学文网[Abstract]Idiomsarefixedphrasesthatgothroughthetestofhistoryandcannotbetreatedseparately.Inordertobeloyaltotheoriginaltext,thetranslationofEnglishidiomsshouldnotonlykeeptheoriginaltasteofthesource,butalsomeetthestandardsofwriting,especiallyformythologyandallusion.BecauseEnglishidiomshavemanifestedandabsorbedthedifferentnationalcultureofancientGreek,ancientRome,andNorthernEurope,itismoretypicalandrepresentativethanotherformsoflanguageonreflectingtheculturaldiversity.Domesticationandforeignizationaretwomainmethodsoftranslation.Andtherearesomeconcretetranslationskillsasfollows:1.Literaltranslation2.Freetranslation3.Borrowing4.Literaltranslationwithannotation.Inthetrendofculturalglobalization,cultureamongvariousnationalitiespermeateandsticktogethermutually.Andthereaders’abilitytoacceptthenewculturalimageryhasimproveddaybyday.Thereforesolongasnottoaffecttheunderstandingofsourcelanguage,theauthoradvocatestranslatingEnglishidiomsdirectlyasfaraspossibletocarryontheculture,whichpromotestheexchangeandfusionofcultureallovertheworld.
[KeyWords]idioms;allusion;translationmethods
【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。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.Introduction
WhenopeningOxfordAdvancedLearner’sDictionaryofCurrentEnglish,onecanseesuchanentry:“Idiom(n.)Phraseorsentencewhosemeaningisnotclearfromthemeaningofitsindividualwordsandwhichmustbelearntasawholeunit.”[1]AndEnglishtranslationtheoreticianPeterNewmarkalsosaid:“Anidiomisacurrentandfrequentlyusedgroupofwordswhosemeaningisnotclearfromthecommonmeaningsofitsconstituentwords”.[2]Inbrief,idiomsarefixedphrasesthatgothroughthetestofhistoryandcannotbeseparated.Sothewholemeaningusuallycannotbesurmisedintranslationandthecomponentsmustnotbeseparatedatone’sease.
2.Background
Englishasaninternationallanguage,itsusageiswide-ranging.ManycountrieschooseEnglishastheirofficiallanguage.Whatismore,sixtypercentofbroadcastingintheworlduseEnglishtopropagatetheirinformation.Ofcourse,therearemanyidiomsinEnglishandpartsofthemareloanwords.ThefeaturesofassimilatingloanwordsinEnglishareevident.Ontheonehand,itbelongstoGermaniclanguagefamilythatenablesittotakepossessionofthecommonwordsinGermaniclanguage.Ontheotherhand,EnglishkeepsintouchwithFrenchandRomanlanguagefamilycloselyforalongtime.TheancientGreekmythologies,RomanmythsandfairytalesofnorthernEuropearethepubliclyownedwealthofEuropeannations.TheyhavedeepinfluenceondevelopmentofwholeEuropeancultureinwhichmanystoriesprovidesourcematerialsforEnglishidioms.Therefore,EnglishidiomstakeinanywordthatcanrepresentthemainEuropeanculture.Anditismoretypicalandrepresentativethanothersinreflectingtheculturaldiversity.JustlikeBaconsaid:Talent,quick-wittedandspiritinanationcanallbefoundinitsidioms.[3]
2.1ThesourcesofEnglishidioms
Aseveryoneknows,idiomscomefromdifferentaspects:differentlivingenvironments;everydaylife;religion;historicalevents;literaryworksandmythologyandallusion.
2.1.1Idiomsfromdifferentlivingenvironments
Idiomsarecloselyrelatedtopeople’slaborandlife,becausepeopleinaparticularcultureneedwordstonameandexplainobjectsandappearancepresentinthatculture.TheHanPeople,liveonland,andbelongtoanagrariansocietythatplacesagriculturalproductionatthetopofthenationalagenda.Duringthelonghistoryoffarming,theChineselanguagehasaccumulatedlargenumbersoffarmers’idiomslike瑞雪兆丰年(atimesnowpromisesagoodharvest),五谷丰登(abundantharvestofallfoodcrops).WhileBritishliveinanislandcountry,probablyhaveidiomsaboutwaterandsailing.Forexample,wespeak挥金如土inChinese，butweshouldrenderitintoEnglishas“spendmoneylikewater”.Andtherearesimilarexamplesasfollows:“tokeepone’sheadaboutwater”(奋力***存)，“infullsail”(全力以赴),“towerone’ssail”(甘拜下风).
