中国习语与英国习语的不同翻译.doc

Cultural Differences and Translation in
English and Chinese Idiom
1. Introduction
What is an English idiom? An idiom is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. (Wang 2000) Idioms exist in any language. The English language is noted for its wealth of idioms. They are the essence of English language and the crystallization of English culture. They reflect typically the whole experiences of working people’s lives and the social history.
Having experienced the evolution of eras, English idiom has formed in phrases and short sentences after ample social practices. Concerning its broad sense appellation, it includes idiom, phrase, proverb, slang, sequel, locution, allusion etc. Especially English and Chinese are defined to this sort of existing sentence, which is also called idiom (set phrase) that indicates from fixed versatile popular short sentence. These form-fixed short sentences have been gradually developed and can’t be torn apart freely or rebuilt. They generally possess fixed form and meaning, denotes a general conception, and appears in a sentence as a component with vivid image. Thus it is proper to modify matters for its character conciseness and being easily understood and remembered. Therefore it is popular among the masses.
The meanings of some of the idioms are definite, and others are implicit which can raise luxuriant association. Comprehension of them should be based on the context in order to understand it accurately, for the idioms possess some extensive meanings. As frequent exchange of Chinese and west cultures, English idioms have found their way to all fields of our lives just as our national essence, at the same time. In the meantime, English idioms and Chinese idioms possess similar side and different side owing to the distinction between bilateral national cultures and social surrounding. In order to do the translation well we must carefully distinguish the differences. In this essay, we will analyze the sources and cultural background of the English idioms, and way of translating them into Chinese.
2. Sources of English Idioms
The abundance and variety of idioms in the English language may be to great extent accounted for by the historical development of the language. And as part of language, idiom’s emerging and growing is just the result of the enrichment of English language. So the sources of English idioms are deeply involved in the process of people’s communication in which language is the essential media. Idioms are often short and brief, but to write down the thoughts and feeling they contain needs lots of books.
As idiom’s definition states, it is created by the people who speak English during a long period of time. Knowledge of the sources of these idioms may help us to comprehend what they really mean, so it is worth our effort to give an account of the factors which lead to their formation.
2.1 Idioms from Daily Life
Generally speaking, the sources of English idioms are basically lives of working people, such as agricultural life, economy life, nautical and military life and so on. For example, “A nine to five job”: regular work as an employee, especially in an office, shop, and factory, etc. It corresponds to “常日班” in Chinese. In English speaking countries, work normally begins at nine in the morning and ends at five in the afternoon. Hence comes up the idiom.
2.2 Idioms from Literature
There are a lot of idioms coming from literary works, such as The Bible, works writen by William Shakespeare, The Fables of Aesop, and other myths and legends. For example “a thorn in one’s flesh” means (fig) “constant source of annoyance”. “To flutter the dovecotes” means “to alarm quiet people”. “The lion’s share” means “the larger or largest parting”. (The Lion’s Share from Arnold Bennett)
3. The Cultural Differences Reflected in Idiom Translation
“The most elusive thing to comprehend and translate the foreign literature is its associated meanings,” as Mr. Zhu Guangqian said in his On Translation, “translation possesses special emotional environment, which is very broad and delicate and tremendously important, but can not be found in the dictionary. We will be confused if we are not familiar with the local conditions and customs abroad as well as its historical cultural backgrounds. However this is absolutely difficult to handle with in translation.” (1996, 110) The British anthropologist Edward Tailor, in his original culture, mentioned culture as a conception first time, and added that “culture, including knowledge, beliefs, arts, morality, law and customs, is a sort of complex ability and habits acquired in social practice”. (Worrall 1975)Obviously, culture, which covers fields, is a compound system. As a component of culture, idiom reflects colorful ethic cultural phenomenal. As stated above, we can say cultural difference reflected in English idioms can be divided into varieties and mainly embodied in the following areas.
