Contents24431Abstract ITOC\o"1-2"\h\z\u30766摘要 Ⅱ22253Introduction 167551BasicConceptsofInterpretationandEscortInterpretation 3320381.1DefinitionandClassificationofInterpretation 332251.2DefinitionofEscortInterpretation 4147121.3FeaturesofEscortInterpretation 52CulturalDifferencesinEscortInterpretation864952.1DefinitionofCulture 8304152.2LanguageandCulture 9205992.3CulturalDifferencesinCross-CulturalCommunication 10238772.4Cross-CultureandEscortInterpretation 14231573CopingStrategiesforEscortInterpreters 193.1CultivationofCross-CulturalAwareness19259303.2FlexibleApplicationofDomesticationandAlienation 20138393.3ProperUseofInterpretationMethods 2118080Conclusion 2518497Bibliography 2713710Acknowledgments 29AbstractInordertoacceleratethefusionoftheworld’seconomicandculturalfields,cross-culturalexchangeactivitiesbetweencountriesarecarriedoutindifferentkindsofforms.TherapiddevelopmentofopennesstotheoutsideworldofChinarequiresmanyprofessionalsengagedinescortinterpreterstoprovideguaranteesofservice.Inthisprocess,interpretationplaysavitalrole.Thesuccessofinterpretationiscloselyrelatedtothereputationofacityorevenacountry.Escortinterpretersareinterpreterswhoaccompaniesaforeignguestoradelegationtoparticipateinanevent.Theygenerallyappearinvariousforeign-relatedreceptionprocessesandinvolveawiderangeandhighfrequencyofuse.Comparedwithrigorousconferenceinterpretationandcourtinterpretation,theescortinterpretationformisverylively.Theescortinterpretercanflexiblyadjustthesequenceoftheoriginalcontentaccordingtothesituationandhasastrongsubjectiveinitiative.Escortinterpretersplayanimportantroleinbusinessactivitiesandculturalexchange.However,duetodifferencesinculturalbackgroundsanduneventranslationlevels,interpretersmaybeunclearorevenmistranslationduringtheinterpretationprocess.Thiswillcauseacertainlosstobothparties,andatthesametimewillcauseforeigngueststomisunderstandthecityandeventhecountry.Thispapercanhelptheescortinterpreterstograspthecorrespondinginterpretationstrategiesandimprovetheprinciplesandstrategiesofcross-culturalcommunicationbystudyingthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesterncultures,languagebarriersandculturalbarriersincross-culturalcommunication,overcomingculturalconflictsdiscoursecomprehensioncaneffectivelyavoidtheproblemsofcommunicationbarriersandcommunicationsuspension,soastobetterplaytheroleofculturalcommunicator,andeffectivelyhelpacityorevenacountrytoestablishagoodinternationalimage.Keywords:escortinterpretation;cross-culturalcommunication;culturaldifferences;copingstrategies摘要為加快世界經濟、文化領域的融合，國家間的跨文化交流活動以多種多樣的形式展開，而我國對外開放的飛速發展需要大量從事陪同口譯的專業人才來提供服務保障，在這個過程中，口譯就起著至關重要的作用，口譯實踐的成功與否與一個城市的聲譽甚至一個國家的聲譽密切相關。陪同口譯是由口譯員陪同外賓或代表團參加活動時進行的口譯活動，普遍出現在各種涉外接待過程中，涉及的范圍廣、使用的頻率高。與嚴謹的會議口譯、法庭口譯相比，陪同口譯的形式非常生活化，陪同口譯員可以根據情況靈活調整原語內容的順序，具有較強的主觀能動性。陪同口譯對商業活動和文化交流都有著至關重要的作用。但是由于文化背景的差異和翻譯水平的參差不齊，口譯員會在翻譯過程中表意不清甚至誤譯。這會給雙方造成一定的損失，同時也會讓外賓對城市甚至是國家產生一定的誤解。本論文通過對中西方文化差異，跨文化交際中的語言障礙和文化障礙，克服文化沖突，成功實現跨文化交際的原則與策略等方面的研究?？梢詭椭阃谧g員掌握對應的翻譯策略，提高話語理解力，有效避免出現交流障礙和交流中止的問題，從而更好地擔當文化傳播者的角色，有效幫助一座城市甚至是國家建立良好的國際形象。