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1、Translation of English Onomatopoeic words into ChineseI. Introduction 1.1BackgroundOnomatopoeia is a group of words that imitate the sound they represents. The abundant use of onomatopoeia in everyday English poses problems not only to foreigners trying to master the language, but also to teachers a
2、nd translators of English. Onomatopoeia is often used to express an impression in a personal, emotional manner, and therefore considered indispensable not only in conversation. Are onomatopoeia expressions to be treated as any other vocabulary when translated? Of course, the answer is no. Because En
3、glish onomatopoeia expressions are different from others.Generally, linguistic theory considers the relation between sound and meaning to be arbitrary and onomatopoeia to be an exception to the rule. More and more researches, though, have been made on sound symbolism, which claims that there is a di
4、rect link between sound and meaning (Hinton 1994).Some linguists use the broader term sound symbolism to describe the Chinese onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia, she argues, are only sound words. In English, though, onomatopoeia is used both for mimesis words and those that describe non-audible states and a
5、ctions by mimetic words.This is a distinct difference between sound symbolism in English and Chinese. In English, sound symbolism is an important part of the language. It is a well-structured sound symbolic system, where it is easy for the native speaker to guess the meaning of a new word. In Chines
6、e, on the other hand, sound symbolism is peripheral and based on consonant clusters. Many linguists state their different views. 1.2 Related StudiesTranslating is the art of recomposing a work in another language without losing its original flavor. The topic of this article is onomatopoeia. Briefly
7、speaking, onomatopoeia belongs to vocabulary and lexicology that deals with words. Words are the foundation and core of language. We know that without words, there would be no linguistics. Therefore, word, language and linguistics are very closely interrelated with one another. Before studying the t
8、ranslation of English onomatopoeia into Chinese, we should learn about the related studies.Several studies have been made comparing Japanese and English onomatopoeia. Kakehi (1982) states that in Japanese the onomatopoeia expression usually consists of an onomatopoeia followed by the particle “to” a
9、nd the modified verb, while in English the equivalent is a more lexicalized expression.The degree of lexicality and mimeticity were used by Tamori & Schourup (1999) to examine whether or not onomatopoeia in English and Japanese constitute a category of their own, separating from the ordinary vocabul
10、ary. As Jorden (1982) and others, they found that Japanese onomatopoeia are much more clearly defined as a category compared to English, where many onomatopoeia are highly lexicalized and have become more or less conventionalized.In another study of onomatopoeia in Kawabatas yukiguni, Hayase (1978)
11、pointed at several possible reasons for why a relatively a high number of onomatopoeia were left untranslated. The sentence structure of the translation, for instance, might be completely different from the original and therefore a faithful translation of the onomatopoeia could disrupt the new struc
12、ture.The rain fell pitter-patter on the window. 雨劈劈啪地打在窗子上。The noun is translated as an adverbial. In order to onomatopoeia from English into Chinese faithfully, we should learn about, “What is onomatopoeic word?” first.IIThe Origin of Onomatopoeic Words Comparison and association are sometimes stre
