-地貌
Unit 4
Cultural
Encounters
Susan Bassnett
1
We live in an age of easy
access
to the rest of the
Cheap flights mean
that
millions
of
people
are
able
to
visit
places
their
parents
could
only
dream
about, 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.
”
When
students
go
off
backpacking,
they
can
email
their
parents
from Internet
cafes in the Himalayas or from a desert
oasis. And
as
for
mobile
phones
—
the clicking of text
messaging
at any hour of the day or
night has
become familiar to us all.
Everyone, it seems, provided, of course, they can
afford to do so, need never be out of
touch.
Significantly
also, this great global communications revolution
is also
linked
to
the
expansion
of
English,
which
has
now
become
the
leading
international
language.
Conferences
and
business
meetings
around
the
globe
are
held in English,
regardless of
whether anyone
present is a native English
speaker.
English
has
simply
become
the
language
that
facilitates
communication,
and
for
many
people
learning
English
is
an
essential
stepping
stone
on
the
road
to
So
why,
you
may
wonder,
would
anyone
have
misgivings
about
all
these
wonderful developments, and why does
the rise of English as a global language
cause
feelings
of
uneasiness
for
some
of
us?
For
there
are
indeed
problems
with
the
communications
revolution,
problems
that
are
not
only
economic.
Most
fundamental
is
the
profound
relationship
between
language
and
culture
that
lies
at the heart of society and one that we
overlook
at our
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.
We
express
what
we
see
and
feel
through
4
language,
and
because
languages
are
so
clearly
culture-related,
often
we
find
that what we can say in one language
cannot be expressed at all in another.
The English word
“
homesickness
”
translates
into Italian as
“
nostalgia,<
/p>
”
but English has
had to borrow that same word to describe a
different state of
mind,
something
that
is
not
quite
homesickness
and
involves
a
kind
of
longing
.
Homesickness
and
nostalgia
put
together
are
almost,
but
not
quite,
the
Portuguese
“
sauda
de,
”
an
untranslatable word
that
describes a state
of mind
that is not
despair,
angst (English
borrowed that from German), sadness or
regret, but
hovers
somewhere in and around all those
words.
The
early
Bible
translators
hit
the
problem
of
untranslatability
head-
on
.
How do you translate the
image of the Lamb of God for a culture in which
sheep
11
do
not
exist?
What
exactly
was
the
fruit
that
Eve
picked
in
the
Garden
of
Eden?
What was
the creature that swallowed Jonah, given that
whales are
not given
5
to
swimming in
warm, southern seas?
Faced with
unsurmountable
linguistic
2
3
4
5
problems,
translators
negotiated
the
boundaries
between
languages
and
came
up
with
a
6
Compromising
is
something
that
speakers
of
more
than
one
language
understand. When there are no words in
another language for what you want to
say,
you
make
adjustments
and
try
to
English
and
Welsh
speakers
make
adjustments
regarding
the color spectrum in the
grey / green / blue / brown
range
, since English has
four words and Welsh has three. And even where
words
do exist, compromises still need
to be made. The word
“
democr
acy
”
means
completely
different
things
in
different
contexts,
and
even
a
word
like
“
bread
”
which refers to
a
staple food item made of
flour means totally
different things to
different people. The flat breads of Central Asia
are a
long
way
away
from
Mother
’
s
Pride
white
sliced
toasties,
yet
the
word
“
bread
”
has to serve for both.
7
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. This is an
essential skill in today
’
s
hybrid world,
particularly
now
when
the
need
for
international
understanding
has
rarely
been
so important. But even as more people
become multilingual, so native English
speakers
are
losing
out,
for
they
are
becoming
ever
more
monolingual,
and
hence
increasingly
unaware
of
the
differences
between
cultures
that
languages
reveal
.
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 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.
8
World peace in the future depends
on intercultural understanding. 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
Paragraphs
1-3
Words and
Expressions
1.
access
n.
entrance; way in; means of entering
o
r the right to use or look
at
something
.
The only means of access to the
building is along a muddy track.
到达那幢楼的唯一途径是沿着那条泥泞的小路前行。
The system has been designed to give
the user quick and easy access to the
required information.
Derivation:
accessible
a.
2. communicate
vi
. share or exchange
feelings, opinions, or information,
etc.
.
He is a
shy boy who can
’
t
communicate very well.
Derivation:
communication
n.
.
The
Internet
is
the
best
means
of
communication
among
several
partners
at
different
locations.
communicative
a.
3. remote
a.
distant in
space or time
.
We can see remote stars through a
telescope.
In the remote
future, many new changes will take
place.
The Beatles carried
Liverpool
’
s fame to the
remotest corners of the earth.
Derivation:
remoteness
n.
.
They found the remoteness
of the country a great problem.
Comparison:
distant, far,
remote
distant
very far away esp. in distance
.
She could hear the distant
sound of fireworks exploding.
far
describe something that
is not near, or the part of something that is most
distant from the centre or from you
.
