多元并存与规范优化：中国传统节日英译名的张力及引导性规范建构

Pluralistic Coexistence and Normative Optimization: Tensions in the English Translation of Chinese Traditional Festival Names and the Construction of Guiding Norms

摘要: 在中国文化“走出去”的战略背景下，中国传统节日的英译名规范问题日益凸显。然而，当前节日译名长期处于多元并存的混沌状态，官方标准化诉求与国际传播中的多元化现实之间存在显著张力。本文以春节、端午节、清明节为案例，系统考察三者译名的标准化与多元化呈现方式及张力强度的差异，并从传播主体、受众需求、语言演化规律等角度分析多元化的成因。研究表明，节日译名多元并存是翻译活动中充分性与可接受性两类规范相互博弈的常态。标准化对于维护国家文化形象、提升对外传播效率具有现实合理性，但语言的社会性决定其难以依靠行政指令彻底落地。据此，本文提出由“强制标准化”转向“引导性规范”的实践路径，倡导分场景、分层级实施译名规范，依托权威机构持续示范与文化本体影响力提升引导译名演化。研究表明，标准化并非唯一价值，多元化也不等于翻译乱象，中华节日外译更需要理性的传播智慧而非简单规约。

Abstract: Against the strategic backdrop of promoting Chinese culture “globally”, the issue of standardizing the English translations of traditional Chinese festivals has become increasingly prominent. However, the translation of these festivals has long existed in a chaotic state of diversification, with a significant tension between the demand for official standardization and the reality of diversity in international communication. Taking the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Qingming Festival as case studies, this paper systematically examines the differences in the standardization and diverse presentation of their translations, as well as the intensity of the tensions involved. It further analyzes the causes of this diversity from the perspectives of communication subjects, audience needs, and the laws of linguistic evolution. The paper indicates that the coexistence of multiple translated names for festivals is a normal outcome of the ongoing interplay between the norms of adequacy and acceptability in translation activities. Standardization has practical justification in safeguarding national cultural image and enhancing the efficiency of international communication, yet the social nature of language makes it difficult to enforce standardization solely through administrative directives. Accordingly, this paper proposes a practical shift from “compulsory standardization” to “guided normalization”, advocating for context-specific and tiered implementation of translation norms, relying on sustained demonstration by authoritative institutions and the intrinsic appeal of the cultural source to guide the evolution of translated terms. The study shows that standardization is not the sole value, nor does diversity equate to translational chaos; the foreign translation of Chinese festivals calls for rational communication wisdom rather than simplistic regulation.