Redcloak:
linguistic elements are only symbols representing the cultures, knowledges, personal experiences, etc.
Some values that all human beings share seems easier to be translated. For example, most culture has word "love" (147 out 170 cultures) . But some values are unique to a particular cuture. Therefore we will have diffeculties to translate them. For example how do you translate "仁"? magnanimity?
Individual growing up experiences also has a lot to do with how one interpret the words. For example, there are a lot of unique phrases that were used in Culture Revolution, but the young generation has hard time to understand the meanings.
So the same words, to one group of people are 言志,but to another group of people could only be limited to 言言. 言志 and 言言 are not fixed concepts. It depends on the levels of readers' understanding. To the foreigners, the poems written in another languages could only be 言音..:))
LTG:
thank you for sharing!!!
seems like that the cultural aspects in a language are more closely related to one's thinking process, no?
i agree with you in terms of considering generally the translating process from one language to another.
speaking of individual exp., i am more interested in the "individual voice" --- for example, [i am only talking about those bilingual speakers who write and speak two languages daily], they also think in two languages.... maybe, one's mother tongue has more influence than the 2nd language, right? so, in writing, one's "voice" changes unconsciously, it seems to me.
this change of "voice" will be the main interest in my research ...
shed more light? :)
anyone else?
thanks !!
RedCloak:
You need to explain more about what do you mean of "voice", for sure you are not talking about "the sound produced by the vocal organ", right? :))
LTG:
no, no ...
in writing, one has a voice that has something to do with both vocabulary and one's style, passion, sentiment, etc.. ---- sheng yin, in Chinese.
i mentioned this before in my essay on "new poetry."
another way to think about this is to look back at ourselves as we learn more and more a 2nd language ---
at certain stages, we feel more confident in speaking a new language when we have studied and lived in that language long enough.
some translation works are too "technical" in some ways with the help of a dictionary...
ok, do you argue with your husband/wife, collegues, friends, etc., in Chinese or English? :) So, how do you feel and think when arguing in a new language?
Redcloak
Talking about "style, passion, sentiment", poets have better feelings, not me:(((( it has something to do with the subtle artistic parts of the languages.
Someone believes that people feel more and more subtle difference in the second language when one is more and more acculturative. I heard that if you dream in the other language, that means you are getting this language...
btw. Oh, yes, I "fight" with others in English all the time, but do I dream in English...I don't know....:))))
LTG:
Dream Language
i wrote a paper in school about one night my dream changed all of a sudden ---everyone spoke English in that dream !!!
that was a turning point, actually, since you mentioned it ... unconsciousness ...