翻译英语习语应注意的几个问题
湖南郴州湘南学院-刻舟记
翻译英语习语应注意的几个问题
A.
准确理解习语，切毋望文生义，弄出笑话来。例如下面几例就是因为理解错了，所以译文不
对：
（1）John likes to pat himself on the back.
约翰喜欢捶自己的背。（正确译法：约翰喜
欢自吹。）
（2）Then it happened that I had to answer the
call of nature, and, passing, I saw the risen
dough, which seemed to say to me, 碰巧我
现在得对自
然的召唤作出答复（正确译法：碰巧这时我想解手），走着，我看到了发起来的面团，
它好象对我说，撒
吧！简单地说，我真的这么做了。
（3）He kissed the hare's foot.
他吻了兔子的脚。（正确译法：他迟到了。）
有时，一些貌似有理
据或合乎逻辑的习语极易导致人们相信自己直觉而疏于查考，单从字面或比喻
意义去联想，造成理解以至
表达的错误。这就要求译者不能马虎，不能望文生义，而需殚精竭虑，
采取细针密缕的态度。例如：
There is no love lost between them.很容易被理解成他们彼此恩
爱，感情从未破裂，而实际意思却是他们互相憎恨，毫无爱情可言。类似的例子还有：
（1） It is a good horse that never
stumbles.好马也有失蹄时。（不宜译成良马不失蹄）
（2） It is a
good man that never stumbles, and a good wife that
never grumbles.
好丈夫
也有过失，好妻子也会唠叨。（不宜译成从不失足的丈夫是好丈夫，从不唠叨的妻子是好妻子）
（3）It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest.
再坏的鸟也不至于弄脏自己的窝。（不宜译
成弄脏自己的窝的是坏鸟雀）
（4） Time and tide wait for no man. 时光如潮水，
不等任何人。（不宜译为时光和潮水不等
人）
（5） Of soup and love, the first is the
best.恋爱如喝汤， 头一碗最香。（不宜译?quot;
头一次喝汤恋爱最好）
（6）In choosing a wife and buying a sword we
ought not to trust another. 择妻如选剑， 不
能靠别人。（不宜译为
择妻和选剑不能靠别人。）
（7） There was never a night or a
problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.
黑夜不能
阻止日出， 难题无法抹杀希望。（不宜译为 黑夜和难题无法击败日出和希望）
（8） People will be long forgetting
her.人们会长久记住她的。（不宜译为 人们在很长时间
内会忘记她）
B. 采用套译法时，要特别注意避免使用民族特色太浓的汉语成语来套译英语习语，否则译文在上下<
br>文中就会显得不伦不类，损及原意。例如：
（1） Beauty lies in lover's
eyes.情人眼里出美人。（不宜译作情人眼里出西施）
（2） Many
heads are better than one.
一人不及众人计。（不宜译作三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮
（3）Never offer to
teach fish to swim.不要教鱼儿游泳。（不宜译作不要班门弄斧）
（4） Even a worm will turn.
逼人入绝境，绵羊也反抗（不宜译作狗急跳墙）
（5）Give a
dog a bad （an ill） name and hang him.
谗言可畏（不宜译为欲加之罪，何患无
辞，其本意是指一旦给人加个坏名声，他就很难洗刷掉了）
（6） Lock the stable door when the horse has
been stolen.贼去关门。 （不宜译作亡羊补
牢，其原意是马盗锁厩门，为时已太晚）
（7） A miss is as good as a mile. 错无大小， 其错一样。
（不宜译作失之毫厘，谬以千里
（8） have the face
恬不知耻，厚脸皮（不是有面子）
（9） to pull somebody's leg 开玩笑（不是拖后腿）
（10） a big fish in a small pond
山中无老虎，猴子也称王。（或： 林中无鸟雀称王。不是
小塘容不下大鱼）
C.有些习语有多种译法，哪种译法恰当要视具体语境而定:
（1）Take care of the pence, and the pounds will
take care of themselves. （金钱）积少
自然成多。小事谨慎，大事自成。
（2）One swallow does not make a summer.
