汉语成语翻译的若干方法.docx

1、汉语成语翻译的若干方法汉语成语翻译的若干方法【摘 要】 汉语成语承载着中华五千年的文化特色和文化信息.而翻译并非只是两种语言之间的一种简单的对应转换过程，而是一种文化的交流和传递。因此，在汉语成语英译的具体操作过程中，首先要充分理解汉语成语的内在含义，灵活运用不同的翻译方法，对比英汉语言中习语的异同，进行适当的结构调整，将汉语成语所承载的文化特色和文化信息最大限度地传译给外国读者。帮助外国读者消除或减少语言及文化障碍就要求译者尽最大努力把汉语成语翻译成外国读者乐于接受的形式。与此同时要在英语中再现汉语文化，这是一个很大的挑战。把汉语成语翻译成英语，译者们掌握和熟悉两种语言以及其文化是非常重要的

2、。他们必须从风俗和文化背景的角度，通过对汉语和英语语言学和文化差异的理解，尽量去把握成语的内在含义，从而使其观点与原文的精神相一致。本文简单介绍了汉语成语英译的几种方法。【关键词】 汉语成语，英语习语，翻译，文化内涵，源语，目标语Abstract Chinese idioms bear five thousand years of Chinese cultural characteristic and the cultural messages. Translation is not only one kind of simple correspondence switching proces

3、s between two languages, but is one kind of cultural exchange and transmission.Therefore, translating Chinese idioms into English is a concrete operating process. First, the translators must fully understand the intrinsic meaning of the Chinese idioms; second, they should utilize several different t

4、ranslation methods nimbly and contrasts the similarities and differences between the English idioms and Chinese idioms; third, they should carry on the suitable structure adjustment and translate Chinese idioms which bear cultural characteristic and cultural information in maximum limit for the fore

5、ign readers. Helping the foreign readers eliminate and reduce language and cultural barrier requests the translator to work diligently to translate the form of Chinese idiom in the way that the foreign readers are glad to accept. At the same time, this is a very big challenge to reappear Chinese cul

6、ture in English.To understand and translate Chinese idioms into English，it is very important for the translators to master and well acquaint themselves with the original language and the target language and their cultures. They should set out from the aspects of customs and cultural backgrounds and

7、try to grasp the connotation of the original idiom by understanding linguistic and cultural differences between English and Chinese so as to make his version alike the original text in spirit. This article introduced several methods on translation of Chinese idioms concisely.Key Words Chinese idioms

8、；English idioms；translation；culture connotation；original language；target language1. IntroductionAbout translation, the translation theoreticians have proposed many different viewpoints. In China, the most popular theory is s “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance(信，达，雅)”while in the western coun

9、tries, the most popular one is “equivalent value, equivalent effect and function equivalence(等值，等效，功能对等) ”.These viewpoints are mutually influenced and supplemented. Although the translators have different emphasis points, they all advocate that the translation must express the connotation of the or

10、iginal text faithfully and the style of the original work should reappear in translation. “所谓忠实表达原文的意义，应指忠实表达原文的字面意义，形象意义，隐含意义三个方面。”1 p65(So-called “expressing the indication of the original text faithfully”, is to express the wording meaning, the image meaning and the implied meaning of the origina

11、l text faithfully.) But not all expressions, words, even characters in the original text simultaneously have these three kinds of meanings. Maybe some of them only have the wording meaning, but without the image meaning; some may have the wording meaning and the image meaning, but lack of the implie

12、d meaning. Any two languages are impossible to be all coordinated completely. Therefore, it is impossible to completely reproduce the three kinds of meanings of the original text. First, because the cultural differences produce the contradiction in the translation process, the wording meaning or the

13、 image meaning must obey the implied meaning. Second, the image meaning of the original text cannot be found in the target language. Sometimes the images are the same but the implied meanings are actually different. In this situation, what the translators need to consider first is the accurate expre

14、ssion of the implied meaning. The images of the original text should be changed into other images that the foreign readers are familiar with.2. Several methods of Chinese idiom translationThe existence of cultural differences brings certain difficulties to the cultural exchange. It is also the bigge

15、st barrier in the translation. When the translators translate one language to another, besides understanding the writing of these two languages thoroughly, the translators also have to understand the cultural differences between these two languages profoundly.In Chinese “Idioms” means that “成语：人们长期以

16、来习用的，简洁精辟的定型词组或短句。汉语的成语大多由四个字组成，一般都有出处。有些成语从字面上不难理解，如小题大做，后来居上等。有些成语必须知道来源或典故才能懂得意思，如朝三暮四，杯弓蛇影等。” P 130(Since long ago the people have used habitually, concise and succinct words or short phrases. Most Chinese idioms are composed by four characters, generally all of which have the source. The meanin

