论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译的论文

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1、论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译的论文论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译的论文abstract idioms are fixed phrases that go through the test of history and cannot be treated separately. in order to be loyal to the original text, the translation of english idioms should not only keep the original taste of the source, but also meet the standards of

2、 writing, especially for mythology and allusion. because english idioms have manifested and absorbed the different national culture of ancient greek, ancient rome, and northern europe, it is more typical and representative than other forms of language on reflecting the cultural diversity. domesticat

3、ion and foreignization are two main methods of translation. and there are some concrete translation skills as follows: 1. literal translation 2. free translation 3. borrowing 4. literal translation with annotation. in the trend of cultural globalization, culture among various nationalities permeate

4、and stick together mutually. and the readers ability to accept the new cultural imagery has improved day by day. therefore so long as not to affect the understanding of source language, the author advocates translating english idioms directly as far as possible to carry on the culture, which promote

5、s the exchange and fusion of culture all over the world.key words idioms; allusion; translation methods【摘 要】 习语是指那些经受了历史的长期考验,千锤百炼而形成的固定词组。WwW.为了忠于原文,习语翻译既要保持源语的原汁原味,也要符合译入语语言文字的需求。尤其在翻译习语中的神话典故时更应注意以下三点 1.译入语结构的平衡2.译出源语的民族特色和地域色彩 3.尽可能保留源语的形象。因为英语习语吸收了众多来自古希腊，古罗马，北欧古代神话等欧洲各民族的文化精髓，所以在体现语言的文化差异方面,习语

6、比其他语言成分更具有典型性和代表性。基本的英语翻译方法有归化和异化，具体体现如下：直译法，意译法，借用法，直译加注。在当前文化全球化的时代背景下，各民族间的文化相互渗透和融合的趋势愈来愈强。 人们对于外来文化、异国情调的包容、接纳以至欣赏能力也日渐提高。因此,作者认为只要在不影响译语读者理解的前提下,应提倡尽量以文化直入模式进行习语翻译,以促进世界文化的交流与融合。 【关键词】 习语；神话典故；翻译方法 1. introductionwhen opening oxford advanced learners dictionary of current english, one can see

7、such an entry: “idiom (n.) phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit.” 1 and english translation theoretician peter newmark also said: “an idiom is a current and frequently used group of words whose meaning is not

8、clear from the mon meanings of its constituent words”. 2 in brief, idioms are fixed phrases that go through the test of history and cannot be separated. so the whole meaning usually cannot be surmised in translation and the ponents must not be separated at ones ease.2. backgroundenglish as an intern

9、ational language, its usage is wide-ranging. many countries choose english as their official language. what is more, sixty percent of broadcasting in the world use english to propagate their information. of course, there are many idioms in english and parts of them are loanwords. the features of ass

10、imilating loanwords in english are evident. on the one hand, it belongs to germanic language family that enables it to take possession of the mon words in germanic language. on the other hand, english keeps in touch with french and roman language family closely for a long time. the ancient greek myt

11、hologies, roman myths and fairy tales of northern europe are the publicly owned wealth of european nations. they have deep influence on development of whole european culture in which many stories provide source materials for english idioms. therefore, english idioms take in any word that can represe

12、nt the main european culture. and it is more typical and representative than others in reflecting the cultural diversity. just like bacon said: talent, quick-witted and spirit in a nation can all be found in its idioms. 3 2.1 the sources of english idioms as everyone knows, idioms e from different a

13、spects: different living environments; everyday life; religion; historical events; literary works and mythology and allusion. 2. 1.1 idioms from different living environments idioms are closely related to peoples labor and life, because people in a particular culture need words to name and explain o

14、bjects and appearance present in that culture. the han people, live on land, and belong to an agrarian society that places agricultural production at the top of the national agenda. during the long history of farming, the chinese language has accumulated large numbers of farmers idioms like 瑞雪兆丰年 (a

15、 time snow promises a good harvest), 五谷丰登(abundant harvest of all food crops). while british live in an island country, probably have idioms about water and sailing. for example, we speak挥金如土in chinese，but we should render it into english as “spend money like water”. and there are similar examples a

