Abstract
Idioms are fixed expressions of special meanings in the process of language in use for a long time, and they are also the quintessence of a nation's culture and wisdom. As the essence of Chinese language culture, Chinese idioms contain a lot of cultural characteristics and local characteristics. Translation is a kind of cross-cultural communication activity, but the translation of Chinese idioms is limited by some factors due to the differences between Chinese and English culture. Therefore, the translation of idioms is not only the transformation of two languages, but also it is the transformation of two kinds of cultures at the same time. Idioms are Chinese language units of most abundant cultural connotations, and Chinese culture of a long history is drawing more and more attention of the world. In this way, more and more foreign people are willing to know about Chinese culture and history, thus the culture plays a significant role in the translation of idioms. Correct and proper translation of idioms can greatly promote the smooth communication of cultures. As a result, this paper mainly makes an analysis of Sino-western cultural differences from idioms. The first part is a general introduction of the whole paper. The second part discusses the definition and characteristics of idioms. The third part makes an analysis of cultural differences between English and Chinese idioms. The fourth part of this paper discusses the influence of idioms on China and western countries. The last part of this paper proposes some translation strategies of idioms and gives a brief conclusion of the whole paper.
Key words: Chinese idioms; English idioms; cultural differences; translation strategies
Contents
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………. I
1. Introduction…………………………………………………….………………… 1
2. Overview of Idioms………………………………..……………………………... 2
2.1 Definition of Idioms…………………………………………………………. 2
2.2 Characteristics of Idioms……………………………………………………. 3
2.3 Relationship between Idioms and Culture………………………………… 4
