CulturalDifferenceonTranslationofEnglishandChineseIdioms.doc

Cultural Difference on Translation of English and Chinese Idioms目 录一、 课题(论文)提纲0.引言1.关于中文和英文习语的翻译2.翻译英文习语的方法 2.1直译法 2.2直译加注法 2.3意译法 2.4增删法3.习语翻译共有的错误 3.1没有注意文化差异 3.2错误观点 3.3逐字翻译4.影响英文习语和中文习语的文化差异 4.1不同的生活环境 4.2不同的传统和习惯 4.3不同的宗教和信仰 4.4不同的历史影射 4.5社会科学发展 4.6文化与娱乐5.结论二、内容摘要习语是语言文化的精华，缺少了习语，语言将会变得索然无味习语在语言中的应用比比皆是在写作或演说中适当地使用习语将会使篇章增色，加强语言的力量使语言更形象奈达曾说过，习语使 比任何非习语更具冲击力的表达，它带有一种语言和文化的 识别特征习语在语言运用中占有重要地位，恰到好处的翻译习语将有助于跨文化交流中英不同的 文化使得英汉习语在表达上有 很大差异，也使得翻译中容易产生误译，因此加强对英汉习语文化内涵差异的了解有着重要意义。

本文试从六个方面就英汉习语所反应的文化做简单比较，探索4种翻译方法：直译法、直译加注法.意译法.增删法，使英语习语原汁原味呈现在中国读者面前Cultural Difference on Translation of English and Chinese Idioms Abstract: Idioms, having universal appeal, are widely recognized as the essence or the crystallization of language. Without idioms language would become dull and dry, whereas an appropriate use of them in speech and writing will add much to variety strength and vividness of the language. Idioms usually carry more impact than none-idiomatic expressions because of their close identification with a particular language and culture. Idioms are widely used in almost all kinds of speeches and writings. Idioms hold an important position in language use, an adequate translation of idioms is not only helpful but also essential in intercultural communication. This paper attempts to make a brief comparative study of the cultures embodied in Chinese and English idioms from six aspects and explore four practical translating ways and skills from the point of view of keeping the flavor of the English ways idiom as wall as catering for all Chinese readers.Key Words: idioms; cultural difference; translation.0. IntroductionLanguage is inseparable from culture. For one thing， language is a part of culture and plays an important role in it. For another, as a mirror of culture, Language is strongly influenced and shaped by culture; meanwhile, it reflects culture. Idioms, a particular part of a language and culture of a society ,which including metaphorical phrases, slang, colloquialism proverb allusion, motto and so on, are characterized by their concise expressions rich and vivid, involving geography, history, religious belief and living convention. They are usually highly specialized in meaning and closely tied to distinctive cultural features and cultural attitudes. As far as their underlying cultural information is concerned, some idioms are completely or partial equivalent both in Chinese and in English while some others have nothing in common at all. English and Chinese idioms closely related to their own culture, convey different cultural features and messages of their own nation, reflecting, their own culture. There exist vast differences between English and Chinese culture and this different occurs in English and Chinese Idioms, too.1. A few ideas on English and Chinese idioms translationThe word “idiom” possesses several meanings. It is commonly accepted as a type of multiword expression (red herring, make up, smell a rat, the coast is clear, etc.) Though a few scholars (Hockett 1958; Katz and Postal 1963) accept even single words as idioms. Idioms are conventionalized expressions, conventionalization being the end of initially ad hoc, and in this sense novel, expressions. The meaning of an idioms is not the sun of its constituents, In other word, an idiom is often non-literal. Makkai’s Idiom structure in English, an extended version of his doctoral thesis (1965), reserves the term idiom for units are glossed as “any polylexonic lexeme made up of more than one minimal free form or word (as defined by morph tactic criteria)” (Makkai 1972 :122). But Strassler gives his own working definition of an idiom: An idiom is a concatenation of more than one lexeme whose meaning is not derived from the meaning of its constituents and which does not consist of a verb plus an adverbial particle or preposition. The concatenation as such then constitutes a lexeme in its own right and should be entered as such in the lexicon. (ibid: 79) Form the above definitions we can extract two basic criteria on which to decide on which to decide whether or not an expression is an idiom:Firstly, established and refined by long practical use, an idiom has a relatively high degree of stability of the lexical components. An idiom allows little or no variation in form under normal circumstances. In general, any change in the components will result in absurdities or even render the idioms meaningless. A speaker or writer cannot normally do any of the following with an idiom unless he or she is consciously making a joke or attempting play on words:a. Change the order of the words in it (e.g. “at sevens and sixes” instead of “at sixes and sevens”);b. Delete a word from it (e.g.“a kettle of fish” instead of “a nice kettle of fish”);c. Add a word to it(e.g. “to show one’s white teeth” instead of“to show one’s teeth”);d. Replace a word。