中西文化背景下的習語翻譯

PAGE 河北師范大學高等教育自學考試本科畢業(yè)論文題目：中西文化背景下的習語翻譯專業(yè)：英語考生姓名：考生準考證號：考生所在單位：導(dǎo)師姓名：聯(lián)系電話：完成日期：2015年8月23日

TranslationbetweentheChineseandEnglishCultures

ByProf

.WangMiqing,tutor

SubmittedtotheB.A.CommitteeinPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegreeofBachelorofArtsintheEnglishDepartmentofHebei

August23,

2015

Abstract

Nida

,

afamoustranslator,

says

,“Fortruelysuccessfultranslation

,itismuchmoreimportanttofamiliarizetwoculturesthantomastertwo

Languages”,

becausewordsareassignedmeaningsinitsparticularcultures.(backgroundinformation)Thisistosay,translationiscloselyrelatedwithnotonly

Languagesbutalsocultures.StudiesoftheculturaldistinctioninidiomtranslationarestillrelativelyweakinthefieldoftranslationinChina.ExculsiveresearchonthetranslationofChineseandEnglishidiomsisstillincomplete.Inthepastyears,idiomtranslationhasmostlyemphasizedthelevelofinter-lingualcommunication,butculturaldifferenceswererarelyinvolvedinit.(indentifyproblems).ThisthesisanalysestheculturaldifferencesinChineseandEnglishidioms

,

thenstudiesEnglish-Chinese/Chinese-Englishidiomtranslationmethods(researchsubject)fromtheangleofculture（method）

andpointsoutsomewarningsconcerningidiomtranslation:payattentiontocontextandchoosetherightversioninlinewiththestyleandmeaningoftheoriginalpassage（results）

;cultureisawholewayoflife,whennewcultureemerges,newidiomsalsoappearthereforeidiomtranslationshoulddevelopwiththetime.

Key

Words

:

idiom

culture

translation

摘要

著名翻譯學家達奈指出：“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)業(yè)余文化有關(guān)。習語語翻譯中對文化的研究在中國的翻譯領(lǐng)域中仍然較弱，專門對中英習語的研究還不完善。近些年來，習語翻譯大多強調(diào)語際的交流，而很少涉及文化差異。本文通過分析中英習語的文化差異，進而從文化角度研究中英習語的翻譯方法，并指出中英習語翻譯要注意的問題：聯(lián)系上下文，選擇與原文風格，意思相符的翻譯；文化是一種生活方式，文化在變化，出現(xiàn)新的習語，細語翻譯要與時俱進。

關(guān)鍵詞：習語文化翻譯Contents

Introduction…………..1

Chapter

I.

A

comparisonbetweenEnglishandChineseidioms….2ChapterII.

TheculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseidioms………………….72.1Theformationofcultureiscloselyrelatedwithnaturalgeographicalconditions……………….……………82.2Geographicalconditions…………8ChapterIII.Differentcustoms……………………..113.1Intermsof

history………………….……………113.2Bothcountrieshavetheirdifferentreligiousfaithwhichmaycausethedifference……………….……………12Conclusion…………...14Notes15

Bibliography16

-PAGE16-IntroductionIdiomsuniversallyexistineveryLanguage.Anidiomisawordoranexpressionthatcannotbeliterallytranslatedfromthesource

LanguageintothetargetLanguagebecauseitsidiomaticmeaningcannotbeunderstoodbyliterallydefiningitscomponentparts.（background）Inabroadsense,idiomscontainsetphase,

proverbs,allusions,etc.(yinlii,2007:9)InChinese,theyalsoincludeenigmaticfolksmiles.Newmark,aBritishtranslationtheorist,inhisworkATextbookofTranslation,said,“Idefineasculturethewayoflifeandhismanifestationthatarepeculiar”

toacommunitythatusesapeculiarLanguageasitsmeansofexpression.”（previousresearch）EnglishidiomsderivesfromEnglishculturesanddailylife.Inrealcontext,idiomsexplainthemselves:ninetimesoutoftentheycarrytheirownexplainations.Ifweareunawareofthese,wewillfindourselvesinastateofconfusionsincewewillassignliteralmeaningtothem.TheChineseidioms,especiallythefour-characteridioms,havetheirownuniqueoriginswhicharecloselycorrelativetotheChinesehistoryandculture.Inviewofthedifficultiesinunderstandingidioms,weshouldpaydueattentionandeffortstounderstandtheirculturesandcustoms.ThisthesisisdesignedtodigintotheculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishandthenelaboratesonthetranslationtheoriesappliedtoidioms.(subject+method)

