On-the-Chinese-Translation-of-English-Proverbs商务英语.doc

中国某某某某学校

学生毕业设计(论文)

题 目： On the Chinese Translation
of English Proverbs
姓 名 ： 00000
班级、学号 ： 000000000
系 (部) ： 经济管理系
专 业 ： 商务英语
指导教师 ： 00000
开题时间： 2009-04-10
完成时间： 2009-10-31
2009年 10 月 31 日
14

目 录

毕业设计任务书…………………………………………………1
毕业设计成绩评定表……………………………………………2
答辩申请书……………………………………………………3-5
正文……………………………………………………………6-20
答辩委员会表决意见……………………………………………21
答辩过程记录表…………………………………………………22

课 题 浅谈英语谚语的汉译
一、课题(论文)提纲
0引言
1谚语的定义
2影响英语谚语翻译的因素
2.1历史背景
2.2地理环境
2.3风俗习惯
2.4宗教信仰
2.5寓言故事
3英语谚语的翻译方法
3.1直译法
3.2意译法
3.3直译兼意译法
3.4释义法
3.5对应借译法
4结语

二、内容摘要
谚语是一个民族天赋、智慧和精神的体现。它是在民间流传的、具有诲人倾向和高雅形式的独立语句。作为英国人民长期的生产和生活经验教训的总结,英语谚语早已成为英语语言文化的一个重要组成部分。英语谚语具有深刻的哲理、简洁的用词、和谐的语调及鲜明的形象等诸多特征,充满思想智慧和语言艺术的光彩,具有深厚的文化积淀。随着中英文化的频繁交流，越来越多的英语谚语被翻译成中文。本人从影响谚语翻译的历史背景、地理环境、风俗习惯、宗教信仰、寓言故事等方面进行剖析，提出根据具体情况采用直译、意译、直译兼意译法、释译法和对应借译法五种翻译模式，以期收到既保存它原有的风味，又能准确传达其意思的效果。
三、 参考文献
[1] Eugene A Nida. Language, Culture and Translating [M].Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.1993
[2] 王德春.汉英谚语与文化[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社.2003
[3] 张培基.英汉翻译教程[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社.1980
[4] 胡文仲.英语习语与英美文化[M].北京:外语教育与研究出版社.1999
[5] 胡文仲.英美文化辞典[Z].北京:外语教育与文化出版社.1995
[6] 曾自立.英语谚语概说[M].北京:商务印书馆.1983
[7] 张宁. 英汉习语的文化差异及翻译[J].中国翻译.1999（3）
[8] 田静.试析英汉谚语的文化差异及其翻译[J].北京海淀走读大学学报.2005(1)
[9] 李惠芬.英汉谚语的表达特性及翻译模式[J].西安.陕西行政学院学报.2005（4）
[10] 王勤.谚语歇后语概论[M].长沙:湖南人民出版社.1980

