Idiom Translation under the Chinese and English Cultures

　　Class XXX Number XXX Name XXX

　　Abstract: Nida, a famous translator, says, "For truly successful translation, it is much more important to familiarize two cultures than master two languages, because words are assigned meanings in its particular cultures."(Background information) This is to say, translation is closely related with not only languages but also cultures. Studies of the cultural distinction in idiom translation are still relatively weak in the field of translation in China. Exclusive research on the translation of Chinese and English idioms is still incomplete. In the last twenty years, idiom translation has mostly emphasized the level of inter-lingual communication, but cultural differences were rarely involved in it.(Identify problem) This thesis analyses the cultural differences in Chinese and English idioms, then studies English-Chinese\Chinese-English idiom translation methods(Research subject) from the angle of culture(Method) and points out some warnings concerning idiom translation: pay attention to context and choose the right version in line with the style and meaning of the original passage(Results); culture is a whole way of life, when new culture emerges, new idioms also appear, therefore idiom translation should develop with the time.(Conclusion)

　　Key Words: idioms; culture; translation

　　論英漢文化背景下的習(xí)語翻譯

　　摘要:著名翻譯學(xué)家奈達(dá)指出:“對于真正成功的翻譯而言，熟悉兩種文化甚至比掌握兩種語言更為重要，

　　因為詞語只有在其作用的文化背景下才有意義。”也就是說，翻譯不僅與語言有關(guān)也和文化有關(guān)。習(xí)語翻譯中對文化差異的研究在中國的翻譯領(lǐng)域中仍然較弱，專門對中英習(xí)語翻譯的研究還不很完善。近20年來，習(xí)語翻譯大多強調(diào)語際的交流，而很少涉及文化差異。本文通過分析中英習(xí)語的文化差異，進而從文化角度研究中英習(xí)語翻譯方法，并指出中英習(xí)語翻譯要注意的問題:聯(lián)系上下文，選擇與原文風(fēng)格，意思相符的翻譯;文化是一種生活方式，文化在變化，出現(xiàn)新的習(xí)語，習(xí)語翻譯要與時俱進。

　　關(guān)鍵詞：習(xí)語;文化;翻譯

　　1. Introduction

　　Idioms universally exist in every language. An Idiom is a word or an expression

　　that cannot be literally translated from the source language into the target language because its idiomatic meaning cannot be understood by literally defining its component parts.(Background) In a broad sense, idioms contain set phrases, proverbs, colloquialisms, slangs, maxims, allusions, etc. (YinLi, 2007:9) In Chinese, they also include enigmatic folk similes. Newmark, a British translation theorist, in his work A Textbook of Translation, said, "I define as culture the way of life and his manifestation that are peculiar to a community that uses a peculiar language as its means of expression. "(Previous research) English Idioms derives from English cultures and daily life. In real context, idioms explain themselves: nine times out of ten they carry their own explanations. If we are unaware of these, we will find ourselves in a state of confusion since we will assign literal meaning to them. The Chinese Idioms, especially the four-character idioms, have their own unique origins which are closely correlative to the Chinese history and cultures. In view of the difficulties in understanding idioms, we should pay due attention and efforts to understand their cultures and customs. This thesis is designed to dig into the cultural differences between Chinese and English and then elaborates on the translation theories applied to idioms. (Subject + Method)

　　2. A Comparison Between English and Chinese Idioms

　　2.1 The Cultural Differences Between English and Chinese Idioms 2.1.1 Geographical Conditions

　　The formation of culture is closely related with natural geographical conditions. A specific geographical environment produces a specific culture, which also leads to a particular expression.

　　Great Britain covers islands including the Northern one-sixth of the island of

　　Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France. It has a moist climate with much rainfall. Rivers and lakes are numerous. No wonder that fishery is thriving and most important in Britain. Accordingly, idioms concerning fish and navigation constitute a great part in English idioms. (LiYuping, 2008:20)(Theory/Results of previous research)

　　For example, "like a fish out of water". If you feel like fish out of water, you feel awkward and uncomfortable because you are in an unusual and unfamiliar situation. Fish in the air 緣木求魚 An odd fish 怪人 Miss the boat 錯過機會

　　Trim the sails to the wind 順勢前進

　　A small leak will sink a great ship 小洞不補要沉大船 (Examples)

　　On the other hand, China is located in the Asian Continent and reputed as an agricultural country with a large population of peasants. It is not surprising to find many idioms relevant to farming, such as "骨瘦如柴，對牛彈琴, 眾人拾柴火焰高,竹籃打水一場空......". Chinese people also have a mysterious and awe feeling for sea, so they have idioms like "海角天涯，海枯石爛，海闊天空，海底撈針，海市蜃樓......". (Analysis)

　　2.1.2 History

　　2.2 The Similarities Between English and Chinese Idioms

　　2.2.1 Colours

　　2.2.2 Numbers

　　3. Methods of Idiom Translation

　　Translation is far more than a science. It is also a skill, and at the ultimate analysis, fully satisfactory translation is always an art. (Nida, 1982:49) Translation is considered as the cultural bridge and media between two languages. As there are wide differences in vocabulary and syntax between English and Chinese, translation is no easy job. Therefore, in order to keep the flavor of the original as well as cater for both the Chinese and English languages, translation skills should be reasonably employed in the process of translating, such as the following translating methods:

　　3.1 Literal Translation

　　3.2 Free Translation

　　3.3 Translation with Notes

　　3.4 Replacement with Similar Idioms

　　3.5 The Translation of Corresponding Idioms with the Same Meaning

　　3.6 A Combination of Literal and Free Translation

　　4. Some Warnings Concerning Idiom Translation

　　5. Conclusion

　　One of the major characteristics identifying us as human is our ability to use language. Language plays a very important role in people’s daily life; it enables people communicate with each other and understand others' feelings. Language has close relations with culture. It is impossible to separate language from culture. As the essence of language, idioms also have close relations with culture. The contents of them range from society, history, psychology to customs and other various social phenomena. So, in the process of translation, translators should pay more attention to the cultural factors, in doing this, he can dig up the implicit meanings. (Conclusion of research) Only the cultural factors are concerned, translators can have a satisfactory translation. Besides, people should get acquaintances with the cultural background when using idioms to avoid embarrassment in communication. (Suggestions)

　　References

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