习语翻译与文化意象
从文化角度看英汉习语的翻译
摘要:习语是语言的重要组成部分,它充分体现了某一民族的历史文化,是语言的核心和精华。
习语翻译既要处理好文化差异,又要保留原习语的形象、喻义,还要译出其民族特色和地域色彩。
本文从不同类型的习语着手,结合实例论证英语习语的翻译方法。
关键词:文化差异英汉习语翻译习语通常包括成语、俗语、谚语等。
本文讨论的英语习语主要涉及承载一定文化和语用含义的俗语和谚语。
这类习语是历史和文化的积淀,受不同民族在不同历史时期的社会制度、审美观念、宗教信仰、民族习惯等诸多因素影响。
1.简析中英文化差异中西方社会是在不同的基础上形成和发展的,所承载的文化不相同,表达方式自然存在差异,掌握这种差异对我们的外语学习尤为重要。
从以下几个方面来看。
1.1民族文化诞生和发展的地理环境中国是农业大国,有很多农谚充满乡土气息。
如“早起三朝抵一工”;“春天起得早,秋后吃得饱”;“乡下没有泥腿,城里饿死油嘴”等。
而英国是岛国,四面临海,有大量与航海有关的习语,如:Any port in a storm.(风暴中任何一个港口都是好的);A small leak will sink a great ship.(微小的裂痕能使一艘巨轮沉没);A smooth sea never asks a skillful mariner.(平静的大海孕育不出优秀的水手);Being on sea ,sail ;being on land ,set -tle.(在海上就航行,在陆上就安居)。
(注:类似于汉谚“随遇而安”)。
1.2不同的价值观念英美价值观念的主线是人本主义,崇尚个人相对社会的独立自主性,突出强调个人方面的东西。
如:Don ’t quarrel with your bread and butter.(不要做违背自己利益的事情。
);Eat ,drink and be merry ,for tomorrow we may die.(及时行乐。
)。
而汉语谚语中有极其浓厚的伦理色彩,它倡导人与人之间互助友爱和团结合作关系,如汉谚“一个篱笆三个桩,一个好汉三个帮”、“众人拾柴火焰高”、“独木不成林,单丝难成缕”等。
浅谈汉译英习语翻译中针对文化意象的应对办法
- 240-校园英语 / 翻译研究浅谈汉译英习语翻译中针对文化意象的应对办法鲁迅美术学院大连校区/梁原【摘要】汉语习语是汉语言发展过程中留下的珍贵财富,蕴含着丰富的文化意象。
翻译汉语习语时应该尽可能地保留其中蕴含的文化意象。
本文通过对例句的分析,列举了汉译英习语翻译中针对文化意象的三种应对方法。
【关键词】汉译英 习语 文化意象一、习语的概述习语是文化的载体,语言的精华,带有浓厚的民族色彩和鲜明的文化内涵。
习语一词的含义甚广,一般指那些常用在一起,具有特定形式的词组,其蕴含的意义往往不能从词组中单个词的意思推测而得。
习语通常包括成语、俗语、格言、歇后语、谚语、俚语、行话等。
其表现形式音节优美,音律协调,或含蓄幽默,或严肃典雅,言简意赅,形象生动,妙趣横生,给人一种美的享受。
二、文化意象的概述意象是中国文化特有的范畴,很早就出现于中国古典哲学、美学与文论中。
而文化意象从属于意象,是相对于自然意象而言的,是古诗词中一种突出的文化现象,尤其增加了文化翻译的难度。
文化意象大多凝聚着各个民族的智慧和历史文化,其中相当一部分文化意象还与各个民族的传说有关。
在各个民族漫长的历史岁月中,它们不断出现在人们的寓言、文艺作品中,慢慢的它们形成为一种文化符号,具有了相对固定的、独特的文化含义,有的还带有丰富的、意义深远的联想。
三、汉语习语中文化意象的翻译方法汉语习语是经过长时间使用而提炼出来的固定短语或短句,往往表达精炼,蕴含丰富的文化意象。
在将这些习语译为英语时,其难点在于如何恰如其分地处理原文中的文化意象。
通常来说,译者可以通过如下方法来翻译习语:其一,省略原文中的文化意象,直接表达原文的含义;其二,改变原文中的文化意象,采用英语读者能够理解的意象表达出与原文同样的含义;其三,保留原文中的文化意象,必要时间可增添注释,以说明其特别的含义。
1.省略原文的文化意象。
由于汉英两种语言之间的文化差异,有些汉语习语中所包含的文化意象具有特殊性,很难用英语来表达同样的意象。
互文性视阈下英语习语中的文化意象及其翻译
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有助于处理好英语 信息和汉语信息之 间的完整传 递, 从 而尽 量 减少 文化 缺损 。
有一 个共 同点 : 互 文 性 涉及 到 的是 某 个 特定 的文 本
的传递 , 英汉习语的翻译不得不面对文化意象传递 这一令人人 们 对 翻 译 的研 究 逐 渐 深 入。英汉 习语翻译 中引入互文性理论 , 对 习语 中所
英汉语中“虎”及其习语的文化内涵与翻译
英汉语中“虎”及其习语的文化内涵与翻译在博大精深的中国文化中,动物文化占有很重要的地位。
中国的“虎”文化历史悠久,汉语中虎为百兽之王。
在人类漫长的发展历程中,人类对虎产生了敬畏、崇敬、膜拜等错综复杂的情感,并在此基础上赋予虎多样的文化内涵。
这些内涵成为了文化特有的成分。
但因中西方文化背景、风俗习惯及民族特色的不同,虎这一动物形象在中西方文化中也不尽相同,因此深入了解英汉语文化背景的差异,选择恰当的翻译策略,真正理解和翻译虎的文化内涵,对促进东西方文化交流具有重大意义。
标签:虎习语文化内涵翻译策略一、引言虎作为陆地动物中的霸主,体型巨大,威猛无比,是自然界众猛兽之首。
在以往长期的斗争中,人类依靠自身的聪明才智渐渐强大,对虎的情感也随之发生了巨大的变化。
从最初的惧虎、敬虎、打虎,到如今的护虎,人类与虎的关系已进入更为和谐的阶段,在这个过程中,虎的文化意象也经历了不同的发展变化。
虽然,英汉语文化中人们对虎“威猛凶悍”的形象具有相同的认识,但由于虎是亚洲的特有种类,主要产地在东北亚和东南亚地区,所以虎在中西方文化中所占的比重并不完全相同。
介于这个原因,在处理有关虎的文化内涵的翻译时,我们并不能将汉语中所有的“虎”都对等翻译为“tiger”。
在后文中,笔者希望在分析前人有关虎的翻译的基础上,总结出虎在不同语境下的翻译方法,真正帮助读者理解和翻译虎在东西方文化中的内涵意义。
二、“虎”在中外文化中的内涵比较虎在中国文化中的发展历史由来已久,具有十分丰富的内涵意义。
虎是正义、勇猛和威严的象征,一直受到中华民族的崇拜。
在人类社会发展初期,人们总受到各种飞禽猛兽的侵扰,由于不具有与野兽抗争的能力,人们往往难以抵御像虎这样的猛兽袭击,在畏惧虎的同时产生了对虎的崇拜心理。
在他们的思想认识中,虎代表凶猛有力、神圣不可侵犯的力量,因此很多氏族部落选择虎作为自己的象征,作为他们信仰的图腾。
他们认为自己和虎有着血缘关系,同样拥有神圣不可战胜的力量。
从文化角度看习语翻译策略
从文化角度看习语翻译策略一、本文概述语言是人类文明的重要组成部分,而习语则是语言中的璀璨明珠,蕴含了丰富的文化内涵和深厚的民族底蕴。
习语翻译,作为跨文化交流的重要桥梁,其重要性不言而喻。
然而,由于文化背景、语言习惯、价值观念等方面的差异,习语翻译往往面临诸多挑战。
本文旨在从文化角度出发,探讨习语翻译的策略与方法,以期在保持原文化特色的基础上,实现习语的有效传播与理解。
本文首先对习语的定义和分类进行简要介绍,明确习语翻译的重要性和难度。
随后,通过分析习语与文化之间的紧密联系,指出文化因素在习语翻译中的重要作用。
在此基础上,本文将从文化适应、文化转换和文化补偿三个方面,详细阐述习语翻译的策略。
文化适应策略强调在译语中寻找与原语习语功能相当的对应项,实现习语的文化对等;文化转换策略则关注在译语中调整原语习语的文化内涵,以符合译语读者的文化习惯;文化补偿策略则通过在译语中添加解释或注释,弥补因文化差异导致的理解障碍。
本文将对习语翻译策略的应用进行案例分析,以具体实例展示不同策略在习语翻译中的实际操作与效果。
通过本文的探讨,期望能为习语翻译实践提供有益的参考和启示,促进不同文化间的交流与理解。
二、习语与文化的关系习语是语言的重要组成部分,它承载着丰富的文化内涵,反映了民族的历史、传统、风俗习惯、宗教信仰、价值观等。
习语的形成和发展受到文化的影响,是文化在语言中的体现。
因此,习语翻译不仅仅是语言之间的转换,更是一种文化之间的交流和传递。
习语的文化内涵常常隐含在字面意义之下,需要通过对文化背景的理解和解读才能准确理解其真正含义。
例如,在中国文化中,“画蛇添足”这个习语用来形容做多余的事情,反而会坏事。
然而,在其他文化中,可能并不存在类似的习语,或者其字面意义与内涵意义之间的关联并不相同。
因此,在进行习语翻译时,翻译者需要充分了解两种文化的特点,避免因为误解或忽略文化内涵而造成翻译失真或误解。
习语翻译的策略和方法也受到文化因素的影响。
文化意象视野下的英汉习语探讨
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这个神秘的数 字对西方 文化产 生 了广 泛而深 远 的影 响。 比如 宗教方 面 的习语 有 : S e v e n D a y s i n C r e a t i o n ( 上帝用 七天时 间创造世 间万物 ) ; 圣母 玛利亚有 七大喜 和七大 悲 , 音乐 上有七 声音 阶 , 光谱 上有七 种颜色 。在 美国还有 S e v e n t h A r t 第七艺术 ( 电影) 、 S e v e n t h A v e n u e ( 纽约市妇女 服装 中心) 、 民间也有 s e v e n -l e a g u e b o o t s 七里路的靴子( 源出童话故事 : 穿这 种靴子的一步跨七里路 ) 。可见数字“ 七” 在英语 民族里大受青睐 。以中 国为代 表的东方 文化 , 对“ 十三 ” 有所偏 爱 , 古人把儒家 的《 诗》 《 书》 等十 三部著作 总称 为《 十三经》 ; 明清时期 , 我国北 方的说 唱文学 中通行 着“ 十 三辙” , 以此来规范押韵 的韵 脚 , 现在戏 剧 、 曲艺 等说唱 艺术 中还在使用 它; 古老的军事著作 《 孙 子兵法》 历遭 劫难 , 残存 的篇 数恰好 为“ 十 三” ; 在官衙 的分设上 , 汉代武帝 时曾设有十 三刺史部 , 元 明时有 十三布政 司 , 清顺治年 间设有 十三衙 门; 我 国的建筑也离不了“ 十三”, 杭州 的六和塔 、 西藏的布达拉 宫都采用 了十三层 的建筑 结构 。而 我 国少 数 民族 怒族所 崇信的鬼神 的总数 也恰 好是 “ 十三 ” ; 人们 还喜 欢用 “ 十三 人保 ” “ 十 三 科’ 等词语来概述一类事物的整体 , 东方文 化对 “ 十 三” 的偏爱 由此可见 斑。但 与中国人对 “ 十三 ” 的态 度相反 , 西方人 将“ 十三” 视 为不祥之 数, 凡事不愿 与“ 十三” 挂钩。欧美 国家航 空公 司的飞机 座舱里几乎都没 有“ 1 3 ” 排座 , 旅馆 也没有 “ 1 3 ” 号客房 , 楼房亦 没有 1 3层 , 城 市的门牌号 码 和宴会 的餐桌也都避开“ 1 3 ” , 或 以“ 1 2 B 代替 , 或者 干脆 跳过去 ; 作曲 家为作 品编号 , 也很难找到“ l 3 ” 号 。究其原 因, 最流行 的解释认为 , 耶稣
习语翻译中存在的文化意象问题
2006年7月黑龙江教育学院学报Jul.2006第25卷第4期Journal of Heilongjiang College of Education Vol.25No.4习语翻译中存在的文化意象问题张 靖(哈尔滨师范大学,哈尔滨150080)摘 要:文化意象指语言中包含的文化因素。
习语是语言发展的结晶,含有丰富的文化意象。
从翻译的角度来看,英、汉习语体现出文化意象的缺失和错位两种现象,习语的翻译也相应存在文化意象的丢失和不恰当套用两个问题。
关键词:习语翻译;文化意象;文化交流中图分类号:H059 文献标志码:A 文章编号:1001-7836(2006)04-0112-02收稿日期:2005-09-15作者简介:张靖(1976-),女,黑龙江伊春人,英语系硕士研究生。
语言中的词汇与民族文化息息相关,尤其是习语,几乎文化生活中的每一个侧面都会反映到习语中来,如风俗习惯、历史典故、宗教信仰等。
语言中包含的这些文化因素就是文化意象。
英语和汉语中都包含了大量文化内涵丰富的习语,这些习语是千百年来民族文化发展的结晶,彰显着异彩纷呈的民族文化。
21世纪,国际间的交流日益受到各国人民的重视,而国际间各种交流的实现显然离不开翻译。
传统的翻译研究偏重语言而轻文化,近年来,随着国际文化交流的蓬勃发展,翻译中的文化因素也日益受到译者们的重视。
一、习语中体现的文化意象的缺失和错位东西方文化由于地理环境、风俗习惯、宗教信仰等方面的巨大差异而显示出互相抵触、互相冲突的一面,这种抵触和冲突在习语方面主要表现为文化意象的缺失和错位。
文化意想的缺失是指在一种文化中存在的意象在,或找不到对应物。
如汉语俗语 说曹操,曹操就到 中的 曹操 是中国古代历史人物,英语习语 Achilles s heel (阿基利斯之踵)中的Achilles 是希腊神话中的人物,它们显然是根源于特定文化的意象,是该文化所独有的,不可能在其他文化中找到完全对应物。
从文化角度看英语习语翻译
从文化角度看英语习语翻译【摘要】随着经济全球化的快速发展,不同地域的文化交流日趋频繁,翻译研究的重点已经从纯语言角度转向到文化角度。
语言是文化传播的载体,习语是语言发展的结晶,是语言词汇的核心组成部分和精华。
中英两种语言中都拥有大量的习语。
基于习语在语言中的重要地位,习语的翻译日趋引起了翻译界的关注,精准的习语翻译对跨文化交际起着极为重要的作用。
但是习语翻译时,译者不仅要译出原语的本意,也面临着如何处理习语中文化因素的问题。
文章目的在于从文化角度体现习语的文化特色,探讨了习语翻译过程中处理中英文化因素的具体策略—归化和异化,在这两种翻译策略的指导下,提出了英语习语翻译的一般方法。
作者也希望本文中体现的原则和方法能为翻译提供一些有利的理论支撑。
【关键词】英语习语;翻译;文化;归化;异化1.The Characteristics of Idioms1.1 The Definition of IdiomsAccording to Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (Seventh Edition),the term “idiom”owns a wide range of meanings:[C]phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit:give way, a change of heart;[U](a)language or dialect of a people or country: the French idiom;(b)use of language that is typical of or natural to speakers of a particular language;(c)use of language peculiar to a period or an individual: Shakespeare’s idiom(Oxford Advanced learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary(Seventh Edition),2009:1012).Clearly,the first above-mentioned definition is the commonest meaning of“idiom”. For example,when such expressions as carry coal to New Castle,in order to, once and again,and the man in the street are thought of as idioms, we, consciously or unconsciously,utilize the term “idiom”in its specific sense,which is the objective of study in this thesis.According to a rough survey on the definitions of idiom in another dictionary Collins Dictionary of the English Language, idioms are:“a group of words whose m eaning can not be predicted from the meanings of the constituent words, as for instance,(It was raining)cats and dogs”(Hanks 1979:728).This definition illustrates that idioms are distinct with other linguistic phrases in that the meaning of an idiom cannot be predicted from its form,while the meaning of a general linguistic item can be predictable from their individuals to some extend.1.2 The Characteristics of IdiomsIn the following part of this chapter, it has made a concise survey of the multifarious definitions of idiom, and it is clearly that definitions and characteristics are tightly relevant to each other.Presenting an overall review of the characteristics of idioms is quite a painstaking and insisting process.It can be concluded that when the issue of the characteristics of idioms has been discussed,we should take idioms as a whole.Generally speaking,idioms have three fundamental characteristics——opacity, comprehensiveness and stability.2.The Relationship between Idioms and Culture2.1 The Definition of CultureSince culture is rich in meaning, for years it is always an issue which stays unclear to anthropologists, socialists,cultural scholars, who have tried to give it a definition from different viewpoints.If we check the world “love”in a dictionary, it can be easily found that it means “affection”.It is very tough to define such comprehensive and abstract concepts as “love”and“culture”than those visible objects(say,“table”).But it is indispensable to give the definition of what culture is.One of the oldest and most cited definitions of culture was provided by the English anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor in Primitive Cultures (1871).He refines culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge,belief,art,law,moral,customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (David Katan 2004:16).2.2 The Origins of IdiomsAs Eugine Nida put it,culture is defined compactly as“the totality of practices and beliefs of a society”nothing is of greater strategic significance than the language through which its beliefs transmitted and expressed and by which most interactions of its members take place.