ChapterI

AcomparisonbetweenEnglishandChineseidiomsDifferentpeoplefromdifferentculturesmayhavedifferentunderstandingsofthesamesentencebecausetheyknowlittleaboutthetargetcultures.WhiletheultimateaimofEnglishteachingasaforeignlanguageistocultivatestudents'competencetoapplyEnglishcorrectly,fluently,andappropriatelyincross-culturalcommunication.Idioms,apartoflanguage,aretheessenceofcultureineverycountry.Usinglanguageinsuchcommunication,weoftencomeacrosssomeidiomswithdistinctiveculturalcharacteristics,soitisaveryimportantandcomplicatedthingforustounderstandandusetheseidiomscorrectly.Therefore,inthispaper,wewilldiscusstheidiomsreflectingthedifferencesofChineseandWesternculturesinvariouslevelswithmanylively,important,andinterestingexamplesofidiomsPeopleindifferentculturalbackgroundstocommunicateismultinationcommunication.Differentcountrieshavedifferenthistoricalbackgrounds,customs,traditionscultures,therefore,thetranslatorsengagedininternationalbusinessmustunderstandtheirculturaldifferencesandexotic.

Forexample,“l(fā)ikeafishoutofwater”.Ifyoufeellikefishoutofwater,youfeelawkwardanduncomfortablebecauseyouareinanunusualandunfamiliarsituation.

Friendshipcan’tstandalwaysononeside友誼是雙方的事Afriendiseasierlostthanfound朋友易失不易得Everymanhashisfaults人都有缺點

Onetreedoesnotmakeaforest獨木不成林Oneflowerdoesnotmakeaspring一花獨放不是春Oneswallowdoesnotmakeasummer孤雁不成夏Wherethereisunity,thereisvictory團結(jié)就是力量Twodogsstriveforabone,andathirdrunsawaywithit鷸蚌相爭，漁翁得利Lovemelittle,lovemelong愛情應(yīng)細水長流Beautyisintheeyesofthebeholder情人眼里出西施Bloodisthickerthanwater血濃于水Absencemakestheheartgrowfonder越是不見越想念A(yù)manisPetteddaughtersmakesillywives寵壞的女兒會變成傻婆娘Betteragloriousdeaththanashamefullife寧為玉碎不為瓦全WheninRomedoastheRomansdo入鄉(xiāng)隨俗Apennysavedisapennygained省一分是一分Onefalsemovemaylosethewholegame一步走錯步步錯Procrastinationisthethiefoftime拖延是時間的Neverputofftilltomorrowwhatmaybedonetoday今天能做的事情不要拖到明天做,Nosweetwithoutsweat.沒有耕耘就沒有收獲Oneisasoldasone’sheart.心有多老人有多老Timehealsallsorrows.時間治愈一切創(chuàng)傷Manyhandsmakelightwork.人多力量大Ajourneyofathousandmilesbeginswithasinglestep.千里之行始于足下Wherethereissmoke,thereisfire.無風不起浪Aspoorasachurchmouse.一貧如洗Agoodmedicinetastesbitter.良藥苦口Clothesmaketheman.人靠衣裝，佛靠金裝Clothesdon’tmaketheman.不能以貌取人Strikewhiletheironishot.趁熱打Lookbeforeyouleap.三思而后行Toteachafishhowtoswim.班門弄斧Self-trustisthefirstsecretofsuccess.自信是成功的秘訣Betterlatethannever.遲做總比不做好Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.自助者天助loveme,lovemydog.愛屋及烏Romewasnotbuiltinaday.偉業(yè)非一日之功Likefather,Likeson.有其父必有其子Wellbegun,halfdone好的開端成功的一半Everycloudhasasilverlining否極泰來Wherethereisawill,thereisaway.有志者事竟成Hastemakeswaste.欲速則不達AllroadsleadtoRome.條條道路通羅馬Timeandtidewaitsfornoman歲月不等人Honestyisthebestpolicy.誠實是上策Earlytobed,earlytorisemakesamanhealthy,wealthyandwise.早睡早起使人健康富有和Anappleadaykeepsdoctoraway一日一個蘋果不用看醫(yī)生Fishintheair緣木求魚Anoddfish怪人Misstheboat錯過機會Trimthesailstothewind順勢前進Asmallleakwillsinkagreatship小洞不補要沉大船Ontheotherhand,ChinaislocatedintheAsianContinentandreputedasanagriculturalcountrywithalargepopulationofpeasant,Itisnotsurprisingtofindmanyidiomsrelevanttofarming,suchas“骨瘦如柴，對牛彈琴，眾人拾柴火焰高，竹籃打水一場空”等等Chinesepeoplealsohaveamysteriousandawefeelingforsea,sotheyhaveidiomslike“天涯海角，?？菔癄€，海底撈針，海市蜃樓”等等。

