福建省光泽第一中学高中英语教师论文 从跨文化(10)

and allusions are used in dish names as well. The most typical examples are 霸王别姬（The King Saying Good-bye to His Beauty）, 金玉满堂 (Hall Filled with Treasures), 凤凰投林 (Phoenix Flying into the Woods) and so on. All these things characterize the Chinese culture; literal translation takes priority over literal translation. Examples:

红烧狮子头 Stewed Minced Pork Balls with Brown Sauce

牡丹蔬菜 Peony-shaped Fried Mushroom and Bamboo Shoots

蚂蚁上树 Sauteed Bean vermicelli with Spicy Meat Sauce

宫保鸡丁 Fried Diced Chicken in Sichuan Style

八宝鸡 Rice-Stuffed Chicken

白云凤爪 Pickled Chicken Feet

3.3 Literal Translation with Cultural Explanations

Another cultural category of dishes are those closely related to Chinese tradition, believe, allusion, legend, people’name or place. For example, Chinese people like to have happiness as well as unity, and this c an be embodied in the dish names. In this situation, we can translate their denotations according to the Chinese, then offer some explanations about their connotations. For instance:

全家福Happy Family---A combination of shrimps, pork, beef, chicken and mixed vegetables with brown sauce.

龙配凤 Dragon& Phoenix---Two separate dishes characterize this distinctive plate. On one side, lobster meat in Sichuan chili sauce, which is very inviting. On the other, a special house chicken, which never fails in delighting taste buds.

过桥米线 Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodle---A dish created by a very caring and attentive wife who had to cross a bridge everyday to deliver food to her husband.

3.4 Zero Translation

Zero translation is closely related with the translatability of Chinese dishes. As explained, zero translation can convey the source culture more accurately; of course the use of this method should be built on the basis of comprehension, otherwise it will lead to the failure of communication. In Chinese dish names translation, there re really some things, though not so many, unique to Chinese language and culture. It is very much difficult or even impossible for us to translate these elements accurately into another language. As a result, the zero translation method can be used on a case-to-case basis. This is not only a way to solve the problem of translatability but also a method to export Chinese culture abroad. And this type of translation can be supplemented by relevant notes. For instance:

油条 Youtiao (Deep-fried Dough Stick)

麻花 Mahua (Deep-fried Dough Twist)

包子 Baozi (Stuffed Bun)

小笼包 Xiaolongbao( Steamed Stuffed Bun by Small Bamboo Food Steamer)

馒头 Mantou(Steamed Bread)

锅贴 Guotie( Pot Stickers)

Conclusion

Chinese dish names are rich in meaning, style and connotation, vividly reflecting