(Nida 2001:78)His definition is involved to the field being discussed,which is the source of idioms.Idioms,as one method of expression,are sure to be framed by an inevitable relationship with the society and culture to which they belong.Idioms can reflect culture;culture consists of idioms.Any idiomatic expression appears from the uncommon culture in which it is immersed, otherwise it would nothave been accepted and utilized by the speakers of the language and participants of the culture. Though it is known that some idioms may appear odd and even illogical, but the writer believes that an idiom will perfectly logical when it comes into practice.The reason of having been reduced to the status of the illogical is mainly the historical development of culture. The writer’s point is that many idioms have cultural background, and which would be quite difficult to understand them,let alone translate them satisfactorily into another language, unless the cultural backgrounds are understood.3.Methods of Translating Idioms3.1 Methods of Idiom TranslationThe difficulty of translating idioms lies in the following facts, first, there are divergences in form and meaning;second, the words in an idiom usually bear the secondary meaning of an idiom which is probably the most difficult to be expressed in the receptor language because of cultural gap.As is discussed before, idioms and culture are closely associated with,and culture is expressed mainly via the form of the idioms. Thus, when an idiom is translated, the translator is required not only to transfer the meaning of the source language but also to be confronted with the problem of how to deal with the cultural factors concluded in the idiom. There are two fundamental strategies,foreignization and domestication in handling cultural factors in translation.The two terms,foreignization and domestication were first introduced by Lawrence Venuti in his book The Translator’s Invisibility:A History of Translation.He retrospects the origins of the terms back to the German philosopher,Schleiermacher’s famous concept of the translation methods,foreignization is a strategy that “the translator leaves the author in peace,as much as possible; and moves the reader towards him”while domestication is the one that the translator attach great importance to the culture of target language.(Venuti 2004:19-20).By developing these two terms, Venuti opposes the trend of transparent translation and invisibility of translators.He regards domestication as a derogative term.3.2 Avoiding Word to Word TranslationAs we all know, idioms have the feature of semantic unity but we can not deduce the meaning from the component parts of an idiom, so a word-for-word translation may duce to the distortion of the original message. For instance, a word-for-word translation forfree living may be “自由生活”,but it means “奢侈的生活”actually;He has the legs of me can not be translated into“他有我的腿”but“他比我跑得快”.Furthermore,some idioms are very similar to each other in image, and people are easily tricked into translation pitfalls in handling this kind of idioms.For example,child’s play may be rendered as“儿戏” incorrectly at the first sight.However,these seemingly correspondent idioms are not correspondent atall.Child’s play means something very easy to be done or something not so important;the Chinese“儿戏”means n ot paying attentions to an important job or trifling matters.4.ConclusionFirstly,The translator should be a good reader with the capability to recognise idiomatic expressions from the ordinary one and to detect the correct meanings of the idiom. As an idiom is characterized by the divergence between meaning and form,it is always difficult to recover what it is driving at.Secondly,the t ranslator should learn what is known as“cultural awareness”,which refers to a developing awareness of the culture of the people who speak the original language.For a high qualified translator, language awareness is not sufficient.Only when armed with both cultural awareness and language awareness can translators acquire the insight to discover the cultural elements in idioms and the ability to handle them properly.Thirdly, the translator has to do a skillful selection between two basic translation strategies,foreignization and domestication. Domesticating translation is much easier to be understood and accepted because expressions and styles familiar to the target language readers are adopted. The smoothness and naturalness of the target language are achieved at the expense of stylistic messages and cultural of the source language.[科]【参考文献】[1]李高新.基于双语平行语料库的翻译教学[J].长沙师范专科学校学报,2011(01).[2]刘萍.翻译教学中的汉语文化学习[J].哈尔滨师范大学社会科学学报,2013(05).。
习语翻译
Ⅰ、定义、分类
一、定义
a group of words that has a special meaning that is different from the ordinary meaning of each separate word. phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit. 习语是人们在生产劳动和社会生活中长期使用而提炼 出来的一些固定词组、短语或短句。
在中英两国漫长的历史发展过程中,都出现过众多著 名历史事件,经过后人的传说,又因其寓意深远,久 而久之就形成了习语。 如: 1. 焚书坑儒
汉· 孔安国《〈尚书〉序》: “及秦始皇灭先代典籍, 焚书坑儒, 天下学士逃难解散。” 比喻对文化和文化人的摧残
•
•
•
burn books and bury the literati in pits
四、源于宗教文献和典籍
英国主要信仰基督教,所以其主要宗教典籍《圣经 》成了习语产生的摇篮,《圣经》里记载的许多古 代故事也都是英语习语的重要来源。 “ keep me as the apple of the eye /hide me under the shadow of the wings.” 出 自 《 旧 约 · 申 命 记 》( the Old Testament, Deuteronomy),“ Do you know what is“the apple of sb.’s eye”? 这里的apple是指瞳孔,是眼睛里最 敏感最珍贵的部分。 掌上明珠
从文化角度看英语习语翻译
从文化角度看英语习语翻译一、本文概述语言与文化紧密相连,语言是文化的载体,文化则通过语言得以传承和表达。
作为人类交流的重要工具,语言中的习语、俚语等表达形式往往蕴含着丰富的文化内涵。
英语习语作为英语语言文化的重要组成部分,其翻译不仅需要准确传达其字面意义,更需要深入挖掘其背后的文化内涵,以实现真正的跨文化交流。
本文将从文化角度出发,探讨英语习语翻译的策略与方法,分析习语翻译中可能遇到的问题,并提出相应的解决方案。
通过本文的阐述,希望能够为英语习语翻译的实践提供有益的参考,促进不同文化背景下的有效沟通。
二、英语习语的特点及其文化内涵英语习语,作为英语语言中富有特色的组成部分,是人们在长期生活实践中积累并广泛流传的固定短语或短句。
这些习语具有独特的语言特点和文化内涵,是理解和欣赏英语文化的重要窗口。
英语习语通常具有言简意赅、生动形象、含蓄幽默等语言特点。
它们往往通过简洁的词汇和生动的比喻,传达出丰富的文化内涵和人生哲理。
例如,“A penny saved is a penny earned”(节省一分钱就是挣了一分钱),这个习语以简洁的词汇表达了节约的重要性,同时也传达了劳动与收获的哲理。
英语习语的文化内涵是其最为独特和丰富的部分。
这些习语往往源于英语国家的历史、地理、宗教、民俗等多个方面,反映了英语民族的生活方式和价值观念。
例如,“God helps those who help themselves”(自助者天助之),这个习语源于基督教的自助观念,强调个人努力和自强不息的精神。
再如,“as British as fish and chips”(像炸鱼和薯条一样英国),这个习语以炸鱼和薯条这一具有代表性的英国食物为象征,表达了英国文化的独特性和普遍性。
在翻译英语习语时,我们需要充分理解其语言特点和文化内涵,以确保译文的准确性和传达效果。
这要求我们在翻译过程中不仅要注重词汇和语法的正确性,更要关注文化因素的传递和解释。
论英汉习语翻译中文化意象差异的处理
表达 “ 温顺 、 温柔 ” 的 意 思 。“ 龙” ( d r a g o n ) 在 中 国 是 有 灵
何语 言的翻译 对文化意象的处理都是艰 难 的, 因而 翻译
是 否 成 功 的 关 键 在 于 能 否 处 理 好 文 化 差 异 。本 文 试 图
语言 中有些 固定语或者短句 , 经过 长期使用 和人们 约定俗成 的就 叫习语 , 在这些短语 和短句里 , 有俗语 、 成
语、 谚语 、 典故 等。这些 习语往 往都 能表 达一个 鲜 明 的 形象 , 适合 比喻它事 物 , 其 民族特 色和 地方 色彩都 很浓 厚 。有一类 习语 在英 语 和汉 语 中 , 意 象 和意 义 基本 相 同, 是两种语言有共性 的地方 。如 : p o u r o i l o n i f r e ( 火上 加油 ) , c o n s t a n t d r o p p i n g w e a r s t h e s t o n e ( 水滴石 穿 ) 。不 过这类现 象属于少数和个别 的情形 , 绝大多 数习语表 达 的是 两种语 言的个 性和不同 的意象特 征 , 翻译 时译者 应 该 能够具 备处理文化意象和语言差 异的本领 。当然 , 任
雳) 、 k n o w s o m e t h i n g l i k e he t p a l m o f o n e ’ s h a n d ( 了 如 指
引玉 ) 等。 以上 习语 中都 是 借 助 于 “ s p a r r o w( 麻 雀) ”
从英 语和汉语翻译面临 的文化差异 开始 , 分 析研究 翻译
实 践 中文 化 意 象 的差 异 处 理 。
论英汉习语的文化语境与翻译
论英汉习语的文化语境与翻译摘要:习语在跨文化交际中扮演着重要的角色。
在各民族文化中,习语在表现民族特征方面起着重要的作用。
在中英文中,不同的习语有着不同的文化内涵。
由于用语习惯、历史典故、地理条件等不同,对于同一个习语,人们有不同的理解。
作为一面反映文化的镜子,习语是语言的精髓,在表达文化内涵时比别的语言因素更为典型。
习语的文化特色和其丰富的来源是分不开的,这意味着在翻译习语的过程中,文化背景永远不能被忽略。
关键词:习语(idioms)、跨文化交际(intercultural communication)、文化内涵(cultural connotation)、文化差异(cultural difference)、翻译(translation)1.正文简介(Introduction)习语(idioms):即习惯用语(the idiomatic phrases)是语言经过长期使用提炼出来的固定词组、短句或短语。
习语在语言上具有精辟、生动、优美、形象、通俗、寓意深刻等特点。
因此,正确理解,确切翻译英汉习语,对我们学习和使用英语的人来说是十分必要,也是必不可少的。
为了正确的掌握习语的翻译方法,我们不仅要了解习语的本义,还要结合其文化语境。
2.影响英汉习语翻译的中英文化差异(Cultural Different Reflected in Chinese and English Idioms)2.1 历史文化差异对英汉习语翻译的影响(Different Historical Allusions)历史文化由指定的历史进程和社会遗产的积淀所形成的文化。
