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1、从英汉习语的翻译看中西方文化差异Different Translation to Idioms under Chinese and Western CulturesAbstractAs an important part of language, idioms are fixed phrases with particular meanings. They are well-known and they play an increasingly important role in peoples daily life. Both oriental and Western people are
2、accustomed to use idioms because they are concise, vivid and humorous. Idioms contain a lot of cultural information; reflect the differences in history, geography, religion, custom and thinking mode of different ethnic groups. Idioms are important means of rhetoric. Because of euphony, they are usua
3、lly accessible and remembered easily. They do not have regular sentence structure, but a relatively fixed form of expression. Those characteristics of idioms make the translation more difficult. In order to enable readers understand and use idioms better, translator must consider the underlying cult
4、ural factors in the process of translation. The same idiom in different context may have completely different translation; it reflects peoples different views on custom, thinking mode, character and color. Through the translation of idioms, this study will lay out some of the Chinese and western cul
5、tures to readers, so that people can have a better understanding with each other.Key WordsIdioms; translation; culture; differences 摘要作为语言的一个重要部分，习语是一种广为流传的具有特定含义的固定的短语，在人们的日常生活中起着越来越重要的作用。由于习语的文字通俗简练，风趣幽默，中西方人们都习惯于使用习语。它有着丰富的文化内涵，体现了不同民族在历史，地理，宗教信仰，风俗习惯和思维方式等方面的差异。习语是语言中重要的修辞手段，经常用音的和谐来达到易懂易记，生动有趣的
6、目的。它没有规则的句子结构，却有着相对固定的自身表达形式。习语的这些特点为它的翻译增加了难度。为了使读者更好的理解并运用习语，在翻译中译者必须考虑其背后的文化因素。同样的习语在不同的语境中将会有完全不同的翻译，它反映了中西方人们在生活习俗，思维习惯，性格以及对待色彩等方面的不同看法。本论题将通过习语的翻译向读者介绍一些中西方的文化差异，以便人们能更好的交流。关键词习语；翻译；文化；差异 IntroductionAfter prolonged usage, idioms become fixed phrases which are regarded as crystallization of t
7、he wisdom of people，and they also have unique and special expressions. They can be used to analyze things, therefore containing strong national characters and voices. Like mirrors, they reflect the characteristics of a nation or a culture.Idioms are from the private sector. The great linguist Smith
8、mentioned something about idioms: “We have most of the metaphorical meaning to the phrase and idioms which coming from the people, from the career and love of the general public. The producing of idioms are the same as the manufacturing of words, they are not coming from the library or gorgeous thea
9、ter, but from the factories, kitchens and farms. Many idioms are steamed from sailors, workers, housewives, cooks and so on. They engage in their professional activities, the production and labor, and often require small, lean words to express their ideas of work. So they create some wordings includ
10、ing some interesting and vivid metaphors from present collocation in which things are familiar to them. These moving words and metaphors can greatly stimulate the imaginations of their fellows, loved and spread one by one. They are gradually becoming professional activities or terminologies.” Later,
11、 people find many of these words can be applied to broader situations. Many of the words often contain enough philosophical and incisive theories for people to study and they become an important part of modern English(Zhang Peiji，1979, P8). For example: “As a man sows, so he shall reap” can be trans
12、lated into “种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆”(zhong gua de gua, zhong dou de dou); “As like as two peas” can be translated into “一模一样”(yi mo yi yang); “To strike while the iron is hot” is translated as “趁热打铁”(cheng re da tie).The role and importance of idioms can be seen from the famous passage as Mr. Gorky said: “proverb
13、s and slang which use a special form of integrity, reflect peoples ways of thinking. Therefore, these materials are very useful for people who are going to learn how to write.” They can also teach us how to make a language vivid and natural, and so on. Generally speaking, proverbs and slang make the
14、 expression of peoples social experience more specific. Therefore, a writer must know this kind of material (Zhuang Hecheng, 2002, P12).This paper is designed to make a broad discussion on idiomatic phrases, which include idioms, proverbs, and literary quotations and so on. With long history, Englis
15、h and Chinese languages contain a great deal of idioms. They are implicit, humorous and elegant. It is not only concise but also vivid and wit, giving an enjoyment to the people. Because of the differences in geography, history, religion, living habits and characteristics, the English and Chinese id
16、ioms carry different cultural information. They work closely with the cultural traditions, which are inextricably linked.There are two kinds of translations of idiomatic phrases: free translation and literal translation. How to reach the appropriate point between them is a problem. At the same time,
