Studies on the Translation of English and Chinese Idioms.doc

文化差异与习语翻译 studies on the translation of english and chinese idioms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。它结构固定而涵义深刻，用生动的形象明确地表达着深刻的思想。习语的形成与发展离不开社会历史与文化背景。中西方不同的自然环境和天气，宗教信仰，风俗习惯，历史和文学典故，思想方式促成了英汉习语之间的巨大差异。习语是人们经过长期使用而提炼出来的精华，形式简单、意思精辟的固定词组和短语。中英习语有着明显的文化差异，应该采用相应的翻译策略，如直译法、意译法、通过法、解释性翻译法、直译和意译法等。在翻译时，译者要对中英两国的文化有全面的了解，并建立自己的习语语料库，这样英汉习语的翻译才能做到准确、通顺和畅达。因此，深刻分析习语翻译的技巧有利于我们更好的来理解和应用文化背景知识。关键词: 文化差异 英汉习语 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. the formation and development of idioms is inseparable from social, historical and cultural background. the different natural environment and weather，religious beliefs，customs and habits， historical and literary allusions，thinking ways between the east and the west have all contributed to the great differences between the english and chinese idioms. idioms are the gems of a language which have been refined through ages of application. it fixed sentences or phrases which are concise in forms and comprehensive in meanings. chinese and english idioms have obvious cultural discrepancies. the appropriate translation strategies should be used, such as the literal translation, free translation, adoption, paraphrasing translation, literal translation pulsing free translation etc. the translators should have a comprehensive understanding on the eastern and western cultures and establish the idiom corpus so that the translation of english and chinese idioms will be accurate and fluent. therefore, analyzing the techniques of idioms translation helps we better understand the cultural background knowledge.key words: cultural difference; english and chinese idioms; translationcontents摘 要iabstractiiintroduction1chapter one the definition of idioms21.1 definition of english idioms21.2 definition of chinese idioms2chapter two cultural differences reflected by chinese and english idioms42.1 the influence of natural environment and weather of idioms42.1.1geographical conditions and features reflected in idioms52.1.2 influence caused by weather52.1.3 national characteristics of english and chinese idioms62.2 the influence of religious beliefs of idioms62.2.1 general remarks of british and chinese religious beliefs72.2.2 examples of religion-rooted idioms72.3 the influence of customs and habits of idioms72.4 the influence of historical and literary allusions of idioms92.5 the influence of thinking ways of idioms9chapter three strategy of chinese and english idioms translation113.1 literal translation113.2 free translation123.3 adoption133.4 paraphrasing143.5 literal translation pulsing free translation14conclusion16bibliography17acknowledgment1818introductionas is known to all, idioms are the important part of language. language is the most important communicative tool of all human beings. it plays its role as not only the carrier and form of culture but also the most vital element of transmission and inheritance of culture. as the cream of the culture, the idiom is a kind of widespread set phrases or sentences, with specific implications, abstracted from the spoken language and experience of the people and the classical works. due to its vivid image and profound connotation, the idiom is deeply loved by the masses. idioms frequently appear in the spoken language and literary works. chinese idioms have a solid cultural base to take root, develop and flourish now that the chinese nation has broad and profound culture. nowadays, the international status of china is upgrading gradually. as the essence of chinese culture and the crystallization of the wisdom of the common chinese people, idioms are bound to become an important part to promote the chinese culture to the knowledge of people of all the other countries. consequently, translation undertakes more tasks for and contributes more to translation. the purpose of this paper is to examine the cultural differences reflected in english and chinese idioms, and to offer a principle for and some methods of dealing with cultural differences in idioms translation.chapter one the definition of idiomsidioms are an important part of language and culture. they have been described as the crystallization of human wisdom. both english and chinese are abundant in idiom .in some sense, idioms are the reflection of the cultural concepts of certain social community, which makes it difficult to give clear-cut definitions of english and chinese idioms. 1.1 definition of english idiomsenglish idioms set phrases or expressions, colloquialism, proverbs and slangs. the definition of oxford advanced learners dictionary of current english idiom is a 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 the websters new world dictionary of the american language, 2nd college edition 1972 defines idiom as, “an accepted phrase, construction, or expression contrary to the patterns of the language or having a meaning different from the language or having a meaning different from the literal.”2li funning has another definition about english idiom in this way : an english idiom is an element of a language that possesses a unique way of expression based on its time-honored use. a simple definition of english idiom would be the use of common words in a special sense. professor lin chengzhang explains english idiom as followed: english idiom is a fixed group of word, or even a sentence, with a special meaning that cannot be guessed from its structure.3english idiom is especially true for a sequence of words which is semantically and often syntactically restricted, said hu zhuanglin.41.2 definition of chinese idiomschinese idioms set phrases, proverbs, slangs, two-part allegorical sayings (xiehouyu,歇后语) and common sayings（suyu,俗语）.in