Idiom Translation According to the Differences Between English and Chinese Culture
Comparisons of Animal Idioms in English and Chinese and Their Translation
Comparisons of Animal Idioms in English and Chinese andTheir TranslationbyWu WeiqingThesis Advisor: Yang MinSubmitted to the B.A. Committee in partialfulfillment of the requirements of the Degree ofBachelor of Arts in the English Department ofForeign Languages College of Langfang TeachersCollege.5.21.2006廊坊师范学院本科生毕业论文题目：中英动物习语的对比与翻译学生姓名：吴伟青指导教师：杨敏二级学院：外国语学院系别：英语系专业：英语年级：2006届学号：0403016180完成日期: 2006年5月21日Title: Comparisons of Animal Idioms in English and Chinese and Their TranslationAbstract:Both English and Chinese are rich in animal idioms. But, owing to the different cultural backgrounds, many cultural-loaded animal images in the two languages are not identical. They show the distinctive national forms and national features. On the one hand, some animal images are identical in the conceptual meaning in the two languages but not identical, even opposite in the cultural connotations. On the other hand, some animal images are abundant in cultural connotations in the source language but without any connotation in the target language. The value of animal idioms is in their cultural connotations. So translator must convey the cultural meaning of the idioms in translating. This paper aims to explore the animal images in English and Chinese idioms according to the theory of the studies of the cultural-loaded words and attempts to find the effective translation methods of animal idioms. Thus, it can help the reader to improve their competence in understanding and expressing cultural connotations. And also it can help the people avoid mistranslating and improve the quality of translation in animal idioms.Key Words:animal idioms; animal images; cultural connotation题目：英汉动物习语的比较与翻译摘要：在英汉两种语言中，有诸多关于动物的习语。
(translation of idiom)
三）、习语中所含的文化词语表达的是一种原 语文化中独有的风俗、信仰、价值观和审美观。 例：Unkissed，unkind.不接吻，不友善。
（这是西方特有的 “吻面礼”，此处要是 用归化法翻译——“不作揖，不友善”，就 会失去异域文化的独特性）
直译加注
直译加注可以对文化信息作必要的补充和 解释，既可采用文中加注，也可以采用脚 注，或二者合一。 例：This was a rag to the bull [1].பைடு நூலகம்这简直就 是朝公牛摇晃红布（火上浇油）。 This was a rag to the bull [1].这简直就是朝 公牛摇晃红布。 [1].火上浇油
C.有些英语习语无固定译法，只能根据具体语境和 上下文灵活处理。 Jack owned David a dollar ,so he borrowed another from Joe to pay David back .He robbed Peter to pay Paul. 杰克欠戴维一美元，他于是向乔借了一美元去还 给戴维.这是借东家还西家. Trying to study a lesson for one class during another class is like robbing Peter to pay Paul. 要在这节课里学习那节课的内容是挖东墙补西墙。
Examples:
I don’t know what to do next. Let’s play it by ear.到时候再决定/顺其自然吧。 ear.到时候再决定/ He will laugh his head off. off. 他会笑掉大牙的。
“归化”和“异化”各有其长，亦各有其 短。两种译本对读者所起的作用不一样， 其所完成的翻译目的也不一样，所适应的 读者群也不一样。
Idiom Translation
Idiom TranslationChapter TwelveTranslation of IdiomsIdioms abound in literary works .The purpose of using idioms in both speech and writing is to add local and cultural color or to intensify conciseness and vivacity to a mental process or state, a concept, a person, an action, a quality or an object, or to trigger imagination of the readers.1. Definition of “Idiom”According to Longman Dictionary of English Idioms (Longman Group , 1979),“an idiom is a fixed group of words with a special meaning different from the meaning of the separate words”. Webster’s Dictionary ( Random House , 2000) has defined it as“an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meaning of its elements”. Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines it as “an expression conforming or appropriate the peculiar structural form of a language; in extend use , an expression sanctioned by usage , having a sense peculiar to itself and not agreeing with the logical sense of its structural form.” From these definitions , we can easily find out the key point about idioms , which is , their meanings cannot usually be discovered through the comprehension of the individual words.“White elephant”, for instance , an idiom meaning“a useless possession”, actually has nothing to do with either the white color or the animal elephant .2. Classification of English IdiomsIt may be helpful in translation practice to classify idioms according to their content or to the ways they are formed. The classification attempted here is not intended to be exact. Rather, it is simply a way of calling attention to certain kinds of idiomatic expressions.Generally, depending on their structures, English idioms can be classified into two groups:1. Simple idioms, which ranges from single-word expressions (e. g. “a scapegoat”“替罪羊”and“white-collar”“白领”etc.) and pairs-of-words (e. g. “cats and dogs”) to phrase idioms (e.g. “a wet blanket”, “castle in the air”, “ to play the game”, “a white lie”, “a lame duck” etc.2. Complex idioms, which are usually complete sentences, include informal sayings and metaphorical proverbs. Examples:1)If you run after two hares , you will catch neither.2)Don’t count your chikens before they’re hatched.3) Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.4) While there’s life, there’s hope.In the meantime, according to their content, English idioms can also fall into another two categories: one is established collocation of certain words with neither deep cultural connotations nor incomprehensible allegories. E. g. “pull one’s leg”, “talk shop”, “talk turkey”, “talk through one’s hat” etc.; the other refers to the idioms with obvious metaphorical images that have some historical or cultural connotations hidden behind them. E. g. “to burn the boat”“Greek gift”, “catch-22 situation” and so on.3.The Cultural Identity of English IdiomsLanguage, as an integral part of culture, has close bonds with all cultural manifestations. English idioms, as one important part of English, carry in them of course a great deal of cultural connotations. Historical cultural backgrounds, religion, sport and traditional customs can all find their expressions in idioms. A good knowledge of this is a prerequisite to successful translation ofthem.3.1The Historical Characteristics of English IdiomsLots of idioms come from historical allusions. The structures of these idioms are very simple but they have profound meaning, so we cannot translate and understand them from the literal meaning. Some English idioms come into use just because of particular historical even ts. For instance, “ to cross the Rubicon” (义无反顾干某事) and “to meet one’s Waterloo”(一败涂地) come from Napoleon and the breakdown of his empire. And the American Civil War is the source of “by the grapevine” (小道消息)and so on.Meanwhile，many idioms originated from literature and mythological legends, thus they contain very strong tins of allegory and allusion. Take “sour grapes” and “the grass is greener on the other side of the yard” for example, they both originated from Aesop’s Fables; “ Achilles’ heel” (阿基里斯的脚后跟，指唯一致命弱点) from Homer’s Iliad, “a tower of strength” (可信赖的人)from Shakespeare’s Richard Ⅲ(1954),and “hot potato” from The Guardian (30 Jan. 1975) etc.3.2 The Religious Characteristics of English IdiomsReligion, the main component of human culture, reflects people’s attitudes towards admiration and taboo of each nation. Of course, by religion here it mainly refers to Christianity, which is the major belief in the English-speaking countries. The Bible then became the origin of many idioms containing peculiar connotations. It influences English idioms in two ways: one is that the stories and figures in the Bible spread for a long time and became idioms; the other is that many sentences and phrases in the Bible are chanted widely and gradually form idioms. For example, “doubting Thomas”(怀疑的托马斯) now stands for “不肯轻易相信别人的人”. This idiom is from Bible: New Testament. “cast pearls before swine” (把珍珠丢在猪面前) now stands for “不要把珍贵的东西送给不识货的人” or “不要对牛弹琴”.3.3 The Conventional Characteristics of English IdiomsDue to different living conventions, every nation has its specific traditions and customs. When concerning English traditions, there is no more typical aspect than that of the attitudes toward animals. To English people, domestic animals like dogs are the symbol of loyalty and reliability. They have favorable expressions as follows: clever dog(指聪明伶俐的小孩或小伙子), lucky dog(幸运儿), a sea dog(老练的水手), top-dog(最重要人物) etc. However, English people do not like bats as much, for they think the bat is an evil animal. They have “as blind as a bat (有眼无珠) ”, “crazy as a bat” and “have bats in the belfry(思想古怪)” su ch bad association and analogy with bats.3.4 The Sporting Features of English IdiomsThe English-speaking countries are very fond of varied kinds of sports and naturally sports serve as one of the most important sources for English idioms. Card games, for instance, are popular in the west and have a great influence on English idioms, such as “have a card up one’s sleeve”(有绝招), “throw up the cards”(认输) and “follow suit”(照样子做). And also, the impact of boxing on the English idiom can be found in the following phrases: “down and out”(击败,穷困潦倒), “hit below the belt”(不择手段), “straight from the shoulder”(毫不留情,直截了当) and “take off th e gloves”(对某人不客气, 言辞激烈) etc.4. Strategies of translating idiomsLanguage is considered as the carrier of culture. Different languages represent different country’s cultural insights and identity. The variety of language reflects a world-view and culturecomplex. Idioms, praised as the essence of language, differ a lot in different cultures, for they contain strong national colors and distinctive cultural connotations. Therefore, in idiom translation, we must consider how to deal with the cultural differences between the source language and target language. In the treatment of this issue, Venuti summarized two ways: “domesticating method” and “foreignizing method”. The former is based on nationalism as the center, domesticating foreign values to the target language culture while the latter deviately shows language and culture differences in the translation”.The two translation strategies, domestication and foreignization, have always been a heated topic in the field of translation studies. Scholars from different countries hold vast disagreement on the two methods.Strictly speaking, disputes over domestication and foreignization can be traced back to Roman times when scholars were debating over ‘sense-for-sense’ and ‘word-for word’ translations. In fact, ‘sense-for sense’ translation is more like what we call “domestication” today. It is defined as “creating fluent target texts which conveyed the meaning of the original without distorting the target language” (Baker 316-326). When coming to ‘word-for-word’ translation, it was thought as the only translation method in Roman times (Robinson 25).In 1813, Goethe talked about the two translation principles in a speech in honor of Wieland. He said that “one is to move the foreign author towards us, considering him as one of us; the other is that we move to the foreign environment, language model and extraterritorial peculiarity” (Robinson 222). And he claimed that he was on the side of the latter, which Venuti named as “foreignizing method”. Goethe thought it“the final and the highest of translation methods” (Schulte 60-61).The German philosopher, Friedrich Schleiermacher, influenced by Goethe’s theory, holds the view that “there are only two meansfor translation: either the translator leaves the author in peace, as much as possible, and moves the reader towards him; or he leaves the reader in peace, as much as possible, and moves the author towards him” (Venuti 42). And Schleiermacher clearly stated that his choice was the former, which we now call ‘foreignization’, and the latter ‘domestication’.During the Roman times, people thought that translation was exactly to translate the original language into target language word for word. While Horatius Flaccus hold the attitude of denounce towards word-for-word translation. He suggested that “not trouble to render word for word with the faithfulness of a translator” (Robinson 25). That is, he was in favor of “domestication” translation. Word-for word translation was denounced in that “following the original form step by step may produce odd translation, thus blurring the original meaning; butsense-for-sense translation can convey the original meaning and content clearly” (25)Eugene A. Nida, who has long been praised as a pioneer in the field of translation theory and linguistics, distinguished two principles in translation, that is “formal equivalence” (Nida 160) and “dynamic equivalence” (160). On Nida’s opinion, “dynamic equivalence is good translation, while formal equivalence is a bad one” (160). Nida has always been regarded as a representative of those who favor domestication translation. Here his favor of ‘dynamic equivalence’ shows his attitude towards domestication.Domestication and foreignization , long been discussed in the field of translation, both have advantages and limitations.4.1 Domestication in Idiom TranslationDomestication is to transform characteristic ingredients in one kind of culture into another kind. It is to use the words and expressions that have the same frequency of use with the source words and expressions, but generally we use some words and expressionswith certain cultural color to translate the original words and expressions. It puts aside the sentences and the images of the original text, and holds the pragmatic meaning from the target language. The method is target-reader friendly and can ensure smooth reading of the target text.Some external conditions such as the ecological environment that all human beings rely on are somewhat similar. The same cognitive experiences make some idioms, no matter in form or in semantics, are identical. Therefore, idioms of one language can be translated straightl into idioms of another language. The English idiom “wall has ears” is similar to Chinese idiom “隔墙有耳” both in meaning and image; they then can be regarded as the equivalent idioms and mutually translated. The meaning of them is “秘密谈论的事情当心被偷听”.More examples:as slight as a feather 轻如鸿毛strike while the iron is hot 趁热打铁add fuel to the flames 火上加油Moreover, domestication theoretically regards language as the tool of human communication. In practice, domestication emphasizes easy understanding for the target reader and avoids equivocal meanings and ambiguity. And we should change the expressions of foreign idioms when we cannot find a corresponding one in the target language. The purpose is to turn these idioms to images of the target language which readers are familiar with. There are numerous such examples:Everybody’s business is nobody’s bus iness. 