Transcript Unit 14 Cultural Encounters

Unit 14
Cultural Encounters
A Global Picture
Word Study
Warm-up
Background Info
A Detailed Study of Text I
Practices & Homework
Word Study
Pronunciation Check
Derivation
Synonyms & Antonyms
Differentiation
Word Parts & Expansion
Word Study: Derivation
Noun
Adjective
Adverb
Verb
access
accessible
accessibly
access
remoteness
remote
remotely
--
affordability
affordable
affordably
afford
linguistics
linguistic
linguistically
--
approximation
approximate
approximately
approximate
adjustment /
adjustability
revelation /
revealer
significance
adjustable
--
adjust
revealing /
revelatory
revealingly
reveal
significant
significantly
--
Word Study: Synonyms & Antonyms
remote
(syn)
distant
faraway
(anto)
close near adjacent
profound
(syn)
deep
(anto)
shallow superficial
despair
(syn)
desperation
hopelessness
(anto)
hope
Synonyms & Antonyms
unsurmountable
(syn)
unconquerable insuperable
(anto)
surmountable
complacent
(syn)
self-contented
(anto)
discontented
unsatisfied
Word Study: Differentiation
distant vs. remote (p. 226)
Distant suggests that space makes contact
difficult or that sheer time becomes a barrier.
With reference to attitudes, the word suggests a
wandering mind.
Remote has the overtone implying isolation that
results from being out of the way or off the
beaten track and it also suggests difficulties that
make for an unlikely prospect.
Differentiation
misgiving vs. uneasiness (p.226)
Misgiving is doubt about the outcome of an
action, of a feeling of apprehension caused b
such doubt.
Uneasiness does not necessarily apply to fear
about the future, but suggest that actual
physical discomfort or restlessness
accompanies the apprehensive or fearful state.
Differentiation
fundamental vs. basic (p. 226)
Fundamental is the more formal of the two and is more
natural in a philosophical context.
When applied in an educational context, it strongly
suggests something that is indispensable or a
prerequisite to more advanced development.
While fundamental often points to what is ideally
necessary, basic points to what is actually the case or
what i necessary but what is accepted or standard.
Differentiation
Wrong and mistaken can be used interchangeably in
sentences like “I was wrong/mistake about it as a chance
remark.” (p. 226)
But wrong may suggest that there is something
unsatisfactory about the situation, person, or thing you
are talking about. The word is also used to refer to
activities or actions that are considered to be morally bad
and unacceptable.
Mistaken specifically refers to incorrect understanding
and the harmful consequences brought about.
Useful Word Parts
multiMeaning: many, much
Examples:
multifold, multilingual, multiply, multitude,
multinational, multifunctional
monoMeaning: one
Examples:
monopoly, monotype, monologue, monocycle
Warm-up & Background Info
Warm-up
Background Info
 About “culture”
 About the relationship between “language” and
“culture”
 About “cultural shock”
 About the author
 About dichotomies in translation studies
Warm-up (I)
1.Can you name some Chinese words originating
from English?
For your reference:
巴士
克隆
的士
基因
酷
酒吧
脱口秀
卡通
T恤
蜜月
夹克
咖啡
2. Can you name some English words originating
from Chinese?
For your reference:
pinyin
fengshui mahjong kung fu
typhoon
lychee
longan
Zen
cheongsam
dim sum
Warm-up (II)
Read through Text I and answer the following
question:
 According to Prof. Bassnett, compromising is a key
notion in translation. Numerous examples are used to
explain and exemplify this notion. Do you remember
some of her examples and can you supply one or two
extra ones?
Background Info—What is culture?
Culture, in anthropology (人类学), is the
patterns of behavior and thinking that people living
in social groups learn, create, and share. Culture
distinguishes one human group from others. It also
distinguishes humans from other animals. A
people’s culture includes their beliefs, rules of
behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, styles
of dress, ways of producing and cooking food,
religion, and political and economic systems.
Background info—Language & Culture
It is apparent that culture, as an ingrained set
of behaviors and modes of perception, becomes
highly important in the learning of a second
language. A language is a part of a culture, and a
culture is a part of a language; the two are
intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate
the two without losing the significance of either
language or culture. The acquisition of a second
language, except for specialized, instrumental
acquisition, is also the acquisition of a second
culture
~ H. D. Brown
Background Info—What is cultural shock?