Whatismore,therecomedifferentspecialproductsdeterminedbythedifferentgeographicalsurroundings.Forexample,“likemushrooms”and“springuplikemushrooms”inEnglish,means像蘑菇一样,and雨后春笋般地涌现inChinese.Bothofthemhavethesamemeaningofthegreatdevelopmentofathing,buttheyusetheirrespectivethingstoformthemetaphor,becauseChinaaboundswithbamboo,whereasitdoesnotgrowinEngland.SotheChinesepeoplearequitefamiliarwithbamboo;whiletheEnglishdon’t.Thiscaseisquitethesamewiththeidiom“plentiful
asblackberries”,forblackberriesareeasilyavailableinEnglandwhileinChinese,多如牛毛isused,forcattlecanbefoundeverywhereinChina.
2.1.2Idiomsfromeverydaylife
Entertainmentandactivities,whicharepartsofnationalculture,arequitedifferentinvariouscountries.Horseracing,boxingandcricketareancientandtraditionalsportsinEngland,soinEnglish,thereareidiomslike“neckandneck”(不分上下)，“downandout”(倒下出局)，“notcricket”(不讲信用)，and“straightfromtheshoulder”(直截了当)，and“haveagoodinnings”(一帆风顺)；whereastheancientChinesepreferredhuntingandchess:棋逢对手(diamondcutdiamond),剑拔弩张(atdaggersdrawn),明***易躲，暗箭难防(Falsefriendsareworsethanopenenemies).Therearesomeaspectsineverydaylifeinthefollowing.
(ⅰ)Idiomsfromfood
InEngland,breadisusuallyeatentogetherwithbutter,andsalt,milkandcreamaretheireverydaydiet.Allofthemaretheeverydaydietforwesternpeopleandthusappear“Thereisnousecryingoverspiltmilk”(不要做无谓的后悔)，“baker’sdozen”(面包师的第十三个面包),and“polishtheapple”(拍马屁)；ChinahasalonghistoryofcookingandtheChineseareknownasthemostcritical,forwhoattachgreaterimportancetofoodthananyotherpeople,asisreflectedinthesayinglike:画饼充饥(todrawcakestoallayhunger)
(ⅱ)Idiomsfromsea
BothintheChineseandtheEnglishlanguages,idiomsabouttheseaarenumerous,becausebothofthesetwocountriesaresurroundedandhalf-surroundedbysea,andtheyarerichinnaturalresourcesoffish.Fishingplaysavitalroleintheireconomy,soalargenumberofidiomsconcerningfisharehandeddown:“Fishbeginstostinkatthehead”(上梁不正下梁歪),“Neveroffertoteachfishtoswim”(不要班门弄斧)，and“tofishintroubledwater”(浑水摸鱼).
(ⅲ)Idiomsfrommilitaryaffairs
Thehistoryofmankindisalmostthehistoryofwar,whichisthesourceofnumerousidioms.TheChinesenationhasalonghistoryofwarformorethantwothousandyears,andthereforetheChineselanguageisrichinsuchidioms:项庄舞剑，意在沛公(XiangZhuangperformedthesworddanceasacoverforhisattemptonLiuBang’slife.---actwithahiddenmotive);四面楚歌(beindesperatestraits);暗度陈仓(tostealamarchon).AnditisalsomirroredinthefollowingEnglishidioms:“WhatmillionsdiedthatCaesarmightbegreat”(一将功成万骨枯);“Meetone’sWaterloo”(遭遇惨败);“Pyrrhicvictory”(得不偿失的胜利);andgentleman’sagreement(君子协定).
2.1.3Idiomsfromreligion
parativelyspeaking,BuddhismhasgreaterinfluenceinChineseculturealthoughChinaisamulti-religiouscountry.ItwasfirstintroducedintoChinainthefirstcenturyAD,andhasshapedtheChineselanguage,diet,arts,etc.,andgreatlystimulatedthedevelopmentofChineseliterature.ThelargenumberofwordsandidiomsderivedfromBuddhismisoneofthemanifestationsofitsinfluence,suchas放下屠刀，立地成佛(AbutcherbecomesaBuddhathemomenthedropshiscleaver---awrongdoerachievessalvationassoonashegivesupevil)and做一天和尚，撞一天钟(takeapassiveattitudetowardone’swork).AndtherearequiteafewEnglishidiomsfromreligion.Suchas:Benjamin’smess(最大的份额);
raiseCain(大吵大闹);appleofSodom(金玉其外，败絮其中);soptoCerberus(贿赂);handwritingonthewall(不祥之兆)andsoon.
