英译汉的难点(习语的翻译)

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Content
• 一、习语的特点 • 二、习语的翻译
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一、习语的特点
• 广义的习语（idioms），包括俗语（colloquialisms）、 谚语（proverbs）和俚语（slang expressions）。 • 英语习语是在英语的发展过程中，经过长期的社会实 践提炼出来的短语和短句，是语言的精华部分。 • 习语大都具有鲜明的形象，适合用来比喻事物，且短 小精悍，易懂易记，为广大人民群众所喜闻乐见。
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二、习语的翻译
一、直译法
• 所谓直译法，是指在不违背译文语言规范以及 不引起错误联想的前提下，在译文中保留英语 习语的比喻、形象、和民族色彩的翻译方法。
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• under one’s nose • armed to the teeth • packed like sardines • sour grapes
• Well, it’s too late to hide now. I must try to avoid suspicion by throwing them off the scent. • 如今即使赶着躲，想罢也躲不及了，少不得要使个金蝉脱壳的 法子。 • 英语习语“to throw (put) sb. off the scent”与汉语成语“金蝉脱壳” 形象喻义很接近，都含有“用计脱身”的意义，在这里可以借 用。
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to praise to the skies
to fish in troubled waters
捧到天上
浑水摸鱼
to add fuel to the fire
to be on thin ice at sixes and sevens six of one and half a dozen of the other a drop in the ocean to laugh off one’s head to shed crocodile tears
不知所措
下地狱去
一败涂地
永远完不成的工作 潘多拉之盒， 灾难、麻烦、祸害的根源 谗言可畏 精疲力尽 完蛋、毁灭、破产
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• (1) (There is ) no rose without a thorn. • 没有不带刺的玫瑰（世上没有十全的幸福；有乐 必 有苦）。 • (2) Bad workmen often blame their tools. • 拙匠常怪工具差。 • (3) It is a long lane that has no turning. • 路必有弯；世上没有直路。 • (4) One swallow does not make a summer. • 一燕不成夏。 • (5) Great men are not always wise. • 再聪明的人也有糊涂的时候。 • (6) He who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl. • 近朱者赤，近墨者黑。 • (7) God helps those who help themselves. • 上帝帮助自助的人。 19
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五、汉Hale Waihona Puke Baidu同义习语套用法
• I think, and I certainly hope, those stories are terribly exaggerated. Our intelligence says they are. Still, where there’s smoke— • 我觉得，我当然也希望，这些报道是夸大了。我们的情报人员 说是这样。不过，无风不起浪—— • “where there’s smoke”是习语“where there’s smoke, there’s fire. ”(有 烟必有火；无火不起烟)的简化。
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四、兼用直译和意译
• The captain scratched the beginnings of five o'clock shadow and look away.
• 上校一边用手抓着下午五点钟长出来的络腮 胡子茬，一边向远处望去。（这句里 的 ”five o'clock shadow”, 如果直译为“五点 钟的阴影”，中国读者一定难以理解，只好 一部分直译，一部分意译。）
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辨认习语
(１)违背常理的句子
• My neighbours are continually quarrelling, but it is usually a storm in a tea-cup . • 我的邻居们老是争吵不休，常常是为了 点小事儿大吵大闹。
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(２)违背语法规则的表达。 • He was blown to kingdom come. • 他被炸死了。 • I'm afraid this sudden wet weather has put paid to （ =finish, destroy ） our picnic. • 恐怕这突如其来的雨天已使我们的野炊泡汤 了。
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(３)以like, as等简单的词开头的习语。 He accepted his defeat like a lamb （ =meekly ） . • 他毫无反抗地接受了自己的失败。 • They're the same height, or as near as (=nearly; almost) makes no difference. • 他们全是一般高，分不出谁高谁矮。
在某人鼻子底下 武装到牙齿
挤得象沙丁鱼罐头
酸葡萄
• a gentleman’s agreement
• the Trojan horse
君子协定
特洛伊木马
• the heel of Achilles
• the sword of Damocles • the cold/hot war
阿基里斯的脚跟
悬在达摩克里斯头顶上的剑 冷/热战
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二、直译加注