三个和尚无水喝Among the blind the one-eyed man is king 山中无老虎猴子称大王As thick as thieves 亲密无间One must howl with the wolves 入乡随俗4.2 Limitation in DomesticationDespite of its advantages, domestication still has some limitations. Though it can help people appreciate the resemblance that different languages happen to hold, and reduces the difficulty for the reader in reading the translated text, it is only the review of the national culture of the source text. Its disadvantage is that it sacrifices massive cultural subsidiary information and in a certain degree, it deprives readers of the opportunity to appreciate and comprehend foreign culture. Instead of drawing these different cultures and languages together, it isolates the source culture from the target culture and cause them to become more and more estranged.For example, the English idiom “go to law for a sheep, you lose a cow” can be translated into the Chinese idiom “拣了芝麻丢了西瓜”. These two expressions look similar in their semantic meaning, but in fact they are not absolutely equal. This English idiom not only expresses the meaning “the gain does not equal the loss”, but also reflects the cultural custom that westerners are accustomed to solve disputes through legal ways which is not included in the Chinese idiom “拣了芝麻丢了西瓜”. Therefore, this translation sacrifices massive cultural subsidiary information. So it would be better to use the method of foreignization and the idiom could be translated like this: “为一只羊打官司，却损失了一头牛”. In this way it becomes much easier to understand and the subsidiary cultural information is also conveyed.4.3 Foreignization in idiom translationForeignization is a translation strategy that transmits information of one culture and language into another culture and language by maintaining its original appearance. This strategy isbeneficial for the mutual understanding and communication between two different languages. The English idiom mentioned above “go to law for a sheep, you lose a cow” can be translated into “为一只羊打官司，却损失了一头牛” through foreignization. The following examples are of this kind:Judas kiss 犹大之吻An ivory tower 象牙塔Crocodile’s tears 鳄鱼的眼泪Trojon horse 特洛伊木马To hide one’s head in the sand 像鸵鸟一样把头埋进沙滩Every country and national culture is unique and there continuously exists a huge gap between different languages. The essential purpose of cultural communication including the translation of idioms is to help people of each culture better understand and absorb the foreign ingredients to enrich their own culture. Through foreignization, information of one culture and language can be transmitted to another without losing its original appearance. Due to foreignization, massive western cultural information comes into Chinese culture and Chinese culture and Chinese expressions are thus greatly enriched.For example: An olive branch, Cat has nine lives, Packed like sardines, Curiosity kills the cat. The value of foreignization lies in that it urges readers to comprehend the symbolism of the source language, and then it can promote readers to comprehend the western culture.4.4 Problems with foreignizationFrom the examples above, we can find out that foreignization isconducive to the enrichment of national culture. However, it is by no means perfect. Although it is loyal to the original language, it may destroy the norm of the target language. Through this way of translation, the translation may sometimes be unavoidably coarse, or even obscure and difficult to understand.First, we must pay attention to cultural default in translation. For example, the English idiom “as white as snow” can be translated into “白得像雪”. It is common sense for people who live in the regions where it snows in winter, but it would be perplexing for people who live in an equatorial country to understand because they have never seen snow and of course they do not know the color of it. The cultural differences among different nations require translators to keep a high consciousness of culture, because many words and expressions which contain many cultural connotations are difficult to be represented in translation and literal translation may cause misunderstanding or may be totally incomprehensible.And also there exist cultural conflicts in translation. For example, “dragon” is often related to the emperor in Chinese culture, and Chinese people are regarded as “the descendants of the dra gon”. But in English, “dragon” is a kind of big monster, and is regarded as the incarnation of demon in Christianity. The contrast is very distinctive compared to the Chinese dragon, which symbolizes something noble. So the conflicts in culture between the source language and the target language decide that we cannot use foreignization blindly in the translation of idioms.Practice：Translate the following idioms into Chinese:1. to add fuel to the fire 火上加油2. armed to the teeth 武装到牙齿3. under one’s nose在某人鼻子底下4. the cold war 冷战5. castle in the air 空中楼阁6. tower of ivory 象牙塔；比喻世外桃源7. kill two birds with one stone 一箭双雕8. Sphinx’s riddle斯芬克司之迷，比喻难解之迷9. a drop in the ocean 沧海一粟10. Wash one’s hands off洗手不干；撒手不管11. to search for a needle in a haystack 大海捞针12. Barking dogs do not bite. 吠犬不咬人。
A STUDY ON C-E TRANSLATION OF CHINESE IDIOMS
浅析汉语成语的英语翻译方法摘要对于汉语成语来说，其具有悠久的文化历史，承载着重要的文化信息。
就汉语成语的英语翻译而言，它并非只是两种语言之间的简单转换，而是两种文化之间的交流和传递。
为了最大程度地实现汉语成语英译过程中对各类信息的传递，翻译者就得充分理解汉语成语自身的内在含义。
翻译者不仅要对汉英两种语言中成语的文化异同进行对比，还要对其各自的结构进行适当调整。
这样的话，才有可能将汉语成语的文化特色和文化信息最大限度地传递给英语读者。
本论文主要通过对具体汉语成语英译翻译实例的对比和分析，从中西文化的差异着手，对汉译成语的英译方法进行了归纳和总结。
经过归纳和总结之后，本研究得出的结论是：当汉语成语的内容在中西文化中所表现的意义比较直观，或者英汉两种语言中存在同样表达方式的时候，一般采用直译的翻译方法。
相反，如果汉语成语在英语当中没有直接对应的表达方式的时候，一般采用意译的翻译方法。
关键词：汉语成语；英语；翻译AbstractA STUDY ON C-E TRANSLATION OF CHINESE IDIOMSAbstractFor Chinese idioms, they have a long cultural history. On the English translation of Chinese idioms, it is not merely a conversion between two languages, but the one between two kinds of cultural exchanges and transmissions. In order to transfer all kinds of information in English translation of Chinese idioms at most, translators must fully understand intrinsic meanings of Chinese idioms. Translators should not only contrast cultural similarities and differences of idioms in Chinese and English, but also make appropriate adjustments to their own structures. Thus, it makes it possible to transmit cultural characteristics and information of Chinese idioms to readers for the most part.This paper sets emphasis on the differences between Chinese ans Western cultures, and mainly summarizes the methods of Chinese idioms’ translation through the comparison and analysis of whose examples. After the analysis and summary, it can be concluded that when the content of idioms shown in Chinese and Western culture are both intuitive, or when there are equivalent expressions in both languages, in general, the literal translation method will be favored. On the contrary, if Chinese idioms do not have correspondent expression in English, the way of paraphrase will be the choice.Key words: Chinese idioms; English idioms; TranslationIICONTENTSCHAPTER Ⅰ INTRODUCTION (1)1.1 The Background of the Research (1)1.2 Purpose of the Research (1)1.3 The Significance of the Research (2)CHAPTER Ⅱ LITERATURE REVIE (3)2.1 Chinese Scholar’s Contributio ns (3)2.2 Foreign Scholar’s Contributions (3)Chapter III THE INFORMATION OF CHINESE IDIOMS (4)3.1 The Definition of Chinese Idioms (4)3.2 Characteristics of Chinese Idioms (4)3.2.1 Long History (4)3.2.2 Fixed Language Structure (4)3.2.3 The Whole Significance (4)CHAPTER IV METHODS OF CHINESE IDIOMS TRANSLATION (5)4.1 Metaphrase (5)4.1.1 Literal Translation (5)4.1.2 Replacement (6)4.2 Paraphrase (9)4.2.1 Negation (9)4.2.2 Substitution (10)4.2.3 Additional remarks & Note (11)4.2.4 Omission (14)CHAPTER V CONCLUSION (15)5.1 Major Findings (15)5.2 Limitations (15)REFERENCES (16)i学院本科毕业论文CHAPTER Ⅰ INTRODUCTION1.1 The Background of the ResearchAbout the standard of translation, the translation theoreticians have proposed many different viewpoints. In China, most people accept the popular theory is Yanfu’s “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance” (Qiu, 2002: 77), while in the western countries, the most popular one is “equivalent value, equivalent effect, clear and coherent”(Gu & Lu, 2002: 48), These viewpoints are mutually influenced and supplemented. Although the translators have different opinions, they all advocate that the translation must express the connotation of the original text faithfully and the style of the original work should reappear in translation.Faithfulness means faithful to the spirit of original language and original article style. However, in fact, not all expressions, words, even characters in the original text simultaneously have these three kinds of meanings. Maybe some of them only have the wording meaning, but without the image meaning; some may have the wording meaning and the image meaning, but lack of the implied meaning. Any two languages are impossible to be all coordinated completely. Therefore, it is impossible to completely reproduce the three kinds of meanings of the original text.In order to solve the above-mentioned situation, translators should bear the following reasons in their mind. Firstly, because the cultural differences produce the contradiction in the translation process, the wording meaning or the image meaning must obey the implied meaning. Secondly, the image meaning of the original text cannot be found in the target language. Sometimes the images are the same but the implied meanings are actually different. In this situation, what the translators need to consider first is the accurate expression of the implied meaning.1.2 Purpose of the ResearchWith the development of globalization, the communication between English people and Chinese people is becoming more and more frequent, and some mistakes often take place in Chinese idioms translation. Methods used in this paper, image language translation of idioms, combined with the text, contextual factors are1学院本科毕业论文discussed, and are conducive to the development of translation skills, so that the more vivid translation expressions and more fluent and idiomatic translation versions will be obtained.For the thesis itself, it aims to study the translation of image processing source language, comparison, and emphasizes the importance of context in the image language translation of idioms. Key sources from the visual language and processing method are discussed deeply in the theory, and pointed out the mistakes and the common causes in the translation of idioms in the image language, to provide the corresponding countermeasures. To sum up, the thesis is to better grasp of Chinese idioms translation skills, while avoid translation errors, and summary translation methods suitable for today’s culture communication.1.3 The Significance of the ResearchEnglish and Chinese idioms have leading positions in the field of culture, however, because Chinese and Western cultural backgrounds, customs and habits are different, a certain degree of English and Chinese idioms in translation between English and Chinese idioms. Through the above analysis, the English and Chinese idioms have a good understanding of English and Chinese idioms, it has significance to put cultural characteristics and information of Chinese idioms transmit to English readers. Through this paper, want to help English readers to understand Chinese idioms better.2学院本科毕业论文CHAPTER Ⅱ LITERATURE REVIE2.1 Chinese Scholar’s ContributionsIn 1985, in the magazine Teaching and Research, Feng Qinghua proposed that “the translator can reference works make an analysis of Chinese idioms,and find some regularities from the study of these translations, not only help the translator, to properly handle the Chinese idioms in English-Chinese translation, English translation of Chinese Idioms and research may also have some reference value” (Feng, 2000: 56).In 1977，Xiao Shan published research contents, in Foreign Language Teaching and Research.In second period, h e pointed out that “in the treatment of Chinese idiom translation problems, should seriously deal with three problems: Firstly, express the idiom meaning properly;Secondly, handle idioms rhetoric correctly;Thirdly, think about expression methods in allusion, such as to seek appropriate methods in history perspective” (Wang, 2004: 153).Li Qionghua put forward in “influence” Cultural Differences of Chinese Idioms from the perspective of cross-cultural perspective, note the differences between Chinese and Western culture.2.2 Foreign Scholar’s ContributionsThe last century 80s, some foreign linguists get great progress on the study of Chinese idioms, international research institutions have been founded, between Japan and Europe and the United States engaged in study of Chinese language scholars, through the organization of international research, more and more extensive academic exchange activities.New Mark discusses some important problems in The Problem of Translation, and explains criteria and procedures of translation. In the second part, he puts forward some translation standards to help readers practice.3学院本科毕业论文Chapter III THE INFORMATION OF CHINESE IDIOMS3.1 The Definition of Chinese IdiomsIn Chinese “Idioms” means that since long ago the people have used habitually, concise and succinct words or short phrases. (Baker. M，2004: 2). Most Chinese idioms are composed by four characters, generally all of which have the source. The meanings of Some idioms are available from the word writing, such as: “小题大做”and “后来居上”; The meaning of some idioms should be got from its source or allusion. Such as “破釜沉舟” and “刻舟求剑”.3.2 Characteristics of Chinese Idioms3.2.1 Long HistoryChinese idioms are used by people for a long time, but every word has long history is idiom when idiom appears, will be accepted by the people, its type is fixed, its meaning is also relatively stable, and widely used in written or oral, has a profound social foundation and broad mass base, so as to become the idiom.3.2.2 Fixed Language StructureFixed language structure means structure of the relationship between idioms can not change at will. For example, can not change “欢天喜地”into “欢天笑地”, and can not change “狼狈为奸” into “狼狈而为奸”.3.2.3 The Whole SignificanceWhole meaning of idiom is not simple addition of each word, every idiom is a entirety. In other words, people can not understand meaning of idiom through the words. For example, the idiom “高山流水”, it is not the water and mountain, in means bosom friend. Chinese idiom “胸有成竹”, it means do good preparation before doing things, and ensure do it successfully, but not means “bamboo in chest”.4学院本科毕业论文CHAPTER IV METHODS OF CHINESE IDIOMS TRANSLATIONDifferent culture brings some difficulties to the cultural exchange. It is also the biggest barrier in the translation. When the translators translate one language to another, besides understanding the writing of these two languages thoroughly, the translators also have to understand the cultural differences between these two languages clearly.On Chinese idiom’s translation, culture has a great influence on the translators’logical thinking and the glossary choice of the language. The semantics of idiom has the integrity. Usually we cannot get its significance from a single character. If many Chinese idioms were translated into English directly according to the wording meaning, although the foreign readers can understand the meaning of each character, they still have difficulties in understanding the overall significance of this idiom.4.1 MetaphraseMetaphrase is a method that the image and the forms of the original text are preserved, which can be translated literally. “The readers also can catch the implied meaning by the wording translation. Some Chinese idioms have similar images, which the foreign readers can associate to the equivalent English idioms” (Donald. N, Larson, 1984: 72).4.1.1 Literal Translation“In Chinese idiom translation, there is a tendency to find English equivalent idioms, equivalent in referential meaning rather than in the images. The reason is that the target text must be idiomatically English. Therefore, literal translation of Chinese idioms is often considered non-idiomatic” (Li & Li, 1990: 419).As long as the translation conveys a vivid image and the referential meaning is not distorted, literal translation can introduce Chinese culture to the world. Literal translation is a way by which the rhetoric, national and regional characteristics are kept in the target language. In this way the meaning and the form of the source language are unchanged. Some Chinese idioms can be translated literally with the same vivid figurative result of the original ones, which can make the foreign readers5学院本科毕业论文associate to the equivalent English idioms.For example:⑴对牛弹琴—— To play the lute to a cow. The readers can associate it to the equivalent English idiom “to cast pearls before swine”.