A discussion on the Chinese Translation
of English Proverbs
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Abstract：Proverbs are the embodiment of a nation’s talent, wisdom and spirit. In order to have a better effect, I attempt to analyse the factors such as historical background, the environment of geography, the customs, the religious faith and the allegorical stories, which affect the translation of proverbs ,composing taking use of five patterns, including the literality, free translation, the literality, paraphrase and the correspond to translation, according to the specific situations.
Key Words：proverbs; translation; The methods of translation
0Introduction
Francis bacon(1561-1626),the writer and philosopher in England, once said,“The genius, wit and spirit of a nation are discovered in its proverbs.”In other words, proverbs are the embodiment of a nation’s talent, wisdom and spirit. As the language fine, proverbs are simple and lively, full of implications, they are an important part of language and vocabularies, the central reflection of the national from and the various of means in language, parts of the language as a fixed form of the formation of the natural deposition after being used repeatedly over a long period. The adage is one of the rich fruits branch in the tree which has language and culture of human beings, and a miracle in the white garden of language.
1 The definition of proverbs
What is saying? Such a definition has been given by the“Proverb-a two-part allegorical saying”,“The proverbs are the experiential summary of the masses’struggle of life, with teaching experience and admonishment function, circulating in the oral talk of the people.”As what an English proverb tells,“Proverbs are the daughter of daily experience.”(Proverbs are the product of the daily life.)Thomas Fuller, a collector in England, once made a description on proverbs,“Proverbs are those many things that has been pressed into few words after suffering the torments.” John Russel, the former English Premier, reckoned the proverb as“The wisdom of many people, then witticism of one.”
Although the viewpoints above are all different form each other, they do reflect the characteristics of proverbs,a.the flash of wisdom; b.the crystallization of experience; c.the elegant languages; e.the inspiration of life; f.the flighting without wings; g.the true portrayal. Generally, we comprehend the meaning of the proverbs as comparable completed sentences in sense, an important idiom of the language. Most proverbs are the crystallization of experience in people’s life. As the flash of human wisdom, it inspires and conducts people’s behavior.
You have to learn the English proverb if you want to learn English, but English proverbs are the precipitation of Anglo-American culture in thousands of years, especially the discrepancy between the Anglo-American culture and Chinese language which increases the difficulty in our learning and understanding. The translation of proverbs plays a decisive role for us to correctly understand the proverb’s meaning itself and the national culture it reflects. I try to do a little exploration on English proverbs’ strategy in translation through analysing the factors that affect the translation of English proverbs.
2 Factors affecting the translation of English proverbs
Proverbs are the core and essence of the language, is the accumulation of human civilization. The translation of proverbs is restricted in many factors. To reflect their unique cultural characteristics, correctly understand and translate the profound meaning the proverbs imply, we should take all the factors that affect its meaning into consideration in the translating process, including the historical background, the geographical environment, customs and habits, the brief of religion, fables, etc.
2.1 The background of history
The development of the social history made a great difference to the language. As the times changed, the old language has been gone out gradually while the new one has been produced constantly. During the course of history, proverbs like a mirror, clearly reflecting the changes of history. Therefore, we should consider their background of history so can we understand the meanings of the proverbs correctly.
In 55 BC, the Roman commander Julius Caesar had conquered the British Isles, while the “Roman Conquest” began in 43 in the British history. From then on, the Romans occupied the Britain for 400 years. The influence the culture of Romans made on Britain remains on the island, we can still find the trace of history in today’s English proverbs. For example,
Do in Rome as the Romans do. 在罗马就要过罗马人的生活。（喻：入乡随俗。）
　　Rome was not built in a day. 罗马不是一天建成的。（喻：伟业非一日之功。）
　　All roads lead to Rome. 条条道路通罗马. (喻:殊途同归。)
(Those three proverbs hold the mirror up the effect of English proverbs by Roman Conquest, have fully reflect the glory in former times in Roman Empire.)
2.2 The environment of geography
We can not separate the form of culture from the influence of the nature geography. While the special geographical circumstance brings up the special culture, the special culture is product of the special express methods of proverbs. China is giving priority to the land , it is the place for people to stay, reflects the nature are allegory in the people and things which on the land in languages. The production of proverbs are closely related to the environment of geography where people are living and working. Britain is an island nation, locates on the British Islands in Western European Atlantic Ocean, with the English Channel and the straits of Dover on it’s South ,and the North Sea on it’s east. Owing to the advanced oceanic transportations and fisheries , many proverbs about the voyages and fisheries left. For example:
All is fish that comes to his net.进到网里的都是鱼。
The allegory of this proverbs is“You have never been refused for any useful things and the beneficial things, it has the derogatory sense”.(任何有用的东西或有好处的东西都来之不拒)
The great fish eat up the small.大鱼吃小鱼。
It is vividly describing a violent fight and the situation of mutual strife between nature and human society.
He that would sail without danger must never come on the main sea.谁在航行时不冒险，他就永远不要来到大海上了。
The Great Britain Island is a typical warm temperate maritime climate with the abundant rainfall, strong wind foggy and the heavily rainfall. Then they had a saying:“It never rains but it pours.”(不雨则已，一雨倾盆).
It means that “The unlucky things are always happened together”,be equal to the idiom what says “祸不单行”.
2.3The Customs
