英汉习语的翻译策略

浅谈英汉习语翻译的原则与策略作者：曾婷来源：《科教导刊》2011年第23期摘要英汉习语由于受到民族文化差异性和相通性的影响，在其翻译过程中存在一定的障碍。

且习语包含字面、形象以及隐含三层意义，因此，要处理好英汉习语翻译，就必须掌握一定的方法。

本文旨在探讨英汉习语翻译的原则和策略，分析了在形象与语义不同关系条件下应如何选择恰当的翻译策略，为英汉习语翻译提供一种学习和思考的方法。

关键词英汉习语翻译原则策略中图分类号：H315.9文献标识码：APrinciples and Strategies of English and Chinese Idoms TranslationZENG Ting(Guangzhou Huaxia Technical College, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510935)AbstractDue to ethnic differences and similarities of cultural impact, there are some obstacles in the translating of English and Chinese idoms. And idioms contain literal, the image and the hidden layer. So, we master some methods to translate English and Chinese idoms well. This paper explores the principles and strategies of English and Chinese idoms translation, analyzes how to choose the appropriate translation strategies in different images and semantic conditions, and provides learning and thinking method for English and Chinese idoms translation.Key wordsEnglish and Chinese idoms translation; principle; strategy0 引言习语是语言经过长期使用而提炼出来的简单精辟的固定短语，是人们在生产和生活中惯用的表达方式。

英汉翻译的八大技巧首先是英文理解难，这是学习、使用英文的人的共同感觉，由于两国历史、文化、风俗习惯的不同，所以一句英文在英美人看来顺理成章，而在中国人看来却是颠颠倒倒、断断续续，极为别扭。

二是中文表达难，英译汉有时为了要找到一个合适的对等词汇，往往被弄得头昏眼花，好像在脑子里摸一个急于要开箱子的钥匙，却没有。

另外，英译汉时对掌握各种文化知识的要求很高，因为我们所翻译的文章，其内容可能涉及到极为广博的知识领域，而这些知识领域多半是我们不大熟悉的外国的事情，如果不具备相应的文化知识难免不出现一些翻译中的差错或笑话。

正是因为英译汉时会遇到这么多的困难，所以，我们必须通过翻译实践，对英汉两种不同语言的特点加以对比、概况和总结，以找出一般的表达规律来，避免出现一些不该出现的翻译错误，而这些表达的规律就是我们所说的翻译技巧。

一、词义的选择和引伸技巧英汉两种语言都有一词多类和一词多义的现象。

一词多类就是指一个词往往属于几个词类，具有几个不同的意义；一词多义就是同一个词在同一词类中又往往有几个不同的词义。

在英译汉的过程中，我们在弄清原句结构后，就要善于运用选择和确定原句中关键词词义的技巧，以使所译语句自然流畅，完全符合汉语习惯的说法；选择确定词义通常可以从两方面着手：1、根据词在句中的词类来选择和确定词义They are as like as two peas .他们相似极了。

