2。1 Broad Viewpoint of the Menu Translation 2

2。2 Scattered Theories 2

2。3 Translation Memetics 3

2。4 Translation Process from the Viewpoint of Memetics 4

3。 Analysis of the Loss and Gain of Memes for Animal and Plant Vocabularies 6

3。1 Reasons for Loss and Gain 6

3。2 The Loss of Shape, Color and 源Q于W优E尔A论S文R网wwW.yOueRw.com 原文+QQ75201,8766 Image 6

3。3 The Gain of Cooking Method and Ingredient 9

4。 Techniques for English Translation of Animal and Plant Vocabularies in Chinese Food Menu 10

4。1 Translation Principles 10

4。2 Guidance Principle and Theory 11

4。3 Specific Techniques 11

4。3。1 For Abstract or Associative Dish Names 11

4。3。2 For Dish Names From Natural Scenes 12

4。3。3 For Dish Names Loaded with Culture 12

4。3。4 For Dish Names Existing Lexical Gap or Meaning Conflict 13

4。3。5 Dish Names with Shape 14

5。 Conclusion 15

5。1 Suggestions for Animal and Plant Vocabularies Translation 15

5。2 Limitations 16

5。3 Prospect for Further Study 16

References 17

1。 Introduction

The menu of Chinese food concentrates Chinese profound cooking skills, local characteristics, and the long history of Chinese food culture。 And the English translation of Chinese food menu has taken an important role in the entry of Chinese catering industry into the global market and spreading Chinese dietetic culture。 Under this circumstance, we must take the English translation of Chinese food menu serious。 And the translation characteristic of Chinese food menu and its translation rules should be further studied and innovated。 来自优Y尔L论W文Q网wWw.YouERw.com 加QQ7520~18766

And there are many kinds of ingredients for making dish。 In other words, various animal and plant vocabularies appear in the dish name。 Birds and beasts, flower and vegetables are nice material for making dish。 However, in the Chinese-to-English translation of Chinese food menu, some memes of animal and plant vocabularies lose or gain。 People like to use popular animals and plants to name dishes。 However, favored animals and plants in China and western countries are different。 Therefore, cultural gap appears。 And western dines, in general, prefer brief and ingredient-oriented menus in that they focus on practicability and have strong sense of time。 Therefore memes like ingredient, cooking method are gained in the English translation of Chinese food menu。 In order to achieve the balance between the loss and gain of memes for this kind of animal and plant vocabularies, the translator should analyze what memes are consisted in these animal and plant vocabularies thoroughly, select necessary memes, and finally use various translation methods and techniques to translate them。

2。 Literature Review

2。1 Broad Viewpoint of the Menu Translation

The amount of researches for the English translation about Chinese food menu is large。 However, most of them are for the general translation of menu。 And little of them talk about more specific information of the menu, such as animal and plant vocabularies。