英汉习语的文化差异及翻译.doc

英汉习语的文化差异及翻译 副标题： 作者：佚名 文章来源：本站原创 点击数：29 更新时间：2005-5-15 习语是某一语言在使用过程中形成的独特的固定的表达方式。本文所要讨论的习语是广义的、包括成语、谚语、歇后语、典故等。英汉两种语言历史悠久，包含着大量的习语，它们或含蓄、幽默、或严肃、典雅，不仅言简意赅，而且形象生动，妙趣横和，给人一种美的享受。由于地理、历史、宗教信仰、生活习俗等方面的差异，英汉习语承载着不民的民族文化特色和文化信息，它们与文化传统紧密相连，不可分割。习语中的文化因素往往是翻译中的难点。本文试图借助语用学的理论，对英汉习语的翻译作一些探索。 美车哲学教授H.P.Grice在他的Meaning一书中把话语的意义分为自然意义（natural meaning）和非自然意义（non-natural meaning）两种。话语的非自然意义指人们意欲表达的意义，即在特定的场合下表达出交际者意图的语用隐含意义。这就是Grice的会话含意（conversational implicature）理论的基础。那么，由于英汉两种语言的文化背景的差异，同样字面意义、形象意义的话语文章可能具有完全不同的隐含意义。隐含意义才是说话人或作者所要表达的意义。根据我们的观察，英汉习语之间的多方面差异可归为两类：一是形象意义的差异，一是隐含意义（包括褒贬义）的差异，而它们都是字面以外的意义，是文化差异的具体反映。由此出发，本文提出了英汉习语文化意义翻译的具体原则和方法。 一、英汉习语中所反映的文化差异 朱光潜先生在谈翻译一文中说：“外国文学最难了解和翻译的第一是联想的意义”，“它带有特殊的情感氛围，甚深广而微妙，在字典中无从找出，对文学却极要紧。如果我们不熟悉一国的人情风俗和文化历史背景，对于文字的这种意义就茫然，尤其是在翻译时这种字义最不易应付。”英国文化人类学家爱德华泰勒在原始文化（1871）一书中，首次把文化作为一个概念提了出来，并表述为：“文化是一种复杂，它包括知识、信仰、艺术、道德、法律、风俗以及其作社会上习得的能力与习惯。”可见文化的覆盖面很广，它是一个复要的系统。语言作为文化的一个组成部分，反映一个民族丰富多彩的方化现象。我们经过归纳总结认为，英汉习语所反是非曲直的文化差异主要表现在以下几个方面： 1、生存环境的差异 习语的产生与人们的劳动和生活密切相关。英国是一个岛国，历史上航海业曾一度领先世界；而汉民族在亚洲大陆生活繁衍，人们的生活离不开土地。比喻花钱浪费，大手大脚，英语是spend money like water，而汉语是“挥金如土”。英语中有许多关于船和水的习语，在汉语中没有完全相同的对应习语，如to rest on ones oars（暂时歇一歇），to keep ones head above water（奋力图存），all at sea（不知所措）等等。 在汉语的文化氛围中，“东风”即是“春天的风”，夏天常与酷署炎热联系在一起，“赤日炎炎似火烧”、“骄阳似火”是常被用来描述夏天的词语。而英国地处西半球，北温带，海洋性气候，报告春天消息的却是西风，英国著名诗人雪莱的西风颂正是对春的讴歌。英国的夏季正是温馨宜人的季节，常与 “可爱”、“温和”、“美好”相连。莎士比亚在他的一首十四行诗中把爱人比作夏天，Shall I compare thee to a summers day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate。 2、习俗差异 英汉习俗差异是多方面的，最典型的莫过于在对狗这种动物的态度上。狗在汉语中是一种卑微的动物。汉语中与狗有关的习语大都含有贬意：“狐朋狗党”、“狗急跳墙”、“狼心狗肺”、“狗腿子”等，尽管近些年来养庞物狗的人数大大增加，狗的“地位”似乎有所改变，但狗的贬义形象却深深地留在汉语言文化中。而在西方英语国家，狗被认为是人类最忠诚的朋友。英语中有关狗的习语除了一部分因受其他语言的影响而含有贬义外，大部分都没有贬义。在英语习语中，常以狗的形象来比喻人的行为。如You are a lucky dog（你是一个幸运儿），Every dog has his day（凡人皆有得意日），Old dog will mot learn mew tricks（老人学不了新东西）等等。形容人“病得厉害”用sick as a dog，“累极了”是dog-tired。与此相反，中国人十分喜爱猫，用“馋猫”比喻人贪嘴，常有亲呢的成份，而在西方文化中，“猫”被用来比喻“包藏祸心的女人”。 3、宗教信仰方面 与宗教信仰有关的习语也大量地出在在英汉语言中。佛教传入中国已有一千多年的历史，人们相信有“佛主”在左右着人世间的一切，与此有关的习语很多，如“借花献佛”、“闲时不烧香，临时抱佛脚”等。在西方许多国家，特别是在英美，人们信奉基督教，相关的习语如Good helps those who help themselves（上帝帮助自助的人），也有Go to hell（下地狱去）这样的诅咒。 4、历史典故 英汉两种语言中还有大量由历史典故形成的习语，这些习语结构简单，意义深远，往往是不能单从字面意义去理解和翻译的。如“东施效颦”、“名落孙山”、“叶公好龙”等等。英语典故习语多来自圣经和希腊罗马神话，如Achillesheel（唯一致命弱点）、meet ones waterloo（一败涂地）、Penelopes web（永远完不成的工作）、a Pandoras box（潘多拉之盒棗灾难、麻烦、祸害的根源）等。 Shallow to discuss culture and education , English of teaching The language is a carrier of the culture, and a main form of expression of the culture. The language develops with national development, the language is a component of the social national culture. Different nationalities have different culture , history , folkways and customs and local conditions and customs ,etc., the culture and social custom of various nationalities show in this national language. The language is due to the culture, culture depends on the language, English teaching is the language teaching, it is certainly due to culture and education. First, why carries on culture and education 1. The cultural difference is an obstacle of cross-cultural communication The modernized process accelerates the circulation of spirit and physical product, bring each nationality into a common global village , cross-cultural communication becomes the indispensable part in life of each nationality. But cultural difference cross-cultural obstacle of communication, overcome communication obstacle that cultural difference cause become whole problem that world faces jointly already. If an enterprise wants to let ones own products sell well in the international market, not merely need superb economic and technological means, is it understand culture , target of country in depth to need , make product this accord with all psychological need , people of target , in package design and practicability. For instance, in China, dragon (dragon ) is our spiritual totem, it is a lucky symbol with power , but in order to regard as the successor of the dragon too Chinese are very proud, but in the western human eye, does not have this special emotion to dragon , even interpret dragon as a kind of terrible monster baring fangs and brandish claws. If one entrepreneur is not qcquainted with this, push the products printed with pattern of dragon to the international market, just think the desire to buy whether this kind of product could irritate westerners ? Will you please create the high benefit for enterprises? 