On the Translation of English Idioms of Animal.doc

关于动物习语的翻译on the translation of english idioms of animalabstract：animal idioms play an important role in both english and chinese for their abundant figurative images, distinctive functions and their expressiveness. the similarities and dissimilarities of figurative images between english and chinese animal idioms reflect the dual nature of human culture evolution. this article probes into its reasons of the dissimilarities from different living conditions, different religions, customs and loanwords. thus it draws a conclusion that we should pay more attention to the implied cultural information when we transmit language information in cross-cultural communication. so, only when we have a good grasp of different cultural origins of both nations and pay more attention to two noticeable problems that are: never use heavily nation-colored terms and never assume the meaning of english idioms from the linguistic level can we translate the idioms in a proper way.key words: animal idioms; figurative images; cultural dissimilarity; translation摘 要: 动物习语以其丰富的比喻形象，独特的作用和表现力，在英汉两种语言中都占有一席之地。英汉动物习语的异同反映了人类文化进化的二重性。文章运用大量的实例，从生存环境、宗教信仰、习俗、外来语四个方面分析了产生动物习语文化差异的原因，指出在进行跨文化交际时，不仅要准确无误地传达信息，更要重视隐含在其中的文化信息。因此，当我们翻译英语习语时，应该了解中英之间的文化差异，在翻译中切不可望文生义或是生搬硬套，应力求忠实地传达源语作品的精神和思想，开拓文化视野，丰富译语词汇；并通过翻译实现文化互动和文化交流。关键词：动物习语；比喻形象；文化差异; 翻译contentsi.introduction.1a. culture and translation.1b. idioms and their culture2ii. the idioms of animal .3iii.the influence of culture on the translation of english idioms of animal .6a.the english idioms and geography.6b. the english idioms and custom7c. the english idioms and religion.7iv.the main methods of translation.8a.literal translation8b. free translation.9v. some special characteristics during the translation of english idioms.10a.total correspondence.10b. partial correspondence.11c. no correspondence completely.11vi. conclusion12works cited.14i. introductiona. culture and translationtranslation in both the west and china is under the influence of some cultural factors, such like the role of geographical, customs, and historical background, etc. therefore, translation should not be constrained in the realm of dictionaries or grammars, but is a kind of cultural interaction; we should take up cultural translation on the basis of linguistic rendition in order to catch up with the need of social development and cultural communication. idioms mainly come from peoples daily life, which carry rich cultural connotation.different countries have different cultures. different cultures are loaded by different language. then, translation, as a dynamic procedure of rendering languages, takes up the task of conveying cultural connotation embedded in languages. learning a foreign language well means more than merely mastering the pronunciation, grammar, word and idioms. it means learning also to see the world as native speakers of that language see it, learning the way in which their language reflects the ideas, customs, and behavior of their society, learning to understand their language of the mind ”.learning a language, in fact, is inseparable from learning its culture.culture is an extremely complex concept and an enormous subject. scholars have all racked their brains for a proper definition of “culture”, but till now no consensus has been reached upon a generally satisfied definition. what has been considered as classic about “culture” was provided by the 19th-century english anthropologist, edward burnett tylor, in the first paragraph of his primitive culture: “cultureis that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, moral, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as member of society”(1871)besides, the well-known translation theorist, nida, believes that culture is “the totality of beliefs and practice of a society”. (1993:105) as thus defined by the two great scholars, culture covers a very wide area of human life and behavior. from my point of view, culture is criterion coming from peoples shared experience, and its for people to evaluate their words and actions whenever and whenever they are. it is universally acknowledged that language is bound up with culture in one way or another. language is a product of social and cultural development and thus no language can be separated from its social and cultural environment. on the other hand, culture is embedded in the language we use for communication; it is language that expresses, embodies and symbolizes cultural realities. therefore, translation, a dynamic means of rendering language, is the best way to convey cultural information. without translation, there would be no cultural communication. b. idioms and their culture featuresidioms are the cream of language. derived from the language native speakers, english idioms carry profound cultural implications. when it comes to peoples daily life, are all involved into idioms. if they are translated appropriately, the original spirits and meanings of a text will surely be faithfully conveyed, clearly understood and accepted by the target language readers and both chinese and english vocabulary will be enriched to provide a broader cultural vision. english and chinese belong to two completely different language families. there exists more differences than similarities between them. besides, the variety of english idioms adds to the difficulty of translation. however, we can always find some practicable strategies that can help us to solve various problems that may arise when translating them.just as it is hard to define “culture”, it is uneasy to give a clear-cut definition to “idioms”, for it can be in various ways. oxford dictionary defines it as follows:phase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit. (1997:734)longman gives such a definition:a group of words with a special meaning of the individual words.