Thesedifferencesininterpretationandtriedtomakeitdisappeartheprocessoftranslating

inthetargetlanguage,

andfindouttheexactwords,sodifferentcultures,whichisreproducedinthetargetlanguage.Languageispartofculture,

alsothecarriertotheculture,

whichplaysanimportantrole.languagetranslationisnotonlytheinternationalexchangeofthetwolanguages,buttwoculturesrelay.Cultureintranslationisafactorwhichshouldnotbeignored,asafamoustranslatorEugeneNita:“toreallydoagoodtranslation,mastertwolanguages,twocultures,evenmoreimportantaspect,becausethetermsonlyusedinaparticularculturetobemeaningful.”BusinessEnglishtranslationoftheinternationalmustpayattentiontothetransmissionofculturalinformation.AccordingtotheinternationalbusinessEnglishtranslation4Esstandardsandtoensurethatculturalandotherinformationequivalent.However,inpractice,

andsometimesculturalinformationisdifferenttoconveytothetargetlanguageandtheresultsofsuchstandardswillnotbefullydone.theChinesecultureemphasizetheideasof“unityisstrength”.Thiscanbesaidas“collectivism”.Onthecontrary,

thewesterneremphasizethepowerofasingleindividual,thiscanbedescribedasheroism.ComparetheChinesemovie“創(chuàng)業(yè)”andthem

AmericanTerminatorSeries,youcanseethisdifferent

cover-emphasizesthesame,andtheEnglishcultureover-emphasizestheunique;theChinesevaluesthetradition,butthewesternerpaymoreattentiontothefusion;theChineseculturepayattentiontothedisposition,outstandinghumannatureinwesternculture.Cultureisanationalphenomenon.Eachcultureisunique.EnglishandChinesepeopleliveindifferentnationalboundariesandtherearemanydifferencesbetweenthem.ThefamousmodernChinesewriter,Mr.QinMusaid:Theanalogyisbrilliantlywonderful!Itoftenmakespeopleexcitedassoonasitisappears.Ithasaspecialstrengthtomakethingssuddenlyclearandcomplexthingssuddenlyconcise.Goodmetaphorsarejustlikebeautifulflowerstosprinkletheliterature.Aselegantaspoem,metaphorisvivid,andexistsinalllanguages(JiangLei,2000,P122).Chapter

II.

TheculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseidiomsCultureisanationalphenomenon.Eachcultureisunique.EnglishandChinesepeopleliveindifferentnationalboundariesandtherearemanydifferencesbetweenthem.IdiomsexistineveryLanguage.AnidiomisawordoranexpressionthatcannotbeliterallytranslatedfromthesourceLanguageintothetargetLanguagebecauseitsidiomaticmeaningcannotbeunderstoodbyliterallydefiningitscomputerparts.Inabroadsense,idiomcontainsetphrases,proverbs,colloquialisms,slangs,maxims,allusions,etc.(YinLi,2007:9)

InChinese,theyalsoincludeenigmaticfolksimiles.