17、gs of Some idioms are available from the word writing, such as: 小题大做and 后来居上; The meaning of some idioms should be got from its source or allusion. Such as 朝三暮四 and 杯弓蛇影.) On Chinese idiom translation, culture has a great influence on the translators logical thinking and the glossary choice of the l

18、anguage.The semantics of idiom has the integrity. Usually we cannot get its significance from a single character. If many Chinese idioms were translated into English directly according to the wording meaning, although the foreign readers can understand the meaning of each character, they still have

19、difficulties in understanding the overall significance of this idiom. Metaphrase Metaphrase is a method that the image and the forms of the original text are preserved, which can be translated literally. The readers also can catch the implied meaning by the wording translation. Some Chinese idioms h

20、ave similar images, which the foreign readers can associate to the equivalent English idioms. Literal Translation In idiom translation, there is a tendency to find English equivalent idioms, equivalent in referential meaning rather than in the images. The reason is that the target text must be idiom

21、atically English. Therefore, literal translation of Chinese idioms is often considered non-idiomatic. As long as the translation conveys a vivid image and the referential meaning is not distorted, literal translation can introduce Chinese culture to the world. Literal translation is a way by which t

22、he rhetoric, national and regional characteristics are kept in the target language. In this way the meaning and the form of the source language are unchanged.Some Chinese idioms can be translated literally with the same vivid figurative result of the original ones, which can make the foreign readers

23、 associate to the equivalent English idioms.For example:对牛弹琴 To play the lute to a cow. The readers can associate it to the equivalent English idiom “to cast pearls before swine”.竭泽而渔 To drain a pond to catch all the fish (the equivalent idiom: To kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.)易如反掌 To be

24、 as easy as turning over ones hand (the equivalent one: As easy as falling off a log.)口蜜腹剑 To be honey-mouthed and dagger-hearted(the equivalent one: A Judas kiss)Though there are not equivalent English idioms, some Chinese idioms with the literal meanings can also be translated literally with the a

25、ccurate images. Such as:井底之蛙 To be like a frog at the bottom of a well史无前例 To be without precedent in history七嘴八舌 With seven mouths and eight tongues Replacement Regarding Chinese idioms translation, what many translation books discussed mainly was the replacement technique. Sometimes, equivalent tr

26、anslations can be found, but mostly only similar ones. Usually the replacement technique is necessary in the following situations.() Chinese idioms have same meanings and culture messages as those in the target language.There are many Chinese and English idioms, which have the same images as well as

27、 the expression forms.In Chinese, “浑水摸鱼” means “释义浑水：浑浊的水。指在浑浊的水中摸鱼。用法比喻趁混乱的时机捞取不正当的利益，也作混水摸鱼。”P259 But the English idiom “to fish in troubled water” means “take advantage of troubled or uncertain condition for personal profit”. These two idioms are similar in both expression form and intrinsic mean

28、ing.The similar idioms are as follows:赴汤蹈火 Go through fire and water随波逐流 To go with the tide知识就是力量 Knowledge is power.眼不见，心不烦 Out of sight, out of mind.谋事在人，成事在天 Man proposes, god disposes空中楼阁 Castles in the air充耳不闻 Turn a deaf ear to() Chinese idioms share similar meanings but different culture mes

29、sages and images with the target language.The Chinese idioms, which have same or similar vivid analogy with the English idioms, should be exchanged into the same or corresponding English idioms directly. Different languages have different images.For example: if translators translate the Chinese idio

30、m “胸有成竹” directly into “have a bamboo in one s stomach” according to the wording meaning. The foreign readers not only have difficulties in getting the meaning that this idiom contained, but also have the wrong association easily. Therefore, the translators must discard the images in this idiom and

31、change them into the images that the foreign readers are familiar with. So it may be translated as “have a card in ones sleeve”The Chinese say “噤若寒蝉”(as mute as a winter cicada)”, yet the native English say , “as mute as a fish”. Fish and cicada have similar function in the above examples though the

32、y are not similar at all. As far as “silence” is concerned, fish is a familiar image to English speakers, yet the Chinese tend to associate the sense with winter cicada.The Chinese idiom “瓮中之鳖”means “释义瓮：大坛子；鳖：甲鱼。大坛子中的甲鱼。用法形容已在掌握之中，逃脱不了。”P651 .But the English idiom “likes a rat in a hole”, whose image is a mouse, which is stranded in a hole. It is in an extremely difficult situation. These two scenes agree without prior consultation but happen to hold the same view. Though the translators repla