A Study on the Translation of Culture-Loaded Words from the Perspective of Memetics

Memetics is a theory based on biology that explains cultural transmission. Memes are the basic units of cultural transmission. Culture-loaded words refer to unique vocabulary and idioms within a certain culture, reflecting the history, society, and lifestyles of different countries and ethnicities. Due to significant cultural differences between the Western world and China, translating culture-loaded words poses an unavoidable challenge for translators. This paper uses memetics as its theoretical foundation, classifies cultures according to Nida’s categories, and analyzes the application of memetics in the English translation of culture-loaded words through examples.

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