从文化角度看习语翻译

1、从文化角度看习语翻译【摘要】习语是语言文化的结晶，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， 习语是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。 习语被广泛应用于各类写作和演说中，如在文学作品中，在科学 著作中，在 政治演说中，甚至在美国 , 习语都成为辩论中唇枪舌战的武器。美国第 16 届总统亚伯拉罕·林肯在他一篇著名演说中引用了圣经里的一句话：“互相分裂的房子无法站立。 ”来号召美国人民团结一致反对黑奴制度，停止战。美国人对圣经的容都很熟悉，他们为此深受感

2、动。 林肯废奴运动也取得了很好的结果。既然习语在语言运用中有如此重要地位，那么恰到好处地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涵差异的了解有着重要意义。本文在探讨英汉习语文化涵差异的基础上提出了四种翻译方法: 直译法、意译法、意象转移法、增删法。【关键词】 习语；文化；习语翻译【Abstract】 Idioms,havinguniversalappeal, arewidelyrecognizedas theessenceor the crystallization of language. Without

3、idioms language would become dull anddry, whereas an appropriateuse of them in speech and writing willadd much tovarietystrength and vividness of the language. Idioms usually carry more impact thannone-idiomaticexpressionsbecauseoftheircloseidentificationwitha particularlanguage and culture. Idioms

4、are widely used in almost all kinds of speeches andwritings:theycan be foundinliteraryworks,in scientificand politicalarticles;even debates in the UnitedNationsareofteninterspersedwithidiomswhichbecomeverbal weapons that are difficult to argue against. The 16th US President AbrahamLincolnonce quoted

5、an idiomderivedfrom theBible:“A house dividedagainstitselfcannot stand. ” in one of his famous speech, calling on people to fight againstslavery and Civil War. American people, who were familiar with the Bible, weregreatly impressed and Lincolns antislavery campaign at last yielded fruitfulresult. T

6、hus idioms hold an important position in language use, an adequatetranslation of idioms is not only helpful but also essential in interculturalcommunication.This paper attempts to make a brief comparative study of the cultures embodied inChinese and English idioms and explores the role of the cultur

7、e in understanding and rendering of both English and Chinese idioms.【 Key Words 】 Idioms; culture; the translation of idioms1. IntroductionCultural studies have currently been prevailing in the west. And talking aboutculturalstudieshas alsobecome a fashionin the circleof presentChinese cultureand ac

8、ademia,especiallyin the fieldof literarytheoryand criticism.Accordingly,in the widesphereoftranslationstudies,therearesome scholarsboth athome andabroadwho have triedto replacetranslationwithculturaltranslationstudiesandinterpretation. Translation is considered to be a cross-cultural communication,w

9、hich concernsnotonlythetransferbetween languages,butalso thetransferbetweencultures.However,theways of thinking,beliefs,attitudesand valuesofdifferentcultures not only give rise to failures or misunderstandings in cross-culturalcommunication but also pose headaches to translation theorists and trans

10、lators.An idiom is a beautiful gem of a language as well as crystallization of nationalculture.Yet itisalsoone ofthemost difficultthingstolearnand use ina foreignlanguage. They are often rather hard to understand from the meaning of individualwords. Chinese and Englishboth abound withidioms,whose su

11、ccinctformsand profoundmeanings make themselves more condensed and expressive. Many idioms bear figuresand strongculturalflavors.Ifthey aretranslatedappropriately,notonly can theoriginalspiritand meanings be faithfullyconveyed,clearlyunderstoodand acceptedby the target language readers, but also the

12、 Chinese and English vocabularies canbe enriched to provide a broader cultural vision. The issues of rendering idiomsof one languageintoanotherarealwayscomplicated,ifthe twolanguagesinvolvedare so unlike in backgrounds and cultures with each other. This paperexpoundstheclose relationship between idi

13、oms and culture translation, and the issue of idiomtranslation is explored from a cultural perspective.2. Definitions and forms of idiom 2.1 The definitions of idiomThe word “idiom ” possesses several meanings. It may be defined as“thelanguage of a people or a country”, as in “the Chinese idiom ”; o

14、r“a dialect”as in “Cantonese idiom ”. It may also be defined, according to Oxford AdvancedLearner s English-Chinese Dictionary,as “phrase or sentence whose meaning isnotclear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a wholeunit ”1 p734. The second definition most suits th

15、e purpose of this paper. TheChinese “equivalent” for “ idiom ” is“习语” , it also refers to akind of a setphrase or sentence fixed by long usage. From the above definitions we can extracttwo basic criteria on which to decide whether or not an expression is an idiom(or:习语 ):Firstly, established and ref

16、ined by long practical use, an idiom has a relativelyhigh degree of stability of the lexical components. An idiom allows little or novariation in form under normal circumstances. In general, any change in thecomponents will result in absurdities or even render the idioms meaningless. Aspeaker or wri