（形容词）He likes mathematics more than physics .他喜欢数学甚于喜欢物理。

（动词）Wheat, oat, and the like are cereals .小麦、燕麦等等皆系谷类。

（名词）2、根据上下文联系以及词在句中的搭配关系来选择和确定词义。

He is the last man to come .他是最后来的。

He is the last person for such a job .他最不配干这个工作。

Cultural Default Reflected in Proverb T ranslation between English and Chineseand the Compensation StrategiesAbsrtact:Proverbs are the accumulation of human’s experience and wisdom. Different proverbs transmit different cultural information. If those cultural elements are not taken into consideration in the process of translation, cultural misunderstanding or cultural loss would arise. To deal with the cultural default in Chinese and English proverb translation, the author puts forward some compensation strategies.Key Words: Proverb Translation; Cultural Default; Compensation StrategyI. IntroductionProverbs are the crystals of human intelligence and experience. They do not only reflect human civilization but also enrich human life and make language more colorful. They are culturally influenced, thus bringing up difficulties in translation. As different nations have different cultures, whose uniqueness inevitably bring certain communication barriers between different countries and regions. Those differences may sometimes be culturally-specific, which means that what belongs to one culture may be vacant in another culture. This usually results in cultural vacuum, or in other words, cultural default. The translation between Chinese and English proverbs is affected greatly by the cultural elements of Chinese and English-speaking countries. Therefore, it is of great importance to find some compensation strategies to deal with the cultural default during the process of translation. Cultural default, if well handled, can improve the effectiveness of translation and enhance the communication.II. Cultural Default in Proverb Translation1. Definition and Current Studies of Cultural DefaultCultural default is a common phenomenon in communication, either in written texts or in colloquial form, and it has been attracting the attention of many scholars in recent years. Wang Dongfeng (2000: 234) defines it as “absence of relevant cultural background knowledge shared by the author and his intendedreader”. Wang Dalai (2004: 69) defines default specifically into three categories: Situational Default; Contextual Default and Cultural Default. He also puts forward his theories on cultural default and its compensational strategies. In his view, the principle for compensating cultural default in translation is to make the readers enjoy their process of probing cultures. Cultural default in proverbs is obvious or already-known to the language users, but it can always create a sense of vacuum for the outsiders because of the pote ntial discontinuity in translators’ interpretation. Li Jiachun and Cui Changliang (2007) express their views on cultural defaults and the strategies of cultural compensation in intercultural communication, in which they propose three strategies on compensating cultural defaults: domestication strategy, foreignization strategy and combined use of these two strategies.2. Classification of Cultural DefaultCultural default is a culture-specific phenomenon in communication. What is easy and obvious to the source language (abbreviated as SL) reader in the form of cultural default is often inconspicuous and opaque to the target language (abbreviated as TL) reader. The unavoidable existence of cultural default embedded in the source text and its function will force us to face the fact that the source proverbs can not reflect the translated language’s flavor. So,in the process of translation, cultural default poses a big problem to the translator. In order to deepen the study of cultural default, it is necessary for us to divide it into different categories or types. In the thesis the author makes a general classification of cultural default reflected in proverbs as follows:2.1 LegendsLegends of ancient Greek and Rome have been exerting enormous influence on western culture, and people who come from western culture are quite familiar with most of those legends. However, those stories from legends are often treated as default elements because other readers are not familiar with them. Likewise, people from other cultures may be at a loss when they first come across Chinese proverbs. Take the Chinesefamous legendary proverb“狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心”for example. Y ang Xianyi(2003) translates it as “Y ou ungrateful thing! Like dog that bit Lu Dongbin----you bite the hand that feeds you.” If it is translated as “A dog that bites on Lv Dongbin can not distinguish a good person’s heart from a bad person’s heart”,the foreign readers will be confused for it fails to carry the underlying meaning to readers but adds bewilderment to foreign readers. Such proverbs are cultural proverbs; they were born and grow with a particular legendary story. Native readers would understand them without any difficulties, but target readers may not know them. So translating this kind of proverbs usually needs to add the background story to the translated text.2. 2 Historical EventsThere are such different genres of story that were inherited from ancient times, such as myths, fables, folklores, legends, etc. Ancient stories that happened in history are also another group. Culture abounds with colorful stories. They have been passed down from generation to generation and have nourished the culture to which they belong for centuries. The English proverb “somebody meets his Waterloo’s battle”is quite familiar to westerners, which can be translated into Chinese as“遭遇滑铁卢，遭受致命的失败”. However, many Chinese don’t know much about what happened in Waterloo, so it is necessary to introduce the background knowledge of this proverb. Napoleon, the great French revolutionary general and also a dictator, was heavily defeated by Anglo-Prussian alliances at waterloo in Belgium on June 18th, 1815, which marked the start of his decline and collapse. Since then he was unable to restore his army from failure. Ever since this event, people use“meet one’s waterloo” to mean one encounters failures or gets defeated by others. A Chinese reader can not understand this phrase as it is so closely connected with the historic events that happened in French history. In this sense, the proverb “meet one’s waterloo” is an example of cultural default resulting from historic events.2.3 Religious StoriesReligious culture is an important part of a nation's culture, which includes the nation's religious beliefand ideology. Buddhism and Taoism have great influence on Chinese people while Christianity has a great effect on the western world. When people from Chinese culture get into trouble, they will talk to Buddha and ask him for help and utter “Gracious Buddha”.In English-speaking countries, Christ is worshipped by millions of people and the basic concepts of Christianity are criteria for an individual's behaviors.To some extent, Bible can be called the guide book for westerners. Westerners will exclaim “God bless you” or “God bless my soul” when they express their regards or pray.As for proverbs that have distinct Chinese color, they are often influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. Therefore, there are a lot of expressions related to Buddhism and Taoism in Chinese proverbs, which are usually treated as culturaldefault elements. Take the Chinese proverb“闲时不烧香，临时抱佛脚”(Zheng Xunlie,1985:214）for example. We translate it literally as “clasp the feet of Buddha”. The proverb means that when someone gets stuck into a difficult situation caused by lack of preparation, he looks for help at the last critical moment. In ancient China, when Buhhdism was very popular in the Nan Dynasty, it is said any criminal who was to embrace Buddha's feet and prayed for help would be pardoned.“抱佛脚”if translated literally, does not make sense to the TL reader. Thus as translators, whoever translates this proverb should adopt a skillful translation approach, and should point out the default meaning and let the TL readers understand the specific Chinese cultural meaning in it.2.4 Literary WorksMany proverbs in literary works, when translated, reflect cultural default. There is a proverb taken from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre: “Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns.” Guo Jianzhong (2000:244) translates it into Chinese as “惯例不是道德, 自作正经不是宗教。

