英语论文格式范文
幼儿园彩绘-教师学期总结
Idiom Translation under the Chinese
and
English Cultures
Class XXX Number XXX Name
XXX
Abstract:
Nida, a famous
translator, says, truly successful translation, it
is much more
important to familiarize two
cultures than master two languages, because words
are assigned
meanings in its particular
cultures.(Background information) This is to say,
translation is closely
related with not only
languages but also cultures. Studies of the
cultural distinction in idiom
translation are
still relatively weak in the field of translation
in China. Exclusive research on the
translation of Chinese and English idioms is
still incomplete. In the last twenty years, idiom
translation has mostly emphasized the level of
inter-lingual communication, but cultural
differences were rarely involved in
it.(Identify problem) This thesis analyses the
cultural
differences in Chinese and English
idioms, then studies English-ChineseChinese-
English idiom
translation methods(Research
subject) from the angle of culture(Method) and
points out some
warnings concerning idiom
translation: pay attention to context and choose
the right version in
line with the style and
meaning of the original passage(Results); culture
is a whole way of life,
when new culture
emerges, new idioms also appear, therefore idiom
translation should develop
with the
time.(Conclusion)
Key Words:
idioms;
culture; translation
论英汉文化背景下的习语翻译
摘要:
著名翻译学家奈达指出:“对于真正成功的翻译而言,熟悉两种文化甚至比掌握两种语言
更为重要,
因为词语只有在其作用的文化背景下才有意义。”也就是说,翻译不仅与语言有关也和文化有
关。习语翻译
中对文化差异的研究在中国的翻译领域中仍然较弱,专门对中英习语翻译的研究还不很完善
。近20年来,
习语翻译大多强调语际的交流,而很少涉及文化差异。本文通过分析中英习语的文化差异
,进而从文化角
度研究中英习语翻译方法,并指出中英习语翻译要注意的问题:联系上下文,选择与原文
风格,意思相符的
翻译;文化是一种生活方式,文化在变化,出现新的习语,习语翻译要与时俱进。
关键词:
习语;文化;翻译
1.
Introduction
Idioms universally
exist in every language. An Idiom is a word or an
expression
that cannot be literally translated
from the source language into the target language
because its idiomatic meaning cannot be
understood by literally defining its
component
parts.(Background) In a broad sense, idioms
contain set phrases, proverbs,
colloquialisms,
slangs, maxims, allusions, etc. (YinLi, 2007:9) In
Chinese, they also
include enigmatic folk
similes. Newmark, a British translation theorist,
in his work A
Textbook of Translation, said, I
define as culture the way of life and his
manifestation
that are peculiar to a community
that uses a peculiar language as its means of
expression. (Previous research) English Idioms
derives from English cultures and
daily life.
In real context, idioms explain themselves: nine
times out of ten they carry
their own
explanations. If we are unaware of these, we will
find ourselves in a state of
confusion since
we will assign literal meaning to them. The
Chinese Idioms,
especially the four-character
idioms, have their own unique origins which are
closely
correlative to the Chinese history and
cultures. In view of the difficulties in
understanding idioms, we should pay due
attention and efforts to understand their
cultures and customs. This thesis is designed
to dig into the cultural differences
between
Chinese and English and then elaborates on the
translation theories applied to
idioms.
(Subject + Method)
2. A Comparison
Between English and Chinese Idioms
2.1 The
Cultural Differences Between English and Chinese
Idioms
2.1.1 Geographical Conditions
The
formation of culture is closely related with
natural geographical conditions. A
specific
geographical environment produces a specific
culture, which also leads to a
particular
expression.
Great Britain covers islands
including the Northern one-sixth of the island of
Ireland between the North Atlantic
Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France. It
has a moist climate with much rainfall. Rivers
and lakes are numerous. No wonder
that fishery
is thriving and most important in Britain.
Accordingly, idioms concerning
fish and
navigation constitute a great part in English
idioms. (LiYuping,
2008:20)(TheoryResults of
previous research)
For example,
awkward
and uncomfortable because you are in an unusual
and unfamiliar situation.
Fish in the air
缘木求鱼
An odd fish 怪人
Miss the boat
错过机会
Trim the sails to the wind 顺势前进
A small leak will sink a great ship 小洞不补要沉大船
(Examples)
On the other hand, China is
located in the Asian Continent and reputed as an
agricultural country with a large population
of peasants. It is not surprising to find
many
idioms relevant to farming, such as 骨瘦如柴,对牛弹琴,
众人拾柴火焰高,
竹篮打水一场空......
so they have idioms
like 海角天涯,海枯石烂,海阔天空,海底捞针,海市蜃楼......
(Analysis)
2.1.2 History
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
2.2
The Similarities Between English and Chinese
Idioms
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
2.2.1
Colours
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
2.2.2 Numbers
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
3. Methods
of Idiom Translation
Translation is far
more than a science. It is also a skill, and at
the ultimate analysis,
fully satisfactory
translation is always an art. (Nida, 1982:49)
Translation is
considered as the cultural
bridge and media between two languages. As there
are wide
differences in vocabulary and syntax
between English and Chinese, translation is no
easy job. Therefore, in order to keep the
flavor of the original as well as cater for both
the Chinese and English languages, translation
skills should be reasonably employed
in the
process of translating, such as the following
translating methods:
3.1 Literal Translation
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
3.2 Free
Translation
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
3.3
Translation with Notes
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
3.4
Replacement with Similar Idioms
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
3.5 The
Translation of Corresponding Idioms with the Same
Meaning
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
3.6 A
Combination of Literal and Free Translation
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
4.
Some Warnings Concerning Idiom Translation
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
5.
Conclusion
One of the major
characteristics identifying us as human is our
ability to use
language. Language plays a very
important role in people’s daily life; it enables
people communicate with each other and
understand others' feelings. Language has
close relations with culture. It is impossible
to separate language from culture. As the
essence of language, idioms also have close
relations with culture. The contents of
them
range from society, history, psychology to customs
and other various social
phenomena. So, in the
process of translation, translators should pay
more attention to
the cultural factors, in
doing this, he can dig up the implicit meanings.
(Conclusion of
research) Only the cultural
factors are concerned, translators can have a
satisfactory
translation. Besides, people
should get acquaintances with the cultural
background
when using idioms to avoid
embarrassment in communication. (Suggestions)
References
[*] 作者. 书名(英语的斜体).
(出版地:)出版社,年份:参考内容页码
[*] 作者. 文章名(英语的斜体). 刊物名称.
(出版地:)出版社,年份
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