17、 in the process of translation, translators must consider the cultural background of the idiomatic phrases. The purpose of this paper is to lay out some of the differences between oriental and western cultures. Such as the different views on colors, dialectical thoughts, lifestyles, characteristics,
18、 and so on. This will make people understand different cultures better.The Characteristics of IdiomsBecause of the different historical and cultural background, the idioms have their own characteristics: First, idioms are important rhetorical means in a language; most of the idioms have appropriate
19、analogy from the figurative language, although some idioms have no metaphor or image, they are also concise and easy to be understood. Second, euphony usually exists in idioms. It makes idioms comprehensible and easy to be read and remembered. For example: Most Chinese idioms are composed of four wo
20、rds, which can also be regarded as the basic form. It is well known that phrases of four words are read the most fluently and they are also easy for imitation. Although the English idioms have not basic forms, they are simple, neat, short, vivid and superb. There are many English idioms with both al
21、literation and rhyme to form aesthetic feeling. Such as: as good as gold, as red as rose, as still as stone, a friend in need is a friend indeed, here and there, fair and square.Third, idioms often appear in the form of phrases in the sentences. But they are mostly used as a component in the sentenc
22、es, and sometimes just one word on its role. Even some idioms can be analyzed on semantics and syntax, but they can be regarded as a whole in the sentence. Idioms have their own fixed meanings, but the meanings are not the deposit of the words. Chinese idioms such as “露出马脚” (lou chu ma jiao)can be t
23、ranslated into English as “exposed weaknesses”. “To lose ones head” the summary of its literal meaning is “lose his head”, but it really means “to make somebody confused”. The English idiom “to lay the heads together” means “get everybody together to discuss”. Idioms have their own integrity and fix
24、ed structures; in general they could not be broken or replaced. Such as: 破釜沉舟(po fu chen zhou) can be translated into “to burn ones boats”, the “boats” can not be replaced with a synonym “ships”. Because there wasnt a ship in San Guo period (The three kingdoms divided china).The Translation of Idiom
25、sIt is quite difficult to translate idioms, but this does not mean that idioms can not be translated appropriately. No matter how the language is used by different people, they always reflect real life. This means that all kinds of different languages can reflect the same reality or truth. Therefore
26、, the expression of peoples sentiment in one language can express the same in another language, which is called the translation of idioms. Idioms are special materials of language. They have their own sentence structures; can express a certain sense of the language. So it is possible to translate th
27、em into another language. A language with long history is extremely rich in idioms, including Chinese and English. If people deny the translatability of idioms, they are tantamount to deny the translation of all the languages; thereby this causes the isolation from the cultures of various countries.
28、 In Chinese-to-English translation, when translators find some phrases with luscious ethnic characteristics, they often overlook the content and entangle in the sentence structures. If a correspondence in English can not be found, they deny the possibility of idioms translation, as is not right (Zha
29、ng Peiji, 1979, P32). Only we should pay more attention to the historical and cultural background, which reflected in the idioms. Inherited from the various ethnic customs, habits and ideas, the same words may have different influences.There are two kinds of formalism in the translation of idioms: F
30、irst, the idioms are translated word by word; and the second, to choose a synonym of the target language to replace the source language. The first idea often tampers the original thoughts or affects the correctness of the target language. This leads to a misunderstanding of the original meaning. The
31、 second situation often overlooks the ethnic and cultural characteristics of the source language and undermines the national style of it. The two kinds should be avoided in practice.Nonetheless, the translation of idioms falls into two categories: literal translation and free translation. They are t
32、wo different methods of language translation. Free translation is to translate one kind of cultural element into a new one. Some translators are familiar with the contents and images of the original language. They put aside the pragmatic significance, selecting some sentences from the target languag
33、e to express the same meaning. That is not right. Strictly speaking, free translation makes people appreciate the same aspects of different cultures, reduces the difficulty for the audience to understand it. But on the other hand it loses a lot of cultural information, to a certain extent, loses the