2.1.4Idiomsfromhistoricalevents
Inmostlanguage,peopleembellishtheirspeechorwritingwithreferencestocharactersoreventsfromtheirhistory,thatistosay,idiomaticexpressionsarecloselyrelatedtoacountry’shistory.TherearealotofidiomsintheChineselanguagecannotfindanequivalentintheEnglishlanguagebecausethehistoryofthetwocountriesarequitedifferent.Manyidiomsarefromtheirownhistory.TheEnglishlanguagehasmuchlessidiomsfromhistoricaleventsthantheChineselanguagebecauseEnglishjusthasahistoryofmorethanonethousandyearsduringwhichlessimportanthistoricaleventshappened.Forexample,“tomeetone’sWaterloo”(遭遇滑铁卢)isfromthedefeatofNapoleonatWaterlooin1815,whichmeanstobecompletelydefeated.
2.1.5Idiomsfromliteraryworks
LiteraryworksarealsooneofthemainsourcesofEnglishidioms.InEnglishliterature,themostglitteringstarisShakespeare.Hisdramasarethemajorsourceofthiskindidioms:“toclaimone’spoundofflesh”(割某人的一磅肉)isfromTheMerchantofVenice;“makeassurancedoublysure”(加倍小心)comesfromMacbeth.Andthereareotherexamples:“Readingmakesafullman,conferenceareadyman,writinganexactman”---BaconOnStudy;“theuglyducking”(丑小鸭)isfromHanAnderson’stales;“JekyllandHyde”(双重性格)originatesfromStevenson’sTheStrangecaseofDr.JekyllandMr.Hyde;“opensesame”and“oldmanofthesea”comefromArabiantales.
2.1.6Idiomsfrommythologyandallusion
Inthisthesis,theauthorfocusesonthetranslationofmythologiesandallusionsinEnglishidioms,whichcomefromstoriesofGodsandheroes.Asweallknow,GreekandRomancivilizationshaveagreatinfluenceonEnglish,sotheGreekandRomancivilizationshavegreatinfluenceonEnglishidioms.Let’spayattentiontothefollowingidioms:
(1)“Achilles’heel”(致命弱点)whichcomesfromtheGreekmythologyhasthemeaning“theoneweakspotinaman’scircumstancesorcharacter”.InGreekepic,hismothertookAchillesupsidedownintotheStyxwhenhewasachild.Sohewasarms-proofexcepthisheelbecauseitwasheldinhismother’shand.ThereforeinTroywar,hediedforParisshotapoisonedarrowintohisheel.
(2)Otherexamples,“Hercules’schoice”means“therewardoftoilinreferencetopleasure”,“theHerculianefforts”(九牛二虎之力)，and“thepillarsofHercules”(天涯海角).ItissaidthatHerculeswasoneofthemostfamousheroesinGreekmythologies.Hekilledtwosnakeswhenhewasababy,andwasknownasamanofmuscle.HerefusedthePleasureGoddess’sallure,wentthroughinnumerablehardshipsandintheend,hewontheeternallife.
Idiomshavebeencalledthecrystallizationoflanguage.Anappropriateuseoftheminourspeechandwritingwilladdtothestrengthandvividnessofidioms.Perhapssomepeoplearequitefamiliarwith“tocuttheGordianknot”and“APandora’sbox”suchallusionsnotonlymakethelanguagericher,butalsomakecommunicationmuchmorevividerandeasier.However,indailycommunication,peopleusuallydon’tknowwhy“Hobson’schoice”meansnochoiceatall(别无选择);“pilePeliononOssa”meansextremelydifficult(难上加难),or“Mercuryfig”meansthefirstfruit(最初的果实).Ifthesourceofanidiomisknown,itiseasiertofigureoutitsmeaning.Itis
difficulttotranslateidiomsfaithfullybecauseidiomsreflectthewisdomofordinarypeoplethatis
all-inclusive.Theknowledgeofthesourcesoftheseidiomswillhelpuscomprehendwhattheyreallymean.