一燕不成夏。轻率推论必成大错。一关渡过并非万
事大吉。 （3） Still water
runs deep. 静水流深。外表淡漠然而内心深情。沉默者深谋。
（4）Don't cross the bridge till you get
to it.到了桥边才过桥。不必担心太早。不必自寻
烦恼。
（5）He laughs best who laughs
last.谁笑在最后，谁笑得最好（鼓励）。不要高兴得太早（警
告）。
（6）Don't cast out the foul water till you
bring in the clean.清水未来，莫泼脏水。新
的不来，旧的莫丢。
1.爱屋及乌 Love me, love my dog.
2.百闻不如一见
Seeing is believing.
3.比上不足比下有余 worse off than
some, better off than many; to fall short of the
best,
but be better than the worst.
4.笨鸟先飞 A slow sparrow should make an early
start.
5.不眠之夜 white night
6.不以物喜不以己悲 not
pleased by external gains, not saddened by
personnal losses
7.不遗余力 spare no effort; go
all out; do one's best
8.不打不成交 No discord, no
concord.
9.拆东墙补西墙 rob Peter to pay Paul
10.辞旧迎新 bid farewell to the old and usher in
the new; ring out the old year and ring
in the
new
11.大事化小小事化了 try first to make their
mistake sound less serious and then to
reduce
it to nothing at all
12.大开眼界 open one's eyes;
broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener
13.国泰民安 The country flourishes and people live
in peace
14.过犹不及 going too far is as
bad as not going far enough; beyond is as wrong as
falling short; too much is as bad as too
little
15.功夫不负有心人 Everything comes to him who
waits.
16.好了伤疤忘了疼 once on shore, one prays no
more
17.好事不出门恶事传千里 Good news never goes
beyond the gate, while bad news
spread far and
wide.
18.和气生财 Harmony brings wealth.
19.活到老学到老 One is never too old to learn.
20.既往不咎 let bygones be bygones
21.金无足赤人无完人 Gold can't be pure and man can't
be perfect.
22.金玉满堂 Treasures fill the home.
23.脚踏实地 be down-to-earth
24.脚踩两只船 sit on
the fence
25.君子之交淡如水 the friendship between
gentlemen is as pure as crystal; a hedge
between keeps friendship green
26.老生常谈陈词滥调 cut and dried, cliché
27.礼尚往来
Courtesy calls for reciprocity.
28.留得青山在不怕没柴烧
Where there is life, there is hope.
29.马到成功
achieve immediate victory; win instant success
30.名利双收 gain in both fame and wealth
31.茅塞顿开 be suddenly enlightened
32.没有规矩不成方圆 Nothing can be accomplished
without norms or standards.
33.每逢佳节倍思亲
On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of
one's dear ones
far is on the festival
occasions when one misses his dear most.
34.谋事在人成事在天 The planning lies with man, the
outcome with Heaven. Man
proposes, God
disposes.
35.弄巧成拙 be too smart by half;
Cunning outwits itself
36.拿手好戏 masterpiece
37.赔了夫人又折兵 throw good money after bad
38.抛砖引玉 a modest spur to induce others to come
forward with valuable contributions;
throw a
sprat to catch a whale
39.破釜沉舟 cut off all
means of retreat；burn one‘s own way of retreat and
be
determined to fight to the end
40.抢得先机
take the preemptive opportunities
41.巧妇难为无米之炊
If you have no hand you can't make a fist. One
can't make bricks
without straw.
42.千里之行始于足下 a thousand-li journey begins with
the first step--the highest
eminence is to be
gained step by step
43.前事不忘后事之师 Past
experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the
future. 44.前
人栽树后人乘凉 One generation plants the
trees in whose shade another generation
sows
and another reaps.
45.前怕狼后怕虎 fear the wolf in
front and the tiger behind hesitate in doing
something
46.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 outsiders can hardly
afford to neglect local bullies.
47.强强联手 win-win co-operation
48.瑞雪兆丰年 A timely snow promises a good
harvest.
49.人之初性本善 Man's nature at birth is
good.
50.人逢喜事精神爽 Joy puts heart into a man.
51.人海战术 huge-crowd strategy
52.世上无难事只要肯攀登
Where there is a will, there is a way.
53.世外桃源 a fictitious land of peace away from
the turmoil of the world;
54.死而后已 until my
heart stops beating
55.岁岁平安 Peace all year
round.
56.上有天堂下有苏杭 Just as there is paradise
in heaven, ther are Suzhou and Hangzhou
on
earth
57.塞翁失马焉知非福 Misfortune may be an actual
blessing.
