歇后语名称的翻译

1、歇后语名称的翻译目前，对 “歇后语 ”一词的翻译难以统一。有人翻译为Chinese enigmatic folk similes这一译法的缺点是歇后语中不全是比喻，也有谐音或双关式歇后语。有人翻译为quiz-cracks( 隐语或谜语 )，同样也不全面。于是有人提议直接翻译为xiehouyu in，Chinese ，这倒是有一定的可借鉴性。因为歇后语是中华民族的独特文化，正如二胡(erhu) 、中国功夫 (Chinese gongfu)等。但是，追根溯源，歇后语最早是文人之间的一种文字游戏， 最早叫做 “俏皮话 ”，因此，有人据此大胆翻译为Chinese folk wisecracks。比喻性

2、歇后语的翻译方法直译法： 对大多数喻义歇后语， 由于比喻部分生动形象， 喻义部分逻辑推理合乎情理，不包含一词两义的双关或谐音，通常采用直译法，既传达源语的内容，又维持源语的形象，便于读者阅读和欣赏。例如：瞎子点灯 -白费蜡。It is as useless as a blind man lighting a candle.黄鼠狼给鸡拜年 -不怀好意。 A weasel wishing Happy New Year to a chicken-harboring no good intention.肉包子打狗 -有去无回。 Chasing a dog by throwing meat dumpli

3、ngs at it-gone, never to return.竹篮打水 -一场空。Like ladling water with a wicker basket-all is empty (nothing).八仙过海 -各显其能。 (Like) the Eight Immortals crossing the sea-each showing his or her special prowess. ( Each of them shows their true worth.)隔着门缝看人 -把人瞧扁了。If you peer at a person through a crack-he lo

4、oks flat.兔子尾巴长不了。The tail of a rabbit-cannot be long; won't last long.谐音或双关式歇后语的翻译方法解释法：解释法是一种行之有效的翻译方法，也是揭示源语文化内涵的重要途径，它是指在译文里保留原来的文化色彩，并加上简要的解释说明以突出其形象性。解释法可以细分为解释性替代和解释性增补两种类型。解释性替代解释性替代是指当词语在源语和译语中的内涵意义相同，但联想意义不同时，不能按照字面翻译，而应该用解释性替代的方法翻译原文。汉语中的成语即谚语翻译一般用解释性替代的方法来进行翻译，例如 : 挥金如土 spend money li

5、ke water解释性增补解释性增补是指当源语中词语的内涵意义在译语中出现词汇空缺 ,其联想意义也出现空白时 ,译者必须保留源语的词语形象 ,而将其深层含义以解释的形式翻译出来 ,揭示出源语的文化特性或文化背景。汉语中特有的歇后语在译成英语时 ,可以保留原语形象 , 再用解释性增补以表现其喻意。利用汉语的谐音牛角抹油 又尖（奸）又滑（猾） Spreading oil on an ox horn to make it sharper and more slippery or cunning and treacherous.李双双见到丈夫 有喜旺（希望）Li Shuangshuang sees h

6、er husband she has Xiwang now; like Li Shuangshuang meeting her husband Xiwang, a homophone for the Chinese word xiwang meaning hope, there is hope now.利用双关语义井底雕花 深刻 Carving a flower design on the bottom of a well carving deeply or get to the essence of something.擀面杖吹火 一窍不通 A rolling pin used as a b

7、ellows no good at all.王小二过年 一年不如一年Wang Xiao'er spending the New Year one year is worse than another; like Wang Xiao er's life, one year is worse than another.飞机上跳伞 一落千丈Bale out from a flying plane drop down a thousand zhang or suffer a drastic decline; like jumping from a flying plane, they

8、decline drastically.利用典故英汉两种语言中存有大量由历史典故形成的习语，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Achilles'heel （唯一致命弱点）、meet one's Waterloo （一败涂地） 、Penelope's web （永远完不成的工作） 、 a Pandora's box （潘多拉之盒，代表灾难、麻烦、祸害的根源）等。有关典故的这些习语结构简单，意义深远，往往是不能单从字面意义去理解和翻译的。在翻译利用典故的歇后语时，如果仅仅使用解释性增补方法是远远不够的，我

9、们还应该对译文加以注释，从而从文化上和历史上更准确地传达汉语歇后语所包含的民族和文化特色。八仙聚会 又说又笑A gathering of Eight Immortals speaking and laughing; like the Eight Immortals at a gathering, they are talking and laughing merrily.Note: The Eight Immortals refer to the eight Taoists in a Chinese legend, namely,Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, L Don