chinese ,there also exists linguistic constructions which are similar to english idioms, “chengyu”.according the xinhua chinese dictionary, in which , “chengyu”are fixed phrases which have the features of semantic unity and structural stability . he usually used as a word or a semantic unit in a sentence ,having strong expressive force ,mostly consisting of four characters.5in a broad sense ,the equivalent of english idiom in chinese is“suyu”.according to cihai, “suyu” are fixed phrase or sentences of a language, which cannot be modified arbitrarily . they must be interpreted as a semantic unit .they include set phrases , proverbs, maxims, locution and two-part allegorical saying , ectchapter two cultural differences reflected by chinese and english idiomsto study the culture of a nation, one must study the words and idiomatic expressions of this nation. eugene a nida, the famous translation theorist of america said, “the most serious mistake in translation and interpretation is always not caused by the improperness of words expression, but by the wrong cultural hypothesis.” “to great extents, translation is suffered the restraint of cultural factors” 6.english anthropologist edward tulor in original culture said, “culture is a complicated unit, which includes knowledge, faith, art, ethics, customs, ability and convention acquired from other societies.”7and language is not only the product of language, but also the important part and carrier of culture. the idioms of a nation are closely associated with its culture. english and chinese idioms are no exception to the rule. british and chinese different natural environment and weather，religious beliefs，customs and habits， historical and literary allusions，thinking ways are all stamped on their idioms.2.1 the influence of natural environment and weather of idiomsin a strict sense, natural environment and weather are not cultural. they are introduced here on the consideration that they interact with the ways of material production and consumption of a culture and sometimes seriously affect the existence of culture. this is a kind of cultural behavior, so natural environment and weather are more or less related to culture. natural environment is the essential condition for mans existence, so different living surroundings may exert different influences on the culture of a nation.8the value of culture is to inspire people to adapt themselves to the environment. if one wants to survive in the arctic pole, he should learn eskimo culture, eat raw foods and live in igloo. this is a kind of cultural behavior, so environment and weather are more or less related to culture.2.1.1 geographical conditions and features reflected in idioms britain is an island country, with atlantic ocean to the west and north, the english channel to the south and the north sea to the east. so british culture can be regarded as sea culture. there are a lot of idioms about sea and ocean.e.g. (1) all at sea: confused, not known what to do不知所措(2)a drop in the ocean: a quantity too small to make any improvement沧海一粟the long and bendy coastline promotes british sailing and fishing, so idioms of this kind are in large quantities.e.g. (1) plain sailing: a course of action that is free from difficulties一帆风顺 (2) when ones ship comes home/in: when one has become successful功成名就 (3) a big fish: an important and influential person大亨 (4) a fresh fish: a new prisoner新囚犯 (5) a poor fish: a foolish person愚蠢易欺的人 on the other hand, china, since time immemorial, has been a large continental country, only with seas to its east, and is chiefly based on agriculture. so a great number of chinese idioms are derived from agricultural production.(1) 种瓜得瓜,种豆得豆: as you sow, so will you reap? (2) 瑞雪兆丰年: a snow year, a rich year.besides, some particular geographical features in each country also play an important role in idioms. e.g. (1) to set the thames on fire: to do something remarkable; to make a brilliant reputation惊人之举(2) 不到长城非好汉: he who does not reach the great wall is not a true hero. (3) 上有天堂,下有苏杭: there is a paradise above and suzhou and hangzhou below.2.1.2 influence caused by weather the climate of britain is the typical temperate oceanic climate, rainy and foggy. the annual rainfall of the whole britain is about 1016mm. moreover, it is foggy on the island, especially in winter. china is a country with a vast territory and various climates and has the temperate climate in the north whereas subtropical climate in the south. it is rainy in the east whereas arid in the west. so the weather is diverse. the traditional chinese invented the lunar calendar, in which a year is divided into twenty-four solar terms. these solar terms are often used in proverbs to illustrate principles concerning weather and climate. the following are some examples: e.g. (1) rain cats and dogs: rain very heavily.倾盆大雨 (2) fog-bound: trapped by fog.因雾受阻 (3) it never rains it pours: misfortunes usually cone in large numbers. 