语言和文化是不可分的,语言是文化的载体,它反映文化同时也受到文化的制约。
正如Juri Lotman 所说:“没有一种语言不是植根于具体的文化之中的,也没有一种文化不是以某种自然语言的结构为中心的。
”各民族、国家的历史起源、发展、进程和内容具有很大的差异性,各自的语言客观而忠实的记录了这种差异性。
从文化角度看习语翻译
从文化角度看习语翻译任翠菊(江苏安全技术职业学院,江苏徐州221011)习语能够将某个国家文化内涵很好地反映和传达,受到了人们的一致关注。
在日常生活中,习语由于自身丰富的、准确的文化内涵被人们广泛运用,其在不同程度上可将某一国家的自然环境、风俗习惯、历史背景等全面反映。
随着全球化进程的加快,各个国家都希望能够加强与其他国家的合作和交流,了解其他国家的异域文化,在这样的情况下,寻找合适的、有效的习语翻译方法迫在眉睫、刻不容缓。
一、语言与文化泰勒是英国一位著名的人类学家,他曾经对文化下过这样的定义,文化这一整体很复杂,其中包括习俗、信仰、法律等人们所能获取到的能力。
从多方面来看,泰勒这个定义并不是很全面的,但一直被人们所信仰和认可。
可以说,语言与文化二者间有很密切的关系,不同的文化背景、地理环境、价值理念、心理状态等,都在话语中反映,让话语更具有独特的文化特色。
在传统文化中,习语受到其制约,有其固定的意义。
但从整体上而言,其并不是简单地将构词意义相加,而是富含很深的文化成分,唯有了解这些深层次的文化成分,才能很好地理解源语。
二、对习语翻译产生影响的文化差异因素分析(一)生存背景的差异在一系列的文化体系中,每一客观事物所包括的价值是不同的,所引起的联想和内涵也是不同的。
在汉语文化中,所讲的“东风”便是“春天的风”。
但是英国位于西半球北温带,对于英国来讲,春天来临代表着西风刮起。
可见,生存背景的差异,会导致在源语翻译中出现文化差异,正因为这种文化差异的出现,所以才需要进行习语翻译。
(二)中英民族思维方式的差异无论是在源语还是在篇章中,英文的语法逻辑和行文方式都是焦点从小到大、从重心到非重心的转移。
但结合中文逻辑思维来讲,其与英文逻辑思维是相反的,其正好是从大到小、从非重心到重心的转移。
所以,在英文中,通常都是先将重要信息讲述出来,先讲述结果、主张、看法,从小讲转换到大讲。
但中文却与此相反,通常先讲述“因为”“所以”,先交代好条件,最终讲述结论。
从文化角度看英汉习语翻译IdiomsTranslationfromCulturalPerspecti
从文化角度看英汉习语翻译Idioms Translation from Cultural PerspectivesAbstractAlong with the development of the communications between the East and the West, translation becomes more and more important, of which idiom translation takes a great position. Idioms are the fruits of human culture, which reflect the culture in return. It is a big concept, which contains set phrases, sayings, proverbs, slangs, colloquialisms and enigmatic folk similes. Idioms come from various sources, such as from history, religion, poetry, literary quotations, daily life, etc. It is the point that idiom covers a rich information of its society and culture that makes the translation much more difficult than that of others, for it requires a better grasp of both the techniques of translation and the knowledge of the background of its target language, including its culture, history, religion, society, etc.With a view to having a better master of idioms translation, in this thesis I will talk about the techniques of idiom translation from the cultural perspective by the means of comparing the Chinese and English images.This thesis indicates the significance and the present situation of idioms translation, gives a brief introduction of idiom, including the definitions, formations, categories and the significance, makes a contrast between Chinese and English idioms’ images, introduces the techniques of idioms translation on the basis of the comparison, andconcludes the whole thesis and points out the limitation of this thesis and gives several suggestions for further studies.Key words: idioms; idiom translation; culture; technique摘要随着中西方文化交流的深化和进展,两边语言翻译变的愈来愈重要了,而其中习语的翻译更是占了一个相当大的比重,有着举足轻重的作用。
浅谈英汉习语的文化语境与翻译
浅谈英汉习语的文化语境与翻译朱秀莲(长安大学外语部)习语,即习惯用语(the idiomatic phrases) ,是语言经过长期使用而提炼出来的固定词组、短语或短句。
习语范围很广,通常包括成语(set phrases) 、谚语(proverbs) 、格言(sayings) 、俗语(colloquialisms) 、典故(allusions) 和俚语(slang) 。
习语在语言上具有精辟、生动、优美、形象、通俗、寓意深刻等特点。
因此,正确理解、确切翻译英汉习语,对于我们学习和使用英语的人来说是十分必要,也是必不可少的。
一、英汉习语互译与文化语境有关语言与文化密不可分。
语言是文化的载体,可以容纳文化的各个方面,也可以反映文化的任何内容,同时它也受到文化的制约。
正如Juri Lotman 所说:“没有一种语言不是根植于具体的文化之中的;也没有一种文化不是以某种自然语言的结构为中心的。
”习语是语言的精髓,它蕴含着丰富的文化信息,包含着大量的文化特征和文化背景,具有鲜明的形象和比喻,带有鲜明的民族特色和地域色彩。
如习语“有眼不识泰山”,大家知道泰山位于我国山东省,我国古人以泰山为高山的代表,用来比喻敬仰的人或重大且有价值的事物。
汉语习语中用了这一特定地域的事物,来比喻重要的人物。
英谚也是如此,如:All roads lead to Rome。
因此要翻译好习语,就必须了解这些习语中用作比喻的内涵。
风俗习惯也同样影响习语,如“情人眼里出西施”。
一般西方人不太可能知道西施是中国历史上的美人,因此不可能理解这句习语中富有中国文化特色的喻义。
在翻译中译为“情人眼里出美人”为宜。
又如英语习语中的“Do as the Romans do. ”只有译为“入乡随俗”才能被译语读者所理解和接受。
英汉文化同样也受到明显的宗教影响,因为宗教信仰是人类文化的重要组成部分。
在汉语文化中人们受佛教影响较深,许多习语中都含有佛教中特有的事物,如“做一天和尚撞一天钟。
从文化角度看习语翻译
【摘要】习语是语言文化的结晶,缺少了习语,语言将会变得索然无味。
习语在语言中的应用比比皆是,在写作或演说中适当地使用习语将会使篇章增色,加强语言的力量使语言更形象。
奈达曾说过,习语是比任何非习语更具冲击力的表达,它带有一种语言和文化的识别特征。
习语被广泛应用于各类写作和演说中,如在文学作品中,在科学著作中,在政治演说中,甚至在美国,习语都成为辩论中唇枪舌战的武器。
美国第16届总统亚伯拉罕·林肯在他一篇著名演说中引用了圣经里的一句话:“互相分裂的房子无法站立。
”来号召美国人民团结一致反对黑奴制度,停止内战。
美国人对圣经的内容都很熟悉,他们为此深受感动。
林肯废奴运动也取得了很好的结果。
既然习语在语言运用中有如此重要地位,那么恰到好处地翻译习语将有助于跨文化交流。
中英不同的文化使得英汉习语在表达上有很大差异,也使得翻译中容易产生误译,因此加强对英汉习语文化内涵差异的了解有着重要意义。
本文在探讨英汉习语文化内涵差异的基础上提出了四种翻译方法:直译法、意译法、意象转移法、增删法。
【关键词】习语;文化;习语翻译On the Translation of Idioms from a Cultural Perspective【Abstract】Idioms, having universal appeal, are widely recognized as the essence or the crystallization of language. Without idioms language would become dull and dry, whereas an appropriate use of them in speech and writing will add much to variety strength and vividness of the language. Idioms usually carry more impact than none-idiomatic expressions because of their close identification with a particular language and culture. Idioms are widely used in almost all kinds of speeches and writings: they can be found in literary works, in scientific and political articles; even debates in the United Nations are often interspersed with idioms which become verbal weapons that are difficult to argue against. The 16th US President Abraham Lincoln once quoted an idiom derived from the Bible: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” in one of his famous speech, calling on people to fight against slavery and Civil War. American people, who were familiar with the Bible, were greatly impressed and Lincoln‟s antislavery campaign at last yielded fruitful result. Thus idioms hold an important position in language use, an adequate translation of idioms is not only helpful but also essential in intercultural communication.This paper attempts to make a brief comparative study of the cultures embodied in Chinese and English idioms and explores the role of the culture in understanding and rendering of both English and Chinese idioms.【Key Words】Idioms; culture; the translation of idioms1. IntroductionCultural studies have currently been prevailing in the west. And talking about cultural studies has also become a fashion in the circle of present Chinese culture and academia, especially in the field of literary theory and criticism. Accordingly, in the wide sphere of translation studies, there are some scholars both at home and abroad who have tried to replace translation with culturaltranslation studies and interpretation. Translation is considered to be across-cultural communication, which concerns not only the transfer between languages, but also the transfer between cultures. However, the ways of thinking, beliefs, attitudes and values of different cultures not only give rise to failures or misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication but also pose headaches to translation theorists and translators.An idiom is a beautiful gem of a language as well as crystallization of national culture. Yet it is also one of the most difficult things to learn and use in a foreign language. They are often rather hard to understand from the meaning of individual words. Chinese and English both abound with idioms, whose succinct forms and profound meanings make themselves more condensed and expressive. Many idioms bear figures and strong cultural flavors. If they are translated appropriately, not only can the original spirit and meanings be faithfully conveyed, clearly understood and accepted by the target language readers, but also the Chinese and English vocabularies can be enriched to provide a broader cultural vision. The issues of rendering idioms of one language into another are always complicated, if the two languages involved are so unlike in backgrounds and cultures with each other. This paper expounds the close relationship between idioms and culture translation, and the issue of idiom translation is explored from a cultural perspective.2. Definitions and forms of idiom2.1 The definitions of idiomThe word “idiom” possesses several meanings. It may be defined as “the language of a people or a country”, as in “the Chinese idiom”; or “a dialect” as in “Cantonese idiom”. It may also be defined, according to Oxford Advanced Learner‟s English-Chinese Dictionary, as “phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit”[1] p734. The second definition most suits the purpose of this paper. The Chinese “equivalent” for“ idiom” is“习语”, it also refers to a kind of a set phrase or sentence fixed by long usage. From the above definitions we can extract two basic criteria on which to decide whether or not an expression is an idiom(or:习语):Firstly, established and refined by long practical use, an idiom has a relatively high degree of stability of the lexical components. An idiom allows little or no variation in form under normal circumstances. In general, any change in the components will result in absurdities or even render the idioms meaningless. A speaker or writer cannot normally do any of the following with an idiom unless he or she is consciously making a joke or attempting play on words:a. Change the order of the words in it (e.g.