苏晓宁 2008303172 13010802
Professor Ruan Hongmei
Theory and Practice of Translation Between English and Chinese
English and Chinese Idioms Translation
Both Britain and China have a long history which creates many idioms and they are widely used in people’s daily life. However, because of the differences in geographic environment, culture traditions, social customs and religions, there are some difficulties in the translation between English and Chinese idioms. The purpose of this paper is to show the aspects that influence the translation of English and Chinese idioms, and to offer some methods in idioms translation.
Geographic environment is the foundation of humans’ existence and development, so different geographic environments have different influences on the formation and development of the nations’ culture (李红艳，2006). China is always a country which agriculture plays an important role since ancient time, so a large number of idioms related to agriculture have been in use.
e.g. (1) 槁木死灰——withered wood or cold ashes (2) 骨瘦如柴——be lean as a rake
Living on an island, the English are keen on sailing and traveling, the English language abounds in idioms connected with navigation (Ouyang Hongxiang, 2005).
e.g. (1) all at sea——不知所措 (2) in the same boat——同舟共济
1
Culture traditions also have a profound influence on the language. Many Chinese idioms come from fables, historical events and folk legends (李红艳，2006).
e.g. (1) 亡羊补牢——It’s never too late to mend.
(2) 三顾茅庐——make three calls at the thatched cottage (3) 愚公移山——how Yukong moved the mountains
Compared with that, many English idioms are from ancient Greek and Roman myths and the works written by great masters such as Shakespeare (李红艳，2006).
e.g. (1) the Trojan horse——特洛伊木马 (2) arrow of Cupid——丘比特之箭 (3)at one fell swoop——刹那之间
Social custom is an important part of culture and it is also a critical difference between English and Chinese culture. The differences are indicated from the idioms related to animals and colors (李红艳，2006 ). In China, idioms related to dragon are usually positive while idioms related to dog are often negative. However, English idioms are opposite. Red is usually considered as a symbol of happiness and thriving, but it is usually related to violence and blood in English.
e.g. (1) 狗急跳墙——a concerned beast will do something desperate (2) 乘龙快婿——an ideal son-in-law (3) a lucky dog——幸运儿
(4) Love me, love my dog——爱屋及乌 (5) 红极一时——the day in the sun
2
(6) a red rag to a bull——激起暴怒的缘由
Every nationality has its own religious belief and culture and it has influence on human’s values, behaviors and linguistic expression. As a result, many idioms related to religion appeared in both English and Chinese (李红艳，2006). Buddhism and Taoism are the two major religions in China’s history. On the other hand, Christianity has the biggest impact in Europe, and many English idioms are from the Bible and Christianity.
e.g. (1) 借花献佛——offer a present to a guest with other people’s things
(2) 道高一尺，魔高一丈——While the priest climbs a post, the devil climbs ten (3) finger on the wall——不祥之兆
(4) Forbidden fruit is sweetest——禁果分外甜
Because of the culture differences existed between China and Britain, it is almost impossible to achieve absolute equivalency in translation. What the translator can do is just to make the translation as close as the meaning of the original work. Several methods can be used in the translation of idioms such as literal translation, semantic translation, a combination of the two methods and annotation.
Literal translation is not word for word but the translation of the original thoughts and contents without changing the way of expression. This method best shows the national traits of original works(吕瑞昌等 et al., 1983). By using the literal translation, translators can remain the characters of original works and make the reader realize the culture of foreign countries.
e.g. (1) 有其父必有其子——like father, like son
3
(2)好事不出门，恶事行千里。——Good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spread far and wide.
Semantic translation, also called free translation, is to express the main idea of the original writing but vary the way of expression. This method is used when no equivalent is found in the target language or when it is not necessary to translate literally (张培基 et al., 1980).
e.g. (1) 现身说法——warn people by taking oneself as an example (2) 出人头地——stand out
There are situations where literal translation will confuse the reader but semantic translation will result in the loss of the flavor of the original. Such situations call for a combination of the two methods (Ouyang Hongxiang, 2005).
e.g. (1) 千里之行始于足下。——A thousand-li journey begins with the first step—the highest eminence is to be gained step by step.
(2) 强龙难压地头蛇。——Even a dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to
control a snake in its old haunt-Powerful outsides can hardly afford to neglect local bullies.
When Chinese idioms are translated with the method of literal translation, it may cause various interpretations. Under this condition, translators may use annotation to clarify the idioms.
e.g. (1) 三个臭皮匠，胜过诸葛亮。—— The wit of three cobblers combined surpasses that of Zhuge Liang, the master mind.
(2)班门弄斧——show off one’s proficiency with axe before Lu Ban, the master
4
carpenter
The differences in culture really cause difficulties in translation, so the translator should understand the culture very well in order to give the readers a honest translation. Translators should choose the right methods when they come across different situations, only in this way, they can do a good translation.
References:
吕瑞昌等 (1983)《汉英翻译教程》西安：陕西人民出版社 张培基等（1980）《英汉翻译教程》上海：上海外语教育出版社
5
李红艳等（2006）《汉译英教程》 上海：东华大学出版社
Culture Differences and English and Chinese Idioms Translation, Ouyang Hongxiang, May 2005
6