16、s follows: “to keep ones head about water” (奋力图存)，“in full sail” (全力以赴), “tower ones sail” (甘拜下风).what is more, there e different special products determined by the different geographical surroundings. for example, “like mushrooms” and “spring up like mushrooms” in english , means 像蘑菇一样, and 雨后春笋般地涌

17、现 in chinese. both of them have the same meaning of the great development of a thing, but they use their respective things to form the metaphor, because china abounds with bamboo, whereas it does not grow in england. so the chinese people are quite familiar with bamboo; while the english dont. this

18、case is quite the same with the idiom “plentiful as blackberries”, for blackberries are easily available in england while in chinese, 多如牛毛 is used, for cattle can be found everywhere in china.2. 1.2 idioms from everyday life entertainment and activities, which are parts of national culture, are quit

19、e different in various countries. horse racing, boxing and cricket are ancient and traditional sports in england, so in english, there are idioms like “neck and neck” (不分上下)，“down and out”(倒下出局)，“not cricket” (不讲信用)，and “straight from the shoulder” (直截了当)，and “have a good innings” (一帆风顺)；whereas the

20、 ancient chinese preferred hunting and chess: 棋逢对手 (diamond cut diamond), 剑拔弩张(at daggers drawn), 明枪易躲，暗箭难防(false friends are worse than open enemies). there are some aspects in everyday life in the following.() idioms from food in england, bread is usually eaten together with butter, and salt, milk

21、 and cream are their everyday diet. all of them are the everyday diet for western people and thus appear “there is no use crying over spilt milk” (不要做无谓的后悔)，“bakers dozen” (面包师的第十三个面包), and “polish the apple” (拍马屁)；china has a long history of cooking and the chinese are known as the most critical, f

22、or who attach greater importance to food than any other people, as is reflected in the saying like: 画饼充饥 (to draw cakes to allay hunger) () idioms from sea both in the chinese and the english languages, idioms about the sea are numerous, because both of these two countries are surrounded and half-su

23、rrounded by sea, and they are rich in natural resources of fish. fishing plays a vital role in their economy, so a large number of idioms concerning fish are handed down: “fish begins to stink at the head” (上梁不正下梁歪), “never offer to teach fish to swim” (不要班门弄斧)，and “to fish in troubled water” (浑水摸鱼)

24、.() idioms from military affairsthe history of mankind is almost the history of war, which is the source of numerous idioms. the chinese nation has a long history of war for more than two thousand years, and therefore the chinese language is rich in such idioms: 项庄舞剑，意在沛公 (xiang zhuang performed the

25、 sword dance as a cover for his attempt on liu bangs life.-act with a hidden motive); 四面楚歌(be in desperate straits); 暗度陈仓(to steal a march on). and it is also mirrored in the following english idioms: “what millions died that caesar might be great” (一将功成万骨枯); “meet ones waterloo” (遭遇惨败); “pyrrhic vi

26、ctory” (得不偿失的胜利); and gentlemans agreement (君子协定).2. 1.3 idioms from religionreligion is an important source for idioms. it is a social phenomenon and mainly a code of ethics governing personal and social conduct. paratively speaking, buddhism has greater influence in chinese culture although china

27、is a multi-religious country. it was first introduced into china in the first century ad, and has shaped the chinese language, diet, arts, etc., and greatly stimulated the development of chinese literature. the large number of words and idioms derived from buddhism is one of the manifestations of it

28、s influence, such as 放下屠刀，立地成佛 (a butcher bees a buddha the moment he drops his cleaver-a wrongdoer achieves salvation as soon as he gives up evil) and 做一天和尚，撞一天钟 (take a passive attitude toward ones work). and there are quite a few english idioms from religion. such as: benjamins mess (最大的份额); rais

29、e cain (大吵大闹); apple of sodom (金玉其外，败絮其中); sop to cerberus (贿赂); handwriting on the wall (不祥之兆) and so on.2. 1.4 idioms from historical eventsin most language, people embellish their speech or writing with references to characters or events from their history, that is to say, idiomatic expressions a

30、re closely related to a countrys history. there are a lot of idioms in the chinese language cannot find an equivalent in the english language because the history of the two countries are quite different. many idioms are from their own history. the english language has much less idioms from historica

31、l events than the chinese language because english just has a history of more than one thousand years during which less important historical events happened. for example, “to meet ones waterloo” (遭遇滑铁卢) is from the defeat of napoleon at waterloo in 1815, which means to be pletely defeated.2. 1.5 idi

