浅谈歇后语的翻译

1、浅谈歇后语的翻译浅谈歇后语的翻译歇 后 语 的 形 成 歇后语是我国民间流传得最广的传统语言文化之一，是广大民众根据丰富的生活经验而创造出来的特殊的幽默语言品类，是中式幽默的一个分支，它集诙谐幽默于一体，集中反映了我国劳动人民的聪明 和才智。 歇后语绝大部分发源并流传于民间，成为人们日常生活中一种喜闻乐见的语言形式。它仿佛是一个装得鼓鼓囊囊的笑料布袋，随时都可以露出一串令人喷饭的笑话来。 歇 后 语 的 构 成 歇后语一般由两部分组成： 比喻比喻(引语引语/谜面谜面)+比喻揭晓比喻揭晓(说明说明/谜底谜底)。 引语部分奇特形象，激发人们的探究心理，引语一出，悬念陡起。 比喻揭晓部分则常常意出言

2、外，使受话者恍然大悟，绷紧的神经突然从笑声中松弛，谐趣顿生，其幽默和机智跃然而出。歇 后 语 的 特 点 歇后语通过运用比喻、谐音、双关等修辞手法，嬉笑怒骂中使表达更加犀利、辛辣、干脆痛快，使语言具有质朴的艺术魅力。 歇后语最大的特点是谐音谐音和比喻比喻，如“泥菩萨过江-自身难保”，“擀面杖吹火-一窍不通”，“外甥打灯笼-照旧（舅）”等一些脍炙人口的歇后语。 歇后语的另一个重要特点是会意会意，通过会意后再进行概念扩充和延伸，如“丈二和尚-摸不着头脑”，“黄鼠狼给鸡拜年-没安好心”等。 歇后语名称的翻译 目前，对“歇后语”一词的翻译难以统一。有人翻译为Chinese enigmatic folk

3、 similes,这一译法的缺点是歇后语中不全是比喻，也有谐音或双关式歇后语。有人翻译为quiz-cracks(隐语或谜语)，同样也不全面。于是有人提议直接翻译为xiehouyu in Chinese，这倒是有一定的可借鉴性。因为歇后语是中华民族的独特文化，正如二胡(erhu)、中国功夫(Chinese gongfu)等。但是，追根溯源，歇后语最早是文人之间的一种文字游戏，最早叫做俏皮话，因此，有人据此大胆翻译为Chinese folk wisecracks。 歇 后 语 的 分 类 歇后语的数量很多，一本中国歇后语(1988，上海文艺版)就收入了15万条的歇后语，因此歇后语的分类方法也不是唯

4、一的。 根据前后两部分的联系可将歇后语分为比喻比喻性歇后语性歇后语和谐音或双关式歇后语谐音或双关式歇后语两大类 比喻性歇后语： 竹篮打水-一场空(以事喻义) 天上的云-无拘无束(以物喻义) 大水冲了龙王庙-一家人不认一家人(以事喻义) 徐庶进曹营-一言不发(以人喻义) 谐音或双关式歇后语： 章鱼的肚子-有墨水(语意关联) 邮包掉到水田里-半信半疑(泥)(谐音关联) 比喻性歇后语的翻译方法 直译法： 对大多数喻义歇后语，由于比喻部分生动形象，喻义部分逻辑推理合乎情理，不包含一词两义的双关或谐音，通常采用直译法，既传达源语的内容，又维持源语的形象，便于读者阅读和欣赏。 例如：瞎子点灯-白费蜡。 I

5、t is as useless as a blind man lighting a candle. 黄鼠狼给鸡拜年-不怀好意。 A weasel wishing Happy New Year to a chicken-harboring no good intention. 肉包子打狗-有去无回。 Chasing a dog by throwing meat dumplings at it-gone, never to return. 竹篮打水-一场空。 Like ladling water with a wicker basket-all is empty (nothing). 八仙过海-各

6、显其能。 (Like) the Eight Immortals crossing the sea-each showing his or her special prowess. ( Each of them shows their true worth.) 隔着门缝看人-把人瞧扁了。 If you peer at a person through a crack-he looks flat. 兔子尾巴长不了。 The tail of a rabbit-cannot be long; wont last long. 谐音或双关式歇后语的翻译方法 解释法：解释法是一种行之有效的翻译方法,也是揭示

