Fanyi Wenhua as a Concept:The Senses It Conveys and the Focus for Its Further Development
As it has been used by Chinese translation scholars,the term fanyi wenhua(literally"translation culture")conveys primarily three senses:the handling of cultural elements in translation;the cultural school of translation studies;and the cultural context within which translation is practiced.Of the three the last one is the least explored and should therefore be the focus of our efforts to further develop the concept.Broadly speaking,fanyi wenhua in its third sense refers to a knowledge system consisting of the foundational assumptions about,basic values of,and the regulatory policies/norms/ethics with respect to translation,the translator's persona,as well as the public's understanding of and identification with translation.Such a conception calls attention to the crucial role a sound fanyi wenhua must necessarily play in the creating of a harmonious eco-environment for translation.To facilitate further development offanyi wenhua(in its third sense),three measures could be taken:i.turning academic conceptions of translation into public knowledge;ii.promoting coordinated efforts by the translator and other agents of translation;and iii.paying equal attention to technical expertise acquisition and cultural awareness enhancing in translation education.
fanyi wenhua/translation culturecultural elementcultural school of translation studiescontext of translation practicetranslational eco-environment