【正文】 rmation of one language into another language on the basis of fluency and accuracy. As a very broad notion, it can be defined in many ways. Some people think that the translation is an art, an innovation requires both form and spirit. It was also regards as a kind of skill, which passes a certain amount of information from one language to another language. After overview the Western Translation theories, Liu Miqing thinks that the cultural patterns of interlingua?s transformation are indispensable for any kind of genre theory of translation. He proposed “meaning→ structure→municative function→Translation of style→overall partern ” (Fan, Zhou, 20xx). “Peter Newmark (20xx:7) gives a definition from the linguistic perspective: ?Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or statement in another language.?”(Zhang, 20xx) For translation is not only a codeswitching process, and relative cultural factor is an integral part of translation studies, so cultural factor must be taken into consideration when translating works occurs. On English Translation of Chinese Dishes from the Perspective of Cultural Differences 6 The Relation between Culture and Translation Culture is a national character, and the translation is a language activity。 while in China, we think that dishes are to satisfy the taste buds, so Chinese cooking appears to be more casual and must be studied under a wider range in the selected material. Especially Cantonese cuisine, one of the Chinese eight major cuisines, whose choice of materials is wide, almost nothing can not be putted into dishes. Such as snake for dragon, chicken for phoenix, cat for tiger and mouse for deer, as well as things flying in the sky, running on the ground and traveling in the water. All of these can be made best use. On English Translation of Chinese Dishes from the Perspective of Cultural Differences 9 . Differences in Ways of dining The ways of dining is not only the dominant factor of the cultural differences between the Chinese and Western food, but also the performance of the differences of social psychology, values, national customs in Western diet culture. First of all, the dinnerware used in China and the West are different: the Westerners using knife and fork, and Chinese using chopsticks. Next, there are also many other differences, such as round tables and bar tables, the dishes and the number of channels, which resulting the different dining etiquette, ways of drinking and dinner atmosphere. Ⅳ . Principles of English Translation of Chinese Dishes Translation of Chinese Dishes should meet the claim of accuracy, fluency, promptitude and simplicity. Because when at the banquet or at the dinner table, translators can not quibble, and repeated scrutiny to make the translation to achieve the realm of Elegance. At this time, the “l(fā)oyalty” and accuracy are dominant. In other words, the English translation must accurate, faithful to the original. Of course, promptitude and simplicity can not be abandoned. Otherwise, after you translated stammering, I am afraid that the dishes are cold. Translation, in addition to the above points, more attention should be paid to the requirements of the simplicity , for the printing, design and binding of the recipes are often very sophisticated, and generally do not have too much space to acmodate the cumbersome English translation. In short, interpreters or translators must straight into the subject, straight to the point that the dishes are prepared and cooking methods. Of course, it is worthwhile to avoid translating some of the food what will cause cultural conflict. Pragmatic principle Many of the Chinese dish names are named with animals and plants which widely liked by Chinese people, or things which signify glory, splendor, wealth and rank. Some names of dish have a flavour of folk, and some names of dish are full of artistic quality. In short, most of the Chinese dish names are full of elegance, beauty, or rich with literary grace, just for meeting the aesthetic and propitious desire of customers. However, in most cases, it is difficult to be learned by foreign customers. Therefore, the pragmatic principle or the priciple On English Translation of Chinese Dishes from the Perspective of Cultural Differences 10 of avoiding empty but emphasizing practicbility must be taken into consideration when translating occurs. That is to say , the function of information must be emphasized in order to provide accurate and enough information. The key point is catching the core or the essential part of the dish, and then adding with subsidiary elements( including ways of cooking and types of taste), instead of translating literally just according to the modifier of the name of dish. Concise principle Compared with the Western names of the dish, the Chinese dish names are too lengthy and plicated, which is very difficult to be accepted by foreigners after translation, so it should be as concise as possible. From this point of view, evasive attention should be paid to the menu information, accurate and sufficient information should be provided to ensure that the name of dish, and not simply literally translated according to the Chinese food name qualifier, but should seize the dishes? essence that is the core of the actual raw material, plus cooking methods, flavor types and other auxiliary factors. Cultural conflict avoiding principle Sometimes, in the aim of good luck, Chinese dishes borrow the name of some items which we actually can not eat or the name of animals which Westerners reject to eat. In this case, we should literally translate with the name of actual raw material when dealing with the translation affairs. But if the raw material itself is rejected to eat by