13、ngthened by syllables, which imitate or reproduce the sounds they described. When this occurs, it is called onomatopoeic word (a Greek word meaning name making). Onomatopoeic words can show the full flavor of words. Onomatopoeic word is an essential component of English language, it is of colorful p
14、ragmatic functions, and it also makes English language vivid, as if a person hears the sound with her own ears, and is on the scene personally. Simultaneously, it plays an important role in English language. In the present essay, it is classified into three groups and illustrated by examples.2.1 Mim
15、icking the Sound of People A large number of onomatopoeias are created according to the sound of people, such as mimicking peoples laugher、tearful voice and calling. For example, “嘤嘤”（低泣声），“嗷嗷”（衰号声），“哇哇”（大哭声或呕吐声），“格格”（笑声），“咿咿呀呀”（孩童学语声），“叽叽喳喳”（杂乱说话声），“呼哧”（喘气声），“哼唧”（呻吟声）in Chinese；giggle (格格的笑声), snig
16、ger（窃笑声）, mumble（含糊不清的咕哝声）, murmur（耳语声）, screech（尖叫声）, boom（雷鸣般的说话声）, who（激动的高喊声）, groan（痛苦的呻吟声）, ash (嘘), hey (嘿！咦！), Oh (哦！ 呀！ 哎！), ha (哈), in English. Those words are mimicking the sound of people and expressing different mood, action and meaning. Clap (啪啪的拍手), patter (急促的脚步声), clatter (趟趟的脚步声),
17、bang (砰砰的敲物声). There are also some words describing laugher and tearful voice. Chuckle (轻笑), whimper (呜咽), whinny (哇哇地哭), wail (呜呜地哭). 2.2 Mimicking the Sound of AnimalsMany onomatopoeic words come from the yell of animals. The name of animalEnglish onomatopoeic wordChinese onomatopoeic wordChineseE
18、nglish猫羊鸭狗蜜蜂公牛马虫狼猪狮子catsheepduckdogbeebullhorsewormwolfpiglionmew/miaowbaa/bleatquackbow wowtoot/buzzbellow/lowneighchirphowlgruntroar咪、喵、猫叫声咩嘎嘎汪汪嗡嗡哞咴咴唧唧狼的嚎叫声猪的嚎叫声狮吼声2.3 Mimicking the Sound of Other Things This kind of onomatopoeia comes from the other things. For example, “潺潺”（小溪流水声）、“沙沙”（微风吹动草木声）、
19、“嗒嗒”（细雨敲窗）、“琅琅”（读书声）、“轰隆隆”（雷声）、“叭叭叭”（枪声）、“咚咚咚”（鼓声）、“梆梆梆”（敲门声）, in Chinese. Also such as clang（模仿金属撞击声），dink（模仿酒杯相碰的玎玲声）, sizzle（模仿油炸食物的嘶嘶声）, gurgle （模仿溪水流淌的淙淙声）, tick-tick（模仿时钟走时的滴嗒声）. Here are some typical examples:1.Jingle 指硬币、小铃、钥匙等发出的叮当声。Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! 叮叮当，叮叮当，铃儿
20、响叮当。He jingled the keys in his pocket. 分别把口袋里的钥匙弄得哗啦直响。2.Clatter指马路蹄、刀叉、碟碗、机器等发出的声音，也可以指人们的谈笑声。The dishes and bowls slid together wiry a clatter. 碟子碗碰得叮当响。the clatter of the horses hoofs 嗒嗒的马碲声3.Snap指鞭子、风帆、手指发出的噼啪声, 树枝等突然折断的声音, 关上或打开东西的声音。The string broke with a snap. 啪的一声, 弦断了。He snapped down the l
21、id of the box. 他啪地一声关上箱盖。5.Crack指爆竹、枪等发出的爆裂声音和噼啪声。The fireworks cracked overhead. 烟花在头顶上噼啪作响。Crack! Crack! Two shots rang out. 啪！啪！两声枪响。7.Creak 指吱吱嘎嘎的声音。The chair creaked under his weight. 椅子被他压得咯吱直响。The door opened with a creak. 门吱地一声开了。8.Click指通过相互碰击，发出的喀哒声，也指上锁、扣板机等发出的声音。The soldiers clicked thei
22、r heels together. 士兵们喀嚓一声全体立正。the click of boots (on a floor) 噔噔的皮靴声10.Rattle指类似于小而坚硬的物体相互碰撞时发出的一连串声音。The beggar rattled the coins in his tin. 乞丐反罐子里的钱币摇得嘎嘎响。a rattle of milk bottles 牛奶瓶碰撞发出的嘎嘎声From the examples mentioned, we can make a conclusion that the origin of English and Chinese onomatopoeia
23、is quite similar. There are other mimicking sounds in the world.IIIThe Similarities and Differences between English and Chinese Onomatopoeic WordsThis part conducts a comparison between English and Chinese onomatopoeic words in origin, usage, structure and grammatical function to identify their simi
24、larities and differences in order to translate onomatopoeic words English into Chinese properly. 3.1 Comparison between English and Chinese in SourceThe origin of English onomatopoeic words is the same as that of Chineses. Onomatopoeia is a kind of word that imitates the sound; therefore, the origin
25、 of it between English and Chinese is similar. They come from three similar fields the sound of people, the sound of animal and the sound from nature. So there are few differences between them.3.2 Comparison between English and Chinese in Usage Onomatopoeia makes the language more vivid and lively.
