习语谚语俗语的翻译.ppt

1、Translation of Idioms, Proverbs and Slang,Translation of Idioms,Idioms with literal meanings e.g. Knit ones brows 皱眉头 Last but not least 最后但非最不重要的一点 Laugh in ones face 当面嘲笑 Lay something to heart 把某事放在心上 Have pity on somebody 同情某人,Idioms with metaphorical meanings Literal translation e.g. Trojan hor

2、se特洛伊木马 tower of ivory象牙塔 sour grapes酸葡萄（心理） Sphinxs riddle斯芬克司之谜 As wise as Solomon如所罗门般智慧 The fifth column第五纵队 A Judas kiss犹大之吻 Crocodile tears鳄鱼的眼泪 Wash ones hands of洗手不干 New wine in old bottles旧瓶装新酒,Free translation e.g. in a pigs whisper低声地；顷刻间 draw blood伤人感情；惹人生气 hang on ones sleeve依赖某人；任某人作主

3、hang on ones lips对某人言听计从 make a monkey of愚弄 to be full of beans精神旺盛；精力充沛 bend an ear to聚精会神地听；倾听 get cold feet开始感到怀疑、胆怯或害怕 a skeleton at the feast扫兴的人或东西 bury ones head in the sand采取鸵鸟政策,Idioms with equivalents in Chinese Equivalent both in form and meaning e.g. burn the boat破釜沉舟 castle in the air空中

4、楼阁 a bolt from the blue晴天霹雳 six of one and half a dozen of the other半斤八两 after ones own heart正中下怀 kill two birds with one stone一箭双雕，一石二鸟 show the cloven hoof露出马脚 hang by a hair千钧一发 kill the goose that lays the golden eggs杀鸡取卵,Different form, equivalent meaning e.g. have an axe to grind别有用心 talk thro

5、ugh ones hat胡言乱语 as poor as Job家徒四壁 neither fish nor fowl不伦不类，非驴非马 leave no stone unturned千方百计 hole and corner偷偷摸摸，鬼鬼祟祟 a fly in the ointment美中不足 ？by the skin of ones teeth九死一生 call a spade a spade直言不讳，实话实说 *Sometimes an English idiom has different Chinese equivalents in various contexts. For exampl

6、e: Reap as what one has sown种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆；自作自受；自食其果；自掘坟墓；咎由自取；玩火自焚；若火烧身；作茧自缚 Be on tenterhooks提心吊胆；坐立不安；如坐针毡；局促不安；心乱如麻；心烦意乱；七上八下；六神无主；手足无措,Similar form, different meaning e.g. pull somebodys leg愚弄某人；开某人的玩笑（误译：拖后腿） move heaven and earth想方设法；千方百计（误译：翻天覆地） childs play简单的东西；容易的事情（误译：儿戏） eat ones words（被迫）收回

7、前言；承认说错（误译：食言） dog eat dog残酷争夺；人吃人的关系（误译：狗咬狗）,Four-character expressions in Chinese translation e.g. The mayor of Toledo said in 1932: “I have seen thousands of these defeated, discouraged, hopeless men and women, cringing and fawning as they come to ask for public aid. It is a spectacle of national

8、 degradation.” 译：1932年，托莱多市长曾这样说道：“我见过成千上万山穷水尽、灰心绝望的男男女女前来请求救济，为此还低声下气、摇尾乞怜。此情此景真是丢尽了美国的脸。” e.g. The girls were all smiles on hearing the good news. 误：姑娘们听到这个好消息都满脸堆笑。 正：听到这个好消息，姑娘们个个笑逐颜开。 e.g. Louisa (a peasant girl): As you have come to my home, I feel greatly honored. 误：路易莎（一位农家姑娘）：大驾光临，不胜荣幸！ 正：路

9、易莎（一位农家姑娘）：您到俺家来，真是贵客临门。,Translation of Proverbs,Proverbs with literal meanings e.g. Out of sight, out of mind. 眼不见，心不念。 No mill, no meal. 不磨面，没面包（不劳动者不得食）。 Easy come, easy go. 来得容易去得快。 Like father, like son. 有其父必有其子。,Proverbs with metaphorical meanings Literal translation e.g. Forbidden fruit is sw

10、eet. 禁果分外甜。 In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king. 盲人国里，独眼称王（山中无老虎，猴子称大王）。 Half a loaf is better than no bread. 有半块面包总比没有强。,Free translation e.g. Every man has a fool in his sleeve. 人人都有糊涂的时候。 When Greek meets Greek, then comes the ？tug of war. 两雄相遇，其斗必烈。,Paraphrase e.g. He that sows

11、the wind will reap the whirlwind. 玩火者必自焚。 Like begets like. 龙生龙，凤生凤（有其父必有其子）。 Many straws may bind an elephant. 烂麻搓成绳，也能拉千斤（蚁多咬死象；人多力量大 When shepherds quarrel, the wolf has a winning game. 鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利。,Translation of Slang,Euphemism e.g. May I please be excused? May I go to the bathroom please? May I

12、please leave the room? May I use the facilities? What is the geography of the house? Im going to do my business. Im going to do my private office. e.g. She is five months gone. 她已经有五个月的喜了。（误：她已经走了五个月了。） to wear the apron high to be in a delicate condition a lady-in-waiting,Swear damn, hell, bloody, devil, confound e.g. Ill be damned if I do. 我要干这事，就不是人！ Get the hell out of here! 滚出去！