⑵竭泽而渔—— To drain a pond to catch all the fish (the equivalent idiom: To kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.)⑶易如反掌——To be as easy as turning over one’s hand (the equivalent one: As easy as falling off a log.)⑷口蜜腹剑—— To be honey-mouthed and dagger-hearted(the equivalent one:A Judas kiss)⑸井底之蛙—— To be like a frog at the bottom of a well⑹史无前例—— To be without precedent in history⑺七嘴八舌——With seven mouths and eight tongues (Hartman, R. R. K, James, 2000: 398)Above all, this kind of idioms should translated by literal translation.4.1.2 Replacement“Regarding Chinese idioms translation, what many translation books discussed mainly was the replacement technique. Sometimes, equivalent translations can be found, but mostly only similar ones. Usually the replacement technique is necessary in the following situations” (Jennifer Seidel, 1978: 66).In the first place, Chinese idioms have same meanings and culture messages as those in the target language.There are many Chinese and English idioms, which have the same images as well as the expression forms.In Chinese, “浑水摸鱼” means “Taking advantage of the chaos time gain improper benefits” (Ma, 1995: 259). But the English idiom “to fish in troubled water” means “take advantage of troubled or uncertain condition for personal profit”. These two idioms are similar in both expression form and intrinsic meaning.The similar idioms are as follows:赴汤蹈火—— Go through fire and water随波逐流—— To go with the tide6学院本科毕业论文知识就是力量—— Knowledge is power.眼不见，心不烦—— Out of sight, out of mind.谋事在人，成事在天—— Man proposes, god disposes空中楼阁—— Castles in the air充耳不闻—— Turn a deaf ear toWhen translate Chinese idioms like those above, just need translate half of them.In the second place, Chinese idioms share similar meanings but different culture messages and images with the target language.“The Chinese idioms, which have same or similar vivid analogy with the English idioms, should be exchanged into the same or corresponding English idioms directly. Different languages have different i mages”（Hartman, R. R. K, James，2000: 389）.Firstly, f or example: if translators translate the Chinese idiom “胸有成竹” directly into “have a bamboo in one’ s stomach” according to the wording meaning. The foreign readers not only have difficulties in getting the meaning that this idiom contained, but also have the wrong association easily. Therefore, the translators must discard the images in this idiom and change them into the images that the foreign readers are familiar with. So it may be translated as “have a card in one’s sleeve”Secondly, t he Chinese say “噤若寒蝉” (as mute as a winter cicada), yet the native English say, “as mute as a fish”. Fish and cicada have similar function in the above examples though they are not similar at all. As far as “silence” is c oncerned, fish is a familiar image to English speakers, yet the Chinese tend to associate the sense with winter cicada.Thirdly, t he Chinese idiom “瓮中之鳖(the turtle in the jar)”means “taking advantage of the chaos time gain improper benefits”(Lv & Yu, 1983: 33). But the English idiom “likes a rat in a hole”, whose image is a mouse, which is stranded in a hole. It is in an extremely difficult situation. These two scenes agree without prior consultation but happen to hold the same view. Though the translators replaced the image, the foreign readers have no difficulty to understand its meaning.The similar Chinese idioms included:胆小如鼠—— As timid as a rabbit挥金如土—— Spend money like water7东张西望—— Look right and left缘木求鱼——Seek a hare in hen’s nest抛砖引玉—— To throw a sprat to catch a herringAccording to the different culture between Chinese and English, these idioms should translated by replacement.So, familiar images of the target language are often used to replace those of the source language. It is very regret that the foreign readers cannot understand the exotic atmosphere of Chinese culture.In the third place, Chinese idioms share similar images but different culture messages and connotation with the target language.Some Chinese idioms and English idioms are almost the same in the expression form, but the commendatory or derogatory meaning, which the idioms contained, is different. So they cannot be mutually translated.“The custom culture refers to the activities, which formed by nationality's manners and customs in the social daily life”（Shan, 2002: 48）. As a result of the custom culture differences, the translators must pay attention to the animal words in the idioms whose meanings are different. For example, in China, the people often think the dog is loathing. Therefore, most dog-related idioms include the derogatory meaning.Firstly, f or example, “狐朋狗友”(Pack of scoundrels)”, “狼心狗肺(heartless and cruel)”and so on. But in the western nation, the dog was considered as human's good friends. Fo r example: “help a lame dog over a stile (雪中送炭)”, “love me, love my dog. (爱屋及乌)” and so on.Secondly, f or example: the Chinese idiom “笑掉大牙” includes the meaning “ridicules”. The English idiom “to laugh off one’s head” is only the expression of “laugh” or “laugh loudly”. It is a neutral word. These two idioms look very similar literally. But the commendatory and derogatory terms of two words are dissimilar. So they cannot be mutually translated.Thirdly, t he Chinese idiom “说曹操，曹操到(when you mention Cao Cao, he soon arrives)” means “I was just talking about you!” it did not bring the derogatory meaning, but English idiom “talk of the devil and he will appear” has the derogatorymeaning。
On the Translation of English Idioms 习语的翻译
On the Translation of English IdiomsContentsAbstract (1)Introduction (2)Chapter One Literal Translation (3)1.1 Concept (3)1.2 Two situations of literal translation (3)1.2.1 English idioms often have its literal meaning owing to the culture spread (3)1.2.2 Translate English idioms literally on the basis of context (4)Chapter Two Corresponding Translation (5)2.1 The explanations of corresponding translation (5)2.2 Take advantage of the close literal meaning﹑initial meaning or connotation ofChinese idioms to correspond with English idioms (5)2.3 Take Chinese idioms as corresponding phases, but differ from the literal meaning6 Chapter Three Free Translation (7)3.1 Concept (7)3.2 Categories of free translation (7)3.2.1 Using free translation to translate English idioms according to context (7)3.2.2 Borrowing some synonymous idioms from target language (8)3.2.3 Some English idioms were born with the property of story, and related tothe factors of culture and history (8)3.3 The combination of the literal translation and the free translation (9)Conclusion (10)References (11)AbstractIn essence, the idiom was one of the most important components of language. As the pith of the language, idioms have come from many origins and different formations. In other words, the fusion of many distinctive cultures has crystallized the idiom, and it has many nations’characteristics which was born with and never changed. And English idioms was one branch of idiom. The English idioms have an extensive scope; it was formed from regular phrases or short verses during a long period use. Therefore, in view of these features, for the sake of understanding the English idiom better, the translation of idioms should not just stay in literal meaning, and it is very important to translate the idioms from their context and comprehensive meaning. And this dissertation mainly discusses the methods of the translation of idioms. When we translate the idioms, we should make sure that we not only get a good knowledge of the correct meaning of idioms but also do our best to keep the original structure and unique feature of idioms.Key words: English idioms; culture; the methods of translationIntroductionThe Britain linguist,Jennifer Seidl, had said in the preface of his books “English Idioms and How to Use Them (1978)”, that “Idioms are not a separate part of the language which one can choose to either to use or to omit…”[1]. So, if we want to learn English well, we must attach more importance to English idioms.Since the idiom was the product of the development of different national and regional culture, so it intensively has the special cultural features of some nations or regions. And the idiom was the particular form of the language; it is quite obvious that the idiom has many distinguish characteristics, for example, abundant connotation, independent meaning, and grammatically irregular, permanent structure and so on. The translation of idioms is not only including link up two languages, but communicate with the culture information between two languages. The Britain writer, John·O·Londo , said that the idea like a pixy plays pranks with speech，rejoicing in its freedom from all conventionalities．Without the idiom there can be no vivid communication. Therefore, the translation of English idioms has been become an extremely important problem.English idioms are one branch of idioms and the essence of English language and they have unique structural，semantic and cultural features．English idioms have an extensive scope; it was formed from regular phrases or short verses during a long period use. In a broad sense, English idioms mainly consist of set phase s﹑idiomatic phase s﹑idioms﹑sayings﹑proverbs﹑slang﹑maxim ect. In a narrow sense, English idioms refer to those phases or clauses that their literal meaning was different from their actual meaning, for example:“I am all ears”. The meaning of this sentence literally translates as“我浑身都是耳朵”,but the meaning of this sentence actually is close to Chinese idioms“我洗耳恭听”. From this sentence we can know that the differences of the cultural diversity and the way of expression, and even the logic explanation of the literal meaning of one phrase or clause is not correct have an influence on the translation of English idioms. So, what we should do next is to do our best to learn more idioms, the more the better. Only in this way can we translate English idioms more appropriately. And this dissertation mainly discusses the methods of the translation of English idioms from some different points of view. In general, the main methods and skills of the translation of English idioms just as follows:Chapter One Literal Translation1.1 ConceptWhen we translate English idioms, we are habituated to use this method to translate English idioms; this is a very important and most convenient way to translate English idioms. Literal translation is equal to foreignization to some extent. LuXun, a Chinese great writer, had said that “竭力想保存原书的口吻,大底连语句的词语也不甚颠倒”.[2]Similarly, the professor of Peking University，Xu Yuanchong(许渊冲)，also have explained the literal translation as “直译是把忠实于原文内容放在第一位,把忠实于原文形式放在第二位,把通顺的译文形式放在第三位的翻译方法”[3]. And it means that the translation of idioms must persist to the distinguish features of the English idioms(such as the methods of rhetoric﹑imagination﹑national characteristics and the rule of grammar) under the condition that it can not disobey to the standards of language and lead to wrong or unnecessary imagination towards English idioms.In a sense, if use this methods to translate the English idioms and take full advantage of western idioms, it will enrich target language and strength language performance. From the aspect of literal translation, we must clear that what kinds of idioms and under what kinds of situation need we use this methods to translate.1.2 Two situations of literal translation1.2.1 English idioms often have its literal meaning owing to the culture spreadWith the rapid developing of science and technology, at the same time the international communications become more and more frequently, some things with cultural characteristics having been understood and accepted by other nationalities and countries, and all of that make the literal translation become possible.For example, thanks to the spread of Greece and Roman’s legend, we are not unfamiliar with this English idiom:Pandora’s Box. And we know this idiom means the origin of disasters or the bad things. So, we can translate this English idiom literally as“潘多拉的盒子”.And also such as, like a bull in a china shop, we can translate it literally as“像闯进瓷器店的公牛”.We all know that the china was one of very exquisite and delicate craft, so when consumers enter into the china shop look around and buy the china they will be so cautious that avoid destroying the china. But if a bull rush into china shop, the situation will be worse. Therefore, this English idiom always refers to the man who is so rude and easy to get into trouble, and even has no patience to everything. In addition, there also have many typical examples of literal translation, such as:The Trojan horse 特洛伊木马All roads lead to Rome 条条大道通罗马。
English Idioms And the Translation.doc1
English Idioms And the TranslationAbstract: Idioms are considered as the essence of English language. Idioms in language reflect common，similar and specific features of different languages and cultures．Therefore，the correct English idioms and translation is related to express the right meaning. The acquisition of idioms is important for a successful mastery of English translation of idioms which means not only translation of linguistic signs but also that of cultural elements．The theme has made a study on the strategies of English idioms and the translation. It illustrates the literal translation approach，free translation approach，and the literal plus innovation translation approach．