 Cultural shock is the anxiety and feelings of
surprise, confusion, disorientation, etc when
operating within an entirely different cultural or
social environment, such as a foreign country.
 Phases of Cultural Shock
 The “Honeymoon Phase” 蜜月期
 The Negotiation Phase 磨合期
 The Adjustment Phase 适应期
 The Reverse Culture Shock 再冲击期
Another version
Phases of Cultural Shock
The Honeymoon Phase
蜜月阶段
The Anxiety or Rejection Phase
沮丧（或敌意）阶段
The Regression and Adjustment Phase
恢复调整阶段
The Acceptance and Adaptation Phase
适应阶段
The Reverse Culture Shock
重返本文化冲击
Dichotomies in western translation studies
Literal / Free Translation (traditional)
Formal / Dynamic Equivalence (Nida)
Semantic / Communicative Translation (Newmark)
Overt / Covert Translation (House)
Documentary / Instrumental Translation (Nord)
Foreignization / Domestication (Venuti)
Background Info—The Author
Susan Bassnett
is Professor of Comparative Literature at
the University of Warwick and the head
of the Centre for British and Comparative
Cultural Studies;
has written extensively in the fields of
comparative literacy studies, theatre,
women‘s studies, and translation studies;
also writes poetry;
is a practising translator.
Background Info—The Author
Her major works are
Translation Studies
(1980), Constructing
Cultures (1998), and The
Translator as Writer
(2006), etc.
A Detailed Study of Text I
Type of writing & Organization
Theme & Structure
A Structural Analysis
A Close Reading
Type of Writing & Organization
ARGUMENTATIVE essay
Text I is an___________________
featuring strict logic.
DEDUCTIVE
The author adopts the _________________
approach when developing her argument.
Revision
Argumentation
A well-defined theme
Sufficient evidence
Good logic
Clear organization
An honest and friendly attitude
Theme & Structure
The THEME statement is:
Most fundamental is the profound relationship
between language and culture that lies at the heart of
society and one that we overlook at our peril. (Para. 3)
THREE parts:
The essay falls into the following ____________
♦ Part I (Para. 1—3) Introduction
♦ Part II (Para. 4—7) Body
♦ Part III (Para. 8) Conclusion
A Detailed Structural Analysis
Part I (1-3): put forward the thesis/topic
What is the topic sentence of the text?
“Most fundamental is the profound relationship
between language and culture that lies at the
heart of society and one that we overlook at our
peril.” (the last sentence of Para. 3)
Part II (4-7): body—prove point of view
Part III (8): conclusion—
The immense function or great significance of
intercultural understanding.
A Close Reading
Comprehension check
Language points
Sentence highlights
Part I (Para. 1—3)
Tower of Babel
We live in an age of easy access to the rest of the
world and this global communications revolution is
linked to the expansion of English.
Comprehension Check
1. What do cheap flights and the Internet
mean?
2. Exemplify and explain that English has
become the most important international
language.
Language Points
 1. back-packing (Para. 1):
--If you go backpacking, you go traveling with a
backpack.
 2. go off: to leave (Para. 1)
--Don’t go off until he comes.
 3. text messaging (Para. 1): the sending of written
messages using a mobile phone
text message（短信）: a written message that is sent
or received on a mobile phone or pager
Language Points
 4. provided: conj. (often with that) on the
condition or understanding (= on condition that /
so long as) (Para. 2)
--We will pay you a £100 bonus ~ the job is
completed on time.
--Using this license, others can download and
redistribute your work in a non-commercial way
~ they credit you as the author.
Cf. providing
Language Points
 5. regardless of: phr-prep. in spite of,
notwithstanding
--The time limit was the same ~ the difficulty of
the task.
--It pays to take a marketing class ~ your major
or position in your company.
--He stood for freedom of speech for everyone ~
color, race or creed.
Language Points
 6. essential (Para. 2):
 It is essential that every child has the same
educational opportunities.
 It is essential that every child have the same
educational opportunities.
Usage: In it is important/ vital / essential/
necessary/ desirable that…structure, it doesn’t
matter whether the structure is in the present or past
tense or whether the subject in the that-clause is in
the singular or plural form, we should use the
“should + basic form of the verb” pattern, especially
in formal writing.
Language Points
 7. facilitate: vt. to make an action or process easier or
more likely to happen (para. 2)
--The new airport will ~ the development of tourism.
--The Center has academic agreements with several
American universities which ~ exchanges of faculty.
 8. stepping stone: [C] (Para. 2)
--A job or event etc can be described as a ~ when it
helps you to make progress, especially in someone’s
career.
--Many students now see university as a ~to a good job.
Language Points
9. misgiving (Para. 3): [U / C] a feeling of
doubt or fear about what might happen or
about whether sth. is right
-- Some have already expressed their ~s
that the expansion will lead to greater loss.
--Prince Harry will be sent to Iraq
despite ~s over security.
Language Points
 8. …and why does the rise of English as a global
language… (Para. 3)
the rise of (a movement / activity, etc): an increase in the
popularity or influence of a movement or activity, etc
--The rise of modern sports made the Greek have the idea
of resuming the ancient Olympic Games.
--The rise of the city is closely associated with the transition
from handicraft to machine industry.
Language Points
 9. at one’s peril (Para. 3): used to say that
what someone is intending to do is dangerous
or could cause them problems
--Politicians ignore this issue at their peril.
--Anyone who breaks the law does so at their
peril.
Paraphrases
 1. We live in an age of easy access to the rest of the
world...while the Internet enables us to communicate
with the remotest places and the traditional postal
services are now referred to almost mockingly as “snail
mail”. (Para.1)
 The age we are living in provide us with convenient
ways to reach any part of the world…while the Internet
makes it possible for us to share or exchange opinions or
information, etc. with people in faraway places, and the
traditional postal services are so slow that people often
jokingly use the term “snail” to describe its delivery
speed.
Paraphrases
2. Significantly also, this great global
communications revolution is also linked to the
expansion of English, which has now become
the leading international language. (Para. 2)
In addition, it is of remarkable significance
that this great worldwide revolution in
communications is also closely related to the
immense development of English, which has
now become the most important
international language.
Paraphrases
3. English has simply become the language that
facilitates communication, and for many people
learning English is an essential stepping stone
on the road to success. (Para. 2)
English has simply become the language that
makes it easier for people to communicate with
each other, and for many people learning English
is an important springboard to attain great
achievements.
Paraphrases
4. Most fundamental is the profound
relationship between language and culture that
lies at the heart of society and one that we
overlook at our peril. (Para. 3)
What is most important is the deep and strongly
felt relationship between language and culture that
forms the core of society. If we fail to notice this
relationship, we shall almost certainly be in
great danger.
A Look Back: Part I
Can you pick out the topic sentences and
key words / phrases of the first three
paragraphs?
How does the writer exemplify the topic
sentences?
A Look Back (For your reference)
Para 1: topic sentence / key words
easy access / global communication
To exemplify/illustrate the topic sentence:
Cheap flights enable millions of people to visit
places their parents could only dream about.
The Internet enables us to communicate with the
remotest places quickly and conveniently. (e-mail)
Mobile phones can make you connect the others
who’s far away at any hour of the day.
A Look Back (For your reference)
Para 2: topic sentence / key words:
English / language determinism
To exemplify and explain that English has become
the most important international language:
Conference and business meetings…
English has simply become the language
that facilitates communication.
For many people learning English is an
essential stepping stone on the road to
success.
A Look Back (For your reference)
Para 3: topic sentence / key words:
problems with the communication
revolution
To exemplify/illustrate the topic sentence:
 Misgivings and feelings of uneasiness
about the rise of English as a global
language
Part II (Para. 4—7)
Tower of Babel
Language transports a cultural subtext, and
learning how to negotiate cultural and linguistic
differences is essential to survival in modern
times.
Comprehension Check
 1. What is the function of languages the author points
out in the 4th paragraph?
 2. What is suggested about the citation of the examples
in early Bible translation?
 3. According to Prof. Bassnett, what does
“compromising” mean? And when and how shall we
compromise?
 4. What’s the attitude some native English speakers
bear toward other languages?
 5. Why does the author think that native
English speakers are losing out?
Language Points
 1. longing (Para. 4): a strong persistent yearning
or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled
--Jane ached with ~ to return home and see her
family.
--Everyone of us has moments of ~ for the past.
 2. angst: n. a feeling of anxiety or insecurity, etc,
often accompanied by depression. (Para. 4)
--I can imagine nothing more absurd than the
sight of a 53 year old standing publicly bleating
songs of adolescent ~.
Language Points
 3. head-on (Para. 5):
--If you deal with a problem ~, you deal with it in a
very direct way.
--If two vehicles crash ~, the front of one vehicle hits
the front of the other.
 4. come up with sth. (Para. 5)：to think of an idea,
answer etc.
