Culture Differences in Proverb Translation 谚语翻译的文化差异.doc

谚语翻译的文化差异【摘要】谚语是一种结构简洁，并富有生活哲理性的语句。谚语内容精辟，寓意深邃，因而有广泛的感染力，谚语往往能反映一个民族的地理、历史、社会制度、社会观点和态度。简而言之，谚语就是反映了人们的生活及生活环境，基于此，谚语同时也反映了其不同的文化特征。文章首先介绍了文化空缺的由来，然后对英汉两种语言中，谚语所蕴含的文化内涵从地理、历史、宗教三个方面进行了比较。【关键词】文化缺省；文化；谚语【abstract】a proverb is“a short well-known statement that contains advice about life in general;proverbs contain folk wisdom and therefore they provide interesting glimpse or clues to a peoples geography,history,social organization,social views,attitudes.in short,they reflect a peoples living and living environment.for this reason proverbs are culture-specific.this paper first deals with the origin of cultural vacancy and the relationship between culture and proverbs,then attempts to compare proverbs,chinese proverbs versus english proverbs,from the perspective of cultural contexts,that is,regional,conventional,and religious cultures.【key words】cultural default;culture;proverbs0.introduction the translation of one language into another language is far more complex than most people think.most people assume that a text in one language can be accurately translated into another language,as long as the translator uses a good bilingual dictionary.unfortunately,word to word translations cases could make lots of mistakes,laughingstock,and sometimes even misunderstandings occurs,because cultural diversities plays crucial role in successful translation.language,a carrier of the culture，english and chinese proverbs,intermingled with culture,serve as vehicle devices of different nations,for the multiplicity of geography, history,religious beliefs,life styles,and customs.therefore,cultural conflicts stand in the way of translation between the two languages.this paper aims to explore the principles and methods of image manipulation on translating english and chinese proverbs form the perspective of proverbs from the perspectives of proverb discourse and cultural context.1.cultural vacancy and its causes in english and chinese proverbs american linguist charles f.hockett fist brought out the theory of vacancy in the late 1950s of 20th century,which has been gradually developed into cultural vacancy.considerable differences between ecological environments,way of livelihood,and way thinking define the differences between cultures,where therefore,metaphors and images find different expressions. each language has its profound cultural connotations relative to its own physiology,conventions,religious belief and so on.eugene a.nida has categorized culture into five kinds:ecological culture,linguistic culture,religious culture,material culture and social culture.english and chinese proverbs,closely related to culture,convey different cultural features and messages of their own nation,reflecting their own rich culture.nida once said:“difficulties arising out of differences of culture constitute the most serious problems for translators and have produced the most far-reaching misunderstanding among readers.”proverbs originate from the process of peoples working and recognizing the world. it is a brief familiar maxim of folk wisdom,usually compressed in form, often involving a bold image and frequently a jingle that catches the memory. like a mirror,proverbs can reflect the cultural features of a people. for this reason,proverbs are culture specific.as far as origin is concerned,there are much more differences than similarities between different cultural features conveyed in english and chinese proverbs. 1.1 differences between regional cultures regional culture refers to the culture shaped by different regions, living environments,and living conditions.different language forms,as the partial reflection of regional culture,are applied by different and nations to show their attitudes towards one thing or phenomenon. therefore,regional differences exert effort on the expressions of english and chinese proverbs.people who live along seacoasts and whose livelihood is dependent upon the sea will have proverbs about sailing and about braving the weather on the sea.nomadic people will have proverbs about pastureland,about cattle,sheep,and horses and about wolves. british enjoys a typical marine climate,thus there are many proverbs related to the ocean.for instance: (1)any port in a storm.(慌不择路。) (2)rats desert a sinking ship.(树倒猢狲散。) (3)a small leak will sink a great ship.(小漏沉大船。) (4)let anothers shipwreck be your seamark.