32、oms from literary worksliterary works are also one of the main sources of english idioms. in english literature, the most glittering star is shakespeare. his dramas are the major source of this kind idioms: “to claim ones pound of flesh” (割某人的一磅肉) is from the merchant of venice; “make assurance doub

33、ly sure” (加倍小心) es from macbeth. and there are other examples: “reading makes a full man, conference a ready man, writing an exact man”-bacon on study; “ the ugly ducking”(丑小鸭) is from han andersons tales; “jekyll and hyde” (双重性格) originates from stevensons the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyd

34、e; “open sesame” and “old man of the sea” e from arabian tales.2. 1.6 idioms from mythology and allusion in this thesis, the author focuses on the translation of mythologies and allusions in english idioms, which e from stories of gods and heroes. as we all know, greek and roman civilizations have a

35、 great influence on english, so the greek and roman civilizations have great influence on english idioms. lets pay attention to the following idioms: (1) “achilles heel” (致命弱点) which es from the greek mythology has the meaning “the one weak spot in a mans circumstances or character”. in greek epic,

36、his mother took achilles upside down into the styx when he was a child. so he was arms-proof except his heel because it was held in his mothers hand. therefore in troy war, he died for paris shot a poisoned arrow into his heel. (2) other examples, “herculess choice” means “the reward of toil in refe

37、rence to pleasure”, “the herculian efforts” (九牛二虎之力)，and “the pillars of hercules” (天涯海角). it is said that hercules was one of the most famous heroes in greek mythologies. he killed two snakes when he was a baby, and was known as a man of muscle. he refused the pleasure goddesss allure, went through

38、 innumerable hardships and in the end, he won the eternal life.idioms have been called the crystallization of language. an appropriate use of them in our speech and writing will add to the strength and vividness of idioms. perhaps some people are quite familiar with “to cut the gordian knot” and “a

39、pandoras box” such allusions not only make the language richer, but also make munication much more vivider and easier. however, in daily munication, people usually dont know why “hobsons choice” means no choice at all (别无选择); “pile pelion on ossa” means extremely difficult (难上加难), or “mercury fig” m

40、eans the first fruit (最初的果实). if the source of an idiom is known, it is easier to figure out its meaning. it is difficult to translate idioms faithfully because idioms reflect the wisdom of ordinary people that isall-inclusive. the knowledge of the sources of these idioms will help us prehend what t

41、hey really mean. 2.2 the difficulties in the translation of english idiomsin the 1950s the american writer hockett put forward the concept “random holes in patterns”文化空缺which means “the accidental gap” in conservation when contrasting two languages. 4 and nida had said: there must be information dra

42、ins in any course of conservation and the absolute equity is never possible. the goal of translation is conservation in maximum to enable the foreign readers understand the source culture. there are two reasons as follows. firstly, the formation and solidification of english idioms are in relationsh

43、ip with the different histories, environments and cultural backgrounds. it contains certain national culture characteristics and information. furthermore, chinese and english live in different regions, so their living environments and experiences are different, especially in their ways to observe th

44、e world, understand the world and transform the world. their culture atmospheres are unique. secondly, chinese belongs to the sino-tibetan language family while english belongs to the indo-european language family, so their language structures are different. all mentioned above enrich the idioms and

45、 make them more plex.2.3 the development of translation principle the principle of translation between english and chinese has developed for a long time. about translation standards, translators from home and abroad put forward different opinions. from yan fus “faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance

46、” to mr. zhang peijis “faithfulness and smoothness”; from fu leis “approximation in spirit” to the american famous translation theoretician eugene nidas “functional equivalence” or “dynamic equivalence”, we may see that these positions affect each other, supplement each other although their emphases

47、 are different. the focus is to translate the source text faithfully, meanwhile, to keep the original taste as much as possible.the quality of idioms translation has the direct influence on the entire article. in order to be loyal to the original text, the translation must not only maintain its orig

48、inal taste and flavor, but also conform to the demand of writing in target language. however, the idioms translation is difficult to meet these two standards at the same time. it is extremely important to translate idioms faithfully, and the translation between english and chinese must pay attention