Learning how to use idioms is a difficult but by no means impossible task. An idiom is different from other literal expressions in that you could not guess its meaning just by understanding all the words in it. Because their characteristics learning idioms requires both rote-learning and analytical skills. The paper has designed 3 main strategies to help English learners learn idioms.Keywords:English idioms，culture，translation strategies，literal translation approach，free translation approach，literal plus innovation translation approach. The strategies of English idioms translation1. IntroductionWhen opening Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, one can see such an entry: “Idiom (n.) Phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit.” And English translation theoretician Peter Newmark also said: “An idiom is a current and frequently us ed group of words whose meaning is not clear from the common meanings of its constituent words”. In brief, idioms are fixed phrases that go through the test of history and cannot be separated. So the whole meaning usually cannot be guessed in translation and the components must not beseparated at one’s ease.1.1 Defination to idiomsIdioms, an important part of the general vocabulary of every language，are the gems of a language, which have been described as the crystallization of human wit and wisdom. Idioms best mirror the national characteristics embodied in a language and are thus always rich in cultural connotation and national flavor. Lots of cultural information is embedded in idioms. In some senses, idioms are the reflection of the environment, life, historical culture, etc. of the native speakers and are closely associated with their innermost spirit and feelings. They are commonly used in all types of language, informal and formal, spoken and written. That is why the extent to which a person familiarizes himself with idioms is a mark of his or her command of language. English and Chinese are abundant in idioms. It is difficult to give a clear-cut defination to the word "idiom", for it possesses several meaning which might get us completely at sea.1.2 Background to idiomsEnglish as an international language, its usage is wide-ranging. Many countries choose English as their official language. What is more, sixty percent of broadcasting in the world use English to propagate their information. Of course, there are many idioms in English and parts of them are loanwords. The features of assimilating loanwords in English are evident. On the one hand, it belongs to Germanic language family that enables it to take possession of the common words in Germanic language. On the other hand, English keeps in touch with French and Roman language family closely for a long time. The ancient Greek mythologies, Roman myths and fairy tales of northern Europe are the publicly owned wealth of European nations. They have deep influence on development of whole European culture in which many stories provide source materials for English idioms. Therefore, English idioms take in any word that can represent the main European culture. And it is more typical and representative than others in reflecting the cultural diversity. Just like Bacon said: Talent, quick-witted and spirit in a nation can all be found in its idioms.2. Origins to idiomsAs everyone knows, idioms come from different aspects: different living environments; everyday life;religion; historical events; literary works and mythology and allusion.2.1 Idioms from different living environmentsIdioms are closely related to people’s labor and life, because people in a particular culture need words to name and explain objects and appearance present in that culture. The Han People, live on land, andbelong to an agrarian society that places agricultural production at the top of the national agenda. During the long history of farming, the Chinese language has accumulated large numbers of farmers’ idioms like 瑞雪兆丰年(a time snow promises a good harvest), 五谷丰登(abundant harvest of all food crops). While British live in an island country, probably have idioms about water and sailing. For example, we speak挥金如土in Chinese，but we should render it into English as “spend money like water”. And there are similar examples as follows: “to keep one’s head about water” (奋力图存)，“in full sail” (全力以赴), “tower one’s sail” (甘拜下风). What is more, there come different special products determined by the different geographical surroundings. For example, “like mushrooms” and “spring up like mushrooms” in English , means 像蘑菇一样, and 雨后春笋般地涌现in Chinese. Both of them have the same meaning of the great development of a thing, but they use their respective things to form the metaphor, because China abounds with bamboo, whereas it does not grow in England. So the Chinese people are quite familiar with bamboo; while the English don’t. This case is quite the same with the idiom “plentiful as blackberries”, for blackberries are easily available in England while in Chinese, 多如牛毛is used, for cattle can be found everywhere in China.2.2 Idioms from everyday lifeEntertainment and activities, which are parts of national culture, are quite different in various countries. Horse racing, boxing and cricket are ancient and traditional sports in England, so in English, there are idioms like “neck and neck” (不分上下)，“down and out”(倒下出局)，“not cricket” (不讲信用)，and “straight from the shoulder” (直截了当)，and “have a good innings”(一帆风顺)；whereas the ancient Chinese preferred hunting and chess: 棋逢对手(diamond cut diamond), 剑拔弩张(at daggers drawn), 明枪易躲，暗箭难防(False friends are worse than open enemies). There are some aspects in everyday life in the following.2.2.1 Idioms from foodIn England, bread is usually eaten together with butter, and salt, milk and cream are their everyday diet. All of them are t he everyday diet for western people and thus appear “There is no use crying over spilt milk” (不要做无谓的后悔)，“baker’s dozen” (面包师的第十三个面包), and “polish the apple” (拍马屁)；China has a long history of cooking and the Chinese are known as the most critical, for who attach greater importance to food than any other people, as is reflected in the saying like: 画饼充饥(to draw cakes to allay hunger)2.2.2 Idioms from seaBoth in the Chinese and the English languages, idioms about the sea are numerous, because both of these two countries are surrounded and half-surrounded by sea, and they are rich in natural resources of fish. Fishing plays a vital role in their economy, so a large number of idioms concerning fish are handed down: “Fish begins to stink at the head” (上梁不正下梁歪), “Never offer to teach fish to swim” (不要班门弄斧)，and “to fish in troubled water” (浑水摸鱼).2.2.3 Idioms from military affairsThe history of mankind is almost the history of war, which is the source of numerous idioms. The Chinese nation has a long history of war for more than two thousand years, and therefore the Chinese language is rich in such idioms: 项庄舞剑，意在沛公(Xiang Zhuang performed the sword dance as a cover for his attempt on Liu Bang’s life.---act with a hidden motive); 四面楚歌(be in desperate straits); 暗度陈仓(to steal a march on). And it is also mirrored in the following English idioms: “What millions died that Caesar might be great” (一将功成万骨枯); “Meet one’s Waterloo” (遭遇惨败); “Pyrrhic victory” (得不偿失的胜利); and gentleman’s agreement (君子协定).2.3 Idioms from religionReligion is an important source for idioms. It is a social phenomenon and mainly a code of ethics governing personal and social conduct. Comparatively speaking, Buddhism has greater influence on Chinese culture although China is a multi-religious country. It was first introduced into China in the first century AD, and has shaped the Chinese language, diet, arts, etc., and greatly stimulated the development of Chinese literature. The large number of words and idioms derived from Buddhism is one of the manifestations of its influence, such as 放下屠刀，立地成佛(A butcher becomes a Buddha the moment he drops his cleaver---a wrongdoer achieves salvation as soon as he gives up evil) and 做一天和尚，撞一天钟(take a passive attitude toward one’s work). And there are q uite a few English idioms from religion. Such as: Benjamin’s mess (最大的份额); raise Cain (大吵大闹); apple of Sodom (金玉其外，败絮其中); sop to Cerberus (贿赂); handwriting on the wall (不祥之兆) and so on.2.4 Idioms from historical eventsIn most language, people embellish their speech or writing with references to characters or events from their history, that is to say, idiomatic expressions are closely related to a country’s history. There are a lot of idioms in the Chinese language cannot find an equivalent in the English language because the history of the two countries are quite different. Many idioms are from their own history. The English languagehas much less idioms from historical events than the Chinese language because English just has a history of more than one thousand years during which less important historical events happened. For example, “to meet one’s Waterloo” (遭遇滑铁卢) is from the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, which means to be completely defeated.2.5 Idioms from literary worksLiterary works are also one of the main sources of English idioms. In English literature, the most glittering star is Shakespeare. His dramas are the major source of this kind idioms: “to claim one’s pound of flesh” (割某人的一磅肉) is from The Merchant of Venice; “make assurance doubly sure” (加倍小心) comes from Macbeth. And there are other examples: “Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man, writing an exact man”---Bacon On Study; “ the ugly ducking”(丑小鸭) is from Han Anderson’s tales; “Jekyll and Hyde” (双重性格) originates from Stevenson’s The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; “open sesame” and “old man of the sea” come from Arabian tales.2.6 Idioms from mythology and allusionIn this thesis, the author focuses on the translation of mythologies and allusions in English idioms, which come from stories of Gods and heroes. As we all know, Greek and Roman civilizations have a great influence on English, so the Greek and Roman civilizations have great influence on English idioms. Let’s pay attention to the following idioms:(1) “Achilles’ heel” (致命弱点) which comes from the Greek mythology has the meaning “the one weak spot in a man’s circumstances or character”. In Greek epic, his mother took Achilles upside down into the Styx when he was a child. So he was arms-proof except his heel because it was held in his mother’s hand. Therefore in Troy war, he died for Paris shot a poisoned arrow into his heel.(2) Other examples, “Hercules’s choice” means “the reward of toil in reference to pleasure”, “the Herculian efforts” (九牛二虎之力)，and “the pillars of Hercules” (天涯海角). It is said that Hercules was one of the most famous heroes in Greek mythologies. He killed two snakes when he was a baby, and was known as a man of muscle. He refused the Pleasure Goddess’s allure, went through innumerable hardships and in the end, he won the eternal life.Idioms have been called the crystallization of language. An appropriate use of them in our speech and writing will add to the strength and vividness of idioms. Perhaps some people are quite fa miliar with “to cut the Gordian knot” and “A Pandora’s box” such allusions not only make the language richer, but also make communication clearer and easier. However,in daily communication, people usually don’t knowwhy “Hobson’s choice” means no choice at all (别无选择); “pile Pelion on Ossa” means extremely difficult (难上加难), or “Mercury fig” means the first fruit (最初的果实). If the source of an idiom is known, it is easier to figure out its meaning. It is difficult to translate idioms faithfully because idioms reflect the wisdom of ordinary people that is all-inclusive. The knowledge of the sources of these idioms will help us comprehend what they really mean.2.On the Translation strategies of English IdiomsAn idiom is a set of word combinations whose meaning cannot be derived from the meaning of the individual elements. Apart from this thematic inseparability culture specificity is another property of idioms that is idioms are usually used in a given cultural group where people share some common foundational knowledge information or experience.As cultures are typically localized most idioms are not useful outside the local context. An idiom is a multi-word expression which functions as a single unit and whose meaning cannot be worked out from the sum of its separate parts. That is it has a holistic meaning which cannot be retrieved from the individual meanings of the component words.For example:1She washed her hands of the matter she refused to have anything more to do with the matter.2 He spilled the beans He told someone something that people have been trying to keep secret. 3.1 Literal Translation StrategiesLiteral translation means express its meaning without too much extension but not to mean to translate word-for-word. In other words it is not word for word but the translation of the original thoughts and contents without changing the way of expression such as metaphor. Literal translation is under the direct translation of English content not using any rhetorical device do not add any content nor reduce the content. Literal translation of idioms is not normally caused by cultural barriers.There was no understanding of values and the errors in the meaning of the expression of various cultural backgrounds which can be understood and accept by the people. English idioms to break the record can be directly translated as 打破记录, Another example is the English idiom Strike the iron while it is hot. Directly translated as 趁热打铁Similarly the idiom He laughs best who laughs last can be directly translated as 谁笑在最后谁笑得最好. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. can be directly translated as 双鸟在林，不如一鸟在手. Some of the use of literal translation of English not only the faithful and complete expression of the style of the original idiom but also make the translation with the original features such as metaphor and local colors.3.2 Free translation StrategiesFree translation is to express the main idea of the original writing but vary the way of expression. This method is used when no equivalent is found in the target language or when it is not necessary to translate literally. In this method we must know what important is the content of idioms but not the style. Free translation is based on the English idiom meaning taking into account the Chinese meaning in translation can not or do not need to use the literal translation to preserve the expression of English but also found in Chinese idioms available to apply the appropriate synonym we should also be taken into account the context and cultural factors which make some conversions. In idioms translation if neither literal nor equivalent translation can be used we have to adopt a free way in order to make the translation closely follow the original in meaning. we have said above that learning English with us will be a piece of cake –now you cannot take the meaning of a piece of cake in the literal sense you have to understand it in the idiomatic sense in which it means easy that means we can translate it as小事一桩.3.3Literal Translation plus AnnotationsAs we all know Different language has different culture so cultural gaps will be produced naturally.Good literal translation can help readers to acquire the cultural information of source language but sometimes direct literal translation without any notes will puzzle readers Literal translation plus annotations may supply notes to backgrounds figure meaning context and sources strengthen the acceptability of idioms and retain the original flavor of idioms. For example: The team met its Waterloo in the fina1．(该球队在决赛中惨遭失败Waterloo 滑铁卢，比利时城镇，1815 年拿破仑的军队在此惨遭失败。
On the Translation of Chinese and English Idioms
Due to the impact of the relationship between images and semantic, the translating of English and Chinese has its own complexity. Therefore, some principles such as veracity, figurativeness and readability are indispensable in the translation of English and Chinese idioms. Accordingly, there followed four strategies: literal translation, free translation, set of translation and mix of literal and free translation.[5]The principles are as follows:
(1). Veracity
It means that we should be loyalty to the original text as much as possible. Not only should we express the implicative meaning of the idioms, but also we need convey the lively image of original text.
But we describe one spend lots of money in English is “spend money like dirty” instead of “spending money like water”(挥金如土). Another examples: It is mending your sail when it is fine weather(未雨绸缪), all the rats desert the sinking ship(树倒猢孙散).[ 1]
idiom translation习语翻译
一轮比赛。）
open sesame
敲门砖， 过难关的秘诀 （注：《天方夜谈》中的《阿里巴巴与四十大 盗》故事说：一个山洞内藏有无数的金银财宝， 但洞门紧闭，必须用咒语"开门芝麻"才能打
开。）
ATTENTION
1. John likes to pat himself on the back.
约翰喜欢自吹。 2. He kissed the hare's foot. 他迟到了。 3. It is a good horse that never stumbles.
祸不单行。
B. 习语形义基本相同, 这类习语比上面一类在
数量上要多些，例如：
to take a load off one's mind 如释重负 to run in the same groove; to cut from the same cloth.
如出一辙
Reckless youth makes rueful age.
CHAPTER 4.2
Translation of Idioms
Comparison btn C&E idioms
从形和义的角度来看，英汉习语的异同大体表
现在以下四个方面：
A.英汉习语形义全同, 这类习语为数少，例如： Who is contented, enjoys. 知足者常乐。 Misfortunes never come singly.
马虎草率。 The apples on the other side of the wall are the sweetest.