* “at sevens and sixes” instead of “at sixes and sevens”);b. Delete a word from it (e.g.* “a kettle of fish” instead of “a nice kettle of fish”);c. A dd a word to it (e.g.* “to show one‟s white teeth” instead of “to show one‟s teeth”);d. Replace a word with another (even with a synonymous word) (e.g.* “the pear of one‟s eye ” instead of “the apple of one‟s eye”)e. Change its grammatical structure (e.g.* “a king may be looked at by a cat” instead of “a cat may look at a king”).Similarly in Chinese we can only say: “七零八落” not “八零七落;”“无的放矢”not “无的放箭”, although “矢”and “箭” both mean “arrow”. However, just as what has been mentioned above, sometimes, either for the sake of sarcasm or for the sense of humor or for the sake of style, we can create, as a makeshift, some irregular variants from the original idioms, but these irregular variants are transient, and may not be acknowledged by people as a whole:(1) “to read more than one can chew” is from “to bite off more than one can chew”;(2) “be dressed to the teeth” is from “to be armed to the teeth ”.Similarly in Chinese:(3) “一箭三雕”(to shoot three hawks with one arrow)is an irregular variant of t he set phrase “一箭双雕”(to shoot two hawks with one arrow);(4) “权令智昏”(to be blinded by lust for power) from“利令智昏” (to be blinded by lust for gain);Sometimes for rhetorical effect, an idiom can be made brief with only the core element remained:(5) The hotel was expensive, the food was poor and the bad weather was the last straw.In this sentence, “the last straw” is adapted from the idiom “It is the last straw that breaks the camel‟s back.”(6) Make hay. The market is good now don‟t miss the chance.Here, “make hay” is abbreviated from the idiom “Make hay while the sun shines”. Such adaptation usually calls for the familiarity of the idiom by the reader to recognize the real meaning.Secondly, an idiom often carries meanings, which cannot be deduced from their individual components. More often than not, it cannot be interpreted only according to its literal meaning. Take the expression “to go Dutch (with someone)” for example: Instead of going to the Netherlands (Holland), it means to agree to share the cos t of something (with someone), as in “Will you let me take you out to dinner tonight? “As long as we go Dutch”. Take another Chinese idiom for example: “胸有成竹”(literally means to have the bamboo in one‟s mind, figuratively, to have ready plans or design in one‟s mind. cf. to have a card up one‟s sleeve). An idiom usually acquires an implied meaning, that is to say, most idioms are metaphorical in meaning. The meaning of an idiom is somewhat more than the sum meanings of its constituent words, in other words, idioms convey more meaning as a whole than the few words could carry separately. This can be fully illustrated by the following examples: when takenliterary, the phrase“the man in the street” is not an idiom. In a figurative sense, “the man in the street” implies the average person, who represents general opinion. When someone says, “You cannot unscramble the scrambled egg”, he is not merely referring to the egg, and he is using a metaphor to tell another person not to worry about something that cannot be undone. “Cat‟s paw” does not refer to the paw of a cat but a person who has been fooled or exploited. “Black sheep” is not a sheep which is black at all. And it means an evil member of a herd or a good-for-nothing person.2.2 Forms of idiomsIn a broad sense, idiomatic phrases cover all of the following forms: set phrases, proverbs, common sayings, colloquialisms, allusions and slangs. Here four important forms of idioms are selected for explanation.2.2.1 Set phrasesOne most important group of idioms are set phrases whose form is set and many of them are rather rigid and cannot show up in any other forms. There is an inexhaustible storehouse of set phrases that play an important role in English language. I shall select one of them with cultural traces. For example, the origin of “to kick the bucket” can be traced back to a religious ceremony of baptism in Christianity. As far as a Christian is concerned, his/her important three stages, birth, marriage and death, are closely connected with a religious ceremony: baptism. A Christian needs to receive baptism from an administrator whenhe/she was born, get married in the church with blessings of a certain minister and be baptized again when he/she is going to die”. So the idiom “kick the bucket” is a euphemistic expression connoting “to die” referring to the death ofa Christian in the ceremony of being baptized.2.2.2 AllusionsAllusions of idioms are actually origins and national characteristics of idioms. On account of the different social background, customs and religious, some idioms are sure to have allusions to myth and legend, history and classic. Their meanings are much more remoted from their literal senses. Without knowledge of the allusions made in idioms we can hardly read between the lines and catch what they imply. To understand the idioms of this kind, knowledge of the etymology of idioms is indispensable. Only a small part of English idioms, it is said, draw on sources from the legend of Greece and Rome, most of them are of biblical origin [2] p97.For example, “bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh”, a phrase of biblical origin, is now metaphorically used to refer to “blood relation” or “unity in thought”, but why and how? As to these questions, the readers have to refer to the Bible, an inspired as well as an inspiring book, which provides men and women with promises and punishments from God. It is cherished cultural heritage all through the history of the west but now its influence has spread to most of the civilized world, just as the spirit of Confucianism has penetrated into our Chinese spiritual life, the essence of Bible also influences how people in the west look at life.2.2.3 ProverbsProverb is often defined as the wisdom of many and the wit of one, stating commonly experienced or for the purpose of giving wise advice to others. Proverbs are the wisdom of people, so it is common people who have created a great number of proverbs that are terse, colloquial, vivid and charged with life through their practical work. Their varied proverbs are from all walks of life. Here are some typical ones reflective of common people‟s lives as follows [3] p286:Sailors will say:(7) “In a calm sea every man is a pilot.”(在平静的海洋上,人人都是领航员) Carpenters will say:(8) “Such carpenters, such chips.”(什么木匠出什么活)Cobblers may say:(9) “The cobbler‟s wife is the worst shod”. (鞋匠的老婆没鞋穿)2.2.4 SlangsSlang expressions are dialectic, vulgar and colloquial language drawing numerous sources from the shoptalk of every profession: trade, sport, school, social group, etc. They draw on source from local people‟s life experiences or their customs and are widely used in informal speech and writing such as drama, TV serials, movies, monologue in the novel but are rarely used in formal contexts.3. Idioms, culture and translation3.1 Idioms and cultureIdioms are usually highly specialized in meaning and closely tied to distinctive cultural features and cultural attitude. It is believed that idioms are the most culturally-loaded element in any language‟s vocabulary. As the kern el and cream of a language, idioms are usually closely with the historical backgrounds, economic life, geographical environment, customs and mental states of the native speakers. As a matter of fact, idioms have been accepted by people and handed down to the present day because of their universal value. As such, they can be regarded as the sinew of the language. Without idioms, language would lack color and become uninteresting.Let‟s take proverb as an example. Proverbs are the daughters of daily experience. In nearly every culture, proverbs offer an important set of instructions for members to follow. And thanks to the endurance of these “words of wisdom”, each generation learns about what a culture deems significant.Below are some proverbs from the United States, each of which stresses an important American value: a value held by the dominant culture.