On Cultural Gaps and Translation of English and Chinese Idioms英汉习语的文化差异及其翻译.doc

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1、ContentsAbstract 中文提要Introduction11 Influences caused by cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms.21.1 Different living environments21.2 Different historical allusions41.3 Different customs and habits41.3.1 Differences in diet habits41.3.2 Differences in attitudes towards animals.51.3.3 Di

2、fferences in color preferences51.4 Different religious beliefs62 The methods applied in idioms translation62.1 Literal translation72.2 Free translation82.3 Literal translation plus note92.4 Omission102.5 Image-shift translation10Conclusion11Bibliography13On Cultural Gaps and Translation of English a

3、nd Chinese IdiomsAbstractIdiom is a fixed phrase or sentence in meaning and structure, usually including set phrases, colloquialisms, mottos, proverbs, slangs, jargons, etc. Culture is expressed through language, which has the idiom as its core and essence. An appropriate use of them in writing and

4、speech will add variety strength and vividness of the language. So it is widely used in literary works, in scientific and political articles. Since idiom holds an important position in language use, an adequate translation of idiom is helpful in intercultural communication. Idiom carries plentiful c

5、ultural connotations. Therefore, English and Chinese idioms share deep cultural gaps. So its essential to understand the differences of cultural connotations in English and Chinese idioms. This paper analyzes four factors, which contribute to these cultural gaps, including geographical circumstances

6、, historical backgrounds, customs and habits, religious beliefs, etc. And then it poses five translation methods of idioms, such as: the literal approach, free translation, literal translation plus annotation, the approach of omission, image-shift translation, etc. The purpose of this study is to he

7、lp the translators have a better understanding and translating of idioms. Itll also help the English and Chinese learners improve their language skills in intercultural communication.Key words: idioms; cultural gaps; idioms translation 中文提要：英汉习语的文化差异及其翻译习语通常包括成语俗语、格言、谚语、俚语、行话等，是一种在意义上和结构上都比较稳定的短语或句子

8、。语言是文化的载体，习语是语言的核心和精华。在写作或演说中适当地使用习语将会加强语言的力量使语言更形象。所以习语被广泛应用于文学作品、科学著作和政治演说中。既然习语在语言运用中如此重要，那么正确地翻译习语将有助于跨文化交流。习语承载着丰富的文化内涵，因此英汉习语存在着巨大的文化差异。那么加强对英汉习语文化内涵差异的了解就显得尤为重要了。本文从地理环境、历史背景、风俗习惯、宗教信仰四个方面分析了产生英汉习语文化差异的根源，在此基础上又提出了五种翻译方法：直译法、意译法、注释法、省略法和意象转移法。旨在帮助译者更好地了解习语这一典型文化现象，从而有助于翻译实践中习语的转换工作，也有助于加强英汉语学

9、习者跨文化语言交际能力。关键词：习语；文化差异；习语翻译On Cultural Gaps and Translation of English and Chinese Idioms IntroductionCultural studies have currently been prevailing in the west and east. The termculturemeans the way of life, especially general customs and beliefs of a particular group of people at a particular ti

10、me(Nida，2006). Different country has different cultures, which are called cultural gaps. Translation, in fact, is not only interlingual communication but also intercultural communication. An idiom is a gem of a language and crystallization of national culture, it includes mottos, proverbs and slangs

11、, etc. Therefore, idioms often have strong national and local characteristics. Both English and Chinese are abundant in idioms. However, because of the differences in region, history, custom, religion and other elements, English and Chinese express their cultures with their own styles, which are tie

12、d up closely with culture, so it is much harder to translate idioms(贺爱华，2007). But in order to let the translation be faithful and reliable, we should be aware of the cultural gaps when we translate idioms, it will help us to understand the meanings of the idioms easily. Therefore, its time for us t

13、o study idioms translation from the perspective of culture(黄碧落，2005). From the above, the thesis analyses the influences of cultural gaps on Chinese and English idioms and concludes five practical translation methods.Studies of the cultural distinctions in idioms translation are still relatively wea

14、k in the field of translation in China. We know that cultural connotations engage in idioms. Exclusive research on the translation of idioms is still inappropriate and incomplete. In the last twenty years, idioms translation has mostly emphasized on the level of interlingual communication, but cultu

15、ral differences were rarely involved in it. Chen Ding-an(1998) wrote a book on comparison and translation of English and Chinese idioms, in which he used general translation strategies: literal translation, free translation, borrowed translation and additional translation and tried to find solutions

16、 in idioms translation. It can be concluded that it is time for us to study idioms translation from the perspective of culture and researchers today are paying more attention to such studies.Sun Yifang(2004:6-8) points out that translation is increasingly seen as cross-cultural rather than mere cros