隔墙的苹果最甜--这山看着那山高。
C.套译
套译就是借用汉语成语来翻译。由于文化背景
idioms英语名词词汇学解释
idioms英语名词词汇学解释
英语中的习语（Idioms）通常是指一种固定的短语或表达方式，其意义并非其组成部分的简单相加，而是具有特殊的含义。
习语通常反映了英语国家的文化、历史和传统，因此理解和正确使用习语对于提高英语语言能力非常重要。
以下是一些常见的英语习语及其解释：
1. "to beat around the bush" - 绕弯子，不直接说重点。
2. "to cross one's fingers" - 祈求好运，希望事情顺利。
3. "to give someone the cold shoulder" - 对某人冷淡，不热情。
4. "to make a long story short" - 长话短说，简明扼要。
5. "to rain cats and dogs" - 下倾盆大雨。
6. "to see eye to eye" - 意见一致，看法相同。
7. "to speak of the devil" - 说曹操曹操到，正好说到某人的时候某人出现了。
8. "to think outside the box" - 打破常规，创新思考。
9. "to tighten one's belt" - 节约开支，过紧日子。
10. "to turn the tables" - 扭转局面，反败为胜。
以上是一些常见的英语习语，理解和掌握这些习语可以帮助我们更好地理解和使用英语，提高语言表达能力。
On Translation of English Idioms
On Translation of English IdiomsApplicant: xxxSupervisor: xxxFaculty: xxxMay 10, 2013Xxx UniversityContents摘要 (i)Abstract (ii)1. Introduction (1)1.1 Purpose and Significance of the Research (1)1.2 Research Methods (1)2. English Idioms (2)2.1 Characteristics of English Idioms (2)2.1.1 Nationality of Idioms (2)2.1.2 Figurativeness (3)2.2 Previous Researches into Translation of English Idioms (4)2.2.1 Researches Abroad (4)2.2.2 Researches in China (5)3. Translating English Idiom (6)3.1 Current Problems in Translating English Idioms (6)3.1.1 A Word-for-Word or Rigid Translation (6)3.1.2 Chinglish (7)3.1.3 Farfetchedness (8)3.2 Principles of English Idioms (8)3.2.1 Structural Stability (9)3.2.2 Conventionality (9)3.3 English Idioms and their Translation Strategies (10)3.3.1 Literal Translation (11)3.3.2 Free Translation (11)3.3.3 Excelsior (12)4.Conclusion (13)Bibliography (14)摘要英语习语是经过长时间的使用而提炼出来的固定短语或短句。
Difference on Idiom Translation
The Influence of CultureDifference on Idiom Translation【摘要】在现代社会，翻译在文化交流方面发挥的作用越来越大，成为各国进行交流的桥梁，翻译涉及到的不仅仅是语言，更是文化。
英语习语的翻译不仅仅是翻译表层的意思，更重要的是传递文化信息。
习语是一种语言在长期使用过程中形成的独特的固定的表达方式，是人民智慧的结晶。
习语是语言文化的重要组成部分。
习语语言是文化的载体，习语又是语言的精华，对各种文化因素的理解制约着对英语的翻译工作，也影响到对交流内容的理解。
本文在明确研究内容和目的的前提下，对文化因素和翻译工作进行初步的了解，并结合环境、习俗、宗教、历史典故等文化因素，对翻译工作进行了详细的探讨和研究，明确了不同的文化因素对习语翻译产生的影响，以便使翻译工作更有效的展开，准确性更高，更能抓住要点。
【关键词】文化差异习语翻译影响AbstractIn modern society, translation is playing a more and more important role incultural exchanges. Not only is the language related with translation, but also is the culture.Idioms, which are the crystallization of people’s intelligence,is a kind of permanently expression formed during the long history of language. As the essential part of the language culture, idioms are also the carrier of culture, the quintessence of languages. Therefore, the translation of the English idioms deals with not only the meaning itself, but the most important one is the cultural information they convey. Sometimes, people’s ill-understanding of various cultural factors act as the restriction on translation, as well as on the understanding of the contents of communication.Given this, this thesis does a preliminary survey on cultural factors and translation itself; also it presents a specific discussion and exploration on translation, integrating the environmental factors, the customary factors, the religious factors and so on. By nailing down their influences on idiom translation, we can develop our translation more effectively and more accurately.Key words: Cultural difference; influence; idiom translation;ContentsChapter One Introduction (1)Chapter Two Concepts of Cultural Difference and I diom Translation (3)2.1What is cultural difference and its influence (3)2.2 The definition and features of idioms (4)2.2.1The definition (4)2.2.2. t he features of idioms (5)2.3 The ne cessities of the study on cultural different on idiom translation (6)Chapter Three The Influence of Culture Differences on Idiom Translation (7)3.1 The geographical and environmental factors in idiom translation (7)3.1.1 The living surroundings (7)3.1.2 The nature features (8)3.1.3 The climate factors (8)3.2 The religious factors in idiom translation (9)3.3 The customary factors in idiom translation (10)3.3.1 The social values and aesthetic views (11)3.3.2 The animal words (12)3.3.3 The dietary customs (13)3.4 The historical allusions (14)3.4.1 Historical events (14)3.4.2 Fables and mythologies (15)Chapter Four Methods of idiom translation............ . (16)4.1 Literal translation (16)4.2 Free translation (in accord with the mean ings) (17)4.3 Adding background information (17)4.4 Proper changing to the counterparts (18)Chapter five Conclusion (20)Acknowledgement (21)Works Cited (22)Chapter One IntroductionNowadays, owing to the increasing importance of cultural exchange, more and more attention is paid on the translation of English idioms. As a social activity, translation is also a kind of culture, which is concerned with the individuals and the social environment and the cultural backgrounds they are in. The traditional translation in China attaches too much importance on the grammatical structure, translating word to word according to the text. It is apparent that it does not conform to the principle of idiom translation. So inevitably, many mistakes and errors could be made if we trod the old path and people are easily to be misled and get confused.The distinguished English professor of Chinese study John agency once said: “every language drills its vigor and nutrient from its culture, so the solo transforming of one language into another is far from necessary, and we should also know the different customs in thinking and expression. Nida also said that the influence of culture on idiom translation was so deep that the colorful national culture would be ignored without a careful research of cultural backgrounds. Truly, idioms not only bear a hint of nationality, but also signify the sharpest difference between two different languages.From these words, it is not difficult to know that there exists a intense relationship between language translation and culture that a good understanding of cultural difference is a necessity to good translation. Of course, it is the same case with idiom translation. Therefore, in order to guarantee the efficiency and accuracy of translation, we should not only dip into some factors affecting idiom translation, but also need to take the translation techniques into consideration, such as word-for-word translation, word-for-word translation together with explanation and free translation. For the sake of the focal points of my study, I have done a lot of efforts including referring to many reference books and materials and summarizing them to get a general knowledge of the question. At the same time, because of the fact that English translation is a practical technical ability, which means that the study of idiomtranslation can not be confined to books, a survey and conversational research to some people, to a large extent, are of great consequences, which serve as a good example of how the cultural factors impede or boost the idiom translation and the understanding in our daily life. So in this thesis, quite a lot of examples and contrasts are employed to explain the influence, and some translation methods are put forward for the sake of better translation quality and better comprehension.Chapter Two Concepts of Cultural DifferenceAnd Idiom Translation2.1 What is cultural difference and its influenceAn exact understanding of cultural difference is the prerequisite of thesis study. Many are included in the term “culture”, and it is widely used in our daily life. So both its connotation and extension meanings are so abundant that it is hard to give an exclusive definition. The contemporary scholar Poter and Samovar(1988)define culture like this: culture is the deposit of knowledge, belief, experience, attitude, special relationship and universal concepts gained by a certain group of people, as well as some substantial materials. Some scholars searching into the practical problems also give their ideas, for example, David Brown (1987) holds that culture is a gather of commonly held belief, habits, lifestyle of a people living in a certain geographical location. Culture helps to present us a better understanding of the origin of universe, and the relation between human and the God. In brief, culture is the guidance of life.In conclusion，there are on more than two kinds of the definition of culture, broadly speaking, culture is the assemble of material and spiritual treasure during the course of human life, narrowly spea king, culture is the knowledge system of people “s value. (束定芳，1996) The concept is the key of culture, by which we can differ the kinds of cultures. (胡文仲，2004) So it is obvious that it is just because of the comprehensiveness that gives birth to the difference or diversity of cultures. That is why living under diverse surroundings, people will have distinct values, knowledge structure and customs morals. So in a certain region, when the cultural values tend to converge with one another, a exclusive kind of culture exists and distinguish itself from the others. Thai is what we call the difference of cultures, which is not only reflected in regions, but also in the east and west countries.This kind of cultural difference results in the distinctive comprehension towardsthe property and concepts of things, which is manifested in both people’s lifestyle and other spheres. Such as in social stratus, family structure( the size of family, family relations, marriage and divorce), career( types, characters, class, and so on), social events and the ways of people’s daily activities, such as greeting, call, eating habits, taboos, greeting, handshaking and so on. While among these, the more typical one is language, especially daily-used languageincluding the idioms. Idioms are more representative and typical than any other kinds of language components. Likewise, it is more easily affected and swayed by cultures, which consists of the surroundings, conventions, historical illusions, literature works and so on. Owing to the fact that there is a serious gap between Chinese and English cultures, it is likely to bring some misunderstandings and collisions when communicating with people of different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, a deep analysis of these factors and some target standpoints are quite necessary.2.2 The definition and features of idiomsBefore the study of influence factors of idiom translation and the translation methods, we should get clear of its definition and features so that we can get a good command of it.2.2.1 The definitionIdioms, as a complicated item, are hard to give a fixed definition.According to the Oxford English Dictionary, idiom is:1) The form of speech peculiar or proper to a people or country; of their own language and their own tongue;2) (In a narrower sense): That variety of language which is peculiar to a limiteddistrict or class of people;3) The specific character, property or genius of any language, the manner of expression which is natural or peculiar to it;4) A form of expression, grammatical construction, phrase, etc, peculiar to a language;5)A specific form or property，peculiar nature，peculiarity．It is obvious to see that idiom is a palimony, which can not only refer to a language on the whole, but also refer to a special unit in a certain language. Idioms are also the carrier of culture, the quintessence of language. They are reflected spec icily, gracefully, vividly and sometimes humorously with a touch of local color, intense cultural connotation and closeness to people’s mentality. All these render it welcomed and appreciated by people.2.2.2 The features of idiomsHowever the different views are, as well as the different emphases on idioms. The features of idiom are almost the same, that is: the single linguistic of unit, institutionalization, irreplaceability (衡孝军，1990). Firstly, unity. It consists of two layers of meanings: The first means that an idiom can not be separated and it is a set phrase. For example, turn over a new leaf(改过自新),face the music(临危不惧) , make haste(赶快). we can not add any word as a subject into the middle, nor can we separate them. Otherwise the whole meaning is interrupted; the other is that the basis on which the idiom came into being is a unity. Idioms are the result of concept in nature, and the meaning should be analyzed as a whole lest the real meaning of the idiom is not available. Just as Seidl&McMordie (1978,5) put it: the meaning is the most important to idiomThe second feature institutionalization deals with the structure of idioms, meaning that the position or the sequence of idioms is permanent, and any change will lead to misunderstandings. For example, the idiom “more haste, less speed” means that the more you worry about something, the less possibility you can finish it on time. Irrepalceability means that each word in the idiom is fixed that no replacement should happen. However, one fact should not be ignored: with the higher demand on communication, sometimes idioms are used in an flexible way. Concretely speaking, a certain word in the idiom may be compressed, replaced, or even omitted for the resultof convenience and appropriate emotion. But on the other hand, this phenomenon add a wider performance to idiom’s ability to express people’s ideas.2.3 The necessities of the study on cultural different on idiomtranslationFrom the role the culture difference plays in translating idioms, we can see that translation is a bridge of communication, and the translation of idioms is a basic ingredient of communication for people in different regions. Idioms are the embodiment of distinct cultural features. So a good comprehension of idiom is quite vital to its translation. Idioms always come in diverse characteristics because of diverse cultures in regions, then display the verified customs and conventions. Just as the famous translation theorist Nida put it, in terms of a successful translation, the ability to know very well the two cultures is far more important than to get command of the two languages. That is true, because it is only in the background where they act that the words become meaningful. It is clear now that the cultural factors are of great consequences in idiom translation.Secondly, seen from the difficulties the cultural difference result in idiom translation, one aspect is that something specific existing in one culture can not find their counterparts in one another. Here is an example, in the translation of “司马昭之心，路人皆知”, obviously there is no such a figure which exclusively belongs to we Chinese in the English culture, so that will be difficult for the English to understanding the implied meaning. Another aspect brought by the difficulties is about the process of idiom formation. As we all know, idioms come into being step by step during people’s time—long practice of production, which means that not all corresponding expressions are available in the dictionaries, because they are the result of a accumulation of human experience. All the above—mentioned factors, together with some others, stem the smooth translation of idioms.Till now, we can reach a conclusion that it is true that some cultural difference do cause many troubles to idiom translation. Getting acquainted with cultural factorswill bring a lot of benefit to idiom translation. In view of these two aspects better command of cultural elements will entail an easier and more accurate translation of English idioms.Chapter Three The Cultural Factors Influencing IdiomTranslationA reflection of the life experience and social environment of the people living here is the most distinctive feature of idioms. The idioms also are a mirror of the colorful culture phenomena and the revolution of a certain language. For an English learners, it is safe to say that he can not command English if he could not comprehend the cultural background of English, let alone the connotation of the idioms. Given this, the following will examine in depth the cultural factors influencing idioms3.1 The geographical and environmental factors in idiom translationThe geographical surroundings refer to the geographical locations of a certain society, as well as the natural and human conditions related to it. The establishment of culture cannot be isolated from the influence of geographical surroundings because that a specific environment creates a specific culture, which will bring about a specific way of expressing ideas.3.1.1 The living surroundingsThe production of idioms is closely linked to people’s living conditions and environment. Different living conditions and environment can give rise to different comprehensions and understandings towards the same things. England is an island country surrounded by seas; therefore, many idioms are concerned with navigation or the fisheries. Such as, “to keep one’s head above water”(奋力图存);”all at sea”(不知所措); “a kettle of fish”(乱七八糟); “a smooth sea never made a skillful mariner”(风平浪静的海洋决不会造就一个熟练的海员); “in the deepes t water is the best fishing”(最深的水里最好捕鱼); “hoist sail when the wind is fair”(趁着好风扬起风帆); “a drop in the sea”(沧海一粟)and so on. While China is an inland country, where the ground and agriculture p lay an important role in people’s life. This is fullyreflected i n Chinese idioms. Such as, “瑞雪兆丰年”(fall of seasonable snow gives a promise of a fruitful year); “拔苗助长”（haste makes waste); “顺藤摸瓜”（follow the vein to get the melon; “斩草除根”（stamp out the source of trouble）The different environmental impacts can be better embodied by the meaning of squandering and wasting something. In Chinese it is“挥金如土”. But in English it is not expressed as “spend money like soil”but“spend money like water” In Chinese we say a person is so strong and robust, we use the character “牛”(cattle),while in English it is “as strong as a horse” that is because in England people use a horse to plough rather than a cattle like we Chinese. Another example in to say someone drinks too much water. In Chinese it is “牛饮”，but in English it is “to drink like a fish”. Fro m here we can see that the word-chosen is great affected by people’s living conditions.3.1.2 The nature featuresA certain culture entity always embodies the nature features of the places, among which the most obvious one is the