英語(yǔ)畢業(yè)論文----從文化角度看英漢習(xí)語(yǔ)翻譯

1、<p>　　從文化角度看英漢習(xí)語(yǔ)翻譯</p><p>　　Study on the Translation of Chinese and English Idioms from a Cultural Perspective</p><p>　　院 － 系： 外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院 </p><p>　　專 業(yè)：

2、 英語(yǔ) </p><p>　　年 級(jí)： 2007級(jí) </p><p><b>　　摘要</b></p><p>　　語(yǔ)言是文化的載體，而習(xí)語(yǔ)是語(yǔ)言文化的結(jié)晶，它如同一面鏡子反映出了中外民族的文化特征。習(xí)語(yǔ)通常包括俗語(yǔ)、諺語(yǔ)、典故

3、、俚語(yǔ)等類別，它常常用形象生動(dòng)、淺顯易懂的語(yǔ)言，準(zhǔn)確地描述社會(huì)現(xiàn)象、法則，高度地闡述人文習(xí)俗、思想感情。習(xí)語(yǔ)在日常生活中的應(yīng)用非常廣泛，甚至成為辯論中唇槍舌戰(zhàn)的武器。美國(guó)第16屆總統(tǒng)亞伯拉罕·林肯在他一篇著名演說中引用了圣經(jīng)里的一句話：“互相分裂的房子無法站立?！眮硖?hào)召美國(guó)人民團(tuán)結(jié)一致反對(duì)黑奴制度，停止內(nèi)戰(zhàn)。隨著文化交流的日益頻繁，由于習(xí)語(yǔ)在語(yǔ)言中的重要地位，習(xí)語(yǔ)的翻譯也早已引起了翻譯界的重視，因此恰到好處地翻譯習(xí)語(yǔ)將有助于跨

4、文化交流。本文試圖研究中英習(xí)語(yǔ)中所體現(xiàn)的文化內(nèi)涵，并從文化角度來探究英漢習(xí)語(yǔ)的翻譯。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：習(xí)語(yǔ)；習(xí)語(yǔ)類別；文化內(nèi)涵；習(xí)語(yǔ)翻譯 </p><p><b>　　ABSTRACT</b></p><p>　　Language is the carrier of culture and idioms are commonly r

5、ecognized as the essence or the crystallization of language. It usually includes proverb, colloquialism, slang and allusion and so on. Idioms also represent the social phenomenon and natural rules accurately with lively

6、and plain words so that they might be compared to one of the mirrors which best reflect the special features of a nation or a culture. In fact, idioms are widely used in our daily lives, even debates are often interspers

7、</p><p>　　Key words: Idioms; Classification of idioms; Cultural connotation; Translation of idioms</p><p>　　TABLE OF CONTENTS</p><p><b>　　Page</b></p><p>　　

8、1 INTRODUCTION1</p><p>　　2 DEFINITION AND MAIN CLASSIFICATION OF IDIOMS3</p><p>　　2.1 Definitions of Idioms3</p><p>　　2.2 Main Classification of Idioms4</p><p>　　2.

9、2.1 Slang4</p><p>　　2.2.2 Allusion5</p><p>　　2.2.3 Proverb5</p><p>　　2.2.4 Colloquialism6</p><p>　　3 UNDERSTANDING IDIOMS AND TRANSLATION FROM A CULTURAL CONTEXT7&

10、lt;/p><p>　　3.1 Relationship between Idioms and Culture7</p><p>　　3.2 Relationship between Translation and Culture9</p><p>　　4 DISCUSSION OF IDIOM TRANSLATION11</p><p>

11、　　4.1 Literal Translation11</p><p>　　4.2 Free Translation13</p><p>　　4.3 Image-shift Translation14</p><p>　　5 CONCLUSION17</p><p>　　REFERENCES18</p><p&g

12、t;　　ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS19</p><p>　　1 INTRODUCTION</p><p>　　Long in history, large in quantity and rich in cultural information, both English and Chinese idioms are deeply rooted in life. Nowadays,

13、 people take strong interests on cultural studies and talking about cultural studies has become a fashion in the circle of present culture and academia. According to the traditional theory of translation, people consider