2. Culture and education is the key to realizing using languages to carry on communication It is a final purpose of English teaching to develop communication ability. Language ability is a foundation of the communication ability , but capable of meaning possessing communication in language ability. More and more persons have already reached common understanding, namely communication ability should include five respects : Four skill (listening , speaking , reading and writing ) add social ability(whether namely and from different cultures people carry on suitable ability of communication). But in English teaching, the teacher often relatively pays attention to the external form of the language and grammar structure, namely train students to produce the sentence which conform with the rule of grammer , and has ignored the social environment of the language, especially cultural difference of language, so it is difficult for student not to know what occasion should what does it say, thus ignored students communication ability . Here, the role in English teaching of the cultural difference of the language has been mentioned as an important problem. Second, content of culture and education Whether among English teaching practice, cultural difference show in the following eight aspects to the interference that students bring mainly. 1. The address People teach society JEFC teaching material Book 3 Lesson among the 14 The man upstairs , appear I m sorry to trouble you , comrade . Apology language. comrade is owned by socialist state only call , does not know its ones stranger daily Sir and Madam in English countrys call. If the people of we and English country match with comrade, their are wonderful that they will feel Mo Ming. is in JEFC Book 3 Lesson 34 Uncle Wang s Factory, students call a worker Uncle Wang , this is that Chinese thinking applies the phenomenon of English mechanically too. Whether relative appellation of Chinese is it suffused with inclination used to take to have, daily on between the relative. Young people call uncle , auntie to the elder ; To of the same generation to claim eldest brother , elder sister . But in English, relatives appellation is not widely used in the social activity . If the elder that we are English to the mother tongue calls Uncle Smith , Auntie Brow n , the other side has listened to and will not think it very pleasing to the ear. Have only not lasting this kind of relative of appellations English culture in very close relations situation and behind area surnamed, only take the name, such as Uncle Tom . And for example students know the meaning of teacher is teacher , call Mr. Wang Teacher Wang accordingly too. In fact, teacher is only a kind of job in English; Chinese has tradition of respecting teachers, teacher has already not merely been a kind of job, but become a kind of honorific title to the person. Because of the difference on this kind of culture , cause students simple understanding: Mr. Wang =Teacher Wang. In addition Chinese secretary Tang of call traditionally, nurse Zhang call Secretary Tang, Nurse Zhang, the people of English country sound to feel inconceivable. English call people spend Mr generally. ,Miss, Mrs. ,etc. 2. Express gratitude to and thank for Generally speaking, we Chinese seldom use and thanks among kinsfolks. If use, it will be very strange that it sounds, or there are distances on interreaction. In English country Thank you . Nearly used in all occasions, between all people, even parents and children, no exception between siblings. Sending to a bottle of beverages, prepare a table of delicious meals , the other side will all say a sound of Thank you . unless it is public occasion, whether it do anything for you others,you thoroughfare each Thank you. . This is courtesy at least. When others ask (Would you like something to eat/ whether want to have some or what are drunk? drink? ),We usually get used to being courteous, answer: Have not used , dont be troublesome ,etc. According to the habit of English country, if you want , neednt decline , say Yes , please . want No , thanks if not , so long as say . Do. This has fully reflected too Chinese are implicit with national peoples broad and level and frank different styles of English. 