plants. China is abundant of ban booms, so a wealth of idioms can be found describing them. S uch as “胸有成竹”(have a picture of bamboo in one's mind ); “罄竹难书”( of sins and misdemeanors, too numerous to record), 竹报平安(as an indication of being safe and sound) ; However，bamboo in England is rarely seen ,and it is a loan word in English. It is hard for the English people to understand or accept the word. Another word ---mushroom, commonly seen in England, is used to act as a substitution for Chinese bamboos. Mr Nida translated the Chinese idiom”雨后春笋”as “spring up like mushrooms.3.1.3 The climate factorsBesides, the climate also contributes to the influence on the translation of idioms.In British, most of the days is shrouded in fog and rain, so quite a lot of idioms have something to do with them, such as “ in the fog”(在雾里，一无所知);“not have the least (idea)”(如坠云雾中，完全不知怎么回事); “it never rains but it pours”(不下则已，一下倾盆); “small rain lays great dust”(小雨压大尘); “after rain comes fine weather”(雨过天晴);Another aspect is that the same connotation is reflected by two different climate factors. Located in the west semi sphere and affected by the temperate marine climate, the Britain get the new of spring coming from the west wind. So the west wind is usually referred to as mildness and warmth. The poem the ode to the west wind of the celebrated British poet Percy Bysshe Shelley is a carol of spring, in which he portrayed the progress, flourish and vigor brought by the west wind. While in China, the west wind always comes in winter and relatively cold and dry. On the contrary, it is the east wind, as the harbinger of revival and life that brings people the feeling of loveliness, mildness and nicety. However, the east wind from the European continent is very dry, cold, and unpleasant. So there is a proverb in English going like this: When the wind is in the east, it’s good for ne ither human beings nor beast. It is likely that the British people harbor disgust for the east wind. From these, we can see that though as natural force, the east wind and west wind are different in their connotations. Therefore, when translating between Chinese and English idioms, we can not be limited to the superficial meanings, the climate conditions should also be taken into consideration, as the same idiom maybe bear the opposite emotional colors.3.2 The religious factors in idiom translationThe religion has a remarkable influence on human activities, both on spiritual life, ethics philosophy and on language. With the prevalence of religions, many religious words become common in idiom translation. With a large population believing in Buddhism, the large number of Chinese words and idioms deriving from Buddhism is one of the manifestation of its influence，such as”半路出家”(switch to a new trade without solid foundation), “放下屠刀,立地成佛”(a butcher becomes a Buddha the moment he drops his cleaver—a wrong doer achieves salvation as soon ashe gives up evil);”一人得道,鸡犬升天”(When one becomes a high official，even his fowls and dogs will get promoted)．But in the western countries, Christianity is widely believed, and the power of the power is thought so unmatchable that everything in the world is created by the God. So there are a lot of idioms from it, such as “God helps those who help themselves”(自助者天助); “an act of god”(不可抗拒力); “as sure as God made little apples” is used to express to be certain of something.God is also believed to be justice, merciful and powerful that he is capable of helping the needy and relieving the distressed, for example.“Oh，my Cod”; “God bless me”;“thank god” are commonly used in people’s daily life .like the word “God “in Chinese，Heave is a household word in China. When we need to express exclamations or surprise, we prefer to say “天哪”(Good Heavens) rather than “Good God” However, we usually encounter some sentences conveying different ideas. The reasons mainly lie in the differences between peoplesof distinct regions, rendering misunderstandings towards the same expression. Here are some examples, in Chinese the idiom “end of the world” seems to mean the doom of the world, but in the Christian doctrine, it means 'judgment day”. Because on th at day, the God tries the humans, when the good go to the heaven and the evil go to the hell.Occasionally, people are liable to make such mistakes, to understand one kind language through their own mentality without considering the related religious backgrounds. This occurs even in the famous translators. For example, in the translation of Chinese sentence“谋事在人，成事在天” by the British translator David Hookes, he translated it into “Man proposes，God disposes”．Some people may think it is good, but I think it is improper. Because the traditional and the most widely accepted religion is the Buddhism, rather than the Christianity, in spite of the fact that a portion of people do believe in Christianity. Given this fact, in my opinion, the sentence should be transla ted as “Man proposes Heaven disposes”. Apart from this, in his translation of “A Dream of Red Mansions”, David changed “刘姥姥”from a person who believed in Buddhism into a person who believed in Christianity due to different religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds. Likewise, I don't consider it appropriate. The religious belief of the figures should be kept and conformed to,which is also a kind of respect to the religions of different regions3.3 The customary factors in idiom translationThe customs and conventions also belong to the category of culture. They are the routine and regularized activities accumulated in pe ople’s daily practice, such as the dietary customs, the ritual of marriage, funeral arrangement, and life habits. The customary differences are manifold. Chinese customs and British custom are different in many ways. During translation activities excellent knowledge of the conventions and the likes or dislikes will contribute a lot to a better work.3.3.1 The social values and aesthetic viewsThe different customs inevitably will result in different ways to experience life and reality, then directly brings about a big gap in value orientation and aesthetic orientations. This is showed in idioms.Long before the Qin dynasty, the organic whole viewpoint of “perfect unity of heaven and human” has been formed. The two most important Chinese philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism regard the "Heaven" theory as their goals, and use this to explain all phenomena. The Chinese culture emphasizes harmony between man, the unity of opposites, in accord with the natural, as well as the conforming to the natural characteristics (谢龙：1999) so in Chinese idioms there are many examples reflecting the theories of unification of opposites, mutual depends on each other and complements on one another. Such as “乐极生悲”; “否极泰来”; “分久必合.合久必分”; “失败乃成功之母”; “塞翁失马,焉知非福” But as an island country con sisting of many islets, the Great Briton formed a extroverted commercial culture pursuing changes, mobility and curiosity. This is a kind of culture attaching more importance on rationality and argumentative thinking, which are thought to be the most real, perfect and excellent. It stresses the contrary between material and spirit, as well asthe expansion of space and conquering. Therefore a cultural value of conquering the nature, and the world come into being.(许辉：2002) such as idioms like “steal a match on”(先发制人); “stand on one’s feet”(自立自主); “knowledge is power”(知识就是力量)3.3.2 The animal wordsIn different regions, people hold quite different, sometimes even opposite opinions towards the same kind of animals. The daily use of some commonly seen animals also, to a large extent, reflects their personal values. This is linked to people’s ideologies towards the animals. For example, in Chinese culture, the dog is a kind of penny animal. It symbolizes “dirty”and “filthy”.Many Chinese idioms that are associated with dogs carry negative meanings, such as “狼心狗肺”;“狗腿子”; “狐朋狗党”;“狗仗人势”;“狗尾续貂”;“狗嘴里吐不出象牙来”. While the meanings will change a lot when changed into English. In English speaking countries, the dogs are the most loyal friends to human beings. So in English ,we have “top dog¨(最重要的人物);”You are a lucky dog” (你是一个幸运儿); ”Every dog has his day”(凡人皆有得意日); “ a good dog deserves a good bone”(有功者受赏) and so on. Then let’s take the figure “dragon” as example. It is known to all that the dragons are a kind of animal with magical and miraculous powers in Chinese legend, which are in charge of the rain and wind. It is commonly thought that they can bring blessings to the people. Just because of this, dragons have long been the embodiment of the royal and the emperors in Chinese history, also as the forever totem of the Chinese. The Chinese people endow the dragons with the meanings of something auspicious. For example: “龙凤吉祥”; “龙腾虎跃”; “龙马精神”;While The English meaning of “dragon” conveys a extremely different connotation with that in Chinese meaning. According to the Oxford Advanced Dictionary, the definition of dragon is “imaginary animal with wings and claws, able to bre athe out fire”. It is the same case in the English legend, where the dragons are described as a gigantic, ferocious monster with a pair of wings and hard scales, which are able to spurt fire from their mouth and swallow people andanimals. They can also ca use disasters such as flood and fire to jeopardize people’s existence. We can find evidence in the literature work of Beowulf in the Anglo-Saxon times in 700B.C. It was said that there was a violent grapple between Beowulf and a dragon, and then they died at the same time. Therefore, in sharp contrast to its meaning in Chinese culture, the dragon usually is thought as something ominous. The devil Santan who is the symbol of vice and evil, is called “the great dragon”; besides, “a dragon”usually indicates a atrocious person, especially a woman; “to chase the dragon” means a very decadent behavior---to suck the heroin. From these idioms we can see that the westerners harbor an unkind feeling towards the dragons. As a sign of devil and ferocity, it should be killed. Probably, the example below will again show the different views toward the same animals. What we say “亚洲四小龙”in Chinese will be translated into English as “the four tigers of Asia” rather than “the four dragons of Asia”(陈彰德：2002). In fact, the connotation meaning of horse, tiger, cat or cattle are also different in English and Chinese cultures.3.3.3 The dietary customsThere is an old saying that “Food is what matters to the people”. The dietary idioms contain a deep implication of the colorful national cultures. Influenced by agricultural conditions and people’s eating habits,the staple food as well as people’s taste is different. Some people once said that the western culture, in fact, is a culture of bread, though sounds a little bit humorous, it is, in a sense, reasonable. In western countries, bread is closely related to people’s daily life.“Bread and butter” is used to express livelihood; to acknowledge the hospitality of the host, the guest writes a “bread-- and --butter letter”; “he knows which side his bread is buttered on” means that he knows what benefit he can gain. Moreover, cakes are also very popular in western countries. “A piece of cake” is used to say a quite easy matter. But in China, cakes are not as commonly eaten, but the Cole is so popular. T herefore, “a piece of cake ” is translated as“小菜一碟” in Chinese. Both the cakes and the Cole bear the meaning of simple and pleasure things, but are expressed in different words. This。
Idioms and Translation 成语与翻译(1)
In a word, an idiom can be understood in different senses. In a broad sense, an idiom may refer to a short phrase or a short sentences, such as a set phrase, a proverb, a saying, a quotation, a maxim, a colloquialism, or a slang expression, as is shown as follows: a). Set Phrases (成语): call a spade a spade(直言不讳); b).Proverbs/Sayings/Maxims(谚语、箴言): Enough is as good as a feast(知足常乐); c). Colloquialisms: have another fish to fry(另有企 图); d). Slang Expressions(俚语): to pay the debt of nature (告别人世）. In a narrow sense, an idiom refers to a set phrase, as is evident as follows: chop and change (反复无常）
C. n+n brain trust, brain drain, sheet anchor 最后的或主要的靠山
(2). Idioms Adjectival in Nature (形容词性成语） A. adj.+adj. cut and dried 呆板的，没有生气的 high and mighty 神气活现
（3）文学作品 a). Idioms from Shakespeare’s Works one pound of flesh (The Merchant of Venice) 合法而不合理的要求 cakes and ale（The Twelfth Night) 吃喝玩乐 man of mould (King Henry V) 凡人 b). Idioms from Works by Other Writers mind one’s eyes (Barnaby Rudge) 小心谨慎
Translation of English idioms 英译汉看这个就够了
Translation of English idiomsIdioms includes colloquialisms,slangs and proverbs习语包括俗语，谚语和俚语IdiomA group of words that has a special meaning that is different from the ordinary meaning of each separate word.SlangVery informal , sometimes offensive , language that is used especially by people who belong to a particular group.ProverbA shot well-known statement that gives advice or expresses something that is generally true.The ways for translationLiteral translation 直译法Corresponding translation 套译法Explanation translation 释义法Free translation 意译法在具体操作过程中，这几种方法是相互兼顾，相互补充的。
能直译就直译，能意译就意译，能套译就套译。
以不损害原作的“异国情调”为前提，以保持“原汁原味”为特色，便是译者应遵循的翻译原则。
1. Translation of English Idioms习语的翻译1.1直译法不违背译文语言规范，不引起错误联想，能保持英语习语的比喻、形象、民族特色、地方习惯的译法。
a die-hard死硬派think tank思想库time frame时间框架the hot line热线paper tiger纸老虎armed to the teeth武装到牙齿comfort woman慰安妇to burn one’s boats破釜沉舟to fan the flame(s)煽风点火to turn a deaf ear to充耳不闻to have a well-oiled tongue油腔滑调a gentleman’s agreement君子协定an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth以眼还眼，以牙还牙Practice makes perfect.熟能生巧Long absent, soon forgotten. 久别情疏Add fuel to the fire. 火上加油Run with the tail between the legs.夹着尾巴逃跑walls have ears 隔墙有耳Under one’s nose 在某人鼻子底下Packed like sardines 挤得像沙丁鱼罐头Sour grapes 酸葡萄The Trojan horse 特洛伊木马The heel of Achilles 阿基里斯的脚跟The sword of Damocles 悬在达摩克利斯头顶上的剑The cold / hot war 冷战/ 热战An olive branch 橄榄树枝The open-door policy 门户开放政策The most-favored-nation policy 最惠国条款Shuttle diplomacy 穿梭外交A cat has nine lives 猫有九命Blood is thicker that water 血浓于水Barking dogs do not bite 吠狗不咬人A rolling stone gathers no moss 滚石不生苔1.2. Corresponding Translation 套译法用译文语言里的同义习语去套译原文中的习语的一种翻译方法套译法实际上也属于归化译法(domestication)，但这种套译的机会不是很多。
Culture and Translation of English Idioms
Culture and Translation of English IdiomsIdioms are the core and essence of a language and they are particular and indispensable part of a language. Based on cultural elements，they best reflect the characteristics of a country. Like Chinese idioms，English idioms are brief and to the point，vivid，humorous，and so on. As we all know，non-native speakers of English can reach a point in their knowledge of the language，however，they are liable to find themselves in hot water when confronted with idiomatic expressions. So it is helpful for us to understand English better if we have a good master of English idioms.The word “idiom” originally comes from the Greek word “idio”，which means private and specific. Interpreted in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English，an idiom is “a group of words with a meaning of its own that is different from the meaning of each separate word put together.” In a broad sense，English idioms are composed of set phrases，proverbs，colloquialism，allusions，and slang. Because of the differences in geographical features，history，convention，religious beliefs，idioms bear the weight of different national cultures and information，and it is not easy to understand them for a foreigner. Translating English idioms into Chinese cannot be the word to word translation，so it is quite necessary to know some basic information of English idioms and explore the methods of the translation.1 Brief Introduction to English Idioms1.1 Definitions of English IdiomsHere are some definitions of English idioms：A peculiarity of phraseology approved by the usage of the language and often having a signification other than its grammatical or logical one.-- Oxford English DictionaryAn expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically （as no，it wasn’t me）or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements.-- Webster DictionaryAccording to these definitions，we can get a general idea of what idioms are. The Chinese equiva lent for “idiom” is习语. It means a kind of set phrase or sentence，which is often quoted by the common people. So we can define the idiom as “formed by common practice but has an implied meaning”.1.2 Characteristics of English Idioms1.2.1 Semantic IntegrityIdioms should be looked at as a whole，or probably they would be totally misunderstood，for example：（1）by the skin of one’s teethLiterally，we may get confused with this expression if we analyze the idiom word by word. Is there any skin on the teeth？In fact，it means just barely or by a small margin. For example，we can say：David forgot his book for the test. I made it by the skin of my teeth because of bad traffic and gave him the book.（2）gravy trainIt means an easy means of getting a lot of money without much effort. We can not understand it correctly by the combination of respective meaning of the words. It is must regarded as a whole. An example：Many teenage girls thought selling betel nuts a gravy train.1.2.2 Stability in Structure“Stability in structure” means no addition or omission is allowed in an idiom；the order of the words is fixed；the words in an idiom can not be replaced by other words with the same meaning，for example，（3）chip on the shoulderThe idiom means an aggressive manner or readiness to be angered. If we omit “the” in the expression，the meaning changes a lot.