OneofthemajorcharacteristicsidentifyingusashumanisourabilitytouseLanguage.Languageplaysaveryimportantroleinpeople’sdailylife;itenablespeopletocommunicatewitheachotherandunderstandother’sfeelings.Languagehascloserelationswithculture.ItisimpossibletoseparateLanguagefromculture.AstheessenceofLanguage,

idiomsalsohavecloserelationswithculture.Thecontentsofthemrangeformsociety,history,psychology,customsandothervarioussocialphenomena.So,

intheprocessoftranslation,translatorsshouldpaymoreattentiontotheculturalfactors,indoingthis,hecandiguptheimplicitmeanings.Onlytheculturalfactorsareconcerned,translatorscanhaveasatisfactorytranslation.Besides,peopleshouldgetacquaintanceswiththeculturalbackgroundwhenusingidiomstoavoidembarrassmentincommunication.Culturesthesystemofknowledgeusedbyrelativelylargenumbersofpeopleatthesociallevel.Itisthedepositofknowledge,experience,beliefs,values,actions,meanings,religions,notionsoftime,conceptsoftheuniverse,andartifactsacquiredbyagroupofpeopleinthecourseofgenerationsthroughindividualandgroupstrving.Interculturalbusinesscommunicationisamulti-dimensionalsubjectcoveringareaslikeanthropology,linguisticsandmedia,etc.itstartsfromthe60s,Americanuniversitiesbegantohaveinterculturalcommunicationasacourse.InChina,thedisciplinewasintroducedintoChinaintheearly1980s.commonareasofinterestamongscholarsliein:value,beliefs,worldview,interpersonalrelational,,rulesofsocialbehaviour,socialorganization,language,thinkingpattern,verbalandnonverbalcommunication,conceptoftimeandspace,cultureshock,cultureadaption,etc.

2.1Theformationofcultureiscloselyrelatedwithnaturalgeographicalconditions

Theformationofcultureiscloselyrelatedwithnaturalgeographicalconditions.

Aspecificgeographicalenvironmentproducesaspecificculture,whichalsoleadstoaparticularexpression.GreatBritaincoversislandincludingtheNorthernone–sixoftheislandofIrelandbetweentheNorthAtlanticOceanandtheNorthSea,northwestofFrance.Ithasamoistclimatewithmuchrainfall.Riversandlakesarenumerous.NowonderthatfisheryisthrivingandmostimportantinBritain.Accordingly,idiomsconcerningfishandnavigationconstituteagreatpartinEnglishidioms.(LiYuping,2008:20)

2.2GeographicalconditionsManyChinesepeoplewhounderstandalittleEnglisharefamiliarwiththeword'England'.Butwhenthequestion"Whereareyoufrom?"isaskedofaBritishperson,thereplyof"Britain"ofteninducesalookofbewildermentonthefaceofthequestioner.AndiftheBritishpersonisWelsh,ScottishorIrish,theymayevenfeelslightlyannoyedthattheyhavetoreply"England"beforethequestionerunderstandswhichareaoftheworldheorsheisfrom.EnglandisinfactonlyonepartofBritain.TheBritishIslesaretwoislandssituatedoffthecontinentofEurope.ThelargeroftheseislandsisknownasGreatBritain.TheBritishstateismadeupofGreatBritain(England,WalesandScotland)andNorthernIreland.Itisoneofthe25memberstatesoftheEuropeanCommunity.ItsfullnameistheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland(theUK).

Theclimateisgenerallymildandtemperate,itoftenhasfrequentchangesbuthasfewextremesoftemperature.Itisrarelyabove32degreecentimetreorbelow-10degreecentimetre.Theaverageannualrainfallismorethan1,600mm(over60inches)inthemountainousareasofthenorthandwestbutlessthan800mm(30inches)overcentralandeasternparts.Raincanoccuratanytimebut,onaverage,MarchtoJunearethedriestmonthsandSeptembertoJanuarythewettest.DuringMay,JuneandJuly(themonthsoflongestdaylight)theaveragedailydurationofsunshinevariesfivehoursinthenorthtoeighthoursinthesouth.