(10) Strike while the iron is hot. In the United States, people who take quick action are valued.(11) God helps those who help themselves. This saying calls attention to the strong belief in America that people should show initiative.(12) The squeaky wheel gets the grease. In the United States, people are encouraged to “speak up” and make sure their views are heard.3.2 Culture and translationTranslation is the transfer of the meaning of a text which may be a word or a book from one language to another for a new readership. Since language is part of culture, translation of language cannot simply be the transfer of linguistic symbols. Over the recent 20-years, with the deepening of cultural studies, it has been commonly accepted that translation involves both language and culture. Translation deals not only with turning the content in one language into another, but also with turning the cultural connotation in one language into another cultural form. So, it is quite necessary for a translator to think about the cultural connotation every unit may embody when translating [4] p39. The film The First Blood is translated into“第一滴血”.However, the translation ca nnot reflect the cultural connotation behind the words. In fact, “the first blood” is an idiom full of cultural implication, referring to the first success in contest. It will be more reasonable if translated into “初战告捷” or “旗开得胜”.A translator must be a real culturist. It‟s said that a translator must grasp two languages; indeed, he must. But without understanding the social cultural connotation in one language no one can really master the language [5] p5. Even Nida E.A. once also pointed out that for a truly successful translator, it is more important for him to get familiar with two cultures than to master two languages, because a word will make sense only in the cultural background where it functions.A translator should know foreign culture as well as the culture of his own people. Human beings have much in common. They live on the same globe. Experiences and observations of the world are in many respects similar. Cultures of various countries also have something in common. All these similarities and generalities are inevitably embodied in languages. That‟s why equivalents or close approximates can be found in terms of linguistic form and meaning. For example, the English idiom “castles in the air” has its absolute equivalent of Chinese idiom“空中楼阁”.However, culture is important in giving a language its own characteristics, so the dissimilarities are naturally more apparent. In the process of translation, a translator is more often faced with cultural differences. Every country has its own ethnic groups, geographical location, religious beliefs, values, political systems and so on. All these form the differences of national culture, which are also certainly embodied in language. The influence of culture on language brings difficulties to translating. The lack of cultural awareness on the part of the translator is often the cause of errors or defects of cultural nature in translating.As language is a tool for cultural dissemination and communication, translation is, of course, a bridge and an essential means of cultural understanding and exchange. Without translation, there was no cultural communication. Studies on the relationship of culture and translation will give an impetus to cultural communication, to the promotion of the prosperity ofcultures in different countries and different nations, to the enrichment of the global culture and acceleration of the development of the world civilization. The purpose and characteristics of translation are to exchange ideas and culture. Therefore, translation is referred to as a cross-linguistic, cross-cultural and cross-social communication event.As stated above, language is the carrier of culture and translation is a tool for cultural exchange. As an essential and more expressive component of languages and cultures concerned, a beautiful gem of a language as well as crystallization of national culture, a close study of them is inevitable in translation. The possibility of translation is due to the generality of cultures in different countries, while the limit of translation is based on their cultural differences. As we know, an idiom is a form of expression peculiar to a language. Every language has its own peculiarities in expression, alien from each other. The four-character structures dominate the Chinese idioms, while an English idiom is a combination of two or more words. Both Chinese and English idioms are usually structurally fixed and semantically opaque, i.e. metaphorical rather than literal and function as a single unit of meaning. Many idioms bear strong national cultural flavors, some of which are unique. Xiehouyu is a case in point. It is a special product of the Han culture. There is no equivalent expression in English. All these constitute special difficulties in translating them. Compared with other linguistic expressions, they are both more difficult to understand and even more difficult to express. Yet, we have to keep their features in order to maintain faithfulness of the target language and culture to the source language and culture when translating. In view of their frequent appearance in literary works and even political and scientific essays, whether or not idioms are well translated will affect the quality of translation as a whole.4. Understanding idioms from a cultural context4.1 The original and national coloringThe origins of idioms are varied, but the chief sources are from the speech of the common people. Ordinary people, such as pilots, hunters, farmers, workers, housewives and cooks, create many idioms. Over a long period of time, these people have created a great number of idioms. Sailors have invented many lively sea-faring phrases, laborers in the fields have created expressions concerning farm-work, and workers of all kinds of occupations have created their own. Moreover, the fisherman talks of life in terms of fishing, the housewife helps herself out with metaphors from her kitchen or her farmyard, the sportsman expresses himself in the idioms of sports, and the hunter of his hunting, or his dogs and horse etc. These idioms are terse, colloquial, vivid and charged with life. And before long they acquire a wide application to analogous situations in everyday life. Little by little the most vivid and most useful of these idioms make their way from popular speech into the standard language, and finally come to be universally understood. Suffice it to give a few examplesbelow:(13) A straw shows which way the wind blows.(14) As a man sows, so shall he reap?(15) To call a spade a spadeHere, the words `straw, wind, sow, reap, spade' are obviously things and activities connected closely with the everyday life of farmers.(16) To strike while the iron is hot.(17) To cry over spilt milk.The simple nature of these idioms and the simple words connected with daily life show that they are created by housewives and cooks.As Britain is an island country, a lot of English idioms have to do with sailing and fishing:(18) To clear the decks(19) To know the ropes(20) To go against the stream(21) To be all at sea.The words "decks", ropes", "stream" and "sea" make it clear that the idioms come from the pilots or seamen.Traditionally, China has been a large farming country. A high percentage of its population are farmers. Therefore, plenty of Chinese idioms are related with agriculture. They are the outcome of the Chinese farmer‟ work and have been handed from one generation to another. They reflect the diligent nature of the farmers:(22)种瓜得瓜,种豆得豆:Plant melons and you get melons, sow beans and you get beans.(23)对牛弹琴: To play the lute to a cowThe different plants and animals mentioned above show clearly that they were created by people doing agricultural work.Farmers, workers, cooks and housewives first used all the idioms on certain occasions. As time went by, people found they were also useful in some other situations. Time tested them and they became the popular sayings used in similar situations. Take "Throw a long line to catch big fish". It was used to explain in the beginning the action of "catching fish" only. As time goes along, people find it can express a similar situation of "doing something with foresight", which connects the idiom's meaning closely to people's everyday life now. In this way, many idioms become set phrases in the language to express similar situations.We know that Buddhism was once rather popular in China and is still followed by some people today. The Chinese people are very familiar with such words as“寺庙”temples,“和尚”monks and“菩萨”Buddha. That is why these terms are often found in Chinese idioms.