（4）kick the bucketIn the sentence：“the old woman has kicked the bucket.” That is to say，the woman died. “Bucket” means “pail” here，but when we say：“the old woman has kicked the pail”，the meaning has been greatly changed.2 Origins of English IdiomsEnglish idioms are formed from the course of English being used. It has profound origins in history and culture. Here are the main sources of English idioms.2.1 Religion and the Holy BibleReligion is very important for the westerners. Almost every one reads the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is a classic and it plays an important role in English literature and culture. Many poetry，dramas and novels are based on the stories in the Holy Bible. So the Holy Bible is a very important origin of English idioms. Here are some examples：（5）to separate the sheep from the goatsThis idiom comes from the Bible. Matthew 25：32 reads “And before him shall be gathered all nations：and he shall separate them one from another as shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.”In biblical parables sheep are helpless creatures in need of care，guidance and protection. Goats，on the other hand，often represent sin condemnation （e.g. scapegoat）. And so it is with this parable；the sheep are those who belong to God and goats are those who are judged unworthy. So the idiom can be used to categorize anything into sets of “good，worthwhile” and “bad，not worth bothering with.” For example：She has no taste in art，so I do not think she is able to separate the sheep from the goats.There are many other idioms that come from religion and the Bible，such as “to cast peals before swine”，“Adam’s ale”，“Adam’s apple”，“Judas kiss”，“in the seventh heaven” and so on.2.2 Literary MasterpiecesLiterature has a great influence on language. Maybe the ancient mythology and legend is the earliest literary works. Besides them，some influential masterpieces also greatly shaped the language.2.2.1 Ancient Mythology and LegendAncient Greek-Rome mythology is the earliest literary creation in Europe. It was handed down orally before written language came into being. Mythology is about the life of Gods and goddesses out of ancient people’s imagination. Legends are stories about human beings. They always have some connections with historical events，but are not completely historical records. They are the combination of fabrications and events. Therefore it is sometimes hard for us to separate mythology and legend，for example，（6）Pandora’s BoxThis is also comes from the Greek mythology. “Prometh eus offended the Gods. In revenge Jupiter ordered Pandora，the first woman，to be made. Jupiter gave Pandora a box which she was to offer to the man she married. Prometheus was Waryof Pandora，but his brother，Epimethius，married her and，though warned against it，accepted the box. The moment he opened it，all the problems and wickedness which afflict mankind was loosed to do their worst and have done so ever since. All that was left in the bottom of the box was Hope.” The expression means a source of trouble previously unknown. An example：The criminal investigation turned out to be a Pandora’s Box for the policeman.Some other idioms from the ancient mythology：apple of disorder，Sphinx’s riddle；Procrustes’s bed；Penelope’s web，the Midas touch，so on and so forth.2.2.2 Aesop’s FablesAesop is said to be the writer of a collection of fables which are mainly on animals，but have deep meaning. His fables have a great influence on European literature. Undoubtedly，English idioms are dramatically influenced by them dramatically，such as “sour grapes”，“kill the goose to get the eggs”，“a dog in the manger”“the lion’s share”，“wolf in sheep’s clothing” etc. The following is to discuss them in detail.（7）the lion’s share“In a fable by Aesop，a lion and three other animals go haunting together and kill a stag which is then divided into equal pieces. Just as the animals are about to eat，the lion stops them. The first portion is his，he says，by right of his kingship over them；a second share is his due because he is the strongest among them and a third part must be made over to him because of his courage. The lion allows that the forth portion belongs to the others but warns them to touch it if they dare.” So the idiom means the largest part or most of. For example：Everyone else has one piece of cake. Lucy has the lion’s share because today is her birthday.2.2.3 Masterpieces of Shakespeare and Other Famous WritersShakespeare is one of the greatest ones of literature. Many of his works are known almost to everyone. It is no doubt that many idioms come from his creations. For instance，“be hoist by one’s own petard” is from his famous drama Hamlet. Some other idioms that from Shakespeare’s works：“to lay it on with a trowel”，“there is the rub”，“have an old head on young shoulders”，“hit the mark”，“in the mind’s eye”，“beggar all description”，“the be-all and end-all”，“a pound of flesh” and so on.Here are some idioms from other famous writers’works：Catch-22，which is an idiom that originates from Joseph Heller’s work Catch-22 and it means the trouble that is hard to get rid of.Man Friday，which means a faithful man and it comes from Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Defoe.In the doghouse is the same meaning as “in disgrace”. It is from Sir James Matthew Barrie’s Peter Pan.2.3 History and AnecdotesIn history，there were a lot of famous events，stories as well as anecdotes. The following generations often said them in a brief way. After a long time，they became idioms，for example，（8）go for a BurtonDuring the Second World War，the RAF （Royal Air Force）used this euphemism to speak of colleagues who were killed or missing in action. Today it refers to something which is broken beyond mending，or to hopes，dreams and plans that are shattered. An example：He was very depressed when he knew that his hope had gone for a Burton.（9） a Pyrrhic victoryThis idiom means “a hollow victory，won at too high a price”.“King Pyrrhus won the battle at Asculum in 279 BC，yet in the process he lost all his best officers and many men.” “One more such victory，” he said afterwards，“and we are lost.”“Like the black hole of Calcutta’”，“a Catherine wheel”，“peeping Tom”，“meet one’s waterloo”，“to do a Bannister” are such examples.2.4 CustomsEvery nation has its own customs. And language is shaped by customs. Take food for example，westerners live mainly on bread，butter，cake，etc. So there are many idioms about these foods：“the best thing since sliced bread”，“take the gilt off the gingerbread”，“save one’s bacon”，“to take the cake”. There are more other idioms related to certain customs，like “spend money like water”，“a bird of ill omen”，“cap in hand”，“throw down the gauntlet”，“bury the hatchet”，“thumb up”，“Dutch courage” and so on. The following two examples are deal t with in detail.（10）throw down the gauntletIn medieval times a knight challenging another to combat would throw his gauntlet，his mailed glove，on the ground. If his opponent picked it up，then the challenge had been accepted. The custom persisted through the years，the gauntlet being replaced by a gentleman’s glove when a challenge to a duel was made. Forexample：The candidate threw down the gauntlet to his opponent for the budget scheme in the coming weekend.（11）feather in one’s capIt was a custom for Indians to wear a feather after they killed an enemy. Wearing a feather is a symbol of courage. So this idiom means an honor，or a success of which one can be proud. For example：It was a feather in Mary’s cap that she was invited to the conference which all attendants were elites of each field.2.5 Things in Daily Life and AnimalsLanguage is born in daily life. So are idioms. Quite a lot of them are related to things in daily life and animals. For example：（12）to put the dampers on somethingA damper is a device in a piano which presses upon the strings to stop them vibrating. When the dampers are on，the effect is that of cutting the sound dead. The term is used figuratively to describe the stifling effect that an unhappy event，circumstance or person might exert upon the enjoyment of others. For example：Because of his bad mood recently，he could not cheer up and put the dampers on everyone at the reunion.There are a large number of idioms that concern about animals：“A pretty kettle of fish” means “a real mess or bad trouble”.“In the doghouse” means “out of favor”.3 Translation of English Idioms3.1 Criteria for TranslationIn history，there are many criteria of translation proposed by different people at home and abroad. In the Qing dynasty，Yan Fu （严复），established a famous standard of translation that was very influential：信（faithfulness），达（expressiveness），雅（elegance）.Eugene A. Nida， a famous translation scholar as well as a translation practitioner proposed the following fundamentals in his Theories of Translation：（1）True to the original（2）Vivid（3）Smooth and natural（4）Equivalence of responseWe should bear these criteria in mind when doing translations.3.2 Principles of Translation of English IdiomsSince Chinese and English base themselves on different cultures，and idioms are quite regional characteristic，so it is impossible to find the exact equivalence for each idiom during the process of translation. Lu Xun once said “Each and every translation must have two concerns：first，it should be intelligible；and second，it has to keep the refined quality of the original work” （凡翻译者，必须兼顾着两面：一当然力求其易解，一则保存着原著的风姿。
Integration and Difference of Intercultural Commun
Sino-US English Teaching, March 2017, Vol. 14, No. 3, 135-140doi:10.17265/1539-8072/2017.03.001Integration and Difference of InterculturalCommunication in Idioms TranslationYUE Xin, YU Gao-fengUniversity of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, ChinaIdioms, composed of various linguistic characteristics, are frequently used by both Chinese and foreign people,making them perfect material to analyze different topics of intercultural communication. Through translations ofidioms, we can easily find the integration and differences between English and Chinese idioms. In the process oftranslating, translators have to be acutely aware of not only the language differences, but also the associations anddifferences between the cultural background of two languages. By studying bilingual material after the translationis completed, re-comprehension of different cultures and their features can be acquired and it can feed back to ourtranslation missions and foreign exchange activities. This paper aims to analyze the differences and integration ofintercultural communication through examples of several idioms translation to illustrate the importance ofintercultural communication view in translating and give translators a new prospective for translation strategies.Keywords: intercultural communication, idioms translation, translation strategyIntroductionThe cognitive behaviour of races differs from each other because of the discrepancies in culture, languages, and environment. If two persons from different language background want to communicate with each other, the same language semiotic system is what they need to convey information (Tomasello, 1999, p. 97).Language conveys the tradition, philosophy, customs, emotions and so on. As the essence of languages, idioms are one of the most frequently linguistic signs for people to express themselves. Usage and translation of this kind of sign can reflect many characteristics of two different languages because there are abundant elements embodied in the idioms, such as history, quotations, values, and rhetoric devices. Cultural connotations need to be interpreted primarily in the translation process because the words can only be understood in the same culture system and the mission of a translator is to create such a system (Nida, 2004, p. 146). When translating idioms, we transfer not only the linguistic signs, but also the culture patterns. So due to those excellent properties of idioms translation, the study of it is essential and meaningful for every language learner or enthusiast.Status and Features of Idioms and Their TranslationStatus of Idioms and Their TranslationIdioms include nearly everything within our cognitive domain, including language usage, culture, history,YUE Xin, master candidate, College of Foreign Languages, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China.YU Gao-feng, associate professor, M.A., College of Foreign Languages, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.All Rights Reserved.INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENCE OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION136 social etiquette and so on, which decides the importance of idioms in various study fields. From the prospective of intercultural communication, analysis of a certain idiom and its translation can help us learn a lot about the bilingual differences and the reason behind them. The definition, origin, usage, and the final translation version of an idiom are actually the re-comprehension of the domestic and foreign culture. Meanwhile, idioms appear in various occasions, both official and unofficial ones, and the translation of idioms is always a big problem because it is always hard to fully understand the meaning of idioms from another language culture so for people who are ready to be translators or in charge of foreign affairs and to study the idioms translation and the culture background behind is just like casting an anchor to windward (It is an idiom meaning to plan ahead for things that could happen in the future, the same as “未雨绸缪” in Chinese). Only in this way, they will not be tongue-tied when they encounter idioms in translation activities.Features of Idioms and Their TranslationThe most ideal translation for an idiom is to translate it into another idiom in another language but sharing the same meaning and form. Some perfect examples can be seen in the following Table 1.Table 1 Perfect Examples of Idioms TranslationSource language Target language 1. Merry meet, merry part好聚好散 2. Knowledge is power知识就是力量 3. Distance tests a horse’s strength so time reveals a person’s heart路遥知马力, 日久见人心 4. As fast as lightning快如闪电 5. Seeing is believing 眼见为实Table 1 has shown the most comfortable cases for translators because in those cases, images and theirmeaning of two languages are the same so what the translators need to do is to find the direct match for each case without too much worrying about the wrong understanding or translation.However, language is rule-governed. Every structural level of human language is regulated by its own grammatical rules and principles and different language systems regulate their structures in different ways (CHEN & Starosta, 2007). Thus, it is always extremely hard to translate one idiom from one language to another with its form and meaning perfectly reserved. In most cases, we cannot come up with a “100% perfect” translation because the same image from two cultures represents two totally different meanings or the image in the source text simply does not exist in the target language, as is shown in the following Table 2.Table 2 Examples of “Not Perfectly” Translated IdiomsSource language Target language 1. The apple of one’s eye掌上明珠 2. He that sows the wind will reap the whirlwind玩火者必自焚 3. To rain cats and dogs倾盆大雨 4. To carry coals to Newcastle多此一举 5. Hold a candle to the sun徒劳无益From Table 2, in view of the promptness and efficiency of idioms translation, there are another two translation strategies that can be chosen according to the source text. For cases like “the apple of one’s eye”All Rights Reserved.INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENCE OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 137translated to “掌上明珠”, images representing “precious things” in the two cultures are different. “Apple” willnever mean something treasured in Chinese people’s mind so this image has to be changed to “pearl” forChinese people to understand its meaning. The occasion also occurs in case No. 2.For cases like No. 3 to 5, images like “cats and dogs” and “carry coals” cannot be matched with another image in Chinese culture so the original “image-to-image” translation construction has to be abandoned forreserving its true meaning.To sum up, there are three kinds of situations and each has their own corresponding strategies:(1) For the cases having the same meaning with the same image, translators only need to find the correctmatch of the source texts and use it;(2) For cases with different meanings in the same image, translators should find the proper image from thetarget language;(3) Last but not least, for cases without the peer-to-peer images in two languages, translators can onlyreserve its true meaning and sacrifice its “image-to-image” translation strategy.Difference of Intercultural Communication Hidden in English Idioms TranslationFrom the two translation situations in the last part, differences of intercultural communication can be found. Culture also has social and ethnic attributes, without which culture cannot even exist. Each culture has avalue system that is easy to understand for social groups of its own but hard to be perceived by social groups ofother cultures. Therefore, effective translation, as an important way of communication, can be made only byunderstanding the differences between different cultures.Linguistic SignsFrom the perspective of semiotics, language is a symbol of consciousness including linguistic signs, world view, morality, religion, and thinking pattern. Language, as a symbolized system, can be divided into fivecategories: national consciousness symbol, social symbol, audio-visual symbol, materialized symbol, andregionalized symbol (Deutscher, 2010). National consciousness symbols reflect the ideology of one certainculture, for example, in Chinese, “天地” (Heaven and Earth) symbolizes the time and space while such term forthe British people is the supremacy of God. Social symbols reflect linguistic signs such as national customs,interpersonal relationships, and lifestyle. The strongest audio-visual symbols are words related to sound andcolour, figurative structure, and any other words or phrases transmitted through sound and vision. Materializedsymbols refer to those words involved in material life, daily supplies, and technology. Regionalized symbolsmainly reflect the geographical position, natural environment, and climate condition, such as “黑山白水”(which literally means black mountain and white water) in Chinese and “the land of promise” in English. Ascan be seen from the above, language, considered as a symbol, reflects the culture and customs of a nation.From the perspective of language structure, idioms translation can easily be connected with other language usages, such as allusions, slang, and proverbs because the idiom itself is a giant composition of various fixedexpressions with strong ethnic and regional characteristics (Abrahams, 1972, pp. 111-112). Since Chinese andEnglish have undergone different social developments, the language vocabulary and usage they have must bedifferent. Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea, while most of China is located in the interior ofAsia. As a result, Chinese people often say “进退维谷” (which literally means being stuck in the valley) whenthey are in trouble, while British people say “be on the rocks”. And when British people do something in vain, All Rights Reserved.INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENCE OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION138 they will say “to fish in the air” or “to plough the air”, while Chinese people will say “水中捞月” (which literally means to fish for the moon in the water) or “竹篮子打水一场空” (which literally means to draw water with a bamboo basket and achieving nothing).The above examples are metaphorical expressions formed in different environments of ethnic culture, all of which is featured by distinct national characteristics.Thinking PatternThinking of human, a general and indirect response to the objective world, is one of the most precious functions of our brain. Thinking relies on language, without which thinking will lose its publicizing media. Thinking and language have close interaction but are unbalanced in power, in which the role of thinking on language is decisive. Therefore, the way of thinking determines the diversity of language expression.Human thinking has both commonness and individuality. Individuality is a revealing fact about expression differences, which indeed stays in the way of exchanges among nations. For example, Chinese people will say “同舟共济” when they want to unite other people and share the success or obstacles. In English, a strikingly similar idiom “in the same boat” is often used wrongly by uninitiated translators as the translation of “同舟共济”. The fact is that those two idioms are completely different. If someone says “we are in the same boat” to you, it would not be good news because it means both of you are in the same unpleasant situation or dilemma and you have no choice but to face it! This shows that different nationalities have different modes of expression, though the content they say is almost the same and that is why translators encounter the same meaning but two different images in two cultures (the second situation in the last part). So, at this time, changing the images to the ones accepted by another language speaker is the best choice.Values Values formed in the process of social development vary from each other because of social, environmental, and traditional elements. Chinese culture is known for its splendid tradition of modesty, filial piety, and family harmony. Chinese people believe that the collectivity comes first, not the individual. Western people, however, pursue personal independence and measure one’s life value by personal success.A skilled bi-linguist must also be a bi-cultural learner. In different languages, words with the same linguistic meanings may have different pragmatic meaning. For example, “老师” (Lao Shi) in Chinese and “teacher” in English both refer to “a person who teaches, usually as a job at a school or similar institution” (Boye, 1996, pp. 44-45). However, from the pragmatic level, teacher is only limited to the above meaning in Western countries while Chinese people prefer “Lao Shi” to call anyone they respect. This gives us a significant hint: When we translate some idioms involving the elements that are easily misunderstood, we need to reconsider our final version or add additional notes to make the whole thing clear. For example, if “胸有成竹” is merely translated into “have a bamboo in one’s mind”, it will be extremely difficult for foreigners to connect “bamboo” with confidence because most of them do not know the story and in Western values system, “confidence” is connected with “lion” or “eagle” and their living environment does not have too many bamboos. So the proper translation version may be “to have a well-thought-out plan” or “behave like a painter having a bamboo in his mind before he draws it”.To make it clear, those three differences are the main reasons for the explanation of the three situations in the last part; and it does not mean that each reason is just corresponded with one situation. Sometimes, maybe two or three of those elements will act together due to complexity of the source text.All Rights Reserved.INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENCE OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 139Integration of Intercultural Communication Hidden in English Idioms TranslationDifferent culture has integrated each other as the globalization is deepening. After reading more and more translation texts with elements from both languages, people tend to accept and even love features from otherculture and integration is thus formed.Integration of ImagesIn the process of intercultural communication between China and foreign countries, more and more images from other culture can be accepted by us now from various media, such as translated versions of fairytales, literature, and songs. Many originally strange images and metaphors from other culture are now commonfor us. Meanwhile, as we are further exposed to the foreign culture and languages, we could find numeroussimilar signs or images in both languages. Those two kinds of phenomena can be seen in many cases and someof them are listed in the following Table 3.Table 3Examples of Image IntegrationSource language Target language1. Crocodile tears 鳄鱼的眼泪2. Money makes the mare go 有钱能使鬼推磨3. To kill two birds with one stone 一石二鸟4. Men may meet but mountains never 人与人总会相遇, 山与山注定无缘5. Trojan horse 特洛伊木马From those examples, an interesting phenomenon can be seen that though we, as two persons from two different culture background, may live in two totally different environments, when we need to express certainmeanings, we will use the same matter or image to connote our feelings. “Crocodiles”, “birds”, and even the“mare” in China are of course not the same as those in Western countries, but when we need to createmetaphors of certain feelings or emotions, we end up using the same things as our images.Integration of Sentence Formation and BuildingIn terms of sentence formation, one of the most obvious integration is the fixed structure. Each internal part of a certain idiom is fixed, especially for idioms with numbers. For example, Chinese people say “一诺千金” to emphasize the importance of keeping someone’s promise. And we need to know that “一” in this idiomdoes not really mean “one” and “千” (a thousand) actually means “a lot”. The whole sentence literally meansthat the value of one’s promise is equal to a lot of money. However, in practical use, no matter how manypromise sentences you have made, you must use “一” (one) here. Other numeric character will cause confusiononce in use. Likewise, there are also many other Chinese numeric characters can express “many”, like “九”(nine) or “万” (which is literally equal to ten thousands but can mean the number more than that in practicalusage), and many Chinese characters represent “valuable things” just like “鼎” (an exquisite cauldron oftenused by royal family) or “银” (silver) but we can only and must use “一”, “千”, and “金” here. The samecondition occurs in English idioms and translated version. “A stitch in time saves nine” (及时缝一针可免缝九针) is a good case in point. We could find that “A” and “nine” appear here again and they definitely cannot bechanged by other words, either. In practical usage, there are always more than “a stitch” we can make up and“nine” is not always the exact number, of course but “A” and “nine” are fixed here and we cannot change themby our will.All Rights Reserved.INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENCE OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION140 ConclusionIntegration and differences of intercultural communication can be seen in idioms translation, which gives us an overall understanding of the cultural background and at the same time sets the hurdles for people to understand the idioms from other languages because it is difficult to figure out whether the image or word usage in a foreign idiom is similar to that of another one. Through these studies, it could be found that due to different cultural background, many discrepancies in values and thinking patterns exist between English idioms and their translation version. It is universally acknowledged that understanding is the fundamental basis of translation and the translation is also the sublimation process of understanding. So whether our purpose is to learn the intercultural communication knowledge or to learn idioms translation skills, analysis of difference and integration examples like what this paper has done is very necessary and helpful for us to improve our relative abilities.ReferencesAbrahams, R. D. (1972). Proverbs and proverbial expressions (pp. 111-112). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Boye, L. D. M. (1996). NTC’s dictionary of China’s cultural code words (pp. 45-46). Linconwood Illinois: NTC PublishingGroup.CHEN, G. M., & Starosta, W. J. (2007). Foundations of intercultural communication (pp. 144-151). Shanghai: Shanghai ForeignLanguage Education Press.Deutscher, G. (2010). Through the language glass: Why the world looks different in other language (pp. 45-49). New York:Metropolitan Books.Nida, E. A. (2004). Toward a science of translation . Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.Tomasello, M. (1999). The cultural origins of human cognition (pp. 8-14). New York: Harvard University Press.All Rights Reserved.。
Idioms translation
Idioms translation“You want to know what’s wrong with you? This is what’s wrong with you. You are going to the dogs, you are lying down with dogs, you are waking sleeping dogs--don’t you know enough to leave before the last dog is dead?”----(Gordon Lish, The Merry Chase)“going to the dogs” in fact means “to degenerate”;“lying down with dogs” is originated from the proverb “He that lies down with dogs must rise up with fleas(与狗同眠者必惹一身跳蚤；与坏人为伍者必惹一身麻烦)”； “waking sleeping dogs”derives from “Let sleeping dogs lie (勿惹睡狗)” which means “not to trouble or not to bother the others”.“to leave before the last dog is dead” is transformed from “stay until the last dog is hung (逗留到最后一刻)” and means “to leave as early as possible”.You want to know what’s wrong with you? This is what’s wrong with you. You are going to the dogs, you are lying down with dogs, you are waking sleeping dogs---don’t you know enough to leave before the last dog is dead?What?An idiom is a group of words with a meaning of its own that is different from the meanings of each separate word put together.～Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishFeatures of English idioms2. Correspondence2.1 Full correspondence ( few)barking dogs do not bite吠犬不咬人more haste, less speed欲速则不达。
OnIdiomsandTheirTranslationfromChineseintoEnglish习
On Idioms and Their Translation from Chinese intoEnglish习语及习语的汉英翻译AbstractIdioms are just like incomparably resplendent bight pearls emitting dazzling rays in the palace of literature. Throughout the ages, they animate the works of countless men of literature and writing. Idioms have fixed patterns and abundant connotations. Their vivid images explicitly convey incisive meanings. Chinese idioms are part of the essenceof Chinese culture with a history of thousands of years. In this thesis, the English translation of Chinese idioms will be discussed on the foundation of simply introducing the definitions, origins, features, and classifications of idioms, and a series of principles and methods of idiom translation will be put forward, mainly involving the translation of the Chinese idioms which have similar and dissimilar implications in English.Key wordsChinese idioms； similarity ； dissimilarity摘要习语犹如文学殿堂里一颗璀璨无比的明珠放射着历久不衰的光芒，古往今来，无数文人墨客的笔下都闪耀着它的异彩。
- 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性，平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
- 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
- 3、如文档侵犯您的权益，请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间：9:00-18:30)。
从英汉文化差异中看习语的翻译Idiom Translation According to the Differences Between Englishand Chinese CultureACKNOWLEDGEMENTSUpon the completion of this paper, Idiom Translation According to the Differences Between English and Chinese Culture, I am grateful to those who offered my sincere encouragement and generous support during the course of my study for the Bachelor’s degree.First and foremost I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Mrs. Yin Yiqun, who guided me with academic expertise, critical insights throughout each stage of my study and initiated me into my research. Her instruction enabled me to express my idea in a better way. Without her patient and insightful supervision, this paper would not be possible.What’s more, I also extend my heart-felt thanks to my classmates and friends, for their valuable guidance and sincere help.Last but not least, I would like to express thanks to my parents, for their encouragement and support.ABSTRACTIdiom is a centralized embodiment combined with national language and culture .It has strong cultural features, and also can reflect a country's geography, history, and religion and culture background. In translation, not only the images and figurative meanings of the original idioms should be translated, but also the national characteristics and regional features should be focused on. This thesis will explore the subject of idiom translation on a cultural perspective.The body of the thesis is composed of four parts. Part 1 gives the definition of idiom, and emphasizes “faithfulness” in idiom translation. Part 2 deals with the influence of culture on idioms. The influence can be summarized as follows: environment and climate, history, life experience, religious beliefs and literature. Part 3 presents translation strategies for three different types of idioms with emphasis on the preservation of the aesthetic effect of the source culture. And at the end of the thesis, the author draws the conclusion that idiom translation should be culture-oriented; that is to say, preserve the source language culture as much as possible.Keywords: idiom, culture, translation内容摘要习语是一个民族语言和文化的高度浓缩和集中体现,具有鲜明的文化特征,它可以反映出一个国家的地理、历史、宗教等文化背景。
在翻译时不仅要译出原语习语的形象、喻义,还要译出其民族特色和地域色彩。
本文从文化的视角探讨习语的翻译。
此论文由四部分组成。
第一部分分析了习语的定义并强调了翻译时要忠实于原文。
第二部分处理了文化差异对习语翻译的影响。
其中的影响概括为以下几个方面:环境、气候、历史、生活经历、宗教信仰和文化。
第三部分提供了三种不同类型的翻译策略并强调原语言美学效果的保留。
文章的最后,得出结论:习语翻译应该以文化为向导;也就是说,要尽可能地保留原语言文化。
关键字: 习语文化翻译CONTENTSAcknowledge (Ⅰ)Abstract (Ⅱ)中文摘要 (Ⅲ)Contents (Ⅳ)1 Introduction (1)2 Influ ence of culture on idioms………………………………12.1 Influence of environment and climate on English and Chinese idioms………….12.1.1 Geographical conditions and features reflected in idioms………….12.1.2 Influence ofclimate..............................................32.2 Influence of history.......................................................42.3 Influence of life experiences.........................................................52.4 Influence of religious beliefs.........................................................52.5 Influence of literature.. (6)3 Strategies for idiom translation………………………..83.1 Literal translation……………………………………………………..83.2 Liberal translation……………………………………………….103.3 Combination of literal and liberal translation (11)4 Conclusion (15)Bibliography (16)Idiom Translation According to the Differences Between English andChinese Culture1 IntroductionAn idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made Wikipedia. An idiom is generally a colloquial metaphor?a term requiring some foundational knowledge, information, or experience, to use only within a culture, where conversational parties must possess common cultural references. Therefore, idioms are not considered part of the language, but part of the cultureBecause of the different background between China and British, there is a big difference in history, geography, religious beliefs,folk culture etc. English and Chinese idioms bear the different national features and cultural information. Therefore, the cultural factor is often the difficulty in the translation of idioms.Idioms are fixed and brief in form, concise and expressive in meaning. Idiom translation should not only present meaning of the original idiom faithfully and correctly but also preserve metaphorical images, rich imaginations, rhetoric effect and features in idioms of the source language as much as possible. Therefore, it is a significant problem to deal with “faithfulness” in idiom tr anslation.2 Influence of culture on idiomsThe idiom of a nation is closely associated with its culture. English and Chinese idioms are no exception to the rule. British and Chinese geographical conditions, life experiences, histories, religious beliefs and literatures are all stamped on their idioms.2.1 Influence of environment and climate on English and Chinese idioms2.1.1 Geographical conditions and features reflected in idiomsIn view of British sea girt geographical environment and its long-term leadership in navigation, there are many related English idioms. The following are some such examples:Spend money like water挥金如土Sink or swim成败与否Go with the stream随波逐流Plain sailing: A course of action that is free from difficulties一帆风顺A cold fish: a person who shows no emotion or is very aloof冷漠的人A queer fish: a person whom others find hard to understand难以理解的人On the other hand, China, since time immemorial, has been a large inland country, only with seas to its east, and chiefly lives on agriculture. So a great number of Chinese idioms derive from agricultural production. The following are some examples:种瓜得瓜,种豆得豆。