• Don't know, Captain, but it sounds like Grace is in there talking to her boss at NIS. She mentioned killing off the investigation. Sounds to me like some serious circling of wagons has been going on. • 不知道，上校，不过听起来葛瑞丝好像正和她 的调查局老板谈话，她提及撤消调查。听起来 像是真的要把大篷车围起来了。（ circling of wagons 涉及美国的文化背景，美国人从东部 向西部移民时，路上常遇印第安人袭击，于是 他们就把大篷车围起来自卫。此处指当权者怕 调查深入，火烧到自己身上，于是撤销调查自 保。）
• (8) Love me, love my dog. • 爱屋及乌。 • (9) You are a lucky dog. • 你是一个幸运儿。 • (10) An old dog will learn no new tricks (You cannot teach old dogs new tricks). • 老狗学不出新把戏（老顽固不能学新事物）。 • (11) A good dog deserves a good bone. • 好狗应该得好骨头（有功者受奖）。 • (12) In ancient times if a man's eye was put out by his enemy, he might get revenge by putting his enemy's eye out. This was the rule of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. • 古时候要是一个人的眼睛被敌人挖去了，对方可以 把敌人的眼睛挖下来作为报复。这就是以眼还眼，以 牙还牙的原则。
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A cat has nine lives. 猫有九命。 Barking dogs do not bite. 吠犬不咬人。 A rolling stone gathers no moss. 滚石不生苔。 A light heart lives long. 不恼不愁，活到白头。
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六、增添法 • • • • milk and water 牛奶掺水，淡而无味 to shed crocodile tears 鳄鱼掉泪，假慈悲
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译者在翻译习语时，不仅要忠实地传 达原文的语言意义，还要准确地阐述 原作的文化内涵。通过两种语言文化 的对比，尽可能地保证原文与译文等 效或等值，使译文读者能够获得与原 文读者如出一辙或大致相同的感受。
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Assignments
rest on one's oars keep one's head above water 暂时歇一歇 奋力图存
all at sea
go to hell meet one's waterloo Penelope's web a Pandora's box give a dog a bad name and hang him dog-tired go to the dogs
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三、意译法
1）They didn’t invite him, for he is a wet blanket. • 他们没有邀请他，因为他是个令人扫兴的人。
2) Among so many well-dressed and cultured people the country girl felt like a fish out of water. • 在众多穿着体面而又有教养的人群里，这位乡下姑娘 感到很不自在。 3）We still love each other very much ，but we fight like cat and dog. 我们常吵吵闹闹，但仍很相爱。
火上加油
如履薄冰 乱七八糟/颠三倒四 半斤八两 沧海一粟 笑掉大牙 猫哭老鼠/鳄鱼的眼泪 挥金如土
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to spend money like water
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Strike while the iron is hot. 趁热打铁。 Walls have ears. 隔墙有耳。 Do as you would be done by. 己所不欲，勿施于人。 Little chips light great fires. 星星之火，可以燎原。 It’s a poor mouse that has only one hole. 狡兔三窟。 Do not teach fish to swim. 不要班门弄斧。 Money makes the mare go. 有钱能使鬼推磨。
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• (13) If it is a wet summer the firm making mackintoshes will find good markets, if there is a heat wave there will be a special big demand for bathing suits, if we have shares in both we need not feel unduly anxious about the weather, for what we lose on the swing we shall gain on the roundabouts. • 要是夏天雨水多，做雨衣的厂商就大有销路；要是 热浪袭人，游泳衣便特别吃香。如果我们两头都有股份， 那就用不着为天气担心。因为失之东隅可以收之桑榆。 • (14) The news that the firm was closing down came as a bolt from the blue to the staff. • 公司要倒闭的消息对该公司职员来说犹如晴天霹雳。 • (15) I suppose he will be awfully proud, and that I shall be treated most contemptuously. Still I must bear my hard lot as well as I can. -Vanity Fair • 我猜他是骄气凌人，不把我放在眼里，我有什么办 法呢？只能逆来顺受了。