（前车之覆，后车之鉴。） these proverbs are all related to navigation.they best represent am insular culture,while their equivalents in chinese demonstrate a continental culture.either the english ones or the chinese ones are used metaphorically.the sharp contrast is that when expressing these similar ideas english speaker turn to their experience in the sea for vivid and witty expressions,while chinese speakers turn to their experiences to their experience on land for similar expressions. the geographical environment influences climate,which in turn shapes the differences of english and chinese proverbs.high mountains in the west and vast sea in the eat feature the chinese mainland.so many chinese proverbs bear regional flavor.for example, (1)留得青山在不愁没柴烧。 as long as green hills remains,therell never be a shortage of firewood. (2)城门失火，殃及鱼池。 a fire on city wall will bring disaster to the fish in the moat. (3)江山易改本性难移。 the leopard cant change its spots. (4)路遥知马力，日久见人心。 as distance tests a horses strength,so time reveals a persons heart. 1.2 differences between conventional cultures since both chinese and english nations have long history and rich cultural legacy,there are a large amount of proverbs that reflect their different customs and conventions.chinese people traditionally use 12 animals,representing the 12 earthly branches,to symbolize the year in which a person is born.spring festival 2009,for example,is the year of the ox.people born in this year of the ox.it seems that the westerners dont like“dull(ox,cow,cattle)”as much as the chinese people do. when one is near his old age,they say,“the black ox has trod on his foot.”when one often makes troubles,they say“he is a bull in a china shop”;when one dose something that cant be brought about,they say “he milks the bull”;when one likes talking big without action,they say “he shoots the bull”. but the chinese people like to use this animal,which is often described as the one with broad body,great strength,especially people us it to speak highly of those who are as busy as bees,serve the people heart and soul,immerse themselves in and devote themselves to their work selflessly.we still remember luxun once said,that is“横眉冷对千夫指，俯首甘为孺子牛”,and the version is“fierce-browed,i coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers;head bowed,like a willing ox i serve the children.when the tiny things are referred to,the chinese people say “九牛一毛”;when one has made tremendous efforts to do something, they say“他用了九牛二虎之力”;when one is very skilled in his trade, they say“庖丁解牛”;when all sorts of bad characters are mentioned, they say“牛鬼蛇神”;when one has stubborn temper,they say“牛脾气”;when one makes a fuss over a trifle,they say“杀鸡用牛刀”.the different associations with the ox belong to differences having creatures with certain associated qualities in both english and chinese cultures but with different qualities.more examples are to illustrate the proverbs that reflect conventions with different creatures in both chinese and english: (1)人有失手，马有失蹄。it is a good horse that never stumbles. (2)狼走千里吃肉，狗走千里吃屎。the leopard cant change its spots. (3)狗嘴里吐不出象牙。what can you expect form a dog but a grunt? the above proverbs are examples,which show evidently the conventional cultural differences.from what has been said,it is clear that people often associate with certain creatures or objects according to their own conventions.these qualities that are associated are not always with different people groups.so translators should pay more attentions to the conventions of the source language when translating proverbs. 1.3 differences between religious cultures religion is an important source of proverbs,religious cultures,formed by religious beliefs and consciousness of different nations constitute the main component of human culture.it reflects different attitudes toward admiration and taboo of each nation.the chinese proverb“泥菩萨过江，自身难保。”is apparently relate to buddhism which was once very popular in china.christianity is the dominant religion in the west,mainly english-speaking countries.here are some examples: (1)whom god would ruin,he first deprives of reason.上帝要毁灭谁，必先夺其理性。 (2)god sends meat and the devil sends cooks.上帝赐给食物，魔鬼派来厨师。 (3)each cross hath its own inscription.每个十字架都有自己的铭文。 these proverbs are apparently related to christianity,and that is the major religion in the west,so it is only natural that many proverbs are related to christianity in one way or another.chinese culture is deeply influenced by taoism,buddhism,and confucianism,among which the effect of buddhism is the most inveterate.so chinese proverbs obviously mirror the influence of buddhism.the proverb“放下屠刀，立地成佛。（give up vice and return to virtue.）is a good example.the allusion if the proverb was originally persuade those who once did bad things change themselves into good people.more examples as followings, (1)善有善报，恶有恶报。 goodness will meet with good recompense and evil with evil recompense. (2)八仙过海各显神通。 like the eight immortals soaring over the ocean,each of you show your true worth. (3)学而不厌，诲人不倦。 studying tirelessly and enlightening others indefatigably. obviously,most foreigners coming across chinese proverb