17、s-linguistic communication. Translation implies not only translating into the “other” code but also moving from one culture to another. Therefore, language cannot exist without culture, and translation in languages should not only be based on the transforming of the literal meaning but also should p

18、ay emphasis on the communication between two different cultures. He Yiwen(2009:24-25) points out that the translation of idioms is closely concocted with culture. Since the translation of idioms is transmitted over different cultures, it should reflect the target languages culture and customs, and c

19、ater for the aesthetic psychology of the target language people.People create culture in a stated time and space, different races have different social economy, history and development and this particularity is the individuality of a race culture. Many problems arise in words translation, like non-e

20、quivalent words, conflict of words, and the non-equivalence phenomena etc. It is not until we successfully deal with these problems that we can accomplish the translation perfectly (Zhu Yuchi, 2009:563). Therefore, as for idioms translation, we should pay more attention to these problems. As an appl

21、ied translation, idioms translation has its own complexity and peculiarity. The complexity attributes to the fact that idioms translation is cross-disciplinary, which needs to be studied from multiple perspectives, such as linguistics, aesthetics, culture, etc (Li Xuqing, Ye Hangyu. 2010:163). Accor

22、ding to the previous study, they have provided us many good theories on the subject of connecting culture with idioms translation. Therefore, a good idioms translation should rely on understanding of cultural background. Only in this way, can we translate Chinese idioms into English properly. 1 Infl

23、uences caused by cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms1.1 Different living environmentsEnglish and Chinese people live in absolutely different natural environments, therefore their social development is also quite different. A national geographical condition, productive and living style

24、s determine the national features on idioms. As we all know, China is a traditional inland country majoring in agriculture, and large most of Chinese are farmers. Their productive and economic activity is mainly attach to the land and cultivation, so in China a large number of idioms are closely con

25、nected with the land.e.g. 瓜熟蒂落；拔苗助长；瑞雪兆丰年；斩草除根；面朝黄土背朝天；捡了芝麻，丢了西瓜。However, England is an island, where not any place is over one hundred and ten mile far away from ocean. So English are keen on oceans. Their lives and war are closely related to sea and water transport. Then a large part of their idio

26、ms are from navigation or sea.e.g. A small leak will sink a great ship. 千里之堤，溃于蚁穴When ones ship comes home. 当某人发财时Let anothers shipwreck by your seamark. 前车之覆，后车之鉴In these idioms, “sink”, “ship”, “shipwreck” all closely connected with navigation. On the contrary, “堤”，“车”，“路”have close connection wit

27、h land activity. So we can conclude that English idioms originated from their sailing experience, and Chinese idioms derived from their life on land.In addition, China is a big country with many famous mountains, rivers and regions. Therefore, there are lots of idioms related to them.e.g. 安如泰山；开门见山；

28、留得青山在，不怕没柴烧；不到黄河心不死；有眼不识泰山；得陇望蜀Yet in English, there are also similar expressions.e.g. Talk like a Dutch uncle. 谆谆教诲Shoot Niagara. 孤注一掷Take a French Leave. 不辞而别The “Dutch, Niagara and French” also are the English regions. Just like the Chinese idioms, these idioms also reflect their certain features

29、 in the region.Moreover, different geographical positions bring about different climates. And then English and Chinese have absolutely opposite understanding of “east wind” and “west wind”, In China, “east wind” symbolizes “spring”, “warm”(Nida，2006).e.g. 万事具备只欠东风；春城无处不飞花，寒食东风卸柳斜。（韩愈）But in England,

30、 east wind comes from European, which stands for “cold”, “piercing”.e.g. How many winter days have I seen him, standing bluenose in the snow and east wind. (Charles Dickens) 在许多的冬日我都看见他，鼻子冻得发紫，站在飞雪和东风之中 Biting east winds. (Samuel Butler) 刺骨的东风However, “west wind” has contrary connotation in these tw

31、o countries. China has “古道西风瘦马”. And in England, there is Ode the west wind from Shelly.1.2 Different historical allusionsEnglish and China possess their own historical culture, which mainly comes from allusion, myths, ancient books and records, etc. Among them, allusion is the most important. It re

32、flects the national characteristics. Because of different cultural background, Chinese and English idioms differ from each other in a great extent. These idioms from allusion have simple structure but deep meaning, so often they mustnt be understood and translated literally. Knowledge of the histori

33、cal background of the Chinese and English idioms may help us to comprehend what they really mean(陈守珍，2004).e.g. 三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮Here“诸葛亮”was a famous person in Chinese history, who was the symbol of wisdom. Many English people dont know Zhu Geliang, so we had better translate it like this: Two heads are