14、ed translating as a process of transfer between two languages. Recently, to some extent, translation tends to become cultural rethinking. Accor</p><p>　　2 DEFINITION AND MAIN CLASSIFICATION OF IDIOMS</p&g

15、t;<p>　　Any kind of language has its own set phrases and fixed sentences which vulgarly and vividly describe people’s emotion and social phenomenon through accumulation during long time. They are called “idioms” i

16、n English and “漢語(yǔ)成語(yǔ)” or “熟語(yǔ)” in Chinese. Idiom is a particular part of language which includes proverb, colloquialism, slang and allusion and so on.</p><p>　　2.1 Definitions of Idioms</p><p>　　T

17、he word “idiom” is equal to “習(xí)語(yǔ)” in Chinese, which possesses several definitions, such as “a language of a people or a country” or “a dialect”. It probably may be defined, according to Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-C

18、hinese Dictionary, as “phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit” (Hornby, 2002, p.734) Generally, common people think that an idiom i

19、s also a kind of a set phrase or sentence fixed by long pra</p><p>　　2.2 Main Classification of Idioms</p><p>　　Idioms are commonly recognized as the essence or the crystallization of language.

20、In a broad sense, idioms may include proverbs, colloquialisms, slangs and allusions.</p><p>　　2.2.1 Slang</p><p>　　Slangs are very informal words and expressions that are more common in spoken E

21、nglish, especially used by a particular group of people, such as children, criminals, soldiers, etc. Slangs are rooted in local people’s life experiences or their customs and occurred in literary works, such as drama, TV

22、 serials, movies and monologue in the novel. Usually, slangs can be divided into three sorts: euphemism, curse words and vulgar language. Here are some typical examples represented the three ones respe</p><p&g

23、t;　　Close one’s eyes (合眼，去世). </p><p>　　Damn you (混賬，該死的)! </p><p>　　Don’t talk crap (不要胡說八道). </p><p>　　2.2.2 Allusion</p><p>　　Allusions originate from myth and legen

24、d, history and classic and they are actually origins and national characteristics of idioms. Allusions of idioms are used when something that is said or written that refers to or mentions another person or subject in an

25、indirect way. On account of the different social background, customs and religious influences, the meanings of idioms are much more remoted from their literal senses. If lacking of the knowledge of the allusions made in

26、idioms, we will hardl</p><p>　　2.2.3 Proverb</p><p>　　Proverb is a well-know phrase or sentence that gives advice or says something that is generally true. Idioms originated from the life, it is

27、 comprehensive to generalize the life phenomenon in society and widely used among common people. Most of the idioms are scientific summary of the laboring people’s view on their experienced life through particular work.

28、In a word, these terse, colloquial and vivid proverbs are the wisdom of human beings. Here are some typical ones reflecting common people’s </p><p>　　farmers will say：</p><p>　　“Many hands make

29、light work (眾人拾柴火焰高).” or </p><p>　　“No mill, no meal (不勞動(dòng)者不得食).” </p><p>　　sailors will say：</p><p>　　“He that sows the wind will reap the whirlwind (玩火者必自焚).” or </p><

30、;p>　　“In a calm sea every man is a pilot (在平靜的海洋上,人人都是領(lǐng)航員).”</p><p>　　2.2.4 Colloquialism </p><p>　　Colloquialism is a word or phrase that is used in daily conversation and one most important

31、 group of idioms. The form of colloquialism is set and many of them are rather rigid and cannot show up in any other forms. Colloquialisms play an important role in both English Chinese language because they are inexhaus

32、tible storehouses. Here, The author shall select two of them with cultural connotation as the following.</p><p>　　Take the idiom “to kick the bucket (死了，一命嗚呼)” as an example, the origin of this phrase can be

33、 dated back to a religious ceremony of baptism in Christianity. Another example “to talk of the devil and he will appear (說曹操曹操到)”, here, in order to understanding this phrase, we should know a famous person named Cao Ca