(24)跑了和尚跑不了庙:The monk may run away, but not his temple.(25)做一天和尚撞一天钟:Go on tolling the bell as long as one is a monk. Similarly, in western societies, people believe that there are such things as God, hell, paradise, devil, etc. And the English translation of the Bible has alsoinfluenced the 1anguage profoundly. Therefore, some idioms reflect their fear of hell and some have come from the Bible.(26) Go to hell, damn you(27) To wash one's hands (to say one is no longer responsible for something)(28) To fight the good fight (the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak).Furthermore, many idioms show the life experience of people from all walks of life. They play a very important role in educating young people and passing down social values and norms. Such idioms are numerous both in English and Chinese:(29) Money makes the mare go.(30) Man proposes; God disposes.(31) Failure is the mother of success(32) Birds of a feather flock together.As is well known, both peoples created many idioms concern ing the “heart”, which they regarded similarly as the center of their soul, thought and emotion. Thus:(33) To lose heart: to lose courage, confidence, hope or to become dispirited and discouraged. (灰心丧气)(34) Heart and soul: with one's deepest feelings an d thoughts. …Heart‟ refers to emotion, and …soul ‟to mind or spirit. (全心全意;一心一意)(35) 心有灵犀一点通: Hearts which beat in union are linked.From the idioms mentioned above we can see that there is a surprising similarity in the origins of English and Chinese idioms. But on the other hand, owing to the different social background, customs and religions, differences are sure to appear in idioms in both languages, particularly in their national characteristics. The different opinions of the dog in English and Chinese are a good example. Though both have cultivated the habit of keeping dogs, the English people have a very high opinion of it, and the Chinese people often associate it with bad things.(36) Love me, love my dog.(37) Every dog has its day.(38)狗仗人势:Like a dog threatening people on the strength of its master's power.(39)狗嘴里吐不出象牙:A dog's mouth emits no ivory.The above idioms show their origins and national coloring. As idioms come from the lives of ordinary people, they unavoidably carry cultural characteristics closely connected with a nation's history, economy, geography, religion, customs and mentality. These constitute the next characteristic of idioms, namely cultural loading.4.2. The cultural loadingCulture, in this paper, does not mean one's ability to read and write. It means, as the authoritative anthropologist Edward B.Tytlor wrote: “Culture or civilization taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilitiesand habits acquired by man as a member of society(1871)转引”[6] p14. People agree that culture has four basic characteristics:1) It is learnt from society, not got from Heredity.2) It is shared by all of a society, not just a few individuals.3) It has the feature of symbol, and language is the most important symbolic system.4) It is an integrated unit and each of them is related to others.In human history, the greatest impacts on national culture include the change of the earth's surface, the migration of the races, and the conquests, assimilations and wars between groups. To analyze the cultural peculiarities of idioms, it is necessary to briefly review the major events that influence the origination and development of the two languages.5. Translation methods of idiomsTranslation is different from common communications. It involves a lot of factors, such as linguistic, cultural, psychological and art, etc. Therefore, it doesn't exclude the general rules, especially to the translators. After they finished the relevant inference and decision and began to do the code transformation, certain translation rules will avoid them from being blind. The important thing for them to pay much attention is to use the rules flexibly according to relevance principle.Techniques in translation vary, and we should use specific methods in treating specific problems, in another word, to find the optimal relevance. In the following sections, we shall discuss methods that can be used in dealing with specific idioms in translating from Chinese to English and vice versa, and try to analyze them in the light of relevance theory. Here are four main approaches.5.1 The literal approachThe Chinese and English languages are very different in their form and ways of expression on the one hand, and are similar in many respects on the other. To preserve the national character and the special coloring in the original work, and also accelerate the cultural exchange of the two nations, the first approach in idiom translation is the literal approach. It is used under the condition that the wording does not violate the rule of the target language. Take the Chinese idiom “雨后春笋”for example, we can borrow the English idiom "like mushroom" but the literal approach can also be used (if proper in the context) to translate it as "like bamboo shoots after a spring shower". Another example is “猫哭老鼠”.Though we can borrow the English idiom "to shed crocodile tears", we can also, and with better results, translate it as "the cat weeps over the mouse's death". Here, we introduce the image of "bamboo" to the English people, who will easily understand it, since pandas are becoming popular in the world now, and their food "bamboo" should also be well known to the people in the world. And the animals "cat" and “mouse", are also well known worldwide. The only problem is that the English-speaking people do not have exactly the same idiom. If we translate them in the literal way, we will not only translate the idiom's。
汉英习语翻译中的文化意蕴对比分析
汉英习语翻译中的文化意蕴对比分析最新英语专业全英原创毕业论文,都是近期写作1 中西方诚信文化对比2 影视作品中的中英电话礼貌用语对比研究3 从目的论角度研究培根《谈读书》的翻译4 形合与意合对比研究及翻译策略5 从文体风格谈培根散文《论美》的翻译6 论圣经诗篇的修辞特点7 英汉衔接手段对比分析--基于The Old Man and the Sea及其译本的对比分析8 浅析信用证认识上的误区及其避免途径9 班德瑞曲名汉译策略之解析10 论修辞格在英语广告中的运用11 英汉动物习语文化内涵对比研究12 从目的论角度分析中国商品说明书的英译13 文档所公布均英语专业全英原创毕业论文。
原创Q 175 567 12 4814 从《百舌鸟之死》探析美国种族冲突15 英文商标的汉译16 模糊语在国际商务谈判中的语用功能研究17 论《无名的裘德》中主人公裘德福雷人生悲剧的原因18 英语中的一词多义现象19 是受害者还是恶棍?——重新解读夏洛克20 马斯洛需要层次理论下的《奥兰多》21 A Cultural Analysis of Love in The Joy Luck Club22 试析《珍妮姑娘》中女主人公的悲剧根源23 中西方聚会文化差异比较研究24 英语交际中害羞心理产生的根源及其克服方法25 从跨文化的角度研究故事影片名字的英汉翻译26 翻译中的文化差异27 从中西思维差异角度看汉英翻译中的中式英语现象28 英汉化妆品说明书对比及汉译策略29 参与式教学法与初中学生英语口语能力的培养30 英汉句子状语的对比与翻译31 国际商务谈判中有效的非语言技巧32 论《蝇王》中的“性本恶”思想及人类文明的危机33 简爱的双重性格分析34 翻译中的性别--《简?爱》几个中译本的女性主义解读35 从模因论视角看年度流行语“给力”36 浅析海明威《战地钟声》中的女性形象37 中美时间观念的跨文化研究38 《黄鹤楼》五个英译本的语义等值研究39 浅谈多媒体在中学英语教学中的应用40 从《去吧,摩西》中的“熊”看福克纳对人性的探讨41 论《呼啸山庄》中希斯克利夫的心路历程42 The Comparison Between Chinese Numerical Idioms and English Numerical Idioms43 On the Chinese Loanwords from English44 目的论视角下的公司简介汉英翻译45 用合作原则和礼貌原则分析网络聊天室会话的含义46 Psychological Analysis of Stuttering in The King’s Speech47 对《一小时的故事》的批评分析48 Analysis on Earnest Hemingway’s Doom Consciousness in The Old Man and the Sea49 A Brief Study of the Causes of Em ily’s Tragedy in A Rose for Emily50 《鲁滨逊漂流记》“星期五”被殖民化分析51 A Study of Hawthorne’s Criticism on Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter52 伊丽莎白?班内特和姚木兰的比较研究53 非英语专业大学生英语学习动机调查54 浅析不同文化中的身势语55 埃兹拉?庞德和意象主义56 从女性主义视角分析《纯真年代》中两位女主人公的不同爱情观57 《喜福会》中母女关系浅析58 超验主义和美国个人主义59 从语用学的角度研究《傲慢与偏见》中的对话60 论矛盾修辞法在英语广告中的语用功能61 从电影《当幸福来敲门》分析中美价值观62 浅析MSN交谈中的话语标记语63 从《红楼梦》和《简爱》看中西方女性主义64 浅析合作原则在汉英广告语翻译中的运用65 从《哈克贝里﹒费恩历险记》看马克﹒吐温的幽默讽刺艺术66 英汉社交称呼语礼貌规范和语用失误研究67 (英语系经贸英语)浅析国际资本流动——以中国为例68 论英语小说中俚语的汉译69 A Tentative Analysis of the Reasons for McDonald’s Success70 Translation of English News71 浅析中美家庭教育的差异72 The Analysis of the Representative Images in The Waste Land73 浅析商务英语教学中跨文化交际74 《傲慢与偏见》中女性意识的体现75 从女性个人主义角度分析《罗密欧与朱丽叶》女性人物性格特征76 浅析凯特肖邦短篇小说中的女性意识77 桑德拉?希斯内罗丝《芒果街上的小屋》中女主人公的人物形象分析78 从中国传统民居乔家大院和西方哥特式教堂看中西文化差异79 A Comparative Study on the Two Chinese Versions of Anne of Green Gables from the Perspective of Receptional Aesthetics80 场独立和场依存对不同主题阅读材料的影响研究81 十九世纪英国女性小说中的两位灰姑娘——伊利莎白?班纳特和简?