Abstract
Language is the carrier of culture and is also a mirror which can reflect the culture. Idioms are the quintessence of a language, and it is culture-loaded and full of ethnicity. Therefore, idioms are usually difficult for the non-native speaker to learn in isolation from their original cultures. Then the translation of English and Chinese idioms may face many difficulties. In the translation of idioms, we must use appropriate and effective translation strategy to realize the pragmatic equivalence of the translated text and the original. This thesis analyses the influence of cultural differences on English and Chinese idioms and draws conclusions of specific approaches to deal with cultural differences in idioms translation. By studying cultural differences in translation of English and Chinese idioms, we can avoid pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication.
Keywords : English and Chinese idioms, Cultural differences, Translation, principles, strategies
Contents
Abstract I
Contents 1
Ⅰ. Introduction 2
Ⅱ. Cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms 2
2.1 Different living circumstances 2
2.1.1 Geographical environment 3
2.1.2 Climate 3
2.2 Different historical allusions . 3
2.2.1 Historical events 4
2.2.2 Fables and mythologies 4
2.3 Different religions and beliefs . 5
2.4 Different traditional customs 5
Ⅲ. The principles of English and Chinese idioms translation . 6
3.1 Faithfulness 6
3.2 Figurativeness 6
3.3 Readability 6
Ⅳ. Specific methods to deal with differences in idioms ....... 7
4.1 Literal translation 7
4.2 Free translation 7
4.3 Literal plus liberal translation 8
Ⅴ. Conclusion. 8
Ⅵ. References 9
Ⅰ. Introduction
Idioms are an important part of the language and culture of a nation. As the essence of a language, idioms are unique and fixed expressions which are formed in using a language. It concludes metaphorical phrases, allusions, proverbs, old sayings, slang and so on. English and Chinese idioms have similarities in meaning and the forms of expressions, as well as some obvious differences.
As we know, the aim of English teaching is to achieve cross-cultural communication. However, many Chinese students frequently ask taboo questions which bring about pragmatic mistakes because of cultural difference when they use English idioms in cross-cultural communication. Therefore, this thesis analyses the influence of cultural differences on English and Chinese idiom's translation, then studies English and Chinese idiom's translation from the angle of culture and aims to draw specific approaches to the problems of cultural transmission in idiom translation.
On the other hand, the essay is divided into five parts. The first four parts deal with the cultural differences, translation principles and translation methods of English and Chinese idioms. Eventually, on the basis of the analysis above, we may draw a conclusion that translation is not merely from one language to another, but also to introduce the cultural backgrounds, traditional customs and others of the original, so the translation of idioms which are rich in strong national and local characteristics.
Ⅱ. Cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms
As a language phenomenon, idiom accumulates profound culture details,carries culture feature and information of different nations, is indispensable from culture tradition. Consequently, people from different places may have different understandings of the same idiom against distinct cultural backgrounds.