10、gbin,ü Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu.王羲之写字 横竖都好A character out of Wang Xizhi ds han vertical strokes are as good as horizontal ones; like Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, it is good in every way.Note: Wang Xizhi was a famous Chinese calligrapher and a Chinese charact

11、er is usually composed of strokes, of which the vertical and horizontal ones are the most commonly used. Hengshu here has two interpretations: 1) the horizontal and vertical strokes; 2) horizontally or vertically, that is, in any way.灶王爷扔石头 砸锅The Kitchen God throwing stones to break the pot or ruin

12、the matter.Note: The literal meaning of zaguo is to break a pot but it is usually used to mean ruining the matter.秦叔宝卖马 穷途末路Qin Shubao selling his horse the last resort to overcome his difficulty; like Qin Shubao selling his horse, they are driven into a dead endNote: Qin Qiong, styled Shubao, was a

13、 famous general in the Tang Dynasty. Before becoming a general, he was once penniless and had no way out but to sell his own horseLike bamboo shoots after a spring shower.雨后春笋2.To go through fire and water.赴汤蹈火3.To apprehend danger in every sound.草木皆兵4.It's never too late to learn. 学无止境 ,活到老学到老5

14、. Remember the past and it will guide your future.温故知新6.A single spark can start a prairie fire.星星之火 , 可以燎原毛遂自荐 to voluntee r one s service （毛遂 战国时期人名）初出茅庐 at the beginning of ones career（出自三国演义的典故）东施效颦 crude imitation with ludicrous effect（东施 古代一丑女的名字）南柯一梦 a fond dream or illusory joy（南柯 古代传说的梦中地名）

15、四面楚歌 to be besieged on all sides（楚 战国时期的地名）1.World is but a little place, after all.天涯原咫尺，到处可逢君Explanation: it is used when a person meets someone he knows or is in someway connectedwith him in a place where he would never have expected to do so.Example: Who would have thought I would bump into an o

16、ld schoolmate on a trek up Mount Tai.The world is but a little place after all.2. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.入乡随俗Explanation: conform to the manners and customs of those amongst whom you live.Example: I know you have egg and bacon for breakfast at home, but now you are on the Continentyou wil

17、l do as the Romans do and take coffee and rolls.3. What you lose on the swings you get back on the roundabouts.失之东隅，收之桑榆Explanation: a rough way of starting a law of average; if you have bad luck on one day you havegood on another; if one venture results in loss try a fresh one-it may succeed. Examp

18、le: he may always possess merits which make up for everything; if he loses on the swings,he may win on the roundabouts.4.What are the odds so long as you are happy.知足者常乐Explanation: what does anything else matter if a person is happy.Example: you complain so much, but you have a good family, parents

19、, health, and money.What s the odd so long as you re happy.5 Entertain an angel unawares.有眼不识泰山Explanation: to receive a great personage as a guest without knowing his merits.Example: in the course of evening someone informed her that she was entertaining an angelunawares, in the shape of a composer

20、 of the greatest promise 6.every dog has his day .是人皆有出头日Explanation: fortune comes to each in turnExample: they say that every dog has his day; but mine seems a very long time coming.7.every potter praises his own pot.王婆买瓜，自卖自夸Explanation: people are loath to refer to defects in their possessions o

21、r their family membersExample: he said that his teacher considered his work brilliant, but I would rather hear it from histeacher s own mouth. Every potter praises his own pot成语翻译 (二 )1 Pain past is pleasure.（过去的痛苦就是快乐。）无论多么艰难一定要咬牙冲过去，将来回忆起来一定甜蜜无比。2 While there is life, there is hope.（有生命就有希望/留得青山在，

22、不怕没柴烧。）3 Wisdom in the mind is better than money in the hand.（脑中有知识，胜过手中有金钱。）从小灌输给孩子的坚定信念。4 Storms make trees take deeper roots.（风暴使树木深深扎根。）感激敌人，感激挫折！5 Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.（心之所愿，无所不成。）坚持一个简单的信念就一定会成功。6 The shortest answer is doing.（最简单的回答就是干。）想说流利的英语吗？那么现在就开口！心动不如嘴动。7 All thing