(2005:7)in spite of the differences in definition to an english idiom, the common characters are clearly shown. first, an idiom can be a phrase, a clause or even a sentence, which is directly pointed out in the oxford dictionary. it is based on this fundamental definition that common saying and proverbs are lists into the field of idioms. second, unlike a linguistic pattern, the meaning of an idiom can not be predicted from the meaning of its individual or constituent word. for example, the idioms “cats and dogs” cannot be understood as two kinds of animals. this is the very difference between idioms and other linguistic pattern. third, an idiom must be learned as a whole unit and cannot be separated although it can have different tense forms. that is to say, stability and wholeness are characteristic of idioms. from this, we can see language is the main carrier of culture, whereas idioms can be called the cream of language. english idioms form an essential part of the general english vocabulary and constitute the most colorful and fascinating aspect of english. commonly used in all types of language, informal and formal, spoken and written, they reflect the native speakers surroundings, life, history and culture, etc. and are therefore closely associated with their innermost spirit and feelings. so, when we talk about cultural characters of language, idioms are undoubtedly more typical than any other language form. ii.the idioms of animalthe animal is the friend of human from the ancient times. in peoples daily life, including food, clothing, shelter and translation, we cant live without animal. because of this, in the peoples produce or life, there formed many idioms about animal. nearly, every language has the vocabulary of animal. people use the animals name to express some meaning or the name of animal in different areas, they act different functions and play different roles, moreover, as people have different views of society or different feelings, and also add other reason, such as the influence of religion, that leads to peoples different association of animals. so, people use the different characteristics of animal and different views of animal, not just translate one language into another, but to translate one culture to another, that is to say, consider more cultural factors in the translation of idioms.in both china and england in a different language may not always be easily understood. there are some examples such as :“you chicken!” he cried, looking at tom with contempt.the stork visited the howard johnstons yesterday.from the first sentence, we know that chicken means a coward, a person without courage; that a visit by the stork means the birth of a baby. to english-speaking people, the bear does not carry the same associations as it does to chinese. the animal might be considered fierce or dangerous; a bear in a zoo or wildlife park might be regarded as mischievous or playful, but not stupid, incompetent, good-for-nothing, as is implied in the chinese remark above.the loach, which is not all common in most english-speaking countries, would merely be considered as another kind of fish; people would not think of it as being slippery and untrustworthy. however, there does exist the english satiny slippery as an eel which has the same meaning and feeling as the chinese expression about the loach above.from what has been said, it is clear that people often associate certain qualities with certain creatures or subjects. the qualities often arouse certain reactions and emotions, although there is a little or no scientific ground for such association. the qualities that are associated, or the emotions that are aroused, are not always the same with different peoples. so, lets see some cultural differences relating to certain birds and animals. the first difference is creatures having certain associated characteristics in one culture, but not in the other. we can take the beaver and the crane as examples. the beaver is chiefly a north american animal, not widely known in china. its constant activity, its habit of gnawing down trees and building complex “home” and its skill and ingenuity in doing this have eared for the animal the name eager beaver. an eager beaver is a person who is anxious to get something done, works hard, and is somewhat impatient. the term sometimes has a slightly derogatory connotation. the crane is a symbol for longevity in chinese culture. thus parents giving names like鹤年and 鹤龄 show their hope that the child will live to a rope old age. the crane is often paired with the pine tree, which is a symbol for sturdiness and long life. in paintings and art design, the two often appear together with the motto松鹤延年.gifts with such design are favorites for old people, especially on birthday occasions. but to western minds, the crane does not arouse any such association. if there are any associations at all, they probably came from stories about the in aesops fables. the second difference is creatures with certain associated qualities in both cultures, but with different qualities. under this, let us consider the owl, the bat, the dog, and the petrel.as wise as an owl indicates that english-speaking people associate wisdom with this bird. in childrens books and cartoons, the owl is usually solemn and wise. in disputes among birds and beasts, it is the owl that acts as judge. in monuments of crisis, it is the owl that they go to for advice. sometimes the bird is considered as impractical and foolish, but in the main, the owl stands for wisdom. among many chinese, however, there is a superstitious belief that the sign of an owl or the sound of the creatures hooting is enough to cause people to draw back in fear. an american woman, ignorant of the chinese feeling, often wore her favorite owl pin on her dress when she first came to china. she was surprised that people often stopped to stare or point at the pin. a number of times she was asked why she was wearing such a thing. only when it was explained to her how chinese feel towards the bird did she realize