26、It is widely used in both English and Chinese. There exist some differences between them in usage. English onomatopoeia is not only expressing sound but also expressing the action. For example, flap（啪啪声）, showing the action “拍打”, too. She flapped the flies off.（她把苍蝇拍掉）; bang（敲打声）, it could also desc
27、ribe knocking at something. He banged his fist on the desk (他抨地在桌子上捶了一拳), creak (its original meaning “吱呀”), but it can show us this kind of sound when a person is opening the door. The door creaked open. Chinese onomatopoeia in this aspect is different from English. It only takes up a small part in
28、 Chinese where being able to express action, but in English that is popular. On the other hand, in English, many onomatopoeic words can be used to express the object emitting a sound directly. But in Chinese some onomatopoeic words can be used as the object that is making sound. For example, 乒乓球、嘟嘟车
29、（摩托车）、趿拉鞋（木制拖鞋）、呱哒板（说快板用的竹板）, etc. 3.3 Comparison between English and Chinese in Structure Chinese and English onomatopoeic words have huge differences in structure. Though onomatopoeic words are made up of syllables, pair of syllables and multisyllable, but the formation of the word is different. T
30、here are different styles of onomatopoeia in different languages. Such as A style, AA style, AB style, ABB style, ABC style, ABAB style, AABB style, ABCD style. But onomatopoeia in English and Chinese do not share the same style.3.3.1 Similarities A style, AA style or AB style are the common style i
31、n both Chinese and English onomatopoeic words. (See the following table)The styleThe structure in EnglishThe structure in Chinese A styleclank(叮当)、thud（轰的一声）、pop（砰的一声）、splash（扑通一声）“叭”（枪声）、“刺”（气体喷出声、当（金属撞击声）、“嚓”（摩擦声）、“嗡”（蝇、蜂等飞鸣声）。AA stylecrack-crack（噼噼啪啪）、puff-puff（扑扑）、tick-tick（滴答）、zip-zip（飕飕）、pooh-
32、pooh（咕咕）、flick-flick（隆隆）“匡匡”（金属响声）、“潺潺”（流水声）、“飒飒”（风声）、“霍霍”（磨刀声）AB styleding-ding（叮叮当当）、pitter-patter（听到哒啪哒）吧哪（赤 走路声）梆啷（金属撞击声）、嘎吱（物体受压声）、呛啷（抽剑声）3.3.2 DifferencesThere exist some differences in structure in English and Chinese onomatopoeia. First of all, most of English onomatopoeic words are A style,
33、 which the main body of Chinese onomatopoeic words are made up of pair of syllable, AB style or AA style. Secondly, in fact, all AA style in English is the dyadic simplicity of A style repeats. If AA style in English is put into unpacking differently, whose significance and function are not affected
34、 at all? We can give some examples to explain it; we heard the crack-crack of rifles.（我们听到了枪声）。Even though we change the noun when we heard the crack of rifles, but we cannot change the meaning and grammar structure. Certainly, some structural styles exist in neither English nor Chinese onomatopoeia
35、 words. ABC style only exists in English onomatopoeia. Such as rub-a-dub（咚咚的鼓声），rat-a-tat（砰砰的敲门声）, pit-a-pat（滴答的脚步声）. Only Chinese onomatopoeia has ABCD style. Such as “哗滴叭哒”, “壁哧啪喳”, “齐哩咔嚓”, “稀里呼噜”, “稀零哗啷”.3.4 Comparison between English and Chinese in Grammatical FunctionBy way of comparing grammat
36、ical function between English and Chinese onomatopoeic words, we can find out that it is not difficult for us to find some similarities and differences. 3.4.1 SimilaritiesOnomatopoeic words play an important role in the sentence in both English and Chinese. It can be independent element in the sente
37、nce.1. “叭!噗哧!壶碎了。”2.“康昌！黑风把书箱子往地上一扔。”3.“拨拉！拨拉！黄浦的水怒吼着。”4.“凳！凳！凳！一阵楼梯板响，匪徙们上楼了。”5. Crash! The table was overturned.6. Thump! A table was overturned.7. Track! Crack! Crack! Came reports of five crackers.Besides, both English and Chinese onomatopoeic word can be used as predicate and attributive and mo