The Customs is a way of people’s life in a region, including lots of things related to life in all fields. Proverbs are not only affected on politics, economy, religion, literature, etc. of a nation but also reflect the nation’s customs. Proverbs and customs are more closely related. The translation of English proverbs cant’t be known well without understanding the English customs.
Any nation have their favorite animals, so the culture on pets has a striking district characteristics. Chinese always look down on dogs and use them to describe the bad people and bad things. But most of the Anglo-American countries have a good sense to dogs, reckoning dogs as their reliable friends. Most of them don’t have any derogatory sense except the part effected by the outer culture. In Anglo-American culture,“dogs”are always the allegory to the people’s life, producing many proverbs.
Every dog has his own dag.每只狗都有它的好时光。
The metaphor of this proverbs is :“Everyone has a proud day”.(人人都有他得意的一天)
Love me, love my dog.喜欢我就要喜欢我的狗。
It says:“Anyone who want to keep the friendship with me are all need to accept and stand the things all belongs to me, including my own hobbies and opinions”.And it’s similar to the Chinese proverb which is “爱屋及乌”.
He that lies down with dogs must rise up with fleas.与狗同眠的人身上必然有跳蚤。
It means that “近朱者赤，近墨者黑”.
2.4 The beliefs of Religion
Religion is a culture phenomenon, proverbs and culture have a extremely close relations, better reflecting the impact religion make on proverbs. In the Anglo-American countries, Christianity plays an extremely important role .So many proverbs are from the “Bible”or related to Christianity. It’s very important to translate the related-proverbs know the beliefs about the Anglo-American people.
Christianity is the main belief religion in Anglo-American countries. There are produced various of distinctive religion culture from this. “Christmas comes but one year ”(圣诞节一年过一次，或佳节难逢。)has been a familiar to the ear sentence to us. Christmas Day is the grand festival in Christianity countries, has a special sense in religion culture. During these days, people often use it to advise others don’t mind to those who eat too much or make so much noise. Meanwhile, it can persuade people should catch chances to give a present to people or help the poor one. This phenomenon is not very much in Chinese. It is so prevail in Christianity countries, may be is the special belief of religion and religion culture.
The heart knows his own bitterness.“Bible·Proverbs”
一颗心知道它自己的痛苦。
Ever man must carry his own cross.每个人必须背他自己的十字架。
This proverbs is come from“The Bible”,the cross is the one which the Jesus is approaching to death with, nailed him to the cross and died. So the word“cross”has the meaning of misery. This proverbs means that“Everyone must be endure the suffering in life, bear their own burden”.
“Forbidden fruit”is also a phrase from the “Bible”,is well-known for everyone. In the“Genesis”,the apple that Don Adam had eaten in the garden of Eden is called forbidden fruit. This allusion is made“Forbidden fruit”means to“the thing one want to get because it was forbidden”.Resulting in:
Forbidden fruit is sweet.禁果是甜的。
It shows that“不让得到的东西格外有诱惑力”.
(The thing you can’t have is quite enticement.)
2.5 Allegorical stories
Fables are showing the universal meaning and philosophy which in society by the imagery, a form in brief and terse of literary works. For example:
The grapes are sour.酸葡萄，可望而不可及之物—“Aesop’s Fables”
It says that a fox wants to eat the grapes which in the grape trellis, because it can’t climb so high to reach it. It is just liking its lips to look at the grapes in the trellis the says: “The grapes are sour, and not at all fit for m eating”. Now it’s use for somebody who want to get something, but he can’t get it, so he say a few words to comfort himself.
In addition to another fable that is : “Blow hot and cold” is originating from “Aesop’s Fables”. It means that you should not be in contact with him whose has a ambivalent disposition before. Now it means that a man with a wavering and chameleon heart.
Pull the chestnut out of the fire.
原意：“火中取栗”，喻替别人冒险。
Fish in troubled water.
喻：“浑水摸鱼，乘乱图利”。
In the process of the English proverbs’ translation, besides the four main factors should be think of seriously, we have to take the literature and art, sports and the fine arts, etc. aspects into consideration.
3 The translating methods of English proverbs
Rousseau once said:“A proverb is the wisdom of men and the wit of one”.Since the content of proverbs reflect the crystallization of experience, the flash of wisdom, the sediment of the historical culture, then the translation of proverbs is bound to reflect the nature of them, reveal their connotation. A famous American translator Nida said,“It’s necessary to pay attention to the response of the accepted people for all translation whether they are poets or articles. The effect on the audiences from the objective facts, is the most fundamental factor to evaluate any translations”.So we should apply various methods to indicate the nature and connotation of English proverbs. We will have a brief introduction on different methods translating the different proverbs.
3.1 Litral translation
The Literal translation is a way that keeping both the original content and the original form, especially the original analogy, the image and the national and local characteristics, etc. on the conditions that the translated text permitted .This method is better to retain the original taste and flavor part in English, so it can be apprehended at a glance by readers. Now we use the literature first. For example,
A home without love is no more than a baby without a soul.
没有爱的家庭就像一个没有灵魂的躯体。
　　Life is short and time is swift.人生苦短，岁月易逝。
　　The eye is the window of the mind.眼睛是心灵的窗户。
We can see that this way has hold the original form, analogy and the expressing methods.
3.2 Free translation
The free translation is using the common used language and the familiar figures to translate the unique national culture of English proverbs. Therefore there are some discrepancy with Chinese on expressing methods. When the expressing method of the original content and meaning is paradox to the translation, it’s not appropriate to use the Literality. Or if you do that, readers will be misunderstood, we take the free translation. For example,
When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war. 两雄相遇，必有一争。
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.不入虎穴，焉得虎子。
3.3 Literal translation and free translation
Sometimes when we are translating the English proverbs, neither the simple literal translation nor the free translation can exactly express the original meaning of the proverbs effectively, we can combine the literal translation with the free translation to make up