34、better than one. Many examples could illustrate this point. Just as: 精卫填海；东施效颦；名落孙山；亡羊补牢；嫦娥奔月；鹬蚌相争，渔人得利；说曹操，曹操到等。All these idioms derive from Chinese historical allusions. Then English idioms are mainly from the Bible and Greco-Roman mythology. Just as: Achilles heel. 唯一致命的弱点; The Trojan Horse. 木马计；

35、奸细; A Pandoras box. 灾难之源.1.3 Different customs and habitsDifferent nations have obviously different customs and habits. Theyre reflected in many aspects, for this point, I want to cite diet habits, some attitudes towards animals and color preferences.1.3.1 Differences in diet habitsPeople in the wes

36、t live on bread, butter, cheese and milk, which produce a large number of connected idioms. Such as: Earn ones bread. 赚钱谋生；Big cheese. 大人物或十分重要的人；Mothers milk. 佳酿或某人的最爱。But people in China hold an opinion that a nation regards food as the sky. So there are a great quantity of idioms related to noodl

37、es, rice, tea, wine and soup. Such as: 饭桶；吃闲饭；吃不了兜着走；酒足饭饱；吃大锅饭；丢了饭碗；巧妇难为无米之炊；添油加醋；饭后茶余等。These idioms have obvious national characteristics. So corresponding expressions in English cant be found. 1.3.2 Differences in attitudes towards animals.Different nations have cultural differences in their conce

38、pts of value about animals(邓严昌，1989). Lets take the idioms about dog for example. People in the west have had a long tradition of keeping pets. Domestic animals such as dogs to them are the most honest and valued companions, and they were regarded as their family members. So dog, in the west, is a c

39、ommendatory term, and used for portray some good things. English always consider them as a good symbol. e.g. You are a lucky dog. 你是一个幸运儿Love me, love my dog. 爱屋及乌A living dog is better than a dead lion. 好死不如赖活着However, the Chinese word for dog is derogatory. Of course, it is closely relative to the

40、ir customs. They always traditionally refer to bad persons. In peoples eyes, dogs are petty and low, even disgusting. Therefore, Chinese people have different idiomatic expressions toward dogs. Here are some examples.狗腿子；狗仗人势；狗眼看人低；狐朋狗友；狼心狗肺；狗尾续貂；狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心等。1.3.3 Differences in color preferencesEa

41、ch color has its extending meaning under its literal meaning in every country. But because of the differences in customs and habits, the same color in different cultural backgrounds often has different implications. “Red”, in China, symbolizes lucky, celebration and happiness, such as: 开门红；红光满面。Howe

42、ver, in the western countries, “red” stands for war, bleed and violence. Such as: Red skin. (对印第安人的鄙夷称呼); Red tape. 繁文缛节，官僚习气.Another case is “yellow”, Chinese people regard “yellow” as Chinese representative color, it signifies holy things, imperial power and solemn, such as: 黄袍加身；黄道吉日。But the symb

43、ol for dignity and power in the west is “purple”. Such as: Raise to the purple. 登上宝座; Born in the purple. 生于王室1.4 Different religious beliefsThere are many religious idioms in Chinese and English. In terms of China, Buddhism has over thousand histories since it was spread to China. Chinese culture i

44、s deeply affected by Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Obviously Chinese idioms reflect the influences of them. In China, we have the following idioms: 跑得了和尚跑不了庙；借花献佛；不看僧面看佛面；显示不烧香，临时抱佛脚；菩萨心肠；道高一尺，魔高一丈等。While English culture is greatly influenced by Christianity and Bible, so we have abundant Engli

45、sh idioms from them. Such as: As poor as the church mouse. 家徒四壁; God helps those who help themselves. 自助者天助; Go to the hell. 下地狱去.2 The methods applied in idioms translationThe translation of English and Chinese idioms is an extremely important problem. Translation is not only interlingual communica

46、tion, but also the communication and transmission of cultural information. Idioms contain a host of cultural characteristics and backgrounds, therefore, idioms as “the essence of the language” are difficult to understand and even more difficult to translate. From these analyses, we can see if we hav

47、e a good knowledge of the bilateral culture, we will feel easy to translate idioms. To count the vast differences between English and Chinese idioms, we shall discuss methods in the following sections that can be used in idioms translation. Here are five main approaches.2.1 Literal translationLitera

48、l translation is to retain the original meanings without breaking the rule of source languages and not causing misunderstanding. To preserve the national character and the special coloring in the original work, the first approach in idioms translation is the literal approach. Literal translation is

49、a good choice to translate lively and closely, as the original. It retains the idea, style and rhetoric of the original. Translators should grasp it. Literal translation is not word-for-word translation. Sometimes, translators should do some change in translation so that they can make the translation more acceptable. Word-for-word translation is