The station
isn
’
t far
—
we could easily walk
it.
remote
describe an area, house or village that
is a long way from any towns or
cities
.
He lived in a
remote mountain village.
Translation:
1.
我们很难观察月亮的另一边。
The
far side of the moon is difficult for us to
observe.
2.
邮车每周只到这个偏僻的村庄一次。
Mail comes to this remote village only
once a week.
3.
这个朝圣者来自非常远的地方。
This pilgrim came from a very distant
place.
4.
mockingly
ad.
in a way in
which sb. or sth. is made fun of
.
Andrienne raised her
eyebrows mockingly
—
“
What
’
s
wrong, my dear? Don
’
t you
understand?
”
The boy who was once referred to
mockingly as a country boy is now the CEO of
a joint venture.
5. regardless of
without
taking account of or worrying about
.
I bought the book,
regardless of the cost.
尽管价钱挺高，我还是买了这本书。
The law requires equal treatment for
all, regardless of race, religion or sex.
6. facilitate
vt.
help; make
easy or easier
.
The new underground railway will facilitate the
journey to the airport.
An
interface is a window environment designed to
facilitate the interaction
between the
user and the system.
界面是一个窗
口环境，其设计是用来促进用户和系统之间的交互作用。
Derivation:
facilitation
n.
facilitative
a.
7.
stepping stone
any of a row of large
stones with a level top, which one walks
on to
cross a river or
stream; figuratively, a way of
improvement
or gaining
success
.
For
some
people,
gaining
power
is
an
essential
stepping
stone
to
a
successful
life.
Temporary
jobs can be a stepping stone out of
unemployment.
8.
have misgivings
not be sure
.
I have many misgivings
about taking the job.
我对是否接受那项工作顾虑重重。
9. fundamental
a.
basic
.
A knowledge of economics is fundamental
to any understanding of this problem.
经济学知识对于理解这个问题是至关重要的。
There is a fundamental difference in
attitude between these two politicians.
这两位政治家的态度有着根本的区别。
Derivation:
fundamentally
ad.
.
I disagreed fundamentally
with what they stood for.
10. profound
a.
intense; deep; very strongly felt
.
The book contains profound
insight into human behavior.
The development was to have a profound
effect on all our lives.
Derivation:
profoundly
ad.
.
I am profoundly grateful
for this opportunity to meet you.
11.
at
one
’
s
peril
(used
when
advising
sb.
not
to
do
sth.)
with
the
near
certainty
of meeting great
danger
.
You
ignore this warning at your peril.
你若忽视这个警告，就得自担风险。
Activity: Fill in each blank with a
suitable preposition.
1.
Which
companies was she referring ___when she spoke of
competing firms?
(to)
2. Bats communicate___ each other by
ultrasonic messages.
(with)
3. Citizens may have free access
____the library.
(to)
4. It is rude to mock
____other
s’
shortcomings.
(at)
5.
I
’
d like to go
back to teaching, but I am ___ touch with my
subject now.
(out
of)
6. She is
determined to do regardless ____all consequences.
(of)
7. Food is
essential ___ life.
(to)
8.
At
the
time,
many
doctors
had
serious
misgivings
____
the
new
treatment.
(about)
9. Any
climber who neglects these simple precautions does
so___ his peril.
(at)
Sentences
1. We live in an age of easy access to
the rest of the world.
(Paragraph
1)
Translation
:
我们生活在一个可以轻松到达世界其它角落的时代。
2
. … for many
people learning English is an essential stepping
stone on t
he road
to
success.
(Paragraph 2)
Explanation
: …
for many people the acquisition of English is
basically a spring
board towards their
lifetime achievements.
A
stepping stone
is
a means
that
helps you to progress towards
achieving something
especially in your
work.
.
Students
from
various
minority
groups
are
intent
on
using
education
as
a
stepping
stone to a better
life.
3.
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.
(Paragraph 3)
Paraphrase
:
There
is
a
basic
relationship
between
language
and
culture
which
is
an
essential part of society
and one that it is dangerous if we
ignore.
Translation
:
最根本的
是语言与文化之间的深远关系，它存在于社会的中心，忽视它必然
会造成危险。
Paragraphs
4-7
Words and
Expressions
12.
label
v.
fix
or
tie
on
sth.
a
piece
of
paper
or
other
material
that
gives
information
about
it; use a word
or
phrase to describe sb. or sth.
.
I
’
ve
just spent a whole day labelling all the
items.
The bottle is labeled
poison.
瓶上标明有毒。
n.
a
piece
of
paper
or
other
material,
fixed
to
sth.,
which
gives
information
about
what it is, where it
is to go, who owns it, etc.
.
The labels were attached
to the luggage.
13. longing
n.
strong wish; a strong feeling of
wanting sth.
.
She felt a great longing for the
sights, sounds and smells of home.
Nothing could quench her
longin
g
to return home
again.
她重返家园的念头怎么也打消不掉。