--Is that the best excuse you can come up with?
 5. regarding (Para. 6): with respect to, concerning
--Jeff and Taylor came to terms ~ the new contract.
Language Points
6. staple (Para. 6): a. (of products, esp. food)
most basic and important for a particular place or
group of people
--Such ~s as meat, butter and even milk were
frequently missing from stores during the war.
7. hybrid (Para. 7): n. (usu. singular) a mixture
of different things or styles
--the artificial ~s of DNA and RNA
--English abounds with ~s—words made up
from different languages
Language Points
8. lose out (Para. 7)
--If one loses out, s/he suffers a loss or
disadvantage because s/he has not
succeeded in what s/he was doing.
Paraphrases
1. Faced with unsurmountable linguistic
problems, translators negotiated the
boundaries between languages and came up
with a compromise. (Para. 5)
Encountering insolvable language problems,
translators tried to find balance between
languages and finally arrived at a compromise.
Paraphrases
2. Communicating in another language involves
not only linguistic skills, but the ability to think
differently, to enter into another culture's
mentality and shape language accordingly.
(Para. 7)
Conveying ideas, feelings, or information in
another language requires not only linguistic
skills, but also the ability to think in a different
way, to share another culture’s customary way
of thinking and then to know how to use the
language appropriately and idiomatically.
Paraphrases
3. But even as more people become multilingual,
so native English speakers are losing out, for
they are becoming even more monolingual…
(Para. 7)
Although more and more people are able to speak
more than one language, native English speakers
don’t get it well, because most of them can speak
English only…
Paraphrases
 4. Millions of people are discovering how to bridge
cultures, while the English-speaking world becomes ever
more complacent and cuts down on foreign language
learning programs in the mistaken belief that it is
enough to know English. (Para. 7)
 Numerous people are looking for a way to interrelate
different cultures, while the English-speaking community
becomes ever more satisfied with their knowledge of
English and spends less on foreign-language-learning
programs because they develop the mistaken idea that it is
enough to know English.
A Look Back
Can you briefly relate the example(s) the author
cites to illustrate insurmountable linguistic
problems in the process of translation in this part?
The untranslatability of expressions from Bible
which are heavily loaded with religious messages,
e.g. “the Lamb of God”, “the forbidden fruit”, “the
Garden of Eden”, etc.
Part III (Para. 8)
Tower of Babel
By not feeling the need to learn other
languages these days, native English speakers
may lose the skills to understand other cultures.
Comprehension Check
1. According to the writer, what is the great
function of intercultural understanding?
2. Who will probably be most able to help the
process of world peace in the future?
Language Points
1. the state of the art: the highest level of
development, as of a device, technique, or
scientific field, achieved at a particular time
技术发展水平
--the state of the art in space travel
Paraphrase
 Those best placed to help that process may not be
the ones with the latest technology and state of the
art mobile phones, but those with the skills to
understand what lies in, under and beyond the
words spoken in many different languages. (Para.
8)
 Those who are most able to contribute to that
process of world peace probably are not the ones
who have grasped the latest technology or the ones
who are most skilful at using mobile phones, but
those who have acquired the skills to understand the
literal, implied, and cultural meanings of the
words used in different languages.
A Look Back
The immense function/ great significance
of intercultural understanding
world peace
intercultural understanding
those who understand different languages
Appreciation: Writing Tips
Effective Use of Brief Examples
Examples can help us clarify complex concepts.
Examples as supporting material offer the advantage of
helping our readers or listeners visualize the meaning of
the message.
 What is a brief example?
 A brief example is a specific case referred to in
passing to illustrate a point.
• Two cases in point: Paragraph 1 & Paragraph 5
 What impressions do you think the author intends to
create in these two paragraphs?
Appreciation: Writing Tips (cont.)
When do people often use brief examples?
 Brief examples can be used to introduce
a topic.
 A writer or speaker can also pile brief
examples one upon another until the
desired stronger impression is created.
Practices & Homework
Translation
Discussion of textbook exercises
Homework
Notes on the Present Progressive
The present progressive is mainly used for
the following purposes:
To denote an action in progress at the
moment of speaking.
To denote an action in progress at a period of
time including the present.
To denote a future happening according to a
definite plan or arrangement.
Integrated Skills: E-C Translation
Translate the following sentences into Chinese.
1. We live in an age of easy access to the rest of
the world. (Para.1)
2. Everyone, it seems, provided, of course, they
can afford to do so, need never be out of touch.