17、ter cannot normally do any of the following with an idiom unless heor 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 ”);“a kettle of fish” instead of“a nice kettle offish”);c. Add a word

18、to it(e.g.*“toshow ones whiteteeth ” insteadof“to show onesteeth ”);d. Replace a word with another (even with a synonymous word) (e.g.*“the pear ofones eye ” instead of“the apple of ones eye ”)e. Change its grammatical structure (e.g.*“a king may be looked at by a cat”instead of “a cat may look at a

19、 king”).Similarlyin Chinese we can onlysay: “七零八落”not“八零七落 ; ”“无的放矢” no t“无的放箭” ,although“矢” and“箭” bothmean “arrow ”. However,justas whathas been mentionedabove,sometimes, either for the sake of sarcasm orforthesenseof humor or for the sake of style, we can create, as a makeshift, some irregularvar

20、iantsfromtheoriginalidioms,but theseirregularvariantsare transient,andmay not be acknowledged by people as a whole:(1) “to read more than one can chew” is from“to bite off more than onecan chew”;(2) “be dressed to the teeth” is from“to be armed to the teeth”.Similarly in Chinese:(3) “一箭三雕” （ to shoo

21、tthree hawks with one arrow ）isan irregularvariantof the set phrase“一箭双雕”（to shoot two hawks with one arrow）;(4)“权令智昏” (tobe blindedby lustforpower) from “利令智昏”(tobe blindedby lust for gain);Sometimes forrhetoricaleffect,an idiomcan be made brief withonlythecoreelementremained:(5) The hotel was expe

22、nsive, the food was poor and the bad weather was the laststraw.In thissentence, “the laststraw ” isadaptedfrom the idiom “Itisthelaststrawthat breaks the camels back. ”(6)Make hay. The market is good now dont miss the chance.Here,“make hay” isabbreviatedfromthe idiom“Make hay whilethesunshines ”.Suc

23、h adaptation usually calls for the familiarity of the idiom by the reader torecognize the real meaning.Secondly, an idiom often carries meanings, which cannot be deduced from theirindividualcomponents. More oftenthannot,itcannot be interpretedonlyaccordingto its literal meaning. Take the expression“

24、to go Dutch (with someone)” forexample: Instead of going to theNetherlands (Holland), it meansto agree to sharethe cost ofsomething(withsomeone), as in“Willyou let me takeyou outtodinnertonight? “As long as we go Dutch”. Take another Chinese idiom for example:“胸有成竹” (literally means to have the bamb

25、oo in ones mind, figuratively, to havereadyplansor designin ones mind. cf. tohave a card up onessleeve).An idiomusually acquires an implied meaning, that is to say, most idioms are metaphoricalin meaning. The meaning of an idiom is somewhat more than the sum meanings of itsconstituent words, in othe

26、r words, idioms convey more meaning as a whole than thefew words could carry separately. This can be fully illustrated by the followingexamples:when takenliterary,thephrase “theman in the street ” isnotan idiom.In a figurative sense,“the man in the street” implies the average person, whorepresentsge

27、neralopinion.Whensomeone says,“You cannotunscramblethescrambledegg”, he is not merely referring to the egg, and he is using a metaphor to tellanother person not to worry about something that cannot be undone.“Cats paw”does not refer to the paw of a cat but a person who has been fooled or exploited.“

28、Black sheep ” is not a sheep which is black at all. And it means an evil memberof a herd or a good-for-nothing person.2.2 Forms of idiomsIn a broad sense,idiomatic phrasescover allof the following forms:set phrases,proverbs,commonsayings,colloquialisms,allusionsand slangs.Here fourimportantforms of

29、idioms are selected for explanation.2.2.1 Set phrasesOne most important group of idioms are set phrases whose form is set and many ofthem are ratherrigidand cannotshow up in any otherforms.There isan inexhaustiblestorehouseof set phrases that play an important role inEnglish language. I shallselect

30、one of them with cultural traces. For example, the origin of“to kick thebucket ” can be traced back to areligious ceremony of baptism inChristianity. Asfar as a Christian is concerned, his/her important three stages, birth, marriageand death, are closely connected with a religious ceremony: baptism.

