因式分解视频-

Idiom Translation under the Chinese

and English Cultures

Class XXX

Number XXX

Name XXX

Abstract:

Nida,

a

famous

translator,

says,

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- ChineseChinese-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

论英汉文化背景下的习语翻译

摘要< /p>

:

著名翻译学家奈达指出

:

“对于真正成功的翻译而言，熟悉两种文化甚至比掌握两种语言更为重要，

因 为词语只有在其作用的文化背景下才有意义。

”

也就是说，翻译 不仅与语言有关也和文化有关。习语翻译

中对文化差异的研究在中国的翻译领域中仍然较 弱，专门对中英习语翻译的研究还不很完善。近

20

年来，

习语翻译大多强调语际的交流，而很少涉及文化差异。本文通过分析中英习语的文化差异，进 而从文化角

度研究中英习语翻译方法，

并指出中英习语翻译要注 意的问题

:

联系上下文，

选择与原文风 格，

意思相符的

翻译；文化是一种生活方式，文化在变化，出现 新的习语，习语翻译要与时俱进。

关键词：

习语；文化；翻译

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, 200

7:9)

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.

(necessity)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 )

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,

200

8:20)

(Theory/Results of previous research)

For example,

awkward and uncomfortable because you are in an unusual and unfamiliar situation.

Fish in the air

缘木求鱼

An odd fish

怪人

Miss the boat

错过机会

Trim the sails to the wind

顺势前进

A small leak will sink a great ship

小洞不补要沉大船

(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，对牛弹琴

,

众人拾柴火焰高

,

竹篮打水一场空

......

so they have idioms like

海角天涯，

海枯石烂，

海阔天空，

海底捞针，

海市蜃楼

......