不下则已，一下倾盆(4) 清明时节雨纷纷: unbroken spell of wet weather around the qingming festival2.1.3 national characteristics of english and chinese idioms summing up from above mentioned examples, we can see that both english and chinese idioms are reflecting their national geographical conditions and climates. on the one hand, there are some similar idioms. for instance, “a snow year, a rich year” equals “瑞雪兆丰年”, “cast not a clout till may be out” equals “吃了端午粽,棉衣远远送”, and “when round the moon there is a halo, the weather will be cold and rough” equals “月晕而风,础润而雨” . however, more idioms are different. chinese people have created a quantity of idioms on the basis of agriculture whereas british people have employed sea and fish into their idioms. chinese people appreciate east wind whereas english people enjoy warm west wind. in a word, different environments give birth to diverse national characteristics of idioms.2.2 the influence of religious beliefs of idiomsreligious belief is an important part in culture. different religious beliefs had different reflections in different idioms. this is really true of both english and chinese idioms. there are large amount of idioms related to religion beliefs existing in english and chinese language. spiritual culture, presented by beliefs and literatures, has greatly influenced idioms. the following part is to illustrate the influence of beliefs on idioms.2.2.1 general remarks of british and chinese religious beliefsthe origin of religion can be dated back to primitive society. it was a kind of super-nature power that the ancient people believed in. as time flied, new religions such as christianity, buddhism, taoism and islam came into being. a religion together with its own doctrine stands for a culture. most british people believe in god while more chinese people believe in buddha. bible has a large circulation in britain whereas there are many scriptures of buddhist and taoist religion in feudal china. “god”, “ heaven”, “devils”, “church”, etc, are often used in christianity, whereas “佛”(buddha), “庙”(temple), “和尚”(monk), etc, in buddhism.2.2.2 examples of religion-rooted idiomsdue to their different religions, the english and chinese people used different figures in their own idioms with religious allusions.e.g. (1) as poor as a church mouse: one is so poor that has no penny一贫如洗 (2)to play the devil with: seriously injure深深伤害 (3)to ride hell for leather: as quickly as possible尽快地 (4)跑得了和尚,跑不了庙: the monk may run away, but the temple cannot run with him.the bible and the buddhism scriptures have contributed a great deal to english and chinese idioms.e.g. (1) a tooth for a tooth: a punishment as severe as the injury that was suffered. the phrase comes from the punishment of perjury. (deuteronomy, 19,21)以牙还牙(2) a jobs comforter: one who aggravates the distress of the person he is supposed to be comforting. the allusion is to the friends of job who accused and exhorted him. (job, 16,21)约伯的安慰者(3) 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 as he gives up evil.(4) 苦海无边,回头是岸: the sea of bitterness has no bounds, repent and the shore is at hand.2.3 the influence of customs and habits of idioms customs and habits are also of importance in the english language as well, especially in the forming of idioms. because one nations custom is formed through a long history and firmly rooted in peoples mind. it is closely related to national psychology and acts as one important source of idioms. in different countries and nations customs drastically differ in various aspects. due to that, a lot of idioms turn out with varied dress. as for us, it is helpful to grasp the marrow of the languages as well as the translation between english and chinese. thereinafter, some example about eating habits and pet habits are offered to testify the view of point.unlike the chinese and most of the eastern peoples, the western people take bread as main diet. native speakers in great britain, united stated and australia are also included in this range. there are, therefore, some idioms specially constructed by these factors. for example, “take (the) bread from ones mouth” this sentence does not make any sense literally. in fact, it was a metaphorical phrase; it doesnt really mean that someone take (the) bread from ones mouth, but that make one lose his job. in this phrase, the word “bread” means job. another example, in sentence as “he earns his bread by working in a restaurant”, the phrase “earn ones bread” means 养家糊口, the word “bread” implies money.besides eating habits, there are lots of idioms coming from pet rising. in most western countries, such as english, pets are quite popular. and dogs are seen as very loyal animals and partners of human beings. they provide help in every aspect of peoples life. a kind of so-called “pet culture”, therefore, is formed based on this background. because of this culture, lots of canine idioms are coined.on the one hand, there are many idioms in which pets have positive meanings. such as, “you are a lucky dog”, which means a person who are very lucky one or “every dog has his day”, that means “every man has his own happy day.”on the other hand, a few canine idioms also have negative meanings. that is due to the effects of the bible. in the holy book of christian, the dog is described as a kind of in-immaculate, carlish animals. take the example of “the dog returns to his vomit”. the whole sentence if from bible and it implies that someone is doing some sins again.moreover, some of these idioms have figurative means and are hard to understand without the background articles or cultures such as “let sleeping dog lie” or “in the doghouse”. the former one means, when a mad dog is sleeping, let it lie and do not wake it up, which implies do not make trouble with some bad person. and the later one implies to snub somebody or something.2.4 the influence of historical and literary allusions of idiomsin english and chinese, some idioms are derived from historic events, fables, myths and so on. with simple structure, it has profound meanings and ethic characteristics, which can reflect the orient and western cultures. so it is necessary for us to learn and to understand english allusion in addition to chinese allusion. it enlarges our scope of knowledge, widens our field of vision useful to learn about the origin and the development of english and chinese language and literatures. for example, “东施效肇”, in庄子，天运 means imitating somebody stupidly . “名落孙山”，refers to pe