31、 A Christianneeds to receive baptism from an administrator when he/she was born, get marriedin the church withblessingsofa certainministerand be baptizedagainwhen he/sheis going to die”. So the idiom“kick the bucket” is a euphemistic expressionconnoting“todie ” referringto the deathofa Christianin t

32、heceremony of beingbaptized.2.2.2 AllusionsAllusions of idioms are actually origins and national characteristics of idioms.On account of the different social background, customs and religious, some idiomsare sure to have allusions to myth and legend,historyand classic. Their meaningsare much more re

33、motedfromtheirliteralsenses.Withoutknowledgeoftheallusionsmade in idioms we can hardly read between the lines and catch what they imply. Tounderstand the idioms of this kind, knowledge of the etymology of idioms isindispensable.Only a smallpartofEnglishidioms,itissaid,draw on sources fromthe legend

34、of Greece and Rome, most of them are of biblical origin 2 p97.For example, “bone of thebone and fleshoftheflesh ”,a phraseofbiblicalorigin,is now metaphoricallyusedto referto “bloodrelation” or “unityinthought ”,but why and how? As to these questions, the readers have to refer to the Bible, aninspir

35、ed as well as an inspiring book, which provides men and women with promisesand punishmentsfromGod. Itischerishedculturalheritageallthroughthe historyof the west but now its influence has spread to most of the civilized world, just as the spirit of Confucianism has penetrated into our Chinese spiritu

36、al life, theessence of Bible also influences how people in the west look at life.Proverbis oftendefinedas thewisdom of many and thewitofone,statingcommonlyexperienced or for the purpose of giving wise advice to others. Proverbs are thewisdom of people,so it is commonpeoplewho have createda great num

37、ber ofproverbsthatareterse, colloquial,vividand chargedwithlifethroughtheirpractical work.Their varied proverbs are from all walks of life. Here are some typical onesreflective of common peoples lives as follows 3 p286:Sailors will say:(7) “In a calm sea every man is a pilot.”( 在平静的海洋上, 人人都是领航员 )Car

38、penters will say:(8) “Such carpenters, such chips.”( 什么木匠出什么活)Cobblers may say:(9)“The cobblers wife is the worst shod”. ( 鞋匠的老婆没鞋穿)2.2.4 SlangsSlang expressions are dialectic, vulgar and colloquial language drawing numeroussourcesfrom theshoptalkofeveryprofession:trade,sport,school,socialgroup,etc.

39、They draw on sourcefromlocalpeople slifeexperiencesortheircustoms andare widely used in informal speech and writing such as drama, TV serials, movies, monologue in the novel but are rarely used in formal contexts.3. Idioms, culture and translation 3.1 Idioms and cultureIdioms are usually highly spec

40、ialized in meaning and closely tied to distinctive cultural features and cultural attitude. It is believed that idioms are the mostculturally-loaded element in any languages vocabulary. As the kernel and creamofa language,idiomsare usuallycloselywiththe historicalbackgrounds,economiclife, geographic

41、al environment, customs and mental states of the native speakers.As a matterof fact,idioms have been acceptedby peopleand handed down tothepresentday because of their universal value. As such, they can be regarded as the sinewofthelanguage.Withoutidioms,language would lackcolorand become uninteresti

42、ng.Let stakeproverbas an example.Proverbsare thedaughtersof dailyexperience.Innearlyeveryculture,proverbsofferan importantset ofinstructionsformemberstofollow.And thankstotheenduranceofthese“words ofwisdom”, each generationlearns about what a culture deems significant.Belowaresome proverbsfromtheUni

43、tedStates,each of whichstressesan importantAmerican value: a value held by the dominant culture.(10)Strikewhiletheironishot.IntheUnitedStates,peoplewho take quickaction are valued.(11)God helpsthosewho help themselves.Thissayingcallsattentiontothestrongbelief in America that people should show initi

44、ative.(12)The squeaky wheel getsthe grease.In theUnitedStates,peopleareencouragedto“speak up ” and make sure their views are heard.3.2 Culture and translationTranslation is the transfer of the meaning of a text which may be a word ora book from one language to another for a new readership. Since lan

45、guage is partof culture, translation of language cannot simply be the transfer of linguisticsymbols. Over the recent 20-years, with the deepening of cultural studies, it hasbeen commonly accepted that translation involves both language and culture.Translation deals not only with turning the content

46、in one language into another,but alsowithturningthe culturalconnotationinone language intoanotherculturalform. So, it is quite necessary for a translator to think about the culturalconnotationeveryunitmay embody when translating4p39.The filmThe FirstBloodis translatedinto“第一滴血” .However,thetranslati

47、oncannotreflecttheculturalconnotation behind the words. In fact,“the first blood” is an idiom full ofcultural implication, referring to the first success in contest. It will be morereasonable if translated into“初战告捷” or“旗开得胜”.A translatormust be a realculturist.It ssaidthata translatormust grasptwo

48、languages; indeed, he must. But without understanding the social culturalconnotationinone language no one canreallymaster the language5p5.Even NidaE.A. once also pointed out that for a truly successful translator, it is moreimportant for him to get familiar with two cultures than to master two languages,because a word will make sense only in thecultural background whereitfunctions.A translator should know foreign culture as well as the culture of his ownpeople. Human beingshave much in common.They live on the same globe.Experiencesand observations of the world a