23、s are difficult before they are easy.（凡事必先难后易。）放弃投机取巧的幻想。8 Great hopes make great man.（伟大的理想造就伟大的人。）9 God helps those who help themselves.（天助自助者。）10 Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd:a little bit more.（四个简短的词汇概括了成功的秘诀：多一点点！）比别人多一点努力、多一点自律、多一点决心、多一点反省

24、、多一点学习、多一点实践、多一点疯狂，多一点点就能创造奇迹！11 In doing we learn. （实践长才干。）12 East or west, home is best.（东好西好，还是家里最好。）13 Two heads are better than one.（三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮。）14 Good company on the road is the shortest cut.（行路有良伴就是捷径。）15 Constant dropping wears the stone.（滴水穿石。）16 Misfortunes never come alone/single.（祸不单行。

25、）17 Misfortunes tell us what fortune is.（不经灾祸不知福。）18 Better late than never. （迟做总比不做好；晚来总比不来好。）19 It's never too late to mend.（过而能改，善莫大焉；亡羊补牢，犹未晚也。）20 If a thing is worth doing it is worth doing well.（如果事情值得做，就值得做好。）21 Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.（无热情成就不了伟业。）22 Actions spe

26、ak louder than words.（行动比语言更响亮。）23 Lifeless, faultless. （只有死人才不犯错误。）24 From small beginning come great things.（伟大始于渺小。）浅议汉语 “歇后语 ”的翻译直译加注法对谐音或双关式歇后语，可以直接译出表层含义，以维持源语中的形象，然后对其深层意义或者具有独特民族特色的文化因素予以诠释，以使意义更明确，达到传播文化的目地。* 三个臭皮匠，合成一个诸葛亮。 Three cobblers with their wits combined would equal ChuKek Liang th

27、e mastermind, meaning that the masses have great creative power.* 没良心的！狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心。 You ungrateful thing! You are like the dog that bit Lu Tung-pin-you bite the hand that feed you. (or: Don't snap and snarl at me when I'm trying to domy best for you.)*三九的萝卜 - 冻 (动 )了心。A Mid-winterturnip(inth

28、ethird periodofninedays after thewintersolstice),theheart is frozen, affectedinheart.*周瑜打黄盖 - 一个愿打，一个愿挨。 Skillfully givenbyaChou Yu and gladly taken by a Huang Gai(notes:afourteenthcenturynovelbasedonevents,which took place in the 3rdcentury AD. ChouYuofthe Kingdom of WuhadHuangGai,another Wu genera

29、l, cruelly beatenand thensenthimtothe enemy camp to inorder to win thebattlebydeceiving the enemy.(有时这种译法在一定的语境中不太可取)*哑巴吃黄连 - 有苦说不出。 Hewaslike the dumbmaneatingthe bitterherb-hehadtosufferthebitternessofit in silence. (or,Itisreal grief,yethefinds itdifficulttoexpress.)*打破沙锅纹 (问) 到底。 Breakinganearth

30、enwarepot-crackedtothebottom ； interrogatethoroughlyor get to the bottomof a matter.*小葱拌豆腐 - 一清二白。 Smallonionsmixedwithbeancurdarevery blue and verywhite. (or:Theonions are of an azure blue while the bean curd is white, which is used to refer to anything which is entirely lucid.)* 擀面杖吹火 - 一窍不通。 Try

31、to blow up a fire through a rolling pin(stick)-it which means he doesn't know the first thing about something at all.just doesn'twork,* 狗拿耗子 - 多管闲事。a dog catching mice meddles in cat's business-to other people's business.pokeone'snoseinto*多年的古庙-老寺 ( 老四 )。 an ancienttemple-oldmona

32、steryfor Lao Si (No.4).*他的心头如同十五个吊桶打水 - 七上八下。 Fifteen buckets water-eight going down while seven were coming up.beinghurriedlyloweredinto a wellfor意译法有些歇后语带有浓厚的民族特色。比喻部分多含有中国古代人名、地名、典故，有的源于汉族或少数民族的风俗或佛教等。直译的话，对不了解中华文化的译语读者来讲很难理解。意译归化处理可以言简意赅、明了简洁。下几句中的：徐庶，曹营，门神，灯笼，舅，袖筒，棒槌，驴，唱本 ，在意译中不见了。 给译者和读者都留下了一定