Duringthemonthsofshortestdaylight(November,DecemberandJanuary)theaveragedropstoonehoursadayinthefarnorthandtwohoursinthesouth.

Withanareaofabout242,000sqkm(93,600sq.miles),Britainisjustunder1,000km(about600miles)fromnorthtosouth.Itisjustunder500km(300miles)acrossinthewidestpart.Itisthereforepossibletotraveltoanypartofthecountrywithinoneday.

TravellingacrossBritain,visitorsarestruckbyhowgreenthecountrysideisallyearround.

Asyoucanseefromamap,thelandscapeisvaried,fromtheflatlandsaroundthesouthandeasttothehillsandmountainsofScotlandandWales.

DespitehavingahighdensityofpopulationincomparisonwithmostEuropeancountries,therearehugeamountsofquietandunspoiltcountryside.Sincethedaysoftheindustrialrevolution,awarenessofacleanandecologicallystableenvironmenthasgrown,andtheoft-quoted'smog'ofLondonisathingofthepast.Problemsandcontroversiesstillremainwithpollution,butasweshallseelater,therearenowalargenumberofenvironmentalgroupsreadytopublicisesuchthingsandcampaignforchange.

ForeignvisitorstravellingthroughBritainthenwillprobablybesurprisedatthelargeareasofunspoiltcountrysidebetweenthevillagesandtowns.Anotherthingtheywillnoteisthatinmanyofthetownsandvillagestheypassthroughtheywillcomeacrossmanyold,historicbuildingswhichhavebeenmaintainedwithgreatpride.TheBritish,itseems,haveastrongsenseofhistoryandregardthepreservationofsuchmonumentsasveryimportant.TheyalsoliketorememberthosewhohavemadeasignificantcontributiontoBritish,orinternational,culture.

ChapterIII

.Differentcustoms

TheEnglishandChinesearetwolanguagesnotonlythegrammarstructurewhichcreatessentenceswiththeworddifferent,moreovertheexpressionthoughtmethodisdifferent,usestheimagealsohasthedifference.TranslatestheChineseaspectinEngland,thekeyliesintheaccurateunderstandingoriginaltext,howliesinthetranslationtogetridoftheoriginaltextrestricting,avoidstheforeignaccentoceanaccent.ThistimeisusesChinesetorewrite,thereforetoChineserequestbigsomewhat.ButtranslatestheEnglishaspectintheChinese,howthekeyliesinsynthesizesEnglishknowledgewhichtheutilizationstudies,usoriginallyunderstoodthequiteclearChinesewriting,smoothlyexpressesbytheaccurateEnglishMostidiomshavetheirnationalcharacteristicsbecauseoftheirdifferentlifeexperiences.Forexample,theEnglishidiom“apieceofcake”小菜一碟meanssomethingeasytodo.ThecakeisakindofcommonfoodinBritish,sotheyuseapiececaketorefertothingseasytodo.WhileinChina,thingsaredifferent.Eatingadishofsidedishes一碟小菜ismorecommonlyusedtorefertosomethingeasytodo,justlikeapieceofcakeinEnglish.

3.1Intermsofhistory

BothBritainandChina

havealonghistory,andthehistoricalallusionhavebecomethegemsoftheircultures.Theseallusionbearingthedistinctculturalpersonalityandrichhistoricalandculturalinformationcanbestembodythehistoricalandculturalcharacteristics.Forexample:SwordofDamocles:tobeindangerofhavingsomethingunluckyorbadhappen千鈞一發(fā)Intheyear4B.CinSyracuse,therewasatyrantDionysius.HehadachancellornamedDamocleswhoadmiredtheroyalverymuch.Oneday,thekinglethimsitonhisthrone,whenlookingup;hesawaswordhangingoverhishead.Thekngmadethisagreementtomakehimunderstandthatthoughthebodywasinthrone,thepressuretobekilledatanytimeexistedtocrosstheRubicon:todosomethingwhichwillhaveveryimportantresults,whichcannotbechangedlater.孤注一擲TheallusionisfromJuliusCaesar.AfterhelefthisarmyunconstitutionallycrosstheRiverRubiconin49B.C.,hisprovincewasseparatedfromItaly,whichledtotheCivilWardirectly.臥薪嘗膽Tosleepunderthestraw,tastebittertheneating

