Cultural Differences in the Translation of English and Chinese Idioms英语专业毕业论文.docx
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Cultural Differences in the Translation of English and Chinese Idioms英语专业毕业论文.docx
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CulturalDifferencesintheTranslationofEnglishandChineseIdioms英语专业毕业论文
CulturalDifferencesintheTranslationofEnglishandChineseIdioms
Abstract:
Idiomsareuniqueandfixedexpressionswhichareformedinusingalanguage.Idiomsaretheessenceofalanguage,andalsothequintessenceofanation’scultureandwisdom.ThetranslationofEnglishandChineseidiomsoccupiesaprominentplaceinthewholetranslation.Thispaperprobesintotheculturaldifferencesbetweenthetwolanguagesinlivingenvironments,translationalcustoms,materialcultures,religiousbeliefs,andhistoricalallusions.ItalsoincludesthetranslationskillsofEnglishandChineseidioms.
Keywords:
English;Chinese;idioms;difference;translation.
摘要:
习语是某一语言在使用过程中形成的独特的固定的表达方式。
习语是语言的精华,也是一个民族文化与智慧的结晶。
英汉习语的翻译在整个翻译中占着突出的地位。
文章探讨这两种语言在生存环境、风俗习惯、物质文化、宗教信仰等方面的文化差异,以及习语在翻译中的具体技巧。
关键词:
英语;汉语;习语;差异;翻译
Introduction
Idiomsareasetoffixedexpressionspeculiartoanationformedthroughtheuseoflanguageoveralongperiodoftime,includingcolloquialisms,proverbs,slangexpressionsandsoon,makinguponeoftheessentialpartsoflanguageofthatcountry.ChineseandEnglishspeakingcountriesespeciallyGreatBritainhavealonghistoryoflanguagesandthebackgroundofcultures.Mostofidiomsarevivid,carryingstronglocalcolorornationalfeatures.Someofthemareexplicit;someareimplicitandcanarousevarietiesofassociations;somemaycontainmorethanonemeaningandmustbejudgedfromthecontext.Iflanguageistheminorofculture,idioms,astheessenceoflanguage,arethequintessenceofculture.Therefore,thequalityoftranslationlargelydependsonthetranslationofidioms.Translationisarenderingfromonelanguageintoanother,i.e.thefaithfulrepresentationinonelanguageofwhatiswrittenorsaidinanotherlanguage.However,languageandculturearecloselyareconnected.Ontheonehand,languageispartofcultureandcarrierofculture.Ontheotherhand,culturehasgreatinfluenceonlanguage.Therefore,withthedevelopmentoftranslation,peoplenolongerconsidertranslationmerelyasaswitchingoflanguagesymbols,butasacross-culturalcommunication.Thatistosay,theswitchingoflanguagesymbolsisthesurfaceleveloftranslation,whereasculturaltransmissionistheessenceoftranslation.Idiomtranslationisthemosttypicalintranslationsfield.
EugeneA.Nitadividedthecharacteroflanguagecultureintofivegroups:
Ecology,MaterialCulture,SocialCulture,ReligiousCulture,andLinguisticCulture.SowesummarizetheculturaldifferencesofEnglishandChineseidiomsintofiveaspects:
livingenvironment,traditionalcustoms,materialcultures,religiousbeliefs,andhistoricalallusions.
1.CulturaldifferencesofEnglishandChineseidioms
1.1Differentlivingenvironment
Geographicalenvironmentplaysanimportantroleinshapingonecountry’scultureandhumanbeingshavenochoicesandcapacitiestochangethegeography.Asaresult,idiomsbasedongeographicalfeaturesappeardifferent.
Britainisanislandcountry,whichdoesnotsharelandborderwithanyothercountriesexcepttheRepublicofIreland.Inhistory,itsnavigationindustryhaseverbeenthefirstoneforalongtime.So,Britishpeoplehaveaspecialpassionforwater.However,themostpartofChinabelongstoinlandplacewherepeoplecannotlivewithoutearth.Thisverygeographicaldifferenceresultsindifferentidiomsinthetwolanguages.Forexample,toshowsomebodybeingextravagant,thereisaChineseidiom‘挥金如土’,butinEnglishtheidiomis‘spendmoneylikewater’.Taketheotherinstance,insouthernChinawithmildandmoistureweather,bambooisafamiliarplantforpeoplethere,sotheyusetheidiom‘雨后春笋’todescribethenewthingscroppingupingreatnumbers.Correspondingly,Englishhavetheidiom‘springuplikemushrooms’totellthesamemeaning,sinceinEnglandmushroominspringcanbeseeneverywhere.Besidesthedifferentidiomsexpressingthesamenotioninthetwolanguages,therearealotofidiomsrelatedtowaterinEnglishandearthinChinesewhichhavenocorrespondingcounterpartintheotherlanguage,liketheEnglishidioms‘torestonone’soars’,‘tokeepone’sheadabovewater’,‘allatsea’andetc.
1.2Differenttraditionalcustoms
Thedifferencesoftraditionalcustomsofthetwonationsexistindifferentlivingcustoms,productivepattern,andi.e.Thesetwopeoplesareusedtoraisingdogs.MostofidiomsaboutdoginChinesecontainderogatorysense.Forexample:
‘狼心狗肺’‘狗急跳墙’‘狐朋狗友’‘狗腿子’andsoon.
Althoughintheserecentyearsthenumberofpopulationwhotakedogsaspetsislargelyincreasingandthedog’sstatusseemstochange,thederogatorymeaningofdoghasbeendeeplyrootedinthecultureofChineselanguage.