2.2ThedifficultiesinthetranslationofEnglishidioms
Inthe1950’stheAmericanwriterHockettputforwardtheconcept“randomholesinpatterns”文化空缺whichmeans“theaccidentalgap”inconservationwhencontrastingtwolanguages.[4]AndNidahadsaid:Theremustbeinformationdrainsinanycourseofconservationandtheabsoluteequityisneverpossible.Thegoaloftranslationisconservationinmaximumtoenabletheforeignreadersunderstandthesourceculture.Therearetworeasonsasfollows.Firstly,theformationandsolidificationofEnglishidiomsareinrelationshipwiththedifferenthistories,environmentsandculturalbackgrounds.Itcontainscertainnationalculturecharacteristicsandinformation.Furthermore,ChineseandEnglishliveindifferentregions,sotheirlivingenvironmentsandexperiencesaredifferent,especiallyintheirwaystoobservetheworld,understandtheworldandtransformtheworld.Theircultureatmospheresareunique.Secondly,ChinesebelongstotheSino-TibetanlanguagefamilywhileEnglishbelongstotheIndo-Europeanlanguagefamily,sotheirlanguagestructuresaredifferent.Allmentionedaboveenrichtheidiomsandmakethemmorecomplex.
2.3Thedevelopmentoftranslationprinciple
TheprincipleoftranslationbetweenEnglishandChinesehasdevelopedforalongtime.Abouttranslationstandards,translatorsfromhomeandabroadputforwarddifferentopinions.FromYanFu’s“faithfulness,expressiveness,elegance”toMr.ZhangPeiji’s“faithfulnessandsmoothness”;fromFuLei’s“approximationinspirit”totheAmericanfamoustranslationtheoreticianEugeneNida’s“functionalequivalence”or“dynamicequivalence”,wemayseethatthesepositionsaffecteachother,supplementeachotheralthoughtheiremphasesaredifferent.Thefocusistotranslatethesourcetextfaithfully,meanwhile,tokeeptheoriginaltasteasmuchaspossible.
Thequalityofidiomstranslationhasthedirectinfluenceontheentirearticle.Inordertobeloyaltotheoriginaltext,thetranslationmustnotonlymaintainitsoriginaltasteandflavor,butalsoconformtothedemandofwritingintargetlanguage.However,theidiomstranslationisdifficulttomeetthesetwostandardsatthesametime.Itisextremelyimportanttotranslateidiomsfaithfully,andthetranslationbetweenEnglishandChinesemustpayattentiontofollowingthreepoints:
(ⅰ)Idiomsareheavilyculture-loaded;theyhavemanifesteddifferentnationalflavors.Therefore,thetranslationofidiomsmusttrytokeeptheoriginaltasteandnottousethosetargetwordsthathavestrongnationalcharacteristics.
(ⅱ)Chineseidiomsstresstotherhythmandstructure.SoitisnecessarytoaugmentorreadjusttheoriginallanguagestructurewhentranslatingEnglishidioms.
(ⅲ)Doone’sbesttotranslatetheoriginalimages,metaphoricmeaningandrhetoricofthesourcelanguage.
3.OntheTranslationMethodsofEnglishIdioms
3.1TwomaintranslationapproachesofEnglishidioms
Domesticationandforeignizationaretwomainapproachesoftranslation.TheUStranslationtheoreticianVenutidefinesthetwomethodsasfollow:[5]
Domesticationadoptsthenationalcenterprinciple,enablesthesourcelanguagetexttosatisfythevalueoftargetlanguageandculture,andleadsthesourcelanguagereadersintothetargetculture,whileforeignizationmeanstoacceptthedifferencesbetweenforeignlanguagecultureandtargetlanguageculturetotaketargetlanguagereaderstoseetheforeignscene.Fromthedefinitions,wecanseebothofthemholddifferentapproachestowardtheculturaldifferences.Buttheauthorbelievesthatthedomesticationisthebestwaytoenrichtheexpressionoftargetlanguage.Adoptingdomesticationinmaximumcanenablethetargetlanguagereadersemergethesameorthesimilarassociationasthesourcelanguagereaders.
3.2FourconcretetranslationskillsofEnglishidioms
TherearesomeconcreteskillsoftranslationbetweenEnglishandChinese,whicharecitedasfollows:
1.Literaltranslation
2.Freetranslation
3.Borrowing
4.Literaltranslationwithannotation
Theauthorrevealsthemethodsindetailinthefollowing.