3. Praise In English country, praise comes dailily as the introduction of talking too. There are personal appearance , appearance , thing , personal property , individuals outstanding work from bought newly ,etc. mainly in contents of praise. Praise her result hard (dress up ) only when praising others appearance for usually, but not her natural beauty. So there is a lot of one that praised others hairdo, there are few ones that praised others beautiful hair. To others praise, the most ordinary answer is: Thank you. For instance, A: Your skirt looks nice. B: Thank you. 4. Personal secrets Chinese met and asked about the age , marriage , income care about for the first time, national people of English are relatively disgusted with this , think all these involve individual privacy. If there is such a dialogue in JEFC Book 1 Lesson 16: How old are you, Mrs Read? Ah, it s a secret! Why is Mrs Read unwilling to tell ones own age? Because national people of English hope to seem energetic in the other sides eyes oneself, the youth stays forever, keep ones own actual age secret, women are even more like this. Chinese for another example care about where will you go? ( Where are you going? )With what are you do? ( What are you doing? )Is it spy inquest , others of personal secrets monitor others words but unwelcome to become among English. 5. Greeting Chinese greet and get used to asking at ordinary times: Have you had a meal? ( Have you had your dinner? )If you say so with people , English of country , they think you are to invite them to dinner. National people of English greet and usually regard weather , health status , traffic , sports and interest hobby as the topic. 6. Introduce People teach the society of the JEFC Book 1 What s your name? The frequency appearing is quite high, in which situation to uses and explains freshly but it. In fact, the people of English country generally introduce ones own name first while talking, such as I am The other side will tell ones own name at once naturally . Even when the occasion of filling in the form , speaking face to face etc. needs the name of asking about , generally only talk about You name , please? or May I know your name? if use What s your name? ,feeling it have each interrogate they. 7. Festival The cultural differences of China and country of English also behave in festival remarkably. Besides common festival (such as New Year s Day) of China and country of English, both sides also each have ones own unique festival, there is the Spring Festival , the Dragon Festival in China, Mid-Autumn Day ,etc.; English country have Valentine s Day (Valentines Day ), Easter (Easter ), April Fool s Day (the April Fools Day), Mother s Day (Mothers Day ), Thanks Giving Day (Thanksgiving Day ) and Christmas Day (Christmas Day ),etc. The China and Western folkways and customs in festival are not very the same either; This fully reflects in people teach the society JEFC teaching material, such as JEFC Book 2 Unit 3 Mid-Autumn Day and Book 3 Unit l3 Merry Christmas! During festival, to the present that others sent here, the people of Chinese and English country demonstrate different attitudes. Chinese will often decline , behave helplessly and accept , does not generally open face to face either after accepting. If open and radiant with joy face to face , may cause the greedy for money suspicion . In the culture of English, people will generally all open and praise face to face to the gift that others sent, and express ones gratitude joyfully . 8. Cultural intension of the vocabulary English vocabulary accumulate abundant cultural intension of not longing run , should pay attention to the introduction of cultural meaning of English vocabulary of teaching, in case students make subjective appraisal from the vocabulary itself simply. Such as red one word, no matter or in China, the red often relates to the celebration or joyous day in English country, there is red-letter days in English (festivals or holidays). Especially in China, the red symbolizes such positive meanings as the revolution and socialism ,etc., but red in English still means the precarious position or makes people angry, if red flag ( guides peoples angry thing ). There is in the red in seeing commercial English , dont think that make profits , opposite, express the loss , debt. Third, method of culture and education Method of culture and education varied, teacher should adopt flexible changeable method raise student sensitiveness to culture, train cultural consciousness , enable them voluntarily , absorb and incorporate in the new cultural envi