7、源语文化内涵的重要途径,它是指在译文里保留原来的文化色彩,并加上简要的解释说明以突出其形象性。 解释法可以细分为解释性替代解释性替代和解释性增补解释性增补两种类型。解释性替代 解释性替代解释性替代是指当词语在源语和译语中的内涵意义相同,但联想意义不同时,不能按照字面翻译,而应该用解释性替代的方法翻译原文。 汉语中的成语即谚语翻译一般用解释性替代的方法来进行翻译 例如: 挥金如土 spend money like water 解释性增补 解释性增补解释性增补是指当源语中词语的内涵意义在译语中出现词汇空缺,其联想意义也出现空白时,译者必须保留源语的词语形象,而将其深层含义以解释的形式翻译出来,揭示

8、出源语的文化特性或文化背景。 汉语中特有的歇后语在译成英语时,可以保留原语形象,再用解释性增补解释性增补以表现其喻意。利用汉语的谐音 牛角抹油又尖（奸）又滑（猾） spreading oil on an ox hornto make it sharper and more slippery or cunning and treacherous Note: the Chinese character jian, meaning sharp, is a homophone of jian, meaning cunning, and the Chinese character hua, meanin

9、g slippery, is a homophone of hua, meaning treacherous. 李双双见到丈夫有喜旺（希望） Li Shuangshuang sees her husbandshe has Xiwang now; like Li Shuangshuang meeting her husband Xiwang, a homophone for the Chinese word xiwang meaning hope, there is hope now利 用 双 关 语 义 井底雕花深刻 carving a flower design on the bottom

10、of a wellcarving deeply or get to the essence of something 擀面杖吹火一窍不通 a rolling pin used as a bellows no good at all 王小二过年一年不如一年 Wang Xiaoer spending the New Yearone year is worse than another; like Wang Xiaoers life, one year is worse than another Note: Wang Xiaoer in Chinese can mean any poor fello

11、w at the bottom of the society. 飞机上跳伞一落千丈 bale out from a flying planedrop down a thousand zhang or suffer a drastic decline; like jumping from a flying plane, they decline drastically Note: A zhang is equal to 11/3 meters. 铁打的馒头一个硬似一个 mantou made of ironone harder than another；they are like steamed

12、 bread made of iron, one is harder, more stubborn or determined than another 热锅上的蚂蚁走投无路 ants in a hot potnowhere to escape; like ants in a hot pot, they find nowhere to escape利 用 典 故 英汉两种语言中存有大量由历史典故形成的习语，如， “东施效颦”、“名落孙山”、“叶公好龙”等等。英语典故习语多来自圣经和希腊罗马神话，如Achillesheel（唯一致命弱点）、meet ones waterloo（一败涂地）、a P

13、andoras box（潘多拉之盒代表灾难、麻烦、祸害的根源）等。 有关典故的这些习语结构简单，意义深远，往往是不能单从字面意义去理解和翻译的。 在翻译利用典故的歇后语时，如果仅仅使用解释性增补方法是远远不够的，我们还应该对译文加以注释，从而从文化上和历史上更准确的传达汉语歇后语所包含的民族和文化特色。 八仙聚会又说又笑 a gathering of Eight Immortalsspeaking and laughing; like the Eight Immortals at a gathering, they are talking and laughing merrily Note:

14、The Eight Immortals refer to the eight Taoists in a Chinese legend, namely, Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, L Dongbin, Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu. 王羲之写字横竖都好 a character out of Wang Xizhis handvertical strokes are as good as horizontal ones; like Wang Xizhis calligraphy,

15、it is good in every way Note: Wang Xizhi was a famous Chinese calligrapher and a Chinese character is usually composed of strokes, of which the vertical and horizontal ones are the most commonly used. Hengshu here has two interpretations: 1) the horizontal and vertical strokes; 2) horizontally or ve

16、rtically, that is, in any way. 灶王爷扔石头砸锅 the Kitchen God throwing stonesto break the pot or ruin the matter Note: The literal meaning of zaguo is to break a pot but it is usually used to mean ruining the matter. 白骨精骗唐僧一计不成又生一计 the White Bone Demon deceiving Monk Tangwhen one scheme failed, she turned

17、 to another; like the White Bone Demon in trapping Xuanzang, a famous monk from the Tang Dynasty, they have thought out one scheme after another Note: On his way to the west to obtain Buddhist scriptures, Xuanzang, a famous monk of the Tang Dynasty, met the White Bone Demon, who thought out one sche

18、me after another to deceive the monk so that she could eat the monk and then would prolong her life forever. However, this is the story contained in the fiction entitled Journey to the West. 秦叔宝卖马穷途末路 Qin Shubao selling his horsethe last resort to overcome his difficulty; like Qin Shubao selling his horse, they are driven into a dead end Note: Qin Qiong was a famous general in the Tang Dynasty. Before becoming a general, he was once penniless and had no way out but to sell his own horse. 李林甫当宰相口蜜腹剑 Li Linfu serving as the prime ministera man with honey at lips but sword