3.2.1Literaltranslation
LiteraltranslationcanfairlyretaintheEnglishidioms’analogy;image;nationalandlocalflavors,inthepositionofnotviolatingthestandardoftranslationorcausingthereadersmisunderstand.Thiswayoftranslationcannotonlyretaintheoriginalintention,butalsoenrichChineselanguage.Itcanbeseenclearlyinthefollowingexamples:
(3)Anappleofdiscord(不和女神的金苹果)comesfromGreekmythology.Thestoryisabout:agoddessnameddiscordisangryandneverforgivesKingParisandhiswifebecausetheydon’tinvitehertoparticipateintheirweddingbanquet.Inordertogiveventtothehate,sheabandonsagoldenappleonthetableofweddingbanquet;declaringthatthisappleisgiventothemostbeautifulladyinthisweddingbanquet.Therearethreegoddesseswanttoobtainthisgoldenapple.Andthenitcauseswrangleinamess.Fromthenon,themeaningofanappleofdiscordspreads.Itbecomesthesynonymof“thecauseofdisaster”and“thesourceofthedisagreement”.[6]
(4)ThesearetheGreekgiftsforyou.Theliteraltranslationofthisidiomis希腊人的礼物,whichcomesfromthewell-knownepicpoem“Odyssey”.WhentheGreekhadleftTroy,theyleftbehindabigwoodenhorseoutsidetheTroycity.PriestLaocoontriedhisbesttopersuadehiskingnottoacceptthethingthattheGreekstayedbehind.Hesaidthat,“IfeartheGreek,evenwhenbringinggifts.”Butwhatapity,thekingandthepeopledidnotlistentohisadvice.Theypulledthebigwoodenhorseintotheircity.Actually,inthewoodenhorsetherehidthemostexcellentGreeksoldiers.Atthatnight,theykilledtheTrojanandfiredthecity.ThiswoodenhorsebroughtdisastertotheTroy.[7]InEnglishGreekgiftsisequaltotheproverb:Whenthefoxpreaches,takecareofyourgeese.ThesimilarChineseidiomis“theyellowweaselgoestohisrespectstothehen-----withthebestofintention”.黄鼠狼给鸡拜年―不安好心.[8]
Otherexamplesare：
(5)Achilles''''heelwhichmeanstheonlyweakness,orstrategicpoint致命弱点;
(6)CuttheGordianknotmeanstakingthedrasticmeasures,inChinesemeans快刀斩乱麻;
(7)TheswordofDamocles,theswordhangingaboveDamocles’headcomparestotheworryingmentality忧患意识
Furthermore,weshouldneverneglectthefollowingfacts.Makeageneralsurveyofthehistoryoftranslation,wearenotdifficulttoseemanyliteraltranslationsaretemporarymeanstomeetemergency.Themostremarkablerepresentistransliterations.Goingthroughalongtime,transliterationstandsfirmlyandslowlyandisgraduallyacceptedbyChinese.Intheendtheybecomeoureverydayterms.Like“humor,sofa,hamburger”andsoon.Andweshouldrealizeanothertwowaysoftranslation:oneisimitatingtheoriginaltextthatismoreorlessalittlenondescript,andtheotherisexplainingtheoriginaltextclearly,butitwouldbelengthy.TranslatingtheallusioninEnglishidiomsisthesame.
(8)Hereisatypicalexampleontransliteration.RightnowtheChineseareprobablyfamiliarwiththesetwowords:scienceanddemocracy.Butinfact,theyarenotlocallyborn.Ontheearly20thcentury,thetranslationsofthesetwowordswereratherstrangetous.Theformeristransliteratedinto赛因斯orshortenedasMr.Sai(赛先生),whilethelatteris德谟克拉西orshortenedasMr.De（德先生）.Afterwardstheyarechangedinto科学and民主[9].EvenMr.LuXunalsohasmadetheveryinterestingattemptinthisaspect.HetranslatedEnglishword“fairplay”into费尔泼赖whichwasacceptedbytheChineseatthattime.Actually,either“science”or“fairplay”isjustatemporaryidealapproachoftranslationinthesituationthathadnoequivalentsinChinese.
