Adaptation in Response to Situations: A Brief Discussion on Contextual Issues in Translation

Context not only influences the translator's understanding of the original text but also impacts the aesthetic effect of the translation. According to anthropologist Malinowski's explanation of the concept of "context," context is divided into situational context and cultural context. Translators, in the process of translation, need to understand these two contexts and carefully choose their words.

1. The Translation Should Match the Situational Context

British linguist Lyons defines situational context as the factors abstracted from the actual situation that influence verbal activities, including the participants, the setting (time, place), the formality of speech, the communication medium, the topic, or the language domain.

Translation cannot completely avoid creativity. As mentioned by Mr. Yu Guangzhong in his essays, "A translator must consider the needs of the context and rely on his keen intuition." When translating foreign texts into Chinese, attention should be paid to the style, whether using classical language or colloquial language. It is necessary to consider the context of the original text and the effect of the translation; otherwise, excessive efforts will only lead to clumsiness. For example, in the localization of the game "The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II," all the bard's skills were translated into ancient style, such as "Brave and Strong Warrior's Poem" being translated as "Song of Crossing the Yi River," quoting the poem Jing Ke wrote before parting with King Qin at the Yi River, sparking controversy. The background of this game is a medieval fantasy world, but the localization team translated "少年" (youth) to "young hero" and added "娘娘" (goddess) after "princess," causing many players to cry out of character.

2. The Translation Should Consider Cultural Context

Cultural context is a type of aesthetic context, which serves as the social symbolic situation for achieving textual communication. Cultural context can be divided into cultural customs and social norms, often affecting the selection of translation terms and the transformation of images. Different cultures have different imagery, and finding the right expression depends on the translator's proficiency.

Sometimes, a literal translation can have extraordinary effects. Rosamund Pike, known in Chinese as Pei Chunhua, has a great love for Chinese language and culture. She once mentioned the Chinese idiom "脱裤子放屁" ("take off pants to fart") on the British talk show "The Graham Norton Show" and directly translated it as "Take your trousers off to fart," making the host and audience burst into laughter. They found this expression very interesting, and after Pei Chunhua explained again, the host understood it, further explaining the English idiom "butter on bacon" as a counterpart.

At times, overly euphemistic expressions may require reasonable adaptation. Taking a common example, the English phrase "rain cats and dogs," originating from the 18th century with an unknown source, if directly translated as "下猫下狗" ("cats and dogs falling"), most readers would be puzzled, while in Chinese, there is a fitting expression "倾盆大雨" ("pouring rain") with the same meaning.

In conclusion, translators should categorize and accumulate language expressions, learn various ways of expression in different contexts, pay attention to details, and ensure that their translations are appropriate and reasonable, effectively conveying the author's intentions.

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