33、程度的遗憾，因为他们很难在这样的译文中赏析到异域文化的色彩。* 徐庶进曹营 - 一言不发。 He holdshis tongueto beginwith.* 正月十五贴门神- 晚了半个月了。They weretoolate for a rescue.* 一切都是外甥打灯笼，照旧(舅 )。 Thingswill be backto whatthey werebefore.* 哑巴吃黄连 - 有苦说不出。 unspoken bitterness ； 也有 It is real grief, yet he finds it difficult to express.* 袖筒里的棒槌- 直出直入。 I

34、 speakfranklyand to thepoint.* 他的心头如同十五个吊桶打水 te unable to think straight.- 七上八下。 Hismind wasinturmoilthesedays andhe was qui* 骑驴看唱本- 走着瞧。 Let'swaitandsee.* 头顶生疮，脚底流脓- 坏透了。 To be rottenfromheadtofoot;be rottento the core;to be bad in the extreme 。总之，就翻译成的句子结构而言，可以是短语(如：兔子的尾巴- 长不了。 The tail of a r

35、abbit-cannotbe long,won'tlast long.) ，可以是名词加上分词短语(如：老虎吃天 - 无处下口。 A tiger wantingto eat thesky-notknowingwhereto start.)还可以是句子 (如：小葱拌豆腐。The onionsare of an azurebluewhile thebeancurdis white,whichis used to refer to anythingwhichis entirelylucid.) 。成句也好，不成句也罢，直译也好，直译加注也好，意译也罢，翻译时策略可以有所差异，但要根据语境去选

36、择策略和句式。歇后语作为中国文化的独特成分，它的翻译需要克服语言和文化的双重障碍。有一点要强调，翻译的目地是更好地传播中华文化。随着我国国际地位的提高，了解中华文化的外国人越来越多，知晓的内容也越来越广泛深入，因此，直译法或直译加注显得更加地道，更能展现中华民族独特的文化特色和魅力。歇后语的翻译直译法：对大多数喻义歇后语，由于比喻部分生动形象，喻义部分逻辑推理合乎情理，不包含一词两义的双关或谐音，通常采用直译法，既传达源语的内容，又维持源语的形象，便于读者阅读和欣赏。例如：瞎子点灯-白费蜡。It is as useless as a blind man lighting a candle.黄鼠

37、狼给鸡拜年-不怀好意。A weasel wishing Happy New Year to a chicken-harboring no good intention.肉包子打狗 -有去无回。Chasing a dog by throwing meat dumplings at it-gone, never to return.竹篮打水 -一场空。Like ladling water with a wicker basket-all is empty (nothing).八仙过海 -各显其能。(Like) the Eight Immortals crossing the sea-each sh

38、owing his or her special prowess. ( Each ofthem shows their true worth隔着门缝看人 -把人瞧扁了。If you peer at a person through a crack-he looks flat.兔子尾巴长不了。The tail of a rabbit-cannot be long; won't last long.解释性替代解释性增补利用汉语的谐音牛角抹油 又尖（奸）又滑（猾）spreading oil on an ox horn to make it sharper and more slippery

39、or cunning and treacherous Note: the Chinese character jian, meaning sharp, is a homophone of jian, meaning cunning, and the Chinese character hua, meaning slippery, is a homophone of hua, meaning treacherous.李双双见到丈夫 有喜旺（希望）Li Shuangshuang sees her husband she has Xiwang now; like Li Shuangshuang me

40、eting herhusband Xiwang, a homophone for the Chinese word xiwang meaning hope, there is hope now井底雕花 深刻carving a flower design on the bottom of a well carving deeply or get to the essence ofsomething擀面杖吹火 一窍不通a rolling pin used as a bellows no good at all王小二过年 一年不如一年Wang Xiao er spending the New Yea

41、r one year is worse than another; like Wang Xiao er slife, one year is worse than anotherNote: Wang Xiao er in Chinese can mean any poor fellow at the bottom of the society.飞机上跳伞 一落千丈bale out from a flying plane drop down a thousand zhang or suffer a drastic decline; like jumping from a flying plane

42、, they decline drastically Note: A zhang is equal to 11/3 meters.铁打的馒头 一个硬似一个mantou made of iron one harder than another；they are like steamed bread made of iron, one isharder, more stubborn or determined than another热锅上的蚂蚁 走投无路ants in a hot pot nowhere to escape; like ants in a hot pot, they find n