(9)Thereisanotherexample.Inthe1960’stherewasalargequantityofyoungmencalled“thedecadents”inAmerica.Theywerediscontentedwiththesocialsituation,hatedanything,heldtheresistancetothetraditionalvalue,didanythingnewanddifferentinordertooutofordinary,keptthelonghair,woretheoutlandishclothes,andadvocatedintercoursefreely.Theywerecalled“hippies”inEnglish.HowtotranslateitintoChinese?SinceinChineseglossary,noready-madewordcanexpresstheabovesectionofspeeches.Summarizingthewordas“thementocountertradition”or“peopledissatisfyingthereality”unavoidablylosetheculturalmeaning.Sotransliterating“hippies”into嬉皮士canwellsolvethisproblem.
3.2.2Freetranslation
Freetranslationissimilartodomestication.Itreferstosuchatranslationmethod:whenthetranslatorsareconfinedbythetargetlanguageculturaldifferences;theyhavetodiscardculturalmessagetokeeptheoriginalcontentanditscommunicativefunction.Freetranslationisanincorporatingexplanationtodealwithculturaldifferences.Obviouslyfreetranslationintheprocessofdealingwithculturaldifferenceisveryimportant.RegardingthereaderswhonevergetintouchwithMongoliaandPeaceywhichistranslatedinto达蒙和皮西阿斯,theydonothaveanyideasofthisidiomevenifthetranslationlookssofaithful.Evenmore,thesourceinformationlostcompletely.
Bothliteraltranslationandfreetranslationareloyaltotheoriginaltext.Infact,hereisadialecticalunification.Becausethetraditionaltranslationistoosubjective,Nidaproposedfunctionalequivalenceviewpointthatismoreobjective.Itmeanstorequestthetargetlanguagereaderstohavethesameorsimilarresponsewiththesourcelanguagereader.Themajorityoftargetlanguagereadersdonotunderstandthesourcelanguageandcultureexactly.Theygrowinattotaldifferentenvironments;theirthinkingmodesofquestionaredifferent.Sothetranslatorshavetoseeksomekindoflanguagethatcontainsthesameculturalinformationofthesourcelanguage.
However,functionalequivalencetheoryhasitslimitation.Statingfromprecedingtranslationmethods,Nada’stheoryindeedgainsgreatachievementintranslatingidioms.Ithasabandonedtheformtofocusonthecontent,putasidethelanguagedifferencetofocusonthereaders’response,comparedwiththetranslationtheorybefore;itcanberatedasonekindofinnovation.Therefore,thefunctionalequivalencedoublesthetranslationfavor,andwasoncefashionablealloverChinain1980s.Untilnow,theinfluenceoffunctionalequivalenceisstillextensive.ButsomeonepointsoutthatNidaraisedhisviewpointwhenhestudiedthetranslationstrategyof“HolyBible”.Soitismoresuitableforthemissionaryidiomsthatareinreligiousancientbooks,mythsandfablesinthewesternculture.
Forexample:
(10)AJuda’skisscomesfrom“HolyBible”;
(11)AswiseasSolomonarefromGreekandRomanmyth.
Althoughthiskindofstructureofidiomsissimple,itssignificanceisprofound,anditsculturalcharacteristicsarestrong,sotheyoftencannotbeunderstoodortranslatedfromthesemanticlevel.Itmustbetransplanteddirectlyfromthesourcelanguageculturetothetargetlanguageculture.Thismethodiscalled“culturalfacsimile”.Venuttproposedhis“Resistancetranslation”[10]asakindofsolutionfortranslationbetweenChineseandEnglish.Hethoughttranslationitselfundertooktheculturalexchangeandthereadershavetheabilitytounderstandtheexternalculturecompletely.Whatismore,foreignnesswillplayanimportantroleinenrichingthetargetlanguageinfuture.
(12)Justlikeonehundredyearsago,“AllroadsleadtoRome”wastranslatedintoreachingthesamegoalorconclusionfromdifferentapproaches(殊途同归).ButtodayitistranslatedintoeachstrippathpassestotheRome(条条大路通罗马)becausetheChinesehaveacceptedthewordRome.Perhapscertainyearslater,theChinesecanalsoaccepttheidiom“MongoliaandPeacey”.Besidesthischangethereisanothersituationintheinteriorchangeofthesourcelanguage.Forexample,intheperiodofpre-liberationandatthebeginningofliberationthepeasantsstoodforthosemenwhowereshortofeducation;theyareignorant,backwardandpoorbecauseofthelowproductiveforce.Butnowalongwiththechangeofpeasants’socialposition,