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1、Cultural Difference on Translation of English and Chinese Idioms一、 课题(论文)提纲0.引言1.关于中文和英文习语的翻译2.翻译英文习语的方法 2.1直译法 2.2直译加注法 2.3意译法 2.4增删法3.习语翻译共有的错误 3.1没有注意文化差异 3.2错误观点 3.3逐字翻译4.影响英文习语和中文习语的文化差异 4.1不同的生活环境 4.2不同的传统和习惯 4.3不同的宗教和信仰 4.4不同的历史影射 4.5社会科学发展 4.6文化与娱乐5.结论二、内容摘要习语是语言文化的精华，缺少了习语，语言将会变得索然无味。习语在语言中
2、的应用比比皆是。在写作或演说中适当地使用习语将会使篇章增色，加强语言的力量使语言更形象。奈达曾说过，习语使 比任何非习语更具冲击力的表达，它带有一种语言和文化的 识别特征。习语在语言运用中占有重要地位，恰到好处的翻译习语将有助于跨文化交流。中英不同的 文化使得英汉习语在表达上有 很大差异，也使得翻译中容易产生误译，因此加强对英汉习语文化内涵差异的了解有着重要意义。本文试从六个方面就英汉习语所反应的文化做简单比较，探索4种翻译方法：直译法、直译加注法.意译法.增删法，使英语习语原汁原味呈现在中国读者面前。三、 参考文献1 Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary o
3、f Current English with Chinese Translation. Beijing: Commercial Press. 1987.2 Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English J. Foreign Luanguage Teaching and Research Press. 2003.3 Chitra Fernando. 习语与习语特征（英文版）J. 上海： 上海外语教育出版社. 2000.4 郭著章. 李庆生. 英汉互译实用教程M. 武汉： 武汉大学出版社1996.5 何慧刚. 英汉习语翻译与文化交流J. 英语辅导
4、。1996.6 胡文仲. 跨文化交际面面观M. 北京： 外语教学与研究出版社. 1998: 234, 2807 平洪. 洪国扬. 英语习语与英美文化M. 北京外语教学与研究出版社. 2000.8 冉秀霞. 英汉习语的文化差异 J. 重庆职业技术学院院报. 2004年7 月第13卷第三期.9 孙娟华. 从英汉习语之来源比较两种文化的区别 M. 无锡职业技术学院院报. 2003年3月. 第2卷第1期.10 谢金良. 西方文学典故词典M. 北京：中国展望出版社. 1986年.11 孙凯. 关于英语习语的翻译 F. 咸宁师专学报. 2002年2月. 第22卷第1期.12 叶先风. 英汉习语的文化差异及
5、翻译S. 湖北汽车工业学院学报. 2005年9月. 第19卷第3期.13 郑立信，顾嘉祖. 英语与英国文化 M. 长沙：湖南教育出版社. 199814 张以文.辛全宝.英语习语分类词典A. 上海：上海外语教育出版社. 1999.Cultural Difference on Translation of English and Chinese Idioms Abstract: Idioms, having universal appeal, are widelyrecognized as the essence or the crystallization of language. Withou
6、t idioms language would become dull and dry, whereas an appropriate use of them in speech and writing will add much to variety strength and vividness of the language. Idioms usually carry more impactthan none-idiomatic expressions because of their close identification with a particular language and
7、culture. Idioms are widely used in almost all kinds of speeches and writings. Idioms hold an important position in language use, an adequate translation of idioms is not only helpful but also essential in intercultural communication. This paper attempts to make a brief comparative study of the cultu
8、res embodied in Chinese and English idioms from six aspects and explore four practical translating ways and skills from the point of view of keeping the flavor of the English ways idiom as wall as catering for all Chinese readers.Key Words: idioms; cultural difference; translation.0. IntroductionLan
9、guage is inseparable from culture. For one thing. Language is a part of culture and plays an important role in it. For another, as a mirror of culture, Language is strongly influenced and shaped by culture; meanwhile, it reflects culture. Idioms, a particular part of a language and culture of a soci
10、ety ,which including metaphorical phrases, slang, colloquialism proverb allusion, motto and so on, are characterized by their concise expressions rich and vivid, involving geography, history, religious belief and living convention. They are usually highly specialized in meaning and closely tied to d
11、istinctive cultural features and cultural attitudes. As far as their underlying cultural information is concerned, some idioms are completely or partial equivalent both in Chinese and in English while some others have nothing in common at all. English and Chinese idioms closely related to their own
12、culture, convey different cultural features and messages of their own nation, reflecting, their own culture. There exist vast differences between English and Chinese culture and this different occurs in English and Chinese Idioms, too.1. A few ideas on English and Chinese idioms translationThe word
13、“idiom” possesses several meanings. It is commonly accepted as a type of multiword expression (red herring, make up, smell a rat, the coast is clear, etc.) Though a few scholars (Hockett 1958; Katz and Postal 1963) accept even single words as idioms. Idioms are conventionalized expressions, conventi
14、onalization being the end of initially ad hoc, and in this sense novel, expressions. The meaning of an idioms is not the sun of its constituents, In other word, an idiom is often non-literal. Makkais Idiom structure in English, an extended version of his doctoral thesis (1965), reserves the term idi
15、om for units are glossed as “any polylexonic lexeme made up of more than one minimal free form or word (as defined by morph tactic criteria)” (Makkai 1972 :122). But Strassler gives his own working definition of an idiom: An idiom is a concatenation of more than one lexeme whose meaning is not deriv
16、ed from the meaning of its constituents and which does not consist of a verb plus an adverbial particle or preposition. The concatenation as such then constitutes a lexeme in its own right and should be entered as such in the lexicon. (ibid: 79) Form the above definitions we can extract two basic cr