andsleeping.Thisidiomdescribespeoplewhoworkveryhardinordertobesuccessful.TheallusionisaboutGouJian,theemperorof

YueinWarringStatePeriod.WhenhiscountrywasbeatenbyWu,hewascapturedandservedfor3yearsinWuplaceasaslave;however,hedidnotloseheart.GouJianhunggallundertheceilingwhetherinorout,sittingorstanding,eveneatingandsleeping,heoftentastedthegalltoencouragehimself.AndatlasthebeatWucountry.

3.2BothcountrieshavetheirdifferentreligiousfaithwhichmaycausethedifferenceWiththeopeninganddevelopmentofChina,someforeignaffairsandculturehaveenteredourworld.Inthiscase,thecommunicationacrossthecountry,withsomeforeigncountries,butitisnotasinglematter,whatwefaceistheculture,thought,customsandbehaviorfromastrangecountryandculture,sothereisacultureconflict,wecanseetheconflictandproblemsininterculturalcommunicationagainandagain:onecountry’spresentthinkthatthegesturemeansfriendly,butitenragesanothercountry’speople:somebusinessfromforeigncountriescometoChinatodobusinessbutfailedandleftwithcomplaint;theteacherscomingfromEnglandandAmericasayChinesestudentsdonnotcooperatewiththem;someChinesepeoplegotoAmericatostudy,but,afterashorttime,theygiveuptheplan,andcomebacktoChina…

Becausedifferentpeoplecomefromdifferentsociety,religionandlivingenvironment,therearedifferentlanguagecustoms,socialcultureandcustoms,etc,.

Differentculturebringsdifferentspeakingwayandlivinghabit,therefore,peopleliketousetheirownwaytoexplaintheotherperson’slanguage,thiscanleadtoaninaccurateconclusiontoaconflict,therearevariedofreasonswhichcausedthecultureconflictsbetweenChinaandwesterncountries.

ConclusionIdiomsaretheessenceofthenationallanguageandthepartoflanguage,andtherichestinthenationalculturalcharacteristics.Withthedevelopmentofthenationalculture,moreandmorewordsareemployedinEnglishand

Chineseidioms,

theyreadsmoothandsoundpleasanttoear,andtheyarewidespreadandpopularized.ThispapercomparedChineseandwesternidiomsfromgeography,customs,historicalallusion,andreligion.Thepurposeofthecomparativestudyistomakereadersunderstandsuchidiomsclearly.

Asculturalexchangedeveloped,suchidiomswillcertainlyexchangewitheachother,whichwillhelptoenrichtheidioms.Readersinmodernsocietieswhichdevelopatarapidratemustpaymoreattentiontosuchidioms.

Notes【1】英語習慣用語手冊.北京：光明日報出版社，1986【2】常用習語[S]北京：外文出版社，2000【3】英漢習語的文化觀照與對比[M].武漢:武漢大學出版社,2000【4】實用漢英翻譯[M].成都:四川大學出版社,2002【5】英語習語研究[M].上海:上海外語教育出版社,2005【6】英語習語與英美文化[M].北京：外語教學與研究出版社，2000【7】新編簡明英語習語手冊[S].北京：知識出版社，2002【8】《水龍吟·和幕府賀策應(yīng)》【9】清·曾樸《孽海花》第三十二回【10】《越王勾踐》

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英語習慣用語手冊.北京：光明日報出版社，1986目錄目錄第一章總論 1一、項目概述 1二、可行性研究報告編制依據(jù)和范圍 2三、項目主要經(jīng)濟技術(shù)指標 PAGER