爱形象比较82 电影英文片名汉译的原则83 从许渊冲“三美论”看中国古典诗歌翻译的不可译和创造性再现84 个人主义在美国社会中的嬗变历程分析85 初中英语教学中教师情感投入的研究86 旅游翻译中的文化差异和处理策略87 《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中圣克莱尔一家的人物分析88 Thackeray’s Ambivalent Attitude towards t he Women in Vanity Fair89 人名名词词汇化问题90 对小说《野草在歌唱》的功能文体分析91 解读《金色笔记》中的女性主义92 艾米莉狄金森死亡诗歌的解读93 不同的阅读任务对高中生英语词汇附带习得的影响94 从关联理论看《茶馆》两个英译本中修辞格的处理95 中介语对二语习得的影响探究96 从《女勇士》中的女性形象看文化差异97 Roads to Happy Marriage: a New Conception of Feminism in Doris Lessing’s Novels9899 浅析多丽丝?莱辛《天黑前的夏天》中凯特的多重身份100 主位推进模式在语篇翻译中的应用101 约翰?斯坦贝克女性观流变初探102 论凯瑟琳﹒曼斯菲尔德作品中的彼得﹒潘情结103 英汉翻译中动物词汇的翻译104 《远大前程》中皮普成长的心路历程105 《红楼梦》汉译英对话翻译过程中人物个性的保留106 浅析合作原则和礼貌原则在商务信函中的运用107 解读奥斯丁小说《诺桑觉寺》对哥特传统的模仿与颠覆108 论《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物悲剧的必然性109 A Study on Chinglish of EFL Learners in Junior High Schools in China110 《德伯家的苔丝》中的意象分析111 英汉色彩词的语用对比研究112 托尼莫里森《宠儿》的哥特式重读113 吸血鬼传说对英国文化的影响114 庞德对李白诗的误读——《华夏集》诗学探微115 A Feminist Analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen116 职场女性的言语行为的礼貌原则117 《宠儿》中的女性形象分析118 浅析肯德基在中国的本土化策略119 中学生学习英语的焦虑感及对策120 A Comparison of the English Color Terms121 辩证论视域下神似与形似的相互关系研究122 浅析《哈克贝利费恩历险记》中的自由123 网络语言特色分析124 解析马克吐温《竞选州长》中的幽默讽刺艺术125 The Symbolic Meanings of Colors in Chinese and Western Cultures126 从跨文化角度看文化空缺翻译127 麦都思眼中的中国宗教形象128 奥斯卡?王尔德童话的唯美主义研究129 解读托尼?莫瑞森小说《所罗门之歌》中黑人身份的迷失与回归130 从归化和异化的角度看张谷若《德伯家的苔丝》的翻译131 理智的喜剧,情感的悲剧析《理智与情感》中的婚姻观132 The Lexical Features of Black English in RAP Music and its Influence133 商务活动中的习俗、礼节和礼仪探析134 论《某人住在一个多美的小城镇》的语言艺术(开题报告+文献综述+论文) 135 浅析清教思想在霍桑《红字》中的体现136 An Analysis of Syntactical Features and Rhetoric in English Speech137 凯瑟琳?曼斯菲尔德《幸福》中的女性主义解读138 浅析《掘墓人的女儿》所体现的犹太寻根主题139 浅谈《红楼梦》诗词的文化意象翻译140 A Study of Hawthorne’s Notion of Science as Shown in “Rappaccini's Daughter”141 The Application of Cooperative learning in Oral English Class of Junior School 142 英语法律文本翻译原则143 A Study on Fuzziness of Advertising Language144 跨文化交际中英汉礼貌语言的差异145 中英社交禁忌习俗异同之比较分析146 从彼拉特透视托尼·莫里森的妇女主义147 斯托夫人《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中的宗教影响148 中西方婚礼习俗的差异149 论《红字》中“A”的象征意义150 试析修辞技巧在英语广告中的应用151 “集体无意识”理论观照下艾米莉的悲剧性152 第二语言习得中的正迁移与负迁移153 Mother Tongue Influence on the Learning of a ForeignLanguage154 论《兔子归来》中黑人民权意识的觉醒155 《黄鹤楼》五个英译本的语义等值研究156 商务英语信函中的礼貌原则157 从跨文化交际角度看中西方商务谈判158 A Comparison of Values between China and the West159 中西方创世神话文化的比较160 基于功能对等理论谈美剧《生活大爆炸》双关翻译161 中西方节日文化差异研究162 如何运用情景教学法进行初中英语词汇教学的探讨163 中美幽默的比较164 浅谈英语词汇中的性别歧视现象165 从目的论看林语堂《浮生六记》翻译中增译法的运用166 A Comparison of English and Chinese Animal Words167 探究中西方委婉语产生的文化背景168 论文化负载词的英译-以鲁迅小说《祝福》的英译本为例169 中英茶文化的比较和对比170 浅析《双城记》中狄更斯的浪漫现实主义171 比较分析《喜福会》与《日用家当》中两代人之间的文化冲突172 比较《西游记》与《哈利?波特》中的英雄形象173 论英语典故的起源和翻译174 从文化差异的角度论文学译者的翻译技巧175 An Analysis of Memoirs of a Geisha from the Perspective of Existentialist Feminism 176 Ra bbit’s Predicament and Dreamland177 A Comparison of the English Color Terms178 《傲慢与偏见》中的爱情和婚姻179 浅谈商务英语信函写作180 论《瓦尔登湖》的超验主义思想181 论《了不起的盖茨比》中的道德观182 《麦田守望者》中霍尔顿的性格分析183 A Comparison Between the Novel and Movie of A Clockwork Orange184 英文商务信函中的礼貌策略研究185 《彼得?潘》中的“成长”主题186 分析埃里森《隐形人》中美国的种族歧视187 英汉语篇衔接手段对比研究——以《荷塘月色》英译本为例188 从社会语言学角度解读《蜗居》对话折射的生存焦虑189 论《永别了,武器》的写作风格190 从爱默生的《论自然》看超验主义191 谐音现象促成因素及其启示的研究192 初中英语教学中的跨文化教育193 礼貌原则在英汉语言文化差异中的应用194 人性在《红字》中的体现195 英汉被动结构对比研究196 中西谚语的文化比较研究197 商务英语中缩略语的翻译策略198 从建立商务关系的角度对比中美商务礼仪199 中国文化特色词汇的音译与中国文化的传播200 浅析企业更名。
习语翻译中文化意象的处理原则
习语翻译中文化意象的处理原则2010年第6期山东教育学院总第142期习语翻译中文化意象的处理原则木高金岭(山东建筑大学外国语学院,山东济南250101)摘要:习语是形象思维与文化意象相结合的产物,中西方形象思维基本规律与构成的一致性以及大部分文化意象的全人类共有性,保证了中英大部分习语是对应的或部分对应的,也决定了习语的翻译应以归化为主;而中西方不同的文化传统导致了形象思维过程与结果的差异,这是部分习语不对应现象的根源,也是习语翻译须以异化手段为辅的理由所在.关键词:形象思维;习语翻译;文化意象中图分类号:H319文献标识码:A文章编号:1008—2816(2010)06—0068—05文化意象的处理是习语(idiom)翻译的难点,以往人们大多从文化的角度或从语言修辞的角度来解决习语翻译中的文化意象问题,但上述研究角度只能解决某些习语的翻译却不能涵盖习语翻译的所有问题.习语的基本特点在于它是形象思维与文化意象相结合的产物,与作为抽象思维产物的概念性词语与句子相对立.本文作者认为只有从形象思维与文化意象不同组合的角度才能比较全面地解决习语翻译中的文化意象问题.1习语是形象思维与文化意象相结合的产物1.1形象思维的本质特征形象思维是人类最基本的思维方式之一.在人类的认识中,一切认识都是从最初的形象认识,形象记忆,形象思维开始的.虽然人类发展了抽象思维能力,j且抽象思维成为主要思维类型,但人类还保持形象思维的习惯,因为经验告诉我们,形象是认识世界的基础,越是形象的东西,就越容易被认识和记住.下面我们从形象思维的构成与规律上来看形象思维的本质特征.陈明孔认为形象思维包括"表象,联想,想象,情感与抽象等方面",并分析其构成成分之间的关系如下:"表象是事物的外部形态,是思维的基础. 离开了表象,思维就无法进行.联想是把表象和生活经验结合在一起进行思考,是思维的开始;想象是在表象和联想的基础上进行分析,推理和判断的思考,是形象思维的最高体现.情感是表象,联想,想象唤起的生活体验和情绪.抽象是在以上思考的基础上进行高度的概括和总结,是思维的结果.可见想象是形象思维的核心".¨.''本文作者基本同意上述分析,但认为抽象不是形象思维的构成部分,因为抽象思维有时也借助于表象,联想与想象使说理透彻,也会借助于情感的力量来说服, 它们之间的区别就在于形象思维从不脱离鲜明具体的形象,从不上升到概念范畴进行抽象的概括, 认为形象思维最后必须有抽象的确定的意义是用抽象思维凌驾于形象思维的结果,这种界定事实上破坏了形象思维质的规定性,混淆了这两种思维方式的概念界限.中西方在形象思维的构成上,即表象,联想,想象与情感这些环节上,是一致的,但受文化冈素的影响,相同的表象在不同的民族却可能具有不同的联想意义与情感色彩,也就是说中西形象崽维的过程存在差异.根据朱光潜先生的意见](',形象思维有三条基本规律,这三大规律紧密联系共同规定着形象思维的本质特征:(1)抽象思维必须有形象思维做基础,在发展本论文得到山东省高等学校优秀骨干教师国际合作培养项目经费资助. 收稿日期:201O—()9—29作者简介:高金岭(1972一),男,…东高青人,副教授,博士.总第142期山东教育学院?69?顺序上形象思维先于抽象思维,这是形象思维的第一条规律.这里我们可以看出形象思维的优越性:形象思维是独立的,而抽象思维则需要以形象思维为基础.(2)形象思维以隐喻(metaphor)的方式认知.最明显的例证就是在一切语言里大部分涉及动物以及无生命的事物的表达方式都是从人体及其各部分以及从人的感觉和情欲方面借来的隐喻.(3)形象思维借助于想象性的类概念(Imagi—naryclass—concept)而不是抽象的概念范畴来表情达意.这种想象性类概念就是用个别具体事物的形象代表类的概念或类的属性,很显然与前文所说的表象是一致的,它们是形象思维的材料,没有它们,形象思维就不能进行.中西方在思维规律与思维构成上是一致的,但在思维的某些环节上(联想,想象与情感)则存在差异甚至是巨大的差异,而这种差异会使相同的表象出发却导致不同的甚至相反的思维结果.1.2习语的基本特征与形象思维的三大规律相适应,习语也有三大基本特征,这三大特征也是相互联系,密不可分的.(1)形象性.习语借助于鲜明的形象而不是借助于概念来表情达意,一旦失去了形象性或把它们作为概念进行推理判断,习语就不成为习语,而成为普通词汇,如:tokilltwobirdswithonestone(一石双鸟);to strikewhiletheironishot(趁热打铁)上面两个习语都是借助于birds(鸟)stone(石)iron(铁)hot(热)strike(打)这些事物的形象而不是它们的概念来构成的,最后得到的也是鲜明的形象.(2)比喻性.比如上面两个习语,如果我们不把它们看成是比喻性的而是作为两个陈述性的短语来看待,那么它们也就不再是习语.比喻性是几乎每一个习语的基本特征,最明显的莫过于动物性与无生命的事物的习语.与形象思维的规律一致, 任何语言里涉及动物以及无生命的事物的习语大部分是从人体及其各部分以及从人的感觉和情欲方面借来的隐喻.walIshaveears(隔墙有耳)Failureisthemoth—erofSuccess(失败是成功之母).而涉及人的一些行为举止的习语也以其他生物的形象为隐喻,但可以肯定这些习语是晚出的, 因为人类是先认识具体的事物然后才开始注意到比较抽象的事物属性.Aswiseasanowl,worklikeabeaver.以及"望子成龙;衣冠禽兽"等.(3)民族性.习语的民族性是由于习语所借以表情达意的文化意象在不同民族具有不同的联想,情感与想象而产生的.我们知道习语借助于具体事物的形象而不是概念来判断推理,这些表示类的概念或属性的个别事物形象,在各民族漫长的历史发展中慢慢形成一种文化符号或意象,具有相对固定的独特的文化含义,带有丰富的,意义深远的联想,人们只要一提到它们,彼此立刻心领神会,很容易达到思想的沟通.但由于不同民族各自不同的生存环境,文化传统,相同的形象在不同的文化中往往会具有迥异的含义,相反,不同的文化意象则很可能具有相同或相似的含义.例如,狗在中西方文化中的意象就非常不同,在汉语中与狗有关的词汇大多是贬义的,如狗仗人势,狗眼看人低等等;英语词汇中有关狗的习语往往具有褒义的比喻色彩,如aluckydog,Everydog hashisday.老虎在汉族的心中是尊贵的"百兽之王",所以,汉语有很多与之有关的带有褒义色彩的习语,如:将门虎子,虎踞龙盘等.在英语中狮子则为百兽之王,如:beardthelioninhisden,alionin theway等,这里虎和狮子的意象就具有相同或相似含义.这种个性鲜明的想象性类概念,或说文化意象既是一切形象思维的基础,也是习语存在的基础.从以上关于形象思维的分析与习语的特点可知,习语是形象思维与文化意象相结合的产物. 1.3中英习语的对应与不对应现象中西方形象思维基本规律与构成的一致性以及某些物体与现象(如太阳,月亮,白天,黑夜等都是各民族共有的文化意象)的全人类共有性,这些保证了中英大部分习语是对应的或部分对应的,这些习语不仅形象相同,而且文化含义也基本一致.高金岭:习语翻译中文化意象的处理原则2010年第6期也就是说,这类中英习语在表象,联想,情感与想象这些环节上都是相同或是相近的,例如两个民族都把羊比喻成温顺的人或物,钢铁比喻成坚强的人或物,驴比喻成蠢笨的人,狐狸隐喻狡猾,猴子隐喻顽皮和淘气,狼隐喻凶残等.而中西文化差异,包括地理环境,民间传说,语言神话,社会历史发展,风俗习惯,宗教信仰,价值观念,科学技术,文学艺术等生活方式的总和,就决定了某些事物和现象是不同地区或不同民族的文化特有的,而某些文化意象虽然是共有的,但在联想意义,情感色彩或想象规律上存在较大的差异.这些是中英习语不对应现象的根源.1.3.1完全对应的习语凡人类都有共同的或相似的知识和经验.不管他们属于什么民族,他们都表现出人类的一些共同特征.这就是为什么汉英两大民族差异甚大,但在各自的语言里却有着许多相同或相似的习语.这种完全相同或对应的习语在中英语中为数甚多: Stirupanestofhornets捅马蜂窝;Aboltfromthesky晴天霹雳等.还有一类特殊的对应习语那就是已经被目的语接受的外来习语:armedtotheteeth武装到牙齿;丢面子,toloseone§face等.需要注意的是习语的假对应现象,在中英语中存在一些意象相同,联想意义,情感体验与想象规律不同的习语,这些习语的数量虽然有限,却极具欺骗性,往往造成理解与翻译的困难,应特别重视,来看一个例子(肖辉,2004:44).Child'splay与儿戏:表面上看,二者简直一字不差,但它们却不是对应的习语,因为与"Child'S play"产生想象关联的是"非常容易做的事情,不大重要的事情."与"对重要工作或事情不负责,不认真的态度"的"儿戏"完全不同.1.3.2意象不同而联想,情感与想象相同或近似的习语这类习语恰恰说明两个民族在相同思维规律支配下"异曲同工"的创造,也就是说,除去意象不同以外,这类对应习语在联想意义,情感色彩与想象的创造性方面都是相同或相近的.在中英语中这一类习语占了很大比重,如挥金如土与spend moneylikewater,水底捞月与fishintheair,挂羊头卖狗肉与cryupwineandsellvinegar,画蛇添足与toputthefifthwheeltothecoach等等.但是我们需要防备表面对应的习语,如一箭双雕与tokilltwo birdswithonestone,它们含有不同的联想意义,属于不对应习语.1.3.3习语的不对应现象形象思维是以文化意象为材料进行的,由于中西生活方式的巨大差异,某些文化意象是某个民族独有的或对其异常重要的而在另一个民族则可能不存在或不受重视;这些差异也必然会在中英习语中表现出来,无对应习语的存在是必然的,如A- chilles'heel,blacksheep在汉语中就没有对应的习语.而"望子成龙,红白喜事"等在英语中也没有对应的习语.2习语中文化意象翻译的原则习语的翻译,归根到底,就是一个在目的语中找出与原语具有相同的联想,想象与情感的文化意象的过程,或说是两种语言中的两个文化意象在共同形象思维规律的支配下其思维过程乃至思维结果的同化过程,这个同化过程也是两种文化的融合过程.相反,将为原语所独有而译语中原本不存在的语言表达方式与文化意象由译语直接写出则是一种异化策略,这种策略所得到的译文对于译语及其读者来说是异质的成分,但是从长远来看,这种具有异化色彩的直译又是一种特殊的同化手段,也就是说,一个具有异质色彩的习语一旦被译入目的语中,就开始了被同化的过程,其结果不是被同化就是被抛弃,从这个角度来说,异化是同化的一种特殊表现方式.此外,还有一种常见的习语翻译现象,那就是把作为形象思维产物的习语翻译成作为抽象思维产物的概念术语,或是相反,把普通词汇翻译成习语,这种作法事实上是用一种思维方式的规律侵犯另一种思维方式的规律,这也可以看作习语翻译的一种异化手段,不过与上面的异化法不同的是这种作法(意译与增译)只是一种权宜之计,永远都带有异质色彩.可见,习语的翻译表面上是表达方式的转换和文化意象的对应问题,实质上思维方式起了关键作总第142期山东教育学院用,因为习语的表达方式是形象思维在习语中的直接表现,表达方式的新颖是创造性想象的结果.异化并不是与归化完全排斥的对抗性概念,而是后者的有益补充.习语翻译的目的是为了让本国读者通过本国文字了解他国文化,译语表达中出现的个别由直译引起的异化现象是为了让译语读者更好地理解源出语文化的一种手段,尤其是随着时代的发展,国际间交往日益频繁,各民族之间的了解加深,文化的异质色彩逐渐淡化,许多词类异化的译文成为目的语的通用习语,异化成了归化, 因此直译的译文不一定都是异化的译文.当然异化翻译的习语要为读者接受也有一定的限制,须符合目的语的规范,这些规范主要是: (1)必须符合目的语的构成法则(2)约定俗成. honeymoon的异化译文"蜜月"由于符合汉语习语的构成法则,形象鲜明,现在已经成为被普遍接受的习语,而puttingthecartbeforethehorse的异化译文"把马车放在了马前面"由于不大符合汉语习语的构成法则,而且译语读者很难产生相同的联想,想象号隋感体验,其被接受的可能性则较小.3习语翻译的归化与异化手段3.1习语翻译的常用归化手段习语翻译的常用归化手段一般有两种:释义法与套译.