17、iteria on which to decide on which to decide whether or not an expression is an idiom:Firstly, established and refined by long practical use, an idiom has a relatively high degree of stability of the lexical components. An idiom allows little or no variation in form under normal circumstances. In ge
18、neral, any change in the components will result in absurdities or even render the idioms meaningless. A speaker or writer cannot normally do any of the following with an idiom unless he or she is consciously making a joke or attempting play on words:a. Change the order of the words in it (e.g. “at s
19、evens and sixes” instead of “at sixes and sevens”);b. Delete a word from it (e.g.“a kettle of fish” instead of “a nice kettle of fish”);c. Add a word to it(e.g. “to show ones white teeth” instead of“to show ones teeth”);d. Replace a word with another(even with a synonymous word) (e.g.“the pear of on
20、es eye” instead of“the apple of ones eye”)e. Change its grammatical structure (e.g.” a king may be looked at by a cat ”instead of “a cat may look at a king”) Secondly, an idiom often carries meanings, which cannot be deduced from their individual components. More often than not, it cannot be interpr
21、eted only according to its literal meaning. Take the expression “to go town” for example: It means to act freely, especially by spending a lot of money, as in “You certainly seem to have gone to town on the decoration of your house.” It also means to do something with enthusiasm and vigor, as in “We
22、 went to town on the sales campaign.” An idiom usually acquires an implied meaning, that is to say, most idioms are metaphorical in constituent words. In other words, idioms convey more meaning as a whole than the few words taken literary, the phrase“ bells and whistles” is not an idiom. In a figura
23、tive sense, “bell and whistles” is not an idiom. In a figurative sense, “bells and whistles” implies attractive and extra features. “A cats paw” does not refer to the paw of a cat but a person used as a tool by another. “John Bull” is not a person who called John Bull; it means the English national
24、of the typical average Englishman.2. Ways of English Idiom TranslationTranslation is an art, a bilingual art, which is the cultural bridge and media between two languages. As there exist wide difference in vocabulary and syntax between the oriental and occidental languages. Translation is no easy jo
25、b, especially the translation of English idioms. Translation is different from common communications. It involves a lot of factors, such as linguistic, cultural, psychological and art etc. Therefore, it does not exclude the general rules. The important thing for them to pay much attention is to use
26、the rules flexibly according to relevance principle. Because of the cultural difference, there are some techniques in translation of idioms.Techniques in translation vary and we should use specific methods in treating specific problems according to the above cultural difference, in another word, to
27、find the optimal relevance. In the following sections, we shall discuss translating from Chinese to English and vice versa, and try to analyze them in the light of relevance theory. Here are four main approaches. 2.1 Literal approachThe Chinese and English languages are very different in their forms
28、 and ways of expression on the one hand, and similar in many respects on the other. To preserve the national character and the special original work, and also accelerate the culture exchange of the two nations. The first approach in idiom translations is the literal approach. It refers to an adequat
29、e representation of the original, which preserves the original form of English idioms without causing confusion in meaning. It transfers the original cultural in formation effectively and shortens the gaps between Chinese and English. For example,“sour grapes”(酸葡萄)， “to go into the red ”(出现赤字)，“to b
30、reak the record”(打破记录)，“to be on the thin ice”(如履薄冰)，“to strike while the iron is hot”(趁热打铁)，“a tooth for a tooth”(以牙还牙)，“first-hand material”（第一手材料），“a castle in the air”(空中楼阁)，“to burn the boat”(破釜沉舟)，“to have something at ones hand”(了如指掌)等。 In the same way, lots of words and idioms in English are
31、 introduced by the translation of Chinese. For example, “to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight”(坐山观虎斗)，“to pour oil on the flame”(火上浇油)and so on. Take another example:Do not throw cold water on newly emerging things; on the contrary you should support them.不要给新生事物泼冷水，相反，你应当支持它们。不要反对新生事物，相
32、反，你应当支持它们。Obviously A fits the original sentence better than B, because the English idiom “throe cold water” “反对” in Chinese are obsolete equivalence. If we select B. “反对” can not express the original meaning accurately. On the contrary, B creates diversity to Chinese readers in thought.2.2 Literal
33、approach with notes.Translation in a literal way will sometimes do, but not always for many idioms can be understood only when the historical background or their origin is completely explained. And, some idioms have a close relation ship, more or less, with a nations (or a regions) customs and the t