(Para. 1)
3. Most fundamental is the profound
relationship between languages and culture that
lies at the heart of society and one that we
overlook at our peril. (Para. 3)
Integrated Skills: E-C Translation
4. Different cultures are not simply groups of
people who label the world differently; languages
give us the means to shape our views of the
world and languages are different from one
another. (Para. 4)
5. The early Bible translators hit the problem of
untranslatability head-on. (Para. 5)
6. Faced with unsurmountable linguistic
problems, translators negotiated the boundaries
between languages and came up with a
compromise. (Para. 5)
Integrated Skills: E-C Translation
 7. When there are no words in another language for
what you want to say, you make adjustments and try to
approximate. (Para. 6)
 8. Inevitably, the spread of English means that millions
of people are adding another language to their own and
are learning how to negotiate cultural and linguistic
differences. (Para. 7)
 9. Communicating in another language involves not
only linguistic skills, but the ability to think differently,
to enter into another culture’s mentality and shape
language accordingly. (Para. 7)
Key to Textbook Exercises
IV. Explain in your own words the following
sentences taken from the text. (p. 225)
1. The age we are living in provides us with
convenient ways to reach any part of the world.
2. It seems that everyone is able to get in touch with
anyone else if he or she can afford to send text
messages on mobile phone.
3. Culture is deeply rooted in society.
4. We are running a risk in neglecting the importance
of the relationship.
Key to Exercises
5. The problem that some parts of the Bible could not
be translated emerged right in front of the early
translators.
6. Encountering insolvable language problems,
translators tried to find balance between languages
and finally arrived at a compromise.
7. To negotiate cultural and linguistic differences is a
fundamental skill in today's world, where different
cultures interact.
8. Numerous people are looking for a way to
interrelate different cultures.
Key to Exercises
Vocabulary exercises
I. Explain the italicized part in each sentence in your own
words. (p. 226)
1. if and only if; can never fail to be informed of the
latest information
2. unrelated to/irrespective of
3. do not notice (the relationship) at great risk
4. may more or less be described by those words
5. were directly confronted/met with the problem
that something in one language cannot b( rendered
into another
6. discussed and decided on the limits of differences
Key to Exercises
Grammar exercises
I. Put the verbs into the present progressive
form. (p. 228)
1. is doing
2. is boiling
3. is always changing
4. is putting, rewiring, is building
5. am working
6. Are ... doing, am packing, am catching
Key to Exercises
Grammar exercises
II. Choose the correct form. (p. 229)
1. do you belong to
2. I think
3. can see
4. I’m going over
5. Do you believe
6. prefers
7. I miss
8. always reads
Key to Exercises
Grammar Exercises
III. Complete the following sentences with the
correct verb forms. (p. 229)
1. helps
2. hope, are enjoying, sunbathe, go, are going
3. is being
4. is typing
5. am not eating
6. am reading
7. are always leaving
8. go, belongs, wants, is using
Key to Exercises
Grammar Exercises
IV. Correct the errors, where found, in the
following sentences. (p. 229)
1. Smith passes the ball to Brown, and Brown shoots,
and it's a goal!
2. 
3. Why are you crying? Is something wrong?
4. 
5. I know Adam well. I’ll introduce you to him.
6. I gather Peter’s looking for a job.
Integrated Skills: Dictation
 The main reason for the widespread demand for English / is
its present-day importance as a world language. / Besides
serving the infinite needs of its native speakers, / English is a
language / in which some of the most important works in
science, technology, and other fields are being produced, /
and not always by native speakers. / It is a language of wider
communication for a number of developing countries, /
especially former British colonies. / Many of these countries
have multi-lingual populations / and need a language for
internal communication / in such matters as government,
commerce, industry, law and education / as well as for
international communication / and for access to the scientific
and technological developments in the West.
Homework
C-E Translation (p. 230)
Oral practice
Supplementary reading
Oral Practice: A Survey
We are different.
Each group is to conduct a survey on your
classmates’ understanding of the major differences
between Chinese culture and some foreign culture
(e.g. American culture, Japanese culture, etc.)
 Step I: Work out a list of questions (more
than 6).
 Step II: Interview your classmates.
 Step III: Report to the class the survey
results.
Supplementary Reading
Find and read stories about the following
biblical terms to gain a better understanding
of Text I.
 The Lamb of God
 Jonah
 The Tower of Babel