34、o in Chinese history.</p><p>　　3 UNDERSTANDING IDIOMS AND TRANSLATION FROM A CULTURAL CONTEXT</p><p>　　Idioms are a particular part of a language, which includes colloquialisms proverbs, slangs

35、and allusions and so on. Culture is a complicated system including and influencing almost all the aspects of life in a society. Translation is a process of changing a text or a work from one language to another for a new

36、 readership. </p><p>　　3.1 Relationship between Idioms and Culture</p><p>　　Edward B. Tytlor, an anthropologist, wrote: “Culture or civilization taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that com

37、plex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” (Edward B. Tytlor, 1871 in Zhang Miao, 2003, p.14) This sentence refer

38、s to academic subjects, which means that the scope of culture is not measurable. Language is a system of communication in speech and writing that is used by peopl</p><p>　　Language is a part of culture, for

39、all languages are created along with the cultures produced. Different languages are created in different cultural situations. Thus, languages bear their characteristics in line with those of specific cultures. Language a

40、nd culture influence each other, reflect each other and co-exist with each other. Language is inseparable from culture in that different cultures result in different language and different languages in turn cause differe

41、nt ways of communication.</p><p>　　Idioms are an important component of language and culture in a society, the appropriate use of which is a symbol whether a language learner or not is in command of the lang

42、uage. Idioms are regarded as the kernel and cream of a language, which usually highly specialized in meaning and closely tied to cultural features and cultural attitude. In its most basic sense, idioms are the most cultu

43、rally-loaded element in any language’s vocabulary, because they are bound up with the geographical environme</p><p>　　A bad beginning makes a bad ending (不善始者不善終). This saying indicated how important the beg

44、inning is.</p><p>　　God helps those who help themselves (天助自助者). This proverb shows the strong belief in America that people should show initiative.</p><p>　　The above are two proverbs from the

45、English idioms, each of which stresses an </p><p>　　important value reflected by the dominant culture.</p><p>　　3.2 Relationship between Translation and Culture</p><p>　　Cultural st

46、udies have currently been prevailing both at home and abroad. Translation is a process of transferring the meaning of a text which may be a word or a book from one language to another for the readers. Since language is a

47、 part of culture, translation of language can not simply be the transfer of linguistic symbols. Over the past 20 years, with the deepening of cultural studies, it has been commonly accepted that translation refers to bot

48、h language and culture. To some extent, the way o</p><p>　　Translation, as cross—cultural communication must be got on a lingual basis and on a cultural connotation, because language and culture are so inter

49、dependent that the one implies the other. Cultural characteristics influence the way the language are used and understood. Translation is connected with two cultural contexts in which their cultural content is conveyed i

50、n two different languages, and it lays emphasis on how to convey the original cultural connotation exactly and how to interpret it f</p><p>　　As stated above, language is the carrier of culture and translati

51、on is a tool for </p><p>　　cultural exchange. As an essential and more expressive component of languages and cultures concerned, a beautiful gem of a language as well as crystallization of national culture,

52、a close study of them is inevitable in translation (Huang Shunling, 2010). The possibility of translation is based on the generality of cultures in different countries, while the limit of translation is due to their cult

53、ural differences. Studies on the relationship of culture and translation will give a promotion to cu</p><p>　　Every dog has its day (凡人都有得意日，風(fēng)水輪流轉(zhuǎn))</p><p>　　狗嘴里吐不出象牙(A dog’s mouth emits no ivory

54、) </p><p>　　As idioms come from the lives of ordinary people, they show their cultural origins and national identity. </p><p>　　4 DISCUSSION OF IDIOM TRANSLATION</p><p>　　Trans

55、lation is different from common communications because it involves a lot of factors. It’s well known that translation is not only the communication between two languages, but also the communication and transmission of tw

56、o kinds of cultural information. Therefore, idioms as “the essence of the language” are difficult to understand and even more difficult to translate. </p><p>　　To conquer the differences between English and

57、Chinese idioms and the specific difficulties caused by the differences, appropriate translation methods should be chosen in treating specific problems. In the following, the author shall discuss certain methods that can

58、be used in dealing with particular idioms in translation between Chinese and English, and try to analyze them on the base of relevance theory. Here are three relatively practical methods that could be used in the transla