英汉习语的翻译策略[摘要]本文主要阐明了习语的四种翻译策略即直译，意译，借用，注释。

总之，在翻译汉英习语时，只有了解中英两民族的文化特色，并掌握必要的翻译策略与技巧，才能准确地进行习语的翻译。

[关键词]习语直译借用注释习语是语言中形式和意义固定的词组和句子，是民族特色和各种修辞手段的集中表现，包括成语，谚语，典故，歇后语等。

习语是文化与语言的积累和结晶，它能充分体现出某一民族的历史和文化，是一种语言的核心和精华。

习语有着极强的表现力，且内涵十分丰富，故翻译起来难度极大。

翻译是两种语言之间的转换，而语言和文化的紧密关系要求在语言转换中必须进行文化的转换。

鉴于此，译者不能只作字面上的直译，必须深入了解字面背后的文化信息，用原作语言及文化知识理解原作，以自己的理解为依据，用另一种对等语言即译语进行各种转换，为译文读者传递原文精确信息，按“功能对等”原则让“读者同等反映”。

因此, 习语翻译一方面要尽量将原文的意思用“最贴切、最自然的对等语再现出来”, 用奈达的话说, 即是“the best translation does no t sound like a translation”; 另一方面, 还要尽力将原文的文化信息展现于译文读者面前, 使其了解到原文所包含的文化信息。

一般说来，习语的常见翻译法主要有4种：直译法、意译法、借用法、注释法。

下面我们分别谈谈每种译法的具体思路。

一、直译法直译，指在不违背译文语言规范以及不引起错误联想的条件下，在译文中保留原习语的民族色彩、语言风格和比喻形象的方法。

例如：鱼目混珠—pass fish eye for pearls摊出最后一张牌—play one’s last card像狐狸一样狡猾—as cunning as a fox类似这样的习语译文，读者只要用心体会一下，就会明白其隐含意义，不但保留了原文的形象，而且增加了阅读的趣味二、意译法意译法指在充分理解原习语的基础上，舍弃其中陌生难懂的比喻形象而采用的一种方法。

英汉习语的来源对比及其翻译策略
英汉习语的来源对比主要体现在以下几个方面：
1.民间故事和寓言
英汉习语中许多都来自于民间故事和寓言。

英语中的习语"to kill two birds with one stone"（一箭双雕）和汉语中的习语"一石二鸟"，都源自于同一寓言故事，即猎人用一箭射中两只鸟。

这种源自民间故事的习语，在两种语言中的表达方式可能有所不同，但背后的含义和寓意是相同的。

2.历史事件和文化传统
英汉习语中的许多都与历史事件和文化传统有关。

英语中的习语"to take the bull by the horns"（勇敢面对困难）源自于西班牙斗牛，而汉语中的习语"勇敢面对困难"可能会用类似的话语表达。