However,tothewestern,dogcouldbetakenasdoorkeeperorusedtohuntaswellashumanpet,friendorpartner.InEnglishlanguage,mostofidiomsaboutdogcontaindualsense.Forinstance:
Youarealuckydog.[你是一个幸运儿。
] Everydoghashisday.[人人都有得意日。
] Olddogwillnotlearnnewtricks.[老人学不了新东西];tobeatopdog[居于要位],andsoon.‘Dogtired’means‘verytired’.Itsliteralmeaningis‘tiredlikeadog’.BecauseEnglishpeopleusuallyseetheirdogscomingback,andthenthedogswilllieonthegroundasdeadiftheyareverytired.Therefore,theidiomhasbeenusedtodescribehumantiredness.Ontheotherhand,doginEnglishculturealsomeanshostilityandsneer.Likethefollowing:
Youaregoingtothedogs.你就要像狗一样完蛋了。
[Itmeanssomebodywilldegenerateorgotothebad.]
Thisisadog’slife.这简直不是人过的日子。
[Itmeanstheverypoorlife.][1]
Fromaboveoff,themeaningofdogdifferentiatesgreatlybetweenChineseandEnglish,whichmakesometroubleintheinter-translationoftheidioms.
1.3Differentmaterialcultures
Withtheeconomicglobalizationandtheincreaseofinternationalcommunication,westernculturesaboutdiet,residence,andclosing,i.e.,haveincreasinglyinfluencedoneveryaspectofChinesetraditionalculture.Forexample:
’‘coffee’,‘sofa’,‘chocolate’havebeentranslatedas‘咖啡’‘沙发’‘巧克力’.Thesewordshavebeenusuallyusedinourdailylife.Meanwhile,Chinesehasthesimilarinfluenceonwesternlanguage.Forexample:
‘豆腐’‘麻将’havebeentranslatedinto‘tofu’‘mahjong’.
Therefore,withthedevelopmentoftranslation,peoplenolongconsidermerelyasaswitchingoflanguagesymbols,butasacross-culturalcommunication.Thatistosay,theswitchingoflanguagesymbolsisthesurfaceleveloftranslation,whereasculturaltransmissionistheessenceoftranslation.ThatisasayinginChina:
‘巧妇难为无米之炊’.Somebodytranslateditinto“Evenacleverhousewifecannotcookamealwithnorice.”Theversionandtheoriginalareequivalentinform.ItcatersfortheChinesereaderswhounderstandChinesediethabit,buttheEnglishandAmerican,forthosereaderswhodonotknowmuchaboutthishabit.Because“rice”isnotthestaplefoodofEnglishandAmerican.Theywouldprobablymakethisresponse:
Whynotcookamealwithflour?
Forflourismorepopularthanriceintheirdiethabit.
1.4Religiousdifferences
Religionexistsineverycountyandnationandaffectsmuchinpeople’sbeliefandlife,especiallybeforethemoderncivilization.Numerousidiomsweregeneratedfromthefountainofreligion.Thepeopleindifferentcountriesmostlybelieveindifferentschoolsofreligion.Therefore,somedifferencesofidiomsbetweenChineseandEnglishcanbetracedbacktotheoriginofreligion.
ReligionplayedakeyroleinBritishsocietyespeciallybeforecapitalization.ThemajoritiesoftheEnglishpeoplebelieveinChristianityandregardtheBibleasoneofthemostimportantclassicalworksintheirlife.TheBibleiscomprehensiveofnearlyallthemattersinlifesothatitactsnotonlyaclassicinreligionbutalsoanimportantsupporterofBritishculture,orevenofwesternculture.InnumerableidiomsareoriginatedfromtheBible,suchastheidiomreferringtotheunwiseactofforcingtheextremelyconservativepersontoacceptnewconceptions,‘toputnewwineinoldbottles’,theidiomdescribingthrillinghorrorcausedbysomething,‘tomakeone’shairstandonend’,anotheridiomdenotingrevengeinthesameway,‘aneyeforaneye,atoothforatooth’andetc.Besides,theidiom‘aspoorasachurchmouse’alsoissomewhatinfluencedbyreligion.InChristianchurch,thereisnodevotedfood,whichisnotthesamecaseinChinesetemples.Therefore,themiceinthechurch,whichhavenofood,canbesaidaspoor.
DifferentfromBritain,ChinesecultureevolvedfromConfucianSchool,TaoistSchool.TherearetracesofTaoistprinciplesandConfucianprinciplesinBuddhistdoctrines.Therefore,althoughBuddhistcultureoriginatedfromtheothercountry,ithasbeenassimilatedinChineseculturethroughathousandyearsofspreadingandacceptingChinesefeathersatthesametime.IthasbeenapartofChinesecultureandexertedenormousinfluenceonChinesetraditionalcultureandpresentlifeaswell.Inlanguage,alargenumberofChineseidiomscanbetracedbacktoBuddhistSchool.Forexample,theidiom"道高一尺,魔高一丈"isoriginallythewarninginBuddhismtowarnBuddhistdisciplesoftheoutsidetemptations,whichremindthedisciplesofthehardprospecttoovercomeallthedifficultiesbothinsideandoutsideinordertomaketheslightestdevelopment.Nowitisusedtotellthereisalwaysatleastonepowerstrongerthantheother.Foranotherinstance,“一尘不染”isalsoaBuddhistterm.BuddhistSchoolcallssex,sound,smell,flavor,touchandruleas“六尘”andBuddhistdisciplesshouldnotbeaffectedbytheabovesix.Nowthisidiomevolvedtodescribeapersonwhoispureandhonestorathingwhic
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