59、tion of idiom</p><p>　　4.1 Literal Translation </p><p>　　The so-called literal translation, not only keeps the original contents, but also keeps the original form. This translation method is to

60、translate the context directly and can completely retain the ideas of the original image, national identity and language style. If the target language uses the same expressions to describe the same content, and can bring

61、 the same effect, in this case, literal translation can be chosen. For instance, the Chinese idiom “貓哭老鼠”, we can take the English idiom “to sh</p><p>　　From long ago, the cultural communication and transmis

62、sion among nations has never stopped. Since the May 4th movement, the translators at home have brought in many new and modern words and ideas from the foreign original works. As a result, many idioms originally coming fr

63、om foreign languages are used by us, especially western languages like English.</p><p>　　A large number of English idioms come from the Bible, which were not born in the English language, but come from Hebre

64、w and Greek. The English people do not feel uncomfortable in using them, but feel proud that they master the vivid and rich language in the world. The Chinese idiom “丟臉” (lose face) has not only become a set phrase in En

65、glish, but also been literally translated into many other languages in the world. Similarly, the idiom “紙老虎” is very popular after it was translated as “paper tig</p><p>　　this is also a kind of literal tran

66、slation.</p><p>　　4.2 Free translation </p><p>　　The so-called free translation is just to keep the original content meaning, does not keep the original form. In many cases, the target language

67、describes the same meaning with different forms. In order to bring the same effect, we generally use free translation method. Due to the different national characteristic, the idioms abounding set figurative images gener

68、ally are not familiar to the readers, even some are hard to be understood by the readers. </p><p>　　In order to make the reader understand the original language idioms, they can be transformed into the reade

69、rs’ familiar image and statements. Take the Chinese idiom “開門見山” for example, it can be translated: “to come straight to the point.” We can clearly see that it does not have the form of the original idiom, but exactly ex

70、press the meaning of the original idiom. Another example is “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, we can also, and with better results, translate it as “入鄉(xiāng)隨俗”. Here, it can b</p><p>　　Sometimes, we sacrifice

71、the style of the original idioms to keep the integrity and consistency of ideas of the original idioms. Here are two examples as the following:</p><p>　　“對(duì)新藥業(yè), 老實(shí)講, 我是搟面杖吹火------一竅不通, 并且, 自己的精力也有限…… ”(周而復(fù):《上

72、海的早晨》, 第1部, 第48章)</p><p>　　“To be quite honest with you, I don’t know the first thing about them modern rug business and also my energies are rather limited……” (Zhang Peiji, 1979, p.117)</p><p>

73、　　Here, the author can not translate the context literally and the free translation method may be taken to get a better paraphrase according to contextual meaning of a work.</p><p>　　“Bugger me! There’s Mrs.

74、 Smith - I thought she was on holiday.” </p><p>　　“我的天啊! 那不是司密斯太太嗎? 我以為她去度假了” (Bao Huinan, 2001, p.175)</p><p>　　Obviously, “Bugger me” in the above sentence, can not be translated in accordance

75、 with the literal words. Oppositely, according to the below narrative perspective, it is just a surprising tone, and described her unexpected thing. </p><p>　　“東施效顰” , if we translated it as “Dong Shi imitat

76、es Xi Shi”, it will become very difficult for foreigners to understand. But it also can be translated: “Dong Shi , an ugly woman, knitting her brows in imitation of the famous beauty Xi Shi , only to make herself uglier.