3.1 Cultural Differences in Living Surroundings
It has close relations between the formation of idioms and people’s activities and lives. As an insular county, Britain had once been the master of the sea. Comparatively, our Han People lived long on the Asian continent people and could not live any more once they stepped out of the land. There are many words about “boat” and “water” in English idioms. It’s a pity that no completely corresponding idioms can be selected in Chinese language. For example, “to rest on one’s oars” (暂时歇一歇), “to keep one’s head above water” (奋力图存), “all at sea” (不知所措) etc. Simultaneously, in Chinese cultural circumstance, west wind refers to the wind in siring, and summer is always connected with brutal and sultry words, “赤日炎似火烧，骄阳似火”. All these words are adapted to describe summer weather. In Britain, which is located in the northern temperate zone in western hemisphere, and enjoys ocean weather, west wind is the symbol of spring’s coming, a famous British poet Shelley expressed his praise of spring in his Ode to the West Wind. It is jolly and amiable in England when summer is coming, so English people like to use “lovely, warm, nice” to describe summer weather. Moreover, Shakespeare compared the lovely summer in one of his sonnets. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art lovelier and more temperate”.
3.2 Cultural Differences in Customs
There are many differences in English-Chinese idioms. Nothing if more typical than people’s opinions toward “dog”, which is a humble animal in China, and it is frequently associated with derogatory meanings such as dog-associated words, “狐朋狗党，狗急跳墙，狼心狗肺，狗腿子” etc. seemingly dog’s status has been accepted and increased in recent years due to more and more people adopt dogs as pets in China, the dogs are deemed as the most loyal friends in western English-speaking countries. Most of dog-associated words are not derogatory except some of them affected by other culture. We can usually compare a person’s behaviors with dog in English idioms, for example, “you are a lucky dog” (你是一个幸运儿), “every dog has its day” (凡人皆有得意日), lead a dog’s life (过穷困潦倒的日子) etc. When expressing a person’s terrible illness, people like to use “sick” as a “dog”, when expressing a quite exhausted person, people use “dog-tired”. On the contrary Chinese people are found of cat, thus they like to use “馋猫” to indicate a person’s greediness for food with affectionate sense. But in the western culture cat” is used to describe “a tricky and malevolent woman (包藏祸心的女人).
3.3 Cultural Differences in Religion and Beliefs
There is a host of religion-and –belief associated words in English and Chinese idioms. People believe that there exists God who masters all things in the world. Buddhism has adopted by Chinese over one thousand years, which has many associated idioms, e.g. 闲时不烧香，临时抱佛脚. People believe in Christian very much in western countries, especially in the U.S. and the U.K. so there are many associated idioms such as “god helps those who help themselves” (上帝帮助自助的人), a famous curse idiom “go to hell” (见鬼去吧).
3.4 Differences in Historical Allusions
There are a number of idioms originating from historical in English and Chinese history. They are usually simple in structure and profound in meanings. Insomuch we translate their meanings from the Chinese history. For example, 东施笑颦，名落孙山，and 叶公好龙 etc. Most of the English allusions come from the Bible and ancient Greek and Roman Myths, e.g. “Achilles heel” (唯一致命的弱点), “meet one’s waterloo” (一败涂地) “Penelope’s web” (永远完不成的工作), “Pandora’s box” (潘多拉之盒—灾难，麻烦，祸害的总根源) etc. Though there are no completely the same expression in English and Chinese, for example, to hold one’s head high (昂首挺胸，充满自信), still we have similar or related counterparts.
4. Ways of translating English Idioms into Chinese
To understand the background and sources of English idioms and the difference between English and Chinese idioms basically are the prerequisite to translate idioms into the good, correct, corresponding version, which we are familiar with. There are a lot of methods to translate English idioms, but the main are literal translation, free translation and equivalent translation. Let’s analyze them with examples respectively.
4.1 Literal Translation
When conducting this method to translate, we should not violate the Chinese language rules. Under this condition, we not only should keep the original comparison, image, characteristics and the obvious tint of nation, locality and history reflected in the idioms, but also contribute to absorb in some new words, sentence structure and expressions etc. e.g.
1) Hitler was armed to the teeth when he launched the Second World War, but in a few years, he was completely defeated.
In this sentence, the translator translated armed to the teeth as 武装到牙齿. It is more vividly and lively, simultaneously, and the tone is stronger. If the translator translated it as 全副武装, the tone will be reduced.
2) Say one word more and I’ll bury a white blade in you and pull it red.
再说别的，我让你白刀子进去红刀子出来。
Though there are some English idioms can be translated into Chinese corresponding version literally, the volume is not big. In Sentence 2), the phrase “bury a white blade in you and pull it red” (把白刀子捅进你身体，拔出来的是红色的) if basically same as the Chinese idiom 白刀子进，红刀子出. It remains the peculiarity like simile, image and so on in the idioms.