38、difier. In The followed six sentences, onomatopoeia is used as predicate. 1.“这只画眉鸟见了人直噗楞。”2. “他脚上趿拉着一双旧布鞋。” 3. “这锅粥还得再咕嘟咕嘟。”4. Their swords clashed.5. Trucks were rumbling along the road. 6. The room rang as he shouted. In the listed four sentences, we can find that onomatopoeia is used as attributi
39、ve.1. “他听见了嗒嗒嗒的马蹄声。”2. “蚕房里充满着萨萨的响声。”3. “山沟里传来了叮当的钟声。”4. “似睡非睡之间她听到了刷刷的雨声。” In the next ten sentences, onomatopoeia is used as modifier.1. A sizzling sound came from the chafing dish.2. She put the nipple into the mouth of her whimpering baby.3. The holing wind stopped at midnight.4. A plane, its en
40、gine thrumming appeared in the sky. 8. Her heart went pit-a-pat.5. The stream flows babbling on.6. Five black dots circled buzzing over head.7. “大家呼噜噜一齐往前挤。”8. “掌柜的噗哧一笑。”9. “老牛正咯咯吱吱吃着草。”3.4.2 DifferencesEnglish onomatopoeic words can be used as subject and object. But Chinese onomatopoeic words usua
41、lly cannot act as nouns; it breaks the order of a sentence while being subject or object. We can say like this “The crack of rifles broke the silence.” (used as subject) We can not say “步枪的砰砰划破了天空。”in Chinese. “We heard the whirr of the spinning wheel.” (used as object) But we can not translate it i
42、nto Chinese “我们听到了汽车的嗡嗡。” One more example, “He tried his best to stop the excited buzz of conversation in the meeting room.” (used as object) “他竭尽全力来制止会议室内人们热烈交谈的叽叽喳喳。” Aiming at revealing the similarities and differences between English and Chinese onomatopoeic words, it probes into some onomatopo
43、eic words from the perspective of the contrast between source, structure, grammatical function and usage. Different from the Chinese onomatopoeia which is rather simple and vague, the English version is more vivid and specific. Translation Methods of OnomatopoeiaThe most popular and acclaimed criter
44、ion was three characters 信、达、雅 (usually translated as “faithfulness”, “expressiveness”, and “elegance” or “refinement”) raised by Yanfu (严复，1854-1921). The three characters have been regarded as guiding principles for translation for many years in China, However, the content summed up in the three c
45、haracters is very general, especially the first character 信 (“faithfulness”). In what way can onomatopoeia be translated as “faithfulness”.Translators not only need to know their source language well they must also have a thorough understanding of the field of knowledge covered by source text, and i
46、n any social cultural, or emotional connotations that need to be specifies in that target language if the intended effect is to be conveyed. The same special awareness needs to be presented for the target language, so that all points of special phrasing, local expectations, sentence structure, and s
47、yntactic function and so on, can be taken into account. The study of English word is an important aspect in learning English language. Many English words, which are called onomatopoetic words, come from the imitation of various sounds of nature; this part tries to probe into the rhetorical function
48、and translation methods of these words. In English, there are two kinds of onomatopoetic words: one is describing the sound directly; the other is portraying or reflecting the sound indirectly. When translating the onomatopoeia, we shall have to consider not only their sound effect and their harmonious sound but also the truth and fluency of the sentences. In addition, when choosing the words, we shall have to parish a piece of writing.4.1 Literal TranslationLiteral translation refers to the method that the source language word order is preser