77、” (Zeng Lizhu, 2005, p.41)</p><p>　　Because Chinese idioms are terse, they often possess some deep meanings, which are not shown on the surface. In the above translation, if the contexts are translated direc

78、tly, the whole ideas will not be completely expressed and the implicated meanings will not be understood by readers. For this reason, free translation is proper. In a word, brief free translation must be easier for reade

79、rs to understand and accept.</p><p>　　4.3 Image-shift Translation</p><p>　　Among various languages, cultural differences are reflected by people’s viewpoint of the objective world. Because of th

80、e influence of different cultures and customs, each nation has its own habit to express the same content. Under the circumstances, the translator can replace the images of source language with the proper images of target

81、 language according to the context. So a translator should change ways of expression to obey the habits of the target language in translation. </p><p>　　As we know, many languages have quite a number of idio

82、ms with animal words. Some animals stand for similar images in both languages, such as the toad. Both two sides think that the toad stands for ugly things. Here, look at the following:</p><p>　　“If she were

83、a nice, pretty child, one might compassionate her forlornness; but one really can not care for such a little toad like that (Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre).”</p><p>　　她若是漂亮可愛, 她那么孤苦伶仃的, 人家倒會(huì)可憐她, 可是像她那樣的癩蛤蟆, 實(shí)在

84、難討人喜歡。(Huang Birong, 2004, p.114)</p><p>　　Some animals stand for very different images such as the dog and the dragon. In English, the dog stands for friendship while in Chinese it stands for faithfulness.

85、To Chinese, the dragon is something sacred and showing majesty, and has been referred to as the ancestor of the Chinese nation--- that’s why the Chinese call themselves“龍的傳人”(descendants of the dragon). However, in the m

86、ind of the English-speaking people, the dragon is some evil monster that can spit fire, and sometimes possesses thre</p><p>　　The same animal does not play the according role of animal idioms in two language

87、s. For example, the lion in English often plays the role of the tiger in Chinese. For example, “donkey in a lion’s hide” is equal to “狐假虎威”. Another example, “as stupid as a goose” equals to “蠢得像頭豬”. So it is necessary t

88、o make appropriate transference. In fact, this is one way of “cultural transference” (Huang Shunling, 2010). From above, the image-shift translation method may be the best way to translate the idioms</p><p>

89、　　As is well-known to all, Britain is an island country, so a lot of English idioms have to do with sailing and fishing. While the Chinese live in Asian continent one generation after another and their lives can not go o

90、n without land. Take the English idiom “Let another’s shipwreck be your seamark.” as an example. The author thinks “前車之覆，后車之鑒” is a good translation for it. It is helpful for readers to understand when replacing the imag

91、e of “船” with the image of “車”. In addition, “God” in English </p><p>　　5 CONCLUSION</p><p>　　Idioms make up the kernel and cream of a language. Both Chinese and English have lots of and varieti

92、es of idioms, which make themselves more vivid, more succinct and more expressive. Idioms are mainly created by the laboring people and made up by many such wonderful set phrases and sentences. On account of the complexi

93、ty in culture, idioms take many different forms or structures and cause difficulties to their translation. Therefore, whether or not to solve the cultural factors in idioms is the </p><p>　　In this paper, th

94、ree translation methods of idioms have been discussed but which method to be chosen will completely depend on the context and the cultural differences involved. Even the same idiom may be translated in various ways in di

95、fferent contexts. Because of the different cultural connotation in English and Chinese idioms, it is necessary to keep in our minds that the translation methods are to serve the purpose of completely carrying out the pri

96、nciples of faithfulness and expressiveness.</p><p>　　REFERENCES</p><p>　　AS Hornby, 李北達(dá).(2002). Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary[Z]. 北京:商務(wù)印書館.</p><p>　　Nida Euge

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98、l Differences in English and Chinese Idioms[J]. 西南農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)學(xué)報(bào)2(02).重慶:西南農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)出版社.</p><p>　　馮慶華.(2008).實(shí)用翻譯教程[M].上海:上海外語(yǔ)教育出版社.</p><p>　　黃碧蓉.(2004).英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)翻譯中的異化和歸化[J].湘潭師范學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)26(04).湘潭:湖南科技大學(xué)期刊社.</p>

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100、. 福建商業(yè)高等專院學(xué)報(bào)(02).福州:福建商業(yè)高等?？茖W(xué)報(bào)編輯部.</p><p>　　ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS</p><p>　　First, I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to my tutor, associate professor Guo Jinyong, who gave me the greatest help to w

101、ork out the thesis, and patiently and carefully eliminated many of the errors in it. Second, I’m grateful to all my teachers who teach me knowledge, and people who supplied me with reference materials of great value. Fin