58.三十而立 A man should be independent
at the age of thirty, a man should be
able to
think for himself.
59.升级换代 updating and
upgrading (of products)
60.四十不惑 Life begins at
forty.
61.谁言寸草心报得三春晖 Such kindness of warm
sun, can't be repaid by grass. 62.水
涨船高 When
the river rises, the boat floats high.
63.时不我待Time and tide wait for no man.
64.杀鸡用牛刀break a butterfly on the wheel
65.实事求是seek truth from facts; be practical and
realistic; be true to facts
66.说曹操,曹操到Talk of
the devil and he comes.
67.实话实说speak
the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as
it is
68.实践是检验真理的唯一标准Practice is the sole
criterion for testing truth.
69.山不在高，有仙则名'No
matter how high the mountain is, its name will
spread far and
wide if there is a fairy; '
70.韬光养晦hide one's capacities and bide one's
time
71.糖衣炮弹sugar-coated bullets
72.天有不测风云Anything unexpected may happen. a
bolt from the blue
73.团结就是力量Unity is
strength.
74.“跳进黄河洗不清”'eve if one jumped into
the Yellow River, one can not wash oneself
clean--there's nothing one can do to clear
one's name '
75.歪风邪气unhealthy practices and
evil phenomena
76.物以类聚，人以群分Birds of a feather
flock together.
77.往事如风'The past has vanished
(from memory) like wind.; What in past, is pas
78.望子成龙hold high hopes for one's child
79.屋漏又逢连阴雨Misfortunes never come singly. When
it rains it pours.
80.文韬武略military expertise;
military strategy
81.唯利是图draw water to one's
mill
82.无源之水,无本之木water without a source, and
a tree wiithout roots
83.无中生有make create
something out of nothing
84.无风不起浪There are no
waves without wind. There's no smoke without fire.
85.徇私
枉法bend the law for the benefit of
relatives or friends
86.新官上任三把火a new broom
sweeps clean
87.虚心使人进步,骄傲使人落后Modesty
helps one go forward, whereas conceit makes
one lag behind.
88. 蓄势而发accumulate
strength for a take-off
89.心想事成May all your
wish come true
90.心照不宣have a tacit
understanding; give tacit consent; tacit
understanding 91.先入为
主First impressions are
firmly entrenched.
92.先下手为强catch the ball
before the bound
93.像热锅上的蚂蚁like an ant on a
hot pan
94.现身说法warn people by taking oneself
as an example
95.息事宁人pour oil on troubled
waters
96.喜忧参半mingled hope and fear
97.循序渐进step by step
98.一路平安，一路顺风speed
somebody on their way; speed the parting guest
99.严以律己,宽以待人be strict with oneself and lenient
towards others
100鱼米之乡
101.有情人终成眷属'Jack
shall have Jill, all shall be well.'
102.有钱能使鬼推磨Money makes the mare go. Money
talks.
103. 有识之士people of vision
104.有勇无谋use brawn rather than brain
105.有缘千里来相会Separated as we are thousands of
miles apart, we come together as
if by
predestination.
106.与时俱进advance with times
107.以人为本people oriented; people
foremost
108.因材施教teach students according to
their aptitude
109.欲穷千里目，更上一层楼'to ascend
another storey to see a thousand miles further;
Ascend further, were you to look farther;
Would eye embrace a thousand miles? Go up,
one
flight.' a land of milk and honey
110.欲速则不达Haste does not bring success.
111. 优胜劣汰survival of the fittest
112.英雄所见略同Great minds think alike.
113.冤家宜解不宜结Better make friends than make
enemies.
114.冤假错案'cases in which people were
unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged or
sentenced; unjust, false or wrong
cases'
115.一言既出，驷马难追A real man never goes back on his
words.
116.招财进宝Money and treasures will be
plentiful
117.债台高筑become debt-ridden
118.致命要害Achilles' heel
119. 众矢之的target of
public criticism
120.知己知彼,百战不殆Know the enemy
and know yourself, and you can fight a
hundred
battles with no danger of defeat.
121. 纸上谈兵be
an armchair strategist
122.纸包不住火Truth will
come to light sooner or later.
123.左右为难between the devil and the deep blue
sea