The following phrases can be translated into Chinese literally; we can find the equivalent idioms in Chinese language. Dig one’s own tomb — 自掘坟墓; A thorn in the flesh — 肉中刺，眼中钉
When we do such kind of translation we should understand the words’ meaning, sometimes we should also be aware that we could convert the function of vocabulary when we translate English into Chinese. New wine in old bottle — 旧瓶装新酒; Packed like sardines — 挤得像沙丁鱼; Blood is thicker than water — 血浓于水
4.2 Equivalent Translation
There are some English idioms similar as Chinese idioms in form, content, figure of speech. So we can use equivalent translation. Some of the idioms in Chinese and English are the same.
1) I think, and I certainly hope, those stories are terribly exaggerated. Our intelligence says. Still there is a smoke.
我觉得，我当然也希望这些报道是夸大了。我们的情报人员是这样，不过无风不起浪。
Certainly, when we translate something, our minds should be live and open, so the function of words or expression can be changeable. Sometimes we must omit some part of the original sentences or passages when we translate them, but sometimes we should add something to make the version more smoothly.
In this sentence the phrase “there is a smoke” is shortened from the phrase “where there is smoke there is fire” (有烟必着火，无火不起烟). If we are confined to the ellipsis form of the original and translate it as 只要有烟 or 有烟的地方, readers would be bound to be confused. A better method, comparatively, is to employ the equivalent Chinese idiom 无风不起浪 with the emission of ellipsis from of the original, which would be more correct and appropriate.
2) Well, it’s too late to hide now, must try to avoid suspicion by throwing them off the scent.
如今即使赶着躲，想躲也躲不及了，少不得要使个金蝉脱壳的法子。
English idiom “to throw somebody off scent” is different from the image of Chinese idiom 金蝉脱壳, but the main idea of speech is close. Both of them have the same meaning: try to escape, so this set of idioms can be translated equivalently.
From the contents and examples mentioned above, however, we can conclude that when equivalent translation is used, we should, in most cases, avoid over exaggerating the case, because we could not find corresponding version to one another absolutely. Sometimes, we should be familiar with use of translation techniques.
The following phrase should be translated in this approach. Add fuel to the fire — 火上加油; Walls have ears — 隔墙有耳; Spend money like water — 挥金如土; Fish in troubled water — 浑水摸鱼.
4.3 Free Translation
When the main idea of original context contradicts with the representation of the version, the literal method should not be adopted. In this case, we can choose free translation according to the context, but it should not limit from the original passage. So that’s to say, we can change, restructure to deliver the original content.
Sure, in English, there are many related things to account for one matter, but which one can be chose is up to situation. Thus sometimes we can choose some representations a little far from the used sentence’s meaning.
1) John can be relied on he eats no fish and plays the game.
约翰为人可靠，他既忠诚，又正直。
In this sentence to “to eat no fish and to play the game” can not be literally regarded as 不吃鱼和玩游戏. This explanation would make somebody confused. To eat fish is an English allusion, its main idea is that: during Elizabeth period, Jesus Christian, ejected to abide by the customs “to eat fish” on Friday ordered by Roman Catholic in order to show his devotion to England government. Insomuch to eat no fish means “faith, to play the game” and to “play fair mean” 规规矩矩地比赛. Consequently it can be transferred to 公平对待，举止光明正大，为人正直。
2) After I finished my work, he said that he wanted to give me a hand. Nevertheless I thought that his idea was just to carry coals to Newcastle.
From this example it is easy to find that the original meaning of the sentence is not equal completely to our Chinese expression. But in English’s eyes, we could use this to convey the meaning, which lead to an amazing mental feedback or reaction.
To carry coal to Newcastle of the original sentence literally means 把煤运到纽卡索. That is an allusion. Newcastle is a place which produces coal profusely. So to carry coal to Newcastle is of no use, and moreover it means doing something repeatedly with no need. So “to carry coal to Newcastle” can be translated as 多此一举.
When translating English idioms, if we can not preserve the original meaning and the figurative meanings, we should present the implicit meanings. This kind of translation is very common in English idioms. F