how inappropriate her habit was.the bat is usually associated with negative qualities in the west. as bind as s bat, crazy as a bat, hes bit batty, have bat in the belfry are typical expressions of the negative associations. they may be even worse. mention of the bat often evokes the image of an ugly, sinister, blood-sucking creature. this may possibly be because of the vampire bat. the emotions aroused in english-speaking people are similar to those that the dreaded owl arouses among chinese: fright and revulsion. to chinese, however, the bat is a symbol of good fortune, well-being, and happiness-all positive qualities. the reason for such associations is probably happiness because the name of the creature is pronounced the same as the word福.thus the popularity off the traditional design that shows the bat and the deer together, 蝠鹿,pronounced the same as福禄-good fortune, happiness, wealth and position. mans best friend is sometimes heard in english conversation or seen in english writing. how many chinese know what animal is being referred to? many would be surprised that it is the dog. to many chinese, it would be unthinkable for the dog to be given such an honor. dogs, in china, are generally associated with unpleasantness. consider name-calling in chinese:狗东西，狗改不了吃屎.admittedly, the qualities that have endeared the animal to western people are found in dogs in china as well: loyalty, dependability, courage, intelligence. but in china, dogs are first of all watchdogs, not pets. they are kept because they are useful, not because they make good companions. generally they are considered a necessary evil, to be tolerated but not loved. it should be point out, however, that english-speaking people do not always speak of dogs endearingly. you dog! that cur! son of bitch! are fairly common swear words in english. but such swearing does not change the animals status. the dog is still “mans best friend” in the u.s. and great britain.the petrel in present-day chinese culture is a bird to be emulated. the mental image that the term evokes is a small lonely bird winging over the vast ocean-braving storms and flying with stamina and courage. many young people in their monuments of fantasy compare themselves to the petrel, struggling to get ahead in the vast world of humanity, braving hardships and adversity, advancing with perseverance and courage. the petrel emerges in many juvenile diaries, flits in and out of youthful fictional writings, and appears as the trade mark for a number of products. what a blow it is, then, to discover how little respect westerns have for the bird. a stormy petrel is “a person regarded as a herald of trouble, strife or violence or someone who delights in such trouble, etc.”(lado 45) from the differences of idioms in the two nations, we can see if we want to translate some idioms, it would not only translate the meanings from one language into another, but also translate one culture into another. our aim is to use a proper way to know or to learn more about other countries, and make every effort to achieve the final requirement that is the cultural of communication.it is argued that proper translation about idioms involves two types of views: use the literal translation to translate the idioms, this way is to translate word by word, the translator appropriately credit authors for their original ideas (zhang 65). and the second type is to use the same meaning of idioms to translate the chinese or english idioms. from the argument, we can see that the former type of view pays more attention to the authors original style and content while the latter type of view stresses to use the same meaning of word to translate the idioms among chinese and english. iii.the influence of culture on the translation of english idioms of animaldifferent geographical features, customs, and historical background cause the cultural differences between china and england. so, it is necessary to know more background culture when we translate idioms. the english idioms of animal we translated should be precise; during the translation we should consider more cultural factors in the two nations. with the development of cultural communication, more and more idioms will widely show up in english movies, books, newspapers, and real life communication. an idiom is a word or a group of words that can not literally translated form the source language into the receptors because an idiomatic meaning can not be understood by literally defining its component parts. we can pay more attention from these following parts.a. the english idioms and geographythe geography is peoples living surroundings, of which many things like weather, plant, and animals, etc. are all taken into idioms to express something. “rain elephants and whales or rain cats and dogs” allude to heavy rain; “drink like a fish” means drink too much wine; “there are other fish in the sea” means there are many girls or boys waiting for you to choose.b. the english idioms and customin the britishs eyes, a lion is the king of animals. their national emblem is a lion seal and the royal family mark lion and unicorn on things that belong to them. therefore, the idiom “the lions share of something” means “the largest part of something that is being shared” and “beard the lion in his den” means “challenge a strong rival”. differently, tiger is looked on as the head of animal world in china and therefore symbolizes bravery and power.dogs, in china, are generally associated with unpleasantness. consider name-calling in chinese. admittedly, the qualities that have endeared the animal to western people are found in dogs in china as well: loyalty, dependability, courage, intelligence. the idioms just like “love me love my dog” and “red dog beer” means very good and valuable wine. but in china, dog are first of all watchdogs, not pets. they are kept because they useful, not because they make good companions. generally they are considered a necessary evil,