这种基于历史事件和文化传统的习语，在不同语言中的表达形式可能有所差异，但传达的意义是相通的。

在翻译英汉习语时，需要注意采取适当的翻译策略，以尽量准确地传达习语的意义和文化内涵：
1.直译法
直译法是将英语习语直接翻译成相应的汉语习语。

这种方法适用于两种语言中都存在相似意义的习语。

英语中的习语"to break the ice"（打破沉默）可以直接翻译成汉语中的习语"打破沙锅问到底"。

了解英汉习语的来源对比及其翻译策略，有助于我们更好地理解和应用习语，并准确地进行英汉习语的翻译。

这也对于促进两种语言之间的文化交流和理解具有重要意义。

英汉翻译技巧英译汉常用的方法和技巧（6）English-Chinese Translation PracticeCourse Tutor:SUN Pinghua英译汉常用的方法和技巧（6）一、习语的译法翻译习语时，应当尽能保持原文习语的形象比喻、丰富联想、修辞效果以及其民族、地方特色等。

习语不仅大量出现在文艺作品中，在政治和科学论文中也同样经常遇到。

习语（idioms）一般包括俗语（colloquialisms）、谚语（proverbs）、俚语（slang expressions）等。

习语的英译汉有三种主要方法：（一）直译法；（二）汉语同义习语的套用法；（三）意译法。

（一）直译法所谓直译法即指在不违背译文语言规范以及不因其错误的联想的条件下，在译文中保留英语习语的比喻、形象和民族、地方特色的方法。

To fight to the last manTo break the recordUnder one’s noseArmed to the teethPacked like sardinesSour grapesA die-hardA gentleman’s agreementAn olive branchThe Trojan horseThe heel of AchillesThe open-door policyThe most-favored-nation clauseThe position-of-strength policyShuttle diplomacyThe cold warA cat has nine livesBlood is thicker than waterBarking dogs do not biteA rolling stone gathers no moss战斗到最后一个人打破记录在某人鼻子底下武装到牙齿挤得象罐头沙丁鱼酸葡萄死硬派君子协定橄榄树枝特洛伊木马阿基里斯的脚踵悬挂在达摩克里斯头顶上的剑门户开放政策最惠国条款实力地位政策穿梭外交冷战热战猫有九命血浓于水吠犬不咬人滚石不生苔（二）汉语同义习语的套用法有的英语习语和汉语同义习语在内容和形式上都相符合，双方不但有相同的意义和修辞色彩，并且有相同的或大体相同的形象比喻。

英汉习语的来源对比及其翻译策略1. 引言1.1 研究背景英汉习语在日常生活中被广泛使用，是两种语言文化交流的重要组成部分。

随着全球化的深入发展，英语和汉语的交流越来越频繁，因此对英汉习语的翻译研究也变得日益重要。

如何准确、恰当地翻译英汉习语成为研究者和翻译者共同关注的课题。

本文将对英汉习语的来源、对比以及翻译策略进行深入研究，探讨其中常见的翻译错误并提出解决方法，旨在为英汉习语的翻译工作提供一定的参考和帮助。

1.2 研究意义习语是每个语言中都存在的一种特殊表达形式，它们蕴含着丰富的文化内涵和历史背景。

英汉习语的比较研究不仅可以帮助我们更深入地理解两种语言的文化特点和传统，还有助于提升翻译水平和促进跨文化交流。

通过对英汉习语的来源、对比及翻译策略进行深入分析，我们可以更好地把握语言表达的奥妙，提高翻译质量和准确度。

研究英汉习语的翻译策略有助于翻译工作者更加准确地传达原文的意思，避免翻译过程中常见的错误和歧义，为跨文化交流搭建更加稳固和畅通的桥梁。

英汉习语的来源对比及翻译策略研究具有非常重要的意义和价值，对于提升翻译水平、促进文化交流和加深跨文化理解都具有积极的推动作用。

2. 正文2.1 英汉习语的来源英语习语的来源多种多样，通常包括历史、文化、传统、宗教等方面的因素。

在历史上，英语习语的形成受到了诸多影响，比如古代的希腊罗马文化、中世纪的基督教传统、文艺复兴时期的人文主义思想等。

这些文化因素都对英语习语的形成起到了重要作用。

另外，英语习语的来源还包括了许多民间传说、神话故事、历史事件等各种元素。

比如，许多习语源自莎士比亚的作品，比如“to be or not to be”、“star-crossed lovers”等。

这些习语以其独特的形式和含义被传承下来，成为了英语中的常用表达方式。

与英语习语相比，中文习语的来源也十分丰富多样。

中文习语通常包括了历史、文化、哲学、民间传统等多方面的影响因素。

比如，“井底之蛙”这个习语源自于古代的寓言故事，意味着目光短浅，不见世面。