommunicatemoreeffectivelyandsuccessfully.
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