34、 opportunity for people to appreciate and understand different cultures. Therefore, distinguish between two cultures is not closer, but unrelated and farther.文章来源： For example, English idiom “Go to law for sheep, you lose a cow” is usually translated as “捡了芝麻，丢了西瓜” (jian le zhi ma, diu le xi gua). T
35、wo expressions seem similar to each other, but they are actually not the same. In addition to the meaning “ 得不偿失” (de bu chang shi), the former English idiom also implies that the lawyer asks for a lot of money from the accuser and defendant. It is a western habit, and reflects the nations cultural
36、practice through legal channels to resolve dispute. These meanings could not be revealed from Chinese proverb “jian le zhi ma, diu le xi gua” (for the sake of a small thing, one loses more). At this time, free translation undoubtedly isnt appropriate. Translators should adopt literal translation: “为
37、一只羊打官司，却损失了一头牛” (wei yi zhi yang da guan si, que sun shi le yi tou niu). Free translation such as: “Homer sometimes nods” can be translated into “智者千虑， 必有一失”(zhi zhe qian lv, bi you yi shi); “take French leave” can be translated into “不辞而别”(bu ci er bie); “the smoking gun” can be translated into “真凭
38、实据，铁证如山” (zhen ping shi ju, tie zheng ru shan).Literal translation is to translate the cultural and linguistic information in a manner which truly maintains the source language. It gives the phrase a new component of language translation and novelty of expression. This translation fastens the mutual
39、 exchange of two different cultures and languages, at the same time infiltrates and promotes their integration. For example: Rob Peter to pay Paul is a metaphorical meaning to the phrase “挪东补西，借债还债” (nuo dong bu xi, jie zhai huan zhai). But in the specific context, some idioms need to be literally t
40、ranslated. Such as: “bury the tomahawk” (mai diao fu tou) and “dig up the tomahawk” (wa chu fu tou) is one pair of idiom, steamed from the North American Indian customs, the former is used to refer to “停战讲和” (ting zhan jiang he). The latter can be translated as “宣战” (xuan zhan), “to resort to arms a
41、gain.” Xu Yuanchong, a famous translator said: either free translation or literal translation, faithful to the original meaning is significant. If the translation only faithful to the form of original text but not to the content, that would not be called literal translation. If the translation is no
42、t true to the source language, but only pursue a good sentence structure, this should not be called free translation but a translation in random. When the form of the source language is not accordance with the target language, the author should consider which one to choose. If the target language ca
43、n not express the same meaning of the source language, free translation is more suitable. In addition, if the target language is more accurate and more powerful than the source language, translator should adopt literal translation to absorb the new expression of foreign language. If the source langu
44、age is more precise and accurate than the expression of the target language, the author could choose free translation.Guo Moruo insists on free translation, but it is not a normal sense of free translation, which is commonly called “charms translation” or “spirit translation.” He believes the litera
45、l translation, word for word, although considered the literal meaning, the lively spirit is lost. He argues that the ideal translation should accordance with the original meaning and the sentence structure (Kong Lingcui, Meng Xingcan, 2002, P10). A. The Differences between Literal Translation and Fr
46、ee Translation At all times, free translation and literal translation are a debate focus. The contradiction lies in the introduction of the expression of the target language or the source language. The writer holds that, the contradiction is not irreconcilable; in fact, utter free translation or lit
47、eral translation should not be adopted. Because there is not a criterion between free translation and literal translation, translators should try their best to seek for a balance between the two aspects.Firstly, the similarities and connections between different cultures provide an objective basis f
48、or translation. As time goes, there are so many similarities of peoples living and thinking modes. English and Chinese languages have many famous classical sayings and customary terms, which are completely identical in contents and structures. This fully embodies the connections between different cu
49、ltures and languages. Employing literal translation is to replace a specific text with another language which has the same sentence structures and meanings. Such as: “to be on the thin ice” can be translated into “如履薄冰” (ru lv bo bing), “a wolf in sheeps clothes” can be translated into “披者羊皮的狼”(pi zhe yang pi de lang), “to lose ones face” can be translated into “丢面子” (diu mian zi).Secondly, the integration of culture is relatively a slow process, while the difference is absolute and enormous, wh