43、owhere to escape利用典故英汉两种语言中存有大量由历史典故形成的习语，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 one s waterloo（一败涂地）、 Penelope s web（永远完不成的工作）、 a Pandora s box （潘多拉之盒代表灾难、麻烦、祸害的根源）等。八仙聚会 又说又笑a gathering of Eight Immortals speaking and laughing; like the Eight Immortals at a gat

44、hering,they are talking and laughing merrilyNote: The Eight Immortals refer to the eight Taoists in a Chinese legend, namely, Han Zhongli,Zhang Guolao, LDongbin,ü Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu.王羲之写字 横竖都好a character out of Wang Xizhi sverticalhand strokes are as go

45、od as horizontal ones; likeWang Xizhi s calligraphy, it is good in every wayNote: Wang Xizhi was a famous Chinese calligrapher and a Chinese character is usuallycomposed of strokes, of which the vertical and horizontal ones are the most commonly used. Hengshu here has two interpretations: 1) the hor

46、izontal and vertical strokes; 2) horizontally or vertically, that is, in any way.灶王爷扔石头 砸锅the Kitchen God throwing stones to break the pot or ruin the matterNote: The literal meaning of zaguo is to break a pot but it is usually used to mean ruining the matter.白骨精骗唐僧 一计不成又生一计the White Bone Demon dece

47、iving Monk Tang when one scheme failed, she turned to another;like the White Bone Demon in trapping Xuanzang, a famous monk from the Tang Dynasty, they have thought out one scheme after anotherNote: On his way to the west to obtain Buddhist scriptures, Xuanzang, a famous monk of the Tang Dynasty, me

48、t the White Bone Demon, who thought out one scheme after another to deceive the monk so that she could eat the monk and then would prolong her life forever. However, this is the story contained in the fiction entitled Journey to the West.秦叔宝卖马 穷途末路Qin Shubao selling his horse the last resort to over

49、come his difficulty; like Qin Shubao sellinghis horse, they are driven into a dead endNote: Qin Qiong, styled Shubao, was a famous general in the Tang Dynasty. Before becoming ageneral, he was once penniless and had no way out but to sell his own horse.李林甫当宰相 口蜜腹剑Li Linfu serving as the prime minist

50、er a man with honey at lips but swords at heart or ahoney-mouthed but dagger-hearted manNote: Li Linfu, a prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, was notorious for his cunning and peoplesay that he was honey-mouthed but dagger-hearted.对于引用典故的具有文化背景知识的歇后语则应当采取先翻译字面意义，后翻译常用意义或适当地予以阐释的方法。普通歇后语， 如 Geoff 一家楼

51、上的妙译， 基本可以做到形、 义的统一， 用表意直译即可解决。但是碰到带双关的歇后语，咱此前在“直译、意译及其它”一文中曾有所提及，直译是断不可能的。只能意译或再造。 在此，不妨探讨一下双关歇后语的翻译方法。“绱鞋不使锥子针(真 )好；狗撵鸭子呱呱叫” 这两句谐音歇后语咱最初是从相声里头学来的。 那相声给人留下了几乎是根深蒂固的印象：这种歇后语压根儿是翻不了的。不错，歇后语难翻，谐普通歇后语，如 Geoff 一家楼上的妙译，基本可以做到形、义的统一，用表意直译即可解决。但是碰到带双关的歇后语，咱此前在“直译、意译及其它”一文中曾有所提及，直译是断不可能的。只能意译或再造。在此，不妨探讨一下双关

52、歇后语的翻译方法。“绱鞋不使锥子针(真 )好；狗撵鸭子呱呱叫”这两句谐音歇后语咱最初是从相声里头学来的。 那相声给人留下了几乎是根深蒂固的印象： 这种歇后语压根儿是翻不了的。 不错，歇后语难翻， 谐音双关歇后语尤其难翻。但是， 相声演员毕竟只代表普通大众的意见，他们哪里能够领悟职业翻译对“可译”与“不译”的思考？没错，要翻歇后语确实很花时间，因为它们毕竟是建立在某种语言本身的特征之上的。人们一般不予翻译的理由是：1) 没有多大实际意义。译者并不觉得有必要为译文语言重新创作一个对等的谐音双关语，因为这类歇后语的意义往往非常简单明了。如 “和尚打伞无法无天” 实际就是 “ unruly ” 的意思，一词解决问题。 “猪鼻子里插葱装象” ，如果是口译，也只要一个词就行：“pretentious ”或“ vain”。“外甥