释义法是在保留原语的意象或类似联想的前提下为了丰富汉语的表达法以及上下文的连接所做的归化变通.释义着眼于揭示背景,介绍习俗及阐释典故,为顾及文化信息的传递,一般采用先直译,再对文化信息词加注的办法:汉语中的常见谚语"三个臭皮匠合成一个诸葛亮"翻译成:''ThreecobblerswiththeirwitscombinedequalZhu Ge—liang,themastermind."就是典型的例子.若没有补充"wits","amastermind"等附加释义,不了解汉语背景的外国人就无法产生这个成语的原读者所产生的想象.套译法在习语翻译中是一种主要的归化手段,这是由于中英语中大量存在的习语都是完全对应或部分对应的情况.从下面的交际情景中我们能体会到套译法的优势(衡孝军,2003:77):王刚:喂,汤姆!这些天来你为什么总是心神不安的?汤姆:因为我要作一个重要的决定.我想换个工资高一点的工作.王刚:你现在的工作挺好的.你总是这山望着那山高.汤姆:我不明白你说的是什么意思.王刚:我是说,你"对现状总是感到不满意".汤姆:原来如此.你的意思是:篱笆那边的草总比这边的绿.WangGang:Hello,Tom!Whydoyoufeelun—easythesedays?Tom:BecauseIhaveaveryimportantdecision tomake,1wanttochangemyjobandgetahigher salary.WangGang:Y ourpresentjobisverygood.To youitisalwaystheothermountainthatlookshigher. Tom:Idon'tunderstandwhatyoumean. WangGang:Imeanyou"alwaysfeeldissatisfied withyourstatusquo".Tom:Isee.Y oumean"Thegrassisalways greenerontheothersideofthefence".3.2习语翻译的常用异化手段习语翻译的常用异化手段一般有三种:直译,意译与增译.直译在上文已经简要介绍过了,这里主要来看一下意译与增译这两种异化手段.习语意译是指受上下文的限制,对于不益使用归化手段而直译又会导致误解或破坏目的语的构成规则的习语,需要舍去它的意象与形象思维模式而代之以概念与抽象思维模式,这些操作都是以读者的接受为目标的,是不得已的选择,如:See--sawingbetweenpartlygoodandfaintlyomi--nous,thenewsforthenextfourweekswasneverdis—tinct.在那以后的四个星期里,消息时而部分有所好转,时而有有点不妙,两种情况不断地交替出现,一直没有明朗化."See.sawing"原意是"跷跷板",根据这里的语境,翻译成"两种情况不断地交替出现"要比译成"跷跷板似的起伏不定的情况"好得多.增译是习语翻译中为使译文与原文总体上达高金岭:习语翻译中文化意象的处理原则2010年第6期到动态对等而发挥译语优势以习语来翻译原文概念性词组或句子的异化手段.这种手段某种程度上弥补了意译的损失.比如汉语中习语极其丰富,尤其是成语,成语使用得当可使行文生辉,获得更好的效果,难以数计的普通英语词都可以找到成语替代词,如下面划线部分的翻译: TheUSbureaucracyhassomehowmanagedto survivetwocenturiesoftinkeringbymembersofCon—gressandoftenhyperactivepresidents.美国政府的行政管理机构总算经受住了两百年来国会议员和常常是不安职守的总统们那种东一榔头西一棒子调整改革.意译与增译这种异化策略只是在上下文的框架中一种迫不得已的选择,在习语翻译中只是归化法的一个有益补充.对于千变万化,多姿多彩的习语,我们只有从形象思维角度才能找到英汉习语成功翻译的坚实基础.在习语翻译中,最关键的是文化意象的处理,原语文化形象的保留,舍去或更换,译者要以它们在读者的心目中所引起的联想,情感与想象是否一致为标准.参考文献:[1]陈明孔.歌唱与形象思维[J].海南大学人文社会科学版,2000,(2).[2]肖辉.英汉语用差异视阈下习语文化可译性探究[J].上海科技翻译,2004,(1).[3]朱光潜.朱光潜全集(第十卷)[M].合肥:安徽教育出版社.1996.[4]衡孝军.从社会符号学翻译法看汉语成语英译过程中的功能对等[J].西安外国语学院,2003,(2).[5]刘宓庆.当代翻译理论[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,1999.[6]王德春等.汉英谚语与文化[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社.2003. TheStrategytoDealwiththeCulturalImagesintheTranslationofIdioms GaoJinling (TheForeignLanguagesSchoolofShandongJianzhuUniversity,Jinan250101,China)Abstract:Thepaperbrieflystudiedtherelationshipbetweenimaginativethinkingandthecre ationofidioms.Theconclusionofthe paperisthatmostidiomsarecreatedbywayofimaginativethinking.Sincethebasicprinciples ofimaginativethinkingarethesamebetweenChineseandEnglish,thetranslatingstrategyofmostidiomsissupposedtObedomes tication.Keywords:Imaginativethinking,Idiom,Culturalimage(责任编辑:王治河)。
“熊”及相关习语在英汉语言中的文化涵义与翻译
“熊”及相关习语在英汉语言中的文化涵义与翻译动物习语作为人类智慧的结晶,承载着鲜明的民族特色和文化内涵,丰富了各民族语言。
在与飞禽猛兽的长期博弈中,人类赋予“熊”这一动物意象特殊的含义因受到所处的地理位置、文化背景及宗教信仰等因素的影响,人们对它的情感错综复杂,自然就产生了不同的联想意义和文化内涵。
本文试图探析“熊”在中西方文化中的不同寓意的同时,努力寻求正确理解和翻译有关“熊”的习语的恰当方法,达到促进中西方文化交流的目的。
标签:熊习语文化内涵翻译方法一、引言在中西方文化中,人们对熊的认识中都保留有强壮、力大无穷和笨拙的特点。
但由于受到不同的地理环境、历史因素、宗教信仰和审美倾向的影响,“熊”在中西方不同文化背景中往往具有不同的文化内涵。
因此,读者在遇到这些习语时,如果不能充分理解相关文化背景下的动物意象,难免会望文生义,造成理解上的偏差。
译者的任务就是充分了解这些意象所代表的文化内涵,恰当地选择翻译方法,还原最本真的意义,帮助读者真正了解原文作者的意图,达到跨文化交流的目的。
二、“熊”在汉英文化中的文化内涵(一)“熊”在汉语中的文化意义“熊”在中华民族文化中历史悠久。
人们对“熊”的崇拜已经成为古代汉文化特有的一种现象。
如从“熊”图腾氏族分出来的姓氏有很多,“熊”姓便是一个很大的分支。
据《世本》《古今姓氏书辨证》及《元和姓纂》等所载,商末人鬻熊才高八斗,学富五车,曾为周文王之师,辅佐周文王推翻殷商建立周王朝,被封为护国侯。
鬻熊曾孙熊绎以王父字为氏,称熊氏。
周朝天子分封诸侯时,西周成王偏僻荒凉的“楚蛮”之地封与熊绎。
熊绎开辟荒野,建立楚国,建都于丹阳(今湖北秭归东南)。
春秋时,楚国疆土倍增,军事实力增强,势力扩展到中原,为春秋五霸之一,自此熊氏便改为熊姓。
“熊”是力量的象征,所以很多习语中的“熊”也代指人,如“虎背熊腰”通常“形容人的身体魁梧强壮”,“熊心豹胆”比喻“人的胆子非常大”。
“老熊当道”比喻“猛将镇守要塞”。
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第31卷 第3期 湖北广播电视大学学报 V ol.31, No.32011年3月 Journal of HuBei TV University March. 2011, 108~109习语翻译与文化意象邓道骏(成都信息工程学院,四川 成都 610225)[内容提要] 奈达的动态对等理论强调主体对受体的反应,而习语翻译过程应注重文化因素在人的头脑中所映射的文化意象的转换。
异质同构和文化间的相互作用和影响,说明文化意象的可转换性,而概念空缺使其存在局限性。
在些理论基础上,本文分析习语翻译过程中文化意象处理策略。
[关键词] 习语;文化意象;异质同构;概念空缺[中图分类号] H059 [文献标识码] A [文章编号] 1008-7427(2011)03-0108-021.引言习语有固定语言结构,其意义不等于每个构成单词意义相加,而且也不能拆分。
习语的形成与语言所属的民族文化是紧密相连,从某种意义上说,文化是产生习语的温床(骆世平,2006:25)。
习语是人们在漫长的社会历史中所累积下来的文化沉淀在语言层面上的表现,有很强的文化内涵。
习语非常的简练,生动,而且具有很强的形象性。
从认知心理角度来看,人们在理解习语时,不仅是领会其语义含义,同时还会激活贮存在记忆中的成语所反应的文化事实的原型。
确切的说,“形象化”是语言反映外部世界以及表达思维的一种特殊方式,它借助的不是抽象的理论,而是具体的的形象的基本特征,因此形象化语言的特点就是它的具象性或描绘性,它的功能不是唤起人的理性思维,而是为人的思维抚今提供一个有形、有色、有声的映象(image )(刘宓庆,1999:47),而文化意象(cultural image )指的是文化因素在人的思维中提供的映象。
在习语的翻译过程中,一方面我们应该注意概念意义的转换,在目标语中准确表达语义内涵,做到“达意”的要求;另一方面,习语的文化内涵及其在人的头脑中所影射的文化意象,即习语的形象意义的转换。
2.文化意象的可转换性探讨奈达在1964年首次提出“动态对等”论,要求使译文读者对信息反应基本上等同于原文读者对信息的反应。
这一理论的提出,在西方及国内译学界引起了巨大的反响。
中国翻译界之所以看得奈达理论,也正是因为这一理论在处理语言转换问题上具有抛开形式看内容,撇开语言差异看读者反应的特点(王东风,2000:314)。
然而,不同学者对功能对等理论提出不同的看法。
尽管这个理论还不能够解释所有的翻译问题,但是它强调是主体对受体的反应,从而扬弃了把翻译重心放在词汇及语法层面上的主张,使我们可以从主观反应上来研究习语的文化因素在头脑中形成了意象。
2.1. 异质同构现象语言是人们用来表达他们对世界的经验包括内心感受,描述周围所发生的事情或情形(Thompson ,2000:28)。
人们使用语言,首先从客观世界获取经验,然后经过大脑处理过程,最后用声音或文字表达出来的一个过程。
索绪尔认为,语言符号是由概念加上声像来表示客观存在的物体,如图1:刘宓庆(1999:99)提出,尽管操不同语言的人对客观事物或物质实体的认识可能各有其不同的认识特征,但是他们的认识依据,即物质基础是同一的。
正是由于这种所指的图1 (根据Bell 2001:85)一致,才使语际之间有转换的基本条件。
因此,某一概念或意义在一语言中用形式A 来表达,而在另一种语言中则会用形式B 来表达,这就是语言之间存在的同构现象(isomporhs )(王东风,2000:314)。
对于习语的翻译,可以借助索绪尔的语言符号系统来解释,如图2:图2 习语翻译时符号,概念以及文化意象如图2所,尽管两种语言用不同的文字表达了两个习语“火上加油”和“add fuel to the flames ”,但所表达的概念意义是一样的。
同时,使用这个习语时,人们头脑中产生的文化意象(中间的图形)是完全相同的。
在具体的翻译过程中,异质的表达方式与原文不同质的表达方式在一定语境中表达同样的语义概念,从而执行相同或相似的交际功能。
2.2. 不同文化相互影响作用 从宏观的角度来看,文化间互动为习语意象的转换提供客观现实的条件。
显然,中西文化的差异给翻译文化特色极强的习语带来了重重的困难,但随着人类不断的发展,不同文化间的距离会越来越小。
语言是文化的组成部分,同时语言又是文化的表现方式之一,文化的交流会使不同语言间的接触增多,而产生语言间的相互“借词”现象。
一百年前,西方人对中国的功夫还不了解,现在一提到Chinese Kungfu ,西方人的头脑中会产生一种象征着力量和技巧的映象。
2.3. 文化因素导致的概念空缺[收稿日期]2011-01-11作者系成都信息工程学院外国语学院讲师。
空缺,使习语翻译的时候要么完全放弃源语中的文化因素以及在源语读者中脑中产生的文化意象,要么翻译时采取直译加注的方法,让目标语读者接触一种新的文化词语。
但需要强调的是,这种翻译策略下的文化意象也不完全一致,因为正如王东风指出的一样(2000;319),源语读者有生活的原形可以恢复,因此其认知反应自然而亲切;而目标语读者由于没有相关的原型可以恢复,而只能重新建立,因此其反应而陌生而新奇。
此外,文化意象是从读者主观上来阐释文化因素,不同时期,不同环境以及不同的教育程度等都可能影响文化意象形成及转换。
不同文化中的读者对于自己所处的社会与文化有着独特的敏感性,读者的这一独特的文化敏感性正是作者在创作语言作品的语用前提(王东风,2000;319)。
习语是在长期历史发展过程中,源语读者对文化及社会感受的反应用固定的言语形式的表达,在不同的文化领域目标语读者要完全领会并产生同样的文化意象有一定的局限性。
3.文化意象的处理方法翻译习语是在目标语中保留语义意义和处理文化因子相结合的过程。
习语翻译过程当中,概念意义的转换是基础,也是最重要的部分,因为翻译基本性质就是一种信息在语际之间的转换,但也同样应该注意和重视其文化因素及文化意象的处理。
3.1. 直接转换文化意象当今世界上,任何一种文化都不可能孤立的存在,两者必定有重合的地方,这种现象称之为文化重合(cultural overlap)(许文胜,2000:332)。
这种重合现象使得不同的两种文化之间的文化意象直接转换成为了可能。
正如前文所谈到的,人类在某种基本生活经验方面是相同的,这些元素通过不同语言符合表现出来,但所指对象是同一个物质。
这一类习语就落到了文化重合区内,它们之间无论是概念意义,还是文化意象,都可以直接对等的转换,如:汉语习语“丢面子”译成lose face,“火上加油”可译成to add fuel to the flames,英语习语如to strike while the iron is hot可译成“趁热打铁”,而to head a wolf into the house译为“引狼入室”等。
3.2. 改变或放弃文化意象翻译出来的成果是要受到检验标准的制约,具体说,任何翻译成果都要受到社会接受力(social acceptability)的检验(刘宓庆,1999:53)。
这一客观制约性,决定了习语翻有一些习语是在特定的历史条件下产生的,有非常独特的意义,如一些寓言故意或典故派生出来的习语。
这类习语一般较难直接进入目标语,翻译时只有放弃文化意象,保持它的概念意义,执行翻译的基本功能。
例如:Lieut. Jackson showed the white feather in battle by skulking in the rear译为:“杰克逊少尉打仗时躲在后方,露出了他的胆怯”,放弃了文化意象。
如汉语“粗枝大叶”和“初出茅庐”分别译成to be crude and careless和at the beginning of one's career也是同样道理。
3.3. 增加文化意象翻译习语的过程是一个受客观性制约的过程,但在这个过程当中,译者可以根据源文的文本类型,语境等因素采取灵活的翻译策略。
从这个意义上来说,翻译过程同样也是译者发挥主观能动性的过程。
在这个过程当中,为了修辞达意,文体着色的效果,在不改变习语所指意义的条件下,可以增加或增添文化意象。
例如:Finally she found out the real state of the case. 这个句子可以增加文化意象,译为:“她终于把这件事情弄得水落石出了”,Truth will com to the light可译为“纸包不住火”,而汉语成语如“分辨良莠”翻译过程当中增加文化意象,译为:"Separate the sheep from the goats"。
4.结束语虽然文化间存在差异,但由于语言间存在异质同构现象,以及文化间的相互作用影响,文化意象在不同文化间转换是有可行的,但概念空缺也使其有一定的局限性。
根据不同的情况,译者在翻译过程中可以直接转换,增加或放弃文化意象。
翻译习语时,即要重视所指意义在语际转换时的准确,也要重视文化意象的处理。
只有做到这两点,才能够在“达意”的基础上,做到“传情”的效果,方是翻译中的上乘之作。
[参考文献][1] 骆世平. 英语习语研究[M]. 上海外语教育出版社,2006.[2] 刘宓庆. 当代翻译理论[M]. 中国对外翻译出版公司,1999.[3] 王东风. “评Nida的读者同等反应论”[A]. 杨自俭主编. 英汉语比较与翻译[C]. 上海外语教育出版社,2000.[4] Thompson, Geoff. Introduction to Functional Grammar[M]. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2000.[5] Bell, Roger. Translation and Translating: Theory and Practice[M]. Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2001.[6] 许文胜,朱章华. 英语比喻性词语中文化内涵及翻译[A]. 郭建中主编. 文化与翻译[C]. 中国对外翻译出版公司,2000.Translation of idiom and its cultural imageDENG Dao-jun[Abstract] Nida's “dynamic equivalence” theory puts emphasis on the reaction of receptor to message.In the translation of idioms, importance should also be attached to the conversion of cultural image---the image of cultural elements projected in the mind. Heterogeneous isomorphis and interaction between different cultures make it possible to convert cultural image while the denotative gap puts limitation on it. According to the theories discussed above, strategies for the treatment of cultural image are analyzed.[Key words] idiom; cultural image; heterogeneous isomorphis;denotative gap。