關鍵詞：陪同口譯；跨文化交流；文化差異；應對策略IntroductionThehistoryofinterpretationcanbetracedbacktotheearlydaysofhumansociety.Foralongperiodoftime,duetotrafficandcommunicationcongestion,peoplewhospeakdifferentlanguageshardlycommunicate,andtheworldisalmostisolated.Astheprocessofglobalizationprogresses,thevariousformsofcommunicationbetweencountriesinthepolitical,cultural,economic,educational,etc.fields.arebecomingmoreandmorefrequent.Inrecentyears,theexchangeofdelegationsbetweencountrieshasplayedanimportantroleinpromotingculturalexchangesandexchangesbetweencountries.Thisprocessisnotonlythedisseminationoflanguage,butthemostimportantisthedisseminationofculturalinformation.Duringmutualvisits,communicationbetweenthedelegationsofvariouscountriesandtheinterpretersisinseparable.Asadevelopingcountry,Chinaisincreasinglydependentontheworld.EspeciallyafteritsaccessiontotheWTO,thedevelopmentofChinaisinseparablefromtheworldandglobaldevelopmentisinseparablefromChina.TheresultingexchangeactivitiesbetweenChinaandforeigncountriesareincreasing.Activities,especiallyescortinterpretation,arefullofvitalityandplayapivotalrole.Traditionallyspeaking,interpretationisainterpreterofdifferentlanguages,butnowadays,interpretationisaformoforalexpressionthatquicklyandaccuratelyconvertsonelanguageintoanother.Escortinterpretationmainlyreferstotheinterpretationworkindiplomaticliaisonorforeignaffairsreception,usuallyinvolvingwelcomingguests,itineraryarrangements,businessvisits,touristreception,etiquette,dailylife,etc.,coveringalmostallaspectsoflife.Languageisthecarrierofculture,languageisthesoilofculture,andtranslationisthebridgeofinterculturalcommunication.Duetodifferentculturalbackgroundsofinterpreters,varyinglevelsofinterpretation,andtheuniquelanguageandcultureofeachcountry,itwillcausetheinterpreterstobeunclearandmisunderstandingduringtheinterpretationprocess,whichwillcausecertainlossestobothparties.Atthesametime,itwillalsocauseforeigngueststomisunderstandthecityandevenChina.Howtoovercomecommunicationbarrierscausedbyculturaldifferencesininterpretationprocessisalsoacommonconcerninacademia.Therefore,adeepunderstandingofculturaldifferencesbetweencountries,anunderstandingoflinguisticandculturalbarriersininterculturalcommunication,overcomingculturalconflictsandmasteringthecorrespondinginterpretationstrategiescaneffectivelyhelpinterpreterstoovercomecommunicationbarriersandcommunicationproblems,thussucceedingCulturalexchange.Thispaperwilldiscussthelanguagebarriersandculturalbarriersincross-culturalcommunication,analyzethecausesandspecificmanifestationsofculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheWest,andthensummarizethecorrespondinginterpretationstrategiestohelpinterpretersovercomeculturalconflictsandsuccessfullyachievecross-culturalcommunication.Thefirstchaptermainlyintroducesthedefinition,characteristicsandimportanceofinterpretationandthedefinitionandfeaturesofescortinterpretation;thesecondchaptermainlyintroducesthedefinitionofcultureandlanguage,theculturaldifferencesincross-culturalcommunicationandtherelationshipbetweencross-culturalcommunicationandescortinterpretation.Thethirdchaptermainlyanalyzestherelationshipbetweencross-culturalawarenessandescortinterpretation,showsthatcross-culturalawarenessisveryimportantforinterpreters,andsummarizestheinterpretationstrategiesthatinterpreterscantakewhenculturaldifferencesareinvolvedintheinterpretationprocess.

1BasicConceptsofInterpretationandEscortInterpretationInterpretationisacross-languagecommunicationactivityaswellasacross-culturalcommunicationactivity.Escortinterpretationisverydifferentfromtranslation.Mostpeoplethinkthatescortinterpretationisasimpleactofinterpretation,becausethecontentofescortinterpretationismostlyatopicindailylife.Butinfact,escortinterpretationisaverychallengingtask.Thischapterbrieflyintroducesthedefinitionofinterpretingandescortinterpretation,andthecharacteristicsofescortinterpretation.1.1DefinitionandClassificationofInterpretationInterpretationistheoralinterpretationfromonelanguagetoanother.Interpretationisanancientprofession.GengshenHupointedthat“interpretationmeansthattwospeakersofdifferentlanguageswanttocommunicatewitheachotherandneedaninterpreterwhocaninterpretbothlanguagestomakethemunderstandeachother.Interpretationisconsideredtobeaprocessinwhichtheoralexpressionofinformationistransferredfromonelanguagetoanotherlanguageequivalentlyinordertoachievemutualunderstandingbetweenthecommunicativeparties”[1].Wikipediaalsodefinesinterpretationasanintellectualactivitydesignedtofacilitatesimultaneousorcontinuousoralandsignlanguagecommunicationbetweentwoormorespeakersofdifferentlanguages.CeleskovichpublishedInternationalConferenceTranslators-SpeechandCommunicationIssuesin1968,studyingeachstageofinterpretationanditsinfluencingfactors.Thepublicationofthisbookmarksthebirthofthetheoryofinterpretation.Celeskovichsuggestedthat“wordshavemeaningintheprocessofinterpretation,butthesumofwordsisnotthesumofmeaning.Theinterpreterisnotlookingforwordsequivalenttothemeaningofthesourcelanguageinthetargetlanguage,buttoconveythespeechinthesourcelanguagefortheoverallmeaningandculturalsentiment,theinterpretershouldcompletetheequivalenceofthemeaningofthesourcelanguageandthetargetlanguage,nottheequivalenceoflanguagewords”[2].Gileproposedthat“oneimportantdifferencebetweeninterpretationandtranslationshouldberecalledinthecontextofknowledgeacquisition:linguisticacceptabilityrequirementsarehigherinwrittentranslationthanininterpretation,inparticularwithrespecttoterminologicalusage”[3].Althoughscholarshavedifferentdefinitionsofinterpretation,theydohavesomethingincommon,thatis,interpretationisthepreciseoralinterpretationofonelanguageintoanother.Theinterpreterlistenstothespeaker’svoice,understandsthespeaker’smeaning,andconductsrapidanalysis,deconstructionandreconstructioninthebrain,sothatthelistenercanobtainthespeaker'smeaningtothegreatestextent.Sinceinterpretationisdoneinaveryshorttime,thestandardsforinterpretationarealsodifferentfromthestandardsfortranslation.Accordingtointerpretationistoachieveaccurate,effectiveandsmoothcommunicationbetweenthetwoparties,thestandardsofinterpretationcanbesummarizedas:fast,accurate,overallandsmooth.Fastreferstothespeaker’svoicedown;accuratemeansthatinterpreterswillbegintoaccuratelyplacethemostimportantandbasic,mostsubstantialcontentconveytoeachother,thatis,thespeaker’spointofview,points,includingnumbers,dates,namesandoccupationetc.,insteadofinterpretingeverywordandeverysentence;Theoverallmeansthattheintegrityoftheinformationtransmissionshouldbekeptasmuchaspossibleininterpretation,thatis,thevalidityoftheinterpretation;smoothreferstothesmoothlanguage,smoothexpression,clearhierarchy,andclearlogic.Accordingtodifferentstandards,interpretationcanbedividedintothefollowingcategories:firstly,accordingtotheformofinterpretationcanbedividedintoconsecutiveinterpretation,simultaneousinterpretation,liaisoninterpretation,relayinterpretation,whisperinterpretation,visualinterpretation;Secondly,accordingtothedirectionofinterpretationcanbedividedintoone-wayinterpretationandtwo-wayinterpretation;Thirdly,interpretationtaskscanbedividedintoconferenceinterpretation,escortinterpretation,technicalinterpretation,foreignaffairsinterpretation,militaryinterpretation,commercialinterpretation,medicalinterpretation,exhibitioninterpretationandtouristguideinterpretation.Finally,accordingtotheinterpretationmethodscanbedividedintoon-siteinterpretation,telephoneinterpretationandvideointerpretation.1.2DefinitionofEscortInterpretationAsoneofthemostcommonandbasicformsofinterpretation,escortinterpretationisakindofbehaviorandlanguageformtransformationtopromotecommunicationwithothers,whichisthesameinterpretationbehaviorasotherlanguageforms.WeiheZhongandBinhuaWangproposedthat“escortinterpretationreferstointerpretationconductedbyaninterpreterwhenaccompanyingforeignguestsormembersofadelegationforactivitiessuchastourism,sightseeing,andvisits”[4].Intheescortinterpretation,interpretersaccompanydelegationsorindividualsonbusinesstrips,tradefairs,culturalevents,meetingsorinterviewstoexplainlocaltraditionalcustomstomembersofthedelegationandinterpretexplanationsfromlocaltouristsforthedelegation.Escortinterpretationisprobablyoneofthemostcommontypesofinterpretation.Withtherapiddevelopmentofglobalizationandinternationalbusiness,moreandmorecitiesinourcountrywanttobeabletogoabroadandgetintouchwithandlearnsomeadvancedknowledgeandculture.Ininternationaltrade,somecompanieshopetoseekfinancialinvestmentinothercountries,andsomecompaniesalsohopetointroducesomemulticulturallabor.Everyyear,tensofthousandsofforeigntouristscometoChinaforsightseeing,butsomepeoplethinkthatinterpreterwerelessformal,unlikesimultaneousinterpretation,theinterpreteristoentertherealmofpolitics,legalsystemandotherwell-knownprofessional,therearefewinterpreterisseenasaprofessional,theyareusuallyregardedasanon-professional,forexample,bilingualauxiliary,bilingualguide,intermediariesandbilingualassistant.1.3FeaturesofEscortInterpretationEscortinterpretationhasitsownuniquefeaturesthatdistinguishitfromotherformsofinterpretation.Itismainlyusedforbusinessmeetings,socialevents,etc.Itisaninformalinterpretationwhosepurposeistoconveythecontentofaspeech,ratherthantoprovideaprofessionalandaccurateinterpretationofallthecontentsofaspeech.Thedistinctivefeaturesofescortinterpretationcanbesummarizedasfollows:Firstly,escortinterpretationisimprovised.Theimprovisationthataccompaniestheinterpreterexistsonavarietyofoccasions,andalsorepresentsitsunpredictability.WiththefurtherdevelopmentofreformandtheopeningupofChina,certaincitiesandsmallandmedium-sizedenterpriseshavegraduallyacceleratedtheiropeningtotheoutsideworld.Therefore,itisnecessarytoholdseminarsbetweenChineseandforeigndelegationsormeetingsbetweenChinese-fundedenterprisesandforeignenterprises.Theinterpreterknewthebasictopicbeforeinterpreting,buthecouldnotpredicttheexactcontentoftheconversation.Forexample,whenaccompanyingatranslatororadelegationonatourofplacesofinterest,theinterpreterdoesnotknowwhatthetourguidewillsaynext,butanalyzesanddeconstructswhatthetourguidesaid.Inaddition,whenmembersofthedelegationaskquestionsatanytime,theinterpreterrespondsinaccordancewiththebasicmethodofrapidinterpretation.Becauseofthetemporarynatureofescortinterpretation,itrequiresinterpreterstostayfocusedandthinkquickly,andhavetheabilitytorespondtochanges.Inordertoreducethedifficultyofinterpretation,interpreterscanfamiliarizethemselveswithtravelcommentaryorrelevantbackgroundknowledgeaboutattractionstobevisited.Youcanpredictthequestionsaskedbythemembersofthedelegationandpreparetheanswersinadvance,ormakesomepredictablejudgmentsbasedonpastinterpretationexperiencetoprepareforthenexttranslationactivity.Secondly,theescortinterpretationisinformal.Comparedwithprofessionalinterpretationssuchascourtinterpretation,conferenceinterpretation,andsimultaneousinterpretation,escortinterpretersarerelativelyflexible.Itismainlyusedfordailyconversations.Escortinterpretersdonotneedtouseveryspecificandaccuratewordsasnegotiatedinterpreters.Escortinterpretersdoesnotrequirerigorousandspecializedtrainingbeforeinterpretation.Thelanguageusedintheinterpretationprocessisinformal,socommunicationwithdelegationmembersisthekey.Whenaninterpreterperformsinterpretationbyaccident,heonlyneedstoprovidekeyinformation,andcanchoosetousesomeeasy-to-understandwordsorsentences,sothatunnecessarytediouswordsorsentencescanbeomitted,andtheconversationcanbemadeeasier.Thirdly,escortinterpretationhasadiversifiedknowledgestructure.Thepurposeofescortinterpretationiscross-culturalcommunicationandisculturallyoriented.Althoughtheescortinterpreterislesschallengingthanotherinterpreters,theescortinterpretershouldalsomakeadequatepreparationforinterpretationandtakeeachinterpretationseriously.Escortinterpretationhasadiversifiedknowledgestructure,includinginterpreters’masteryofdomesticknowledgeandforeignknowledge.Firstofall,asChina’sinternationalstatusgraduallyimproves,moreandmorepeoplewanttoknowaboutChina,ChinesepeopleandChineseculture,sotheescortinterpretershouldbefamiliarwithallaspectsoflife,suchaspolitics,educationandculture,business,tourismandsoon.Atthistime,ascommunicatorsofChineseculture,escortinterpretersshoulddeepentheirgraspofChineseculturalknowledge,suchasTaiChi,Fengshui,Kylin,chopsticksandsoon.Secondly,withChina’smoreandmorefrequentparticipationinvariousinternationalaffairs,ChinahasestablishedaveryfriendlyandpositiveinternationalimageinfrontofothercountriesandattractedmoreandmoreforeignerstovisitChina.Undersuchcircumstances,thereisagreatdemandforescortinterpreters.InordertoenrichtheexperienceofdelegationmembersinChina,escortinterpretersneedtohaveadeepunderstandingofthehistory,foreignpolicy,diplomaticetiquetteandlocalsocialcustomsandetiquetteofthecountrywherethedelegationislocatedbeforeinterpreting.

2CulturalDifferencesinEscortInterpretationThereasonwhyinterpretationisnoteasyisbecauseontheonehand,thelanguagecarriesculturalinformation,ontheotherhand,culturealsolimitslanguage.Therefore,itisimpossibletobecomeaninterpreterbymasteringonlytwolanguages.Theinterpretermustbeatrueculturalcommunicator.Theabilityofaninterpretertomasterbiculturalismismuchmoreimportantthanmasteringbilingualism.Interpretationisinseparablefromculture,especiallyintoday’sglobaleconomicintegrationandtheintegrationofworldculture.Differentculturesneedtocommunicate.Thisisinseparablefromlanguageinterpretation.Interpretationallowspeopletounderstandthelivinghabitsandthinkinginforeignculturesdifferentways,etc.Theroleofaninterpreteristoorallyinterpretadelegation’sexpressions,intentions,opinions,andexpectationstoanotherdelegation.Therefore,asaninterpreter,theymustparticipateatdifferentlevelsinmultiplecultures.2.1DefinitionofCultureTherearemanydefinitionsofculture.Thisisalargeandinclusiveconcept,soitisdifficulttodefineit.Cultureincludesbothideologicalpartssuchasworldview,outlookonlife,andvalues,aswellasnon-ideologicalpartssuchasnaturalscienceandtechnology,languageandwriting.Cultureisaphenomenonpeculiartohumansociety.Cultureiscreatedanduniquetopeople.Williamdefinedcultureasadescriptionofaparticularwayoflife,whichexpressescertainmeaningsandvaluesnotonlyinartandlearningbutalsoininstitutionsandordinarybehaviour”[5].Asforthestructureofculture,therearemanydifferentopinions.Itisgenerallydividedintothefollowinglevels:physicalculture,institutionalculture,behavioralculture,andmentalityculture.EdwardHallproposedthat“cultureisashared,profound,common,unreportedexperienceofmembersofagivenculturalbackground”[6].Cultureisallhumanspiritualactivityanditsproductsrelativetopoliticsandeconomy.Cultureisthesumoftheexisting,inheritance,creation,anddevelopmentofallsocialphenomenaoftheclansandclanswithintheclans.Itcontainsthehistoryofthewisdomgroupfromthepasttothefuture,anditisthecontentofallactivitiesofthegroupbasedonnature.Itisallthematerialappearanceandspiritualinnerwholeofthegroup.Cultureinvolveslearningandsharingvalues,behaviors,norms,andphysicalobjects.Culturealsoincludeswhathumanscreatetoexpressnorms,attitudes,andvalues.Intheprocessofcommunication,communicationobstaclesareoftennotcausedbyinsufficientlanguageskillsofbothparties,butduetoculturaldifferencesinescortinterpretation.Therefore,interpretersmusttakeculturaldifferencesseriouslyduringtheinterpretationprocess.Inasense,escortinterpreterspaymoreattentiontomeaningthanunilateralwordsandexpressions.Culturaldifferencesaremanifestedindifferentdepthsandmethods.Valuesarethemostprofoundexpressionofculture,andsymbolsarethemostsuperficiallevel.Atthecoreofculturearevalues,butmostvaluesarestillinvisibleandunconscioustoculturalcarriers.Therefore,peoplecannoteasilyseeordetect.Symbolsusuallyrefertopictures,words,orgestureswithspecificmeaningsthatcanonlyberecognizedbypeoplewhoshareaspecificculture.Symbolsarethetangibleembodimentofculture,becausethemeaningofcultureisusuallyintangibleandcanonlybeinterpretedbytheculturalcarrierintheprocessofculturaldissemination.Withthedevelopmentofglobalization,thespreadofculturehasbecomemoreextensiveandmoreandmorenoticeable.Here,communicationhasbecomeanindispensabletransmissionofculture,becausepeopleindifferentcountrieshavedifferencesinconceptsoftime,communicationnorms,behavioralnorms,andcognitivemodels,allofwhichcancausecommunicationfailurestosomeextent.Byobservingthedefinitionandclassificationofculture,wecanknowthatcross-culturalactivitiesbeginwithculturaldifferences.2.2LanguageandCultureLanguageisacodeofcommunicationsymbolscomposedofaseriesofsounds.Languageisanimportanttoolandaprimarymethodofhumancommunication.Peopleuselanguagetorecordandpursuetheachievementsofhumancivilization.Languageisoneoftheimportantcharacteristicsofacountry.Generallyspeaking,eachnationhasitsownlanguage.Languageenablesustocommunicatewithpeoplefromdifferentcultures.Languageisnotonlythecarrierofinformation,butalsothecarrierofculture.Therefore,literacyplaysakeyroleincommunication.Itishardtoimaginetheunderstandingofalanguagewithoutitsculturalbackground.Similarly,onecannotmasteralanguagewithoutunderstandingitsculture.Languageandcultureareinterrelatedandinfluenceeachother.Wecan’ttalkaboutitinisolation.Ontheonehand,languageisanimportantcommunicationtoolintheprocessofculturalexchange.Ontheotherhand,languagecandirectlyreflectaperson’sthoughtsandconceptsandisacarrierofculture.Theconceptsandvaluesofacountrywilleventuallybereflectedinthelanguagesofvariouscountries,whichshowsthatthefunctionsofculturalcarriersoflanguageinfluenceeachotherinmanyaspects.Languagereflectstheenvironmentwherepeopleliveandreflectsitsculturalvalue.Languageisamirrorofculture.Itcanreflecthumanrelationsandreflectthewaysocietyworks.Ontheotherhand,somelinguistshavesaidthatlanguagemayactuallyinfluencecultureandevendetermineculturetosomeextent,whichiswhatwecalllinguisticdeterminism.2.3CulturalDifferencesinCross-CulturalCommunicationCultureandlanguagearecloselylinked.Thedevelopmentandchangeofculturehascausedthedevelopmentandchangeoflanguage.Ontheotherhand,languageisanintegralpartofculture,andculturerestrictstheformoflanguage.Therelationshipbetweenlanguageandculturealsoreflectstherelationshipbetweencultureandinterpretation.Thereasonwhytheinterpretationisdifficultfortheaccompanyinginterpreteristhatlanguagenotonlycarriesculturalimages,butalsoisconstrainedbycertainculturalimages.Learningtousealanguagecanunderstandthecultureandcustomsofthecountry;Thelanguageofinterpretationisthehabitofinterpretationthesourcelanguagecultureandthecountriesthatspeakthesourcelanguage.Culturaldifferencesinvolveallaspectsofourlives,includingdifferencesinreligion,moralstandards,socialcustoms,waysofthinkingandvaluesystems.Thefollowingaretheconcretemanifestationsofculturaldifferencesincross-culturalcommunication.2.3.1ReligiousDifferencesReligionisanimportantpartofculture.Withthedevelopmentofsociety,ithaspenetratedintopeople’sdailylife.Religionisdefinedasabeliefsystembasedonhumanattemptstoexplaincosmicandnaturalphenomenaandusuallyinvolvesoneormoregodsorothersupernaturalphenomena.InEnglish-speakingcountries,themostinfluentialreligionisChristianity.Inthemindofwesterners,“god”isomnipotent,sotherearemanyfixedphrasesinEnglishthatrefertothisculturalphenomenon,suchas“manproposes,goddisposes”;Whenpeopleareintrouble,relativesandfriendsalwayssay“thankgod”and“godblessyou”toexpresstheirblessings.ThebibleisregardedastheclassicofChristianity,andmanyBritishandAmericanphrasesandidiomsarederivedfromthebible.ButinChina,thereisnowordforculturalimagerylike“god”.Instead,themainreligionsinChinaareBuddhism,Taoism,TibetanBuddhismandMuslims.“Taoisonefoothighanddevilisonefoothigh"referstotworeligiousconcepts.“Tao”and“devil”referto“priest”and“devil”respectively.InChineseculture,“菩薩”referstoakindandhelpfuldeity.Religiousdifferencesundoubtedlymakeitdifficultforpeoplefromdifferentreligiousbackgroundstocommunicatewitheachother.Forexample,westernersmayask“whyburnincenseandworshipBuddhaonthefirst15daysofeverymonth?”or“WhyisredthemostauspiciouscolorforChineseNewYear?”Andsoon.TheescortinterpretershouldmasterenoughChinesereligiousknowledgetomaketheconversationgosmoothly,andatthesametime,westernerscanhaveamorethoroughunderstandingofChinesereligiousculture.2.3