49、 to following three points:() idioms are heavily culture-loaded; they have manifested different national flavors. therefore, the translation of idioms must try to keep the original taste and not to use those target words that have strong national characteristics.() chinese idioms stress to the rhyth

50、m and structure. so it is necessary to augment or readjust the original language structure when translating english idioms.() do ones best to translate the original images, metaphoric meaning and rhetoric of the source language. 3. on the translation methods of english idioms 3.1 two main translatio

51、n approaches of english idiomsdomestication and foreignization are two main approaches of translation. the us translation theoretician venuti defines the two methods as follow: 5 domestication adopts the national center principle, enables the source language text to satisfy the value of target langu

52、age and culture, and leads the source language readers into the target culture, while foreignization means to accept the differences between foreign language culture and target language culture to take target language readers to see the foreign scene. from the definitions, we can see both of them ho

53、ld different approaches toward the cultural differences. but the author believes that the domestication is the best way to enrich the expression of target language. adopting domestication in maximum can enable the target language readers emerge the same or the similar association as the source langu

54、age readers. 3.2 four concrete translation skills of english idiomsthere are some concrete skills of translation between english and chinese, which are cited as follows: 1. literal translation2. free translation 3. borrowing 4. literal translation with annotationthe author reveals the methods in det

55、ail in the following. 3.2.1 literal translation literal translation can fairly retain the english idioms analogy; image; national and local flavors, in the position of not violating the standard of translation or causing the readers misunderstand. this way of translation can not only retain the orig

56、inal intention, but also enrich chinese language. it can be seen clearly in the following examples: (3) an apple of discord (不和女神的金苹果) es from greek mythology. the story is about: a goddess named discord is angry and never forgives king paris and his wife because they dont invite her to participate

57、in their wedding banquet. in order to give vent to the hate, she abandons a golden apple on the table of wedding banquet; declaring that this apple is given to the most beautiful lady in this wedding banquet. there are three goddesses want to obtain this golden apple. and then it causes wrangle in a

58、 mess. from then on, the meaning of an apple of discord spreads. it bees the synonym of “the cause of disaster” and “the source of the disagreement”. 6 (4) these are the greek gifts for you. the literal translation of this idiom is 希腊人的礼物, which es from the well-known epic poem “odyssey”. when the g

59、reek had left troy, they left behind a big wooden horse outside the troy city. priest laocoon tried his best to persuade his king not to accept the thing that the greek stayed behind. he said that, “i fear the greek, even when bringing gifts.” but what a pity, the king and the people did not listen

60、to his advice. they pulled the big wooden horse into their city. actually, in the wooden horse there hid the most excellent greek soldiers. at that night, they killed the trojan and fired the city. this wooden horse brought disaster to the troy. 7 in english greek gifts is equal to the proverb: when

61、 the fox preaches, take care of your geese. the similar chinese idiom is “the yellow weasel goes to his respects to the hen-with the best of intention”. 黄鼠狼给鸡拜年不安好心. 8 other examples are： (5) achilles heel which means the only weakness, or strategic point 致命弱点;(6) cut the gordian knot means taking t

62、he drastic measures, in chinese means 快刀斩乱麻; (7) the sword of damocles, the sword hanging above damocles head pares to the worrying mentality 忧患意识furthermore, we should never neglect the following facts. make a general survey of the history of translation, we are not difficult to see many literal tr

63、anslations are temporary means to meet emergency. the most remarkable represent is transliterations. going through a long time, transliteration stands firmly and slowly and is gradually accepted by chinese. in the end they bee our everyday terms. like “humor, sofa, hamburger” and so on. and we shoul

64、d realize another two ways of translation: one is imitating the original text that is more or less a little nondescript, and the other is explaining the original text clearly, but it would be lengthy. translating the allusion in english idioms is the same.(8) here is a typical example on translitera

65、tion. right now the chinese are probably familiar with these two words: science and democracy. but in fact, they are not locally born. on the early 20th century, the translations of these two words were rather strange to us. the former is transliterated into 赛因斯 or shortened as mr. sai(赛先生), while the latter is 德谟克拉西 or shortened as mr. de（德先生）. afterwards they are changed into 科学and 民主 9. even mr. lu xun also has made the very interesting attempt in this aspect. he translated english word “fairplay” into 费尔泼赖 which