34、ranslation of it is not easily done by a few words, Then the translators have to do the work with the help of notes. For example:“三请诸葛”ask you three times, like zhuge liang. Note: zhuge liang was a hero of the Three kingdoms period. He had to be asked three times before he would grant an interview t
35、o Liu Pei, whom he afterwards served, and help to become emperor.Thats something for Ripley, 那简直是里普利的奇闻 Note: A number of American newspapers carry a feature titled“Believe it or not” by Ripley. It presents strange or unusual facts or happenings that are all supposed to be true and can be verified,
36、but because they are so odd, so out of the ordinary, People find them hard to believe. The expression is generally used when referring to something that seems incredible but is probably true. 2.3 Liberal approach Some idioms are influenced by culture and custom, which makes the original meaning of t
37、he idioms change. The translator need translate it into another form known by readers to keep the flavor and the purpose of the idioms. Liberal translation does not adhere strictly to the form or word order of the original. When there exist some dissimilarities or great difference between English an
38、d Chinese in the sequence of vocabulary, in grammatical structure and art device, liberal translation be employed. Such as “as easy as pie”(易如反掌)， “be wise after the event”(事后诸葛亮), “Still water runs deep”(大智若愚)， “Each has its own merits”(各有千秋). For example: She found herself to be a fifth wheel in t
39、he family. A, 她发现她成了家里的第五个轮胎。 B，她感到她成了家里多余的人。 Compare these two versions A and B. A employed liberal approach, B used literal approach, from the view point of the sentence structure and grammar, they are both right, but according to the meaning of the original, “a fifth wheel ” means the additional
40、things or person. But “第五个轮胎” this version has no link with person or thing. A has no meaning of “a fifth wheel”, it might express the logical reason, B would make readers have a muddled idea. Here is another example:Save your breath; the boss will never give you the day offA, 说也无益，老板不会准你的假。B，省省呼吸，老
41、板不会准你的假。Obviously A is more suitable. B belongs to “stiff translation” in Chinese, the version seems to keep the “flavor” of the original, but in fact, it not only does not express the true meaning, but also produces unreasonable Chinese expression, which lets readers confuse. 2.4 Approach of additi
42、on and omission Complex idioms should be treated in flexible ways. Since the range of inferences one can make from any phenomenon is huge and open-ended, there needs to be some constraint that helps the audience to identify those assumptions which the communicator intended to communicate. Because of
43、 the different natures of the Chinese and the English languages, that is, the former is implicate and the latter explicate, different approaches of translation should be used. Owing to the implicated nature of the Chinese language, and in order to keep its national flavoring, words or phrases should
44、 sometimes be added. Thats why the approach of addition exists. It is not a matter of “something out of nothing”. Instead, it helps the foreign readers to have a better comprehension of the original work. For example: 借香献佛 borrowing joss-sticks from a neighbor and burning them before Buddha for your
45、 own sake. This translation has added the phrases “from a neighbor” and “for your own sake” to give the readers a complete idea of the speaker. Because of the terse nature of Chinese idioms, they often contain some deep meanings, which are not shown on the surface. But the whole ideas will not be co
46、mplete if not expressed in the translation. In above translation, if the two phrases are not added, the readers will not understand why one “borrow joss-sticks” and why he “burns them Buddha”. And here, neither literal translation is proper, for the former one-“To borrow joss-sticks and offer them t
47、o Buddha” cannot express the complete implicated meaning, and the latter-“to make presents provided by somebody else will lose vivid image of the original”. On the other hand, because of the special nature of Chinese idioms, some of them often combine two idioms of the same meaning for better sound
48、and form. As we know, repetition is one of the characteristics of the Chinese language. But in translating them into English, translators will feel it difficult to do the same, because English speakers do not often say things like this. They do not have the habit of repeating things. So in translating them, omission should be chosen to avoid unnecessary and tedious repetition. Look at the following: 取之不尽，用之不竭-inexhaustible The idiom is quite nice in the eyes of Chinese speakers, for it is balanced, which conforms to the Chinese culture and the feeling of the Chinese people. B