IF you are asked to name some national emblems of China, the dragon will probably be one of the famous images that pop into your head. We Chinese often consider ourselves "the descendants of the dragon." It is not unfamiliar to you that your parents hope that you "may become the dragon".
假如有人问你，哪些东西能够代表中国，龙可能会是浮现在你脑海里的一个答案。我们中国人经常称自己为“龙的传人”。而且你也知道父母都“望子成龙”。
As a mythical creature, the dragon is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Traditionally, dragons are considered to govern rainfall. They have the power to decide where and when the rain falls. In addition, the dragon is a symbol of imperial power. The emperors thought they were real dragons and the sons of the heaven.
做为一个神秘的生物，龙深深植根于中国文化中。人们通常认为龙是主管降雨的神。他们有权力决定下雨的时间和地点。而且，龙还是皇权的象征。皇帝都认为自己是真龙天子。
While Chinese believe dragons bring prosperity and good fortune, the creature is regarded differently in Western countries. In the Bible, dragons represent the devil and they trick the world. "Western people usually see dragons as cold-blooded reptiles, like snakes," said Jonathan Haagen, copy editor for the Teens. "They are cruel killers, breathing fire and capturing women." He added that people think of dragons as being dishonest because of their forked tongues.
中国人认为龙会带来繁荣和好运，而西方人并不认同这点。在圣经里，龙是邪恶势力的代表，经常给世界捣乱。《21世纪中学生英文报》编辑乔纳森·哈根说：“西方人通常将龙视为和蛇一样的冷血爬虫。他们是残忍的杀人魔鬼，能够喷火，还掠取妇女”。他还补充说，龙有叉形的舌头，所以人们认为龙不诚实。
More often than not, dragons in Western literature are presented as monsters against which the hero must battle. It is a common tale for a mediaeval knight to kill a dragon and save a princess and her country from its evil. Even the popular boy wizard Harry Potter has to battle a deadly dragon and get back a golden egg from its nest in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".
在很多情况下，西方文学把龙描写成为英雄要铲除的怪物。一个司空见惯的传说是，一位中世纪的骑士杀死了龙，拯救了公主和她的国家。甚至在著名的小说《哈里波特和火焰杯》里，小巫师哈里·波特也要打败一条凶恶的龙，从它的巢穴里抢回金蛋。
So, some Chinese experts have suggested changing the English translation of dragon to "Loong". They believe the misunderstanding of the dragon is due to the translation.
所以，有些中国专家建议将龙的英文
翻译 "dragon"改为 "Loong"。他们认为，西方关于中国龙的种种误解都是由于
翻译错位产生的。
However, dragons are not all bad in the West. "Puff the Magic Dragon" is a well-known song. The lyrics tell a bitter-sweet story of the dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie Paper, a little boy. When Jackie grows up, he loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff upset. "Puff represents the innocence of a child's imagination, which is very positive for a dragon," said Haagen.
然而，西方世界当中的龙并不全是坏蛋。有一首非常著名的歌曲叫做《神奇龙》。它的歌词描写了一头叫做波夫的龙和其小男孩玩伴杰克·派波之间的甜蜜而又痛苦的故事。杰克长大之后就对孩童时这位虚幻的玩伴失去了兴趣。这让波夫非常伤心。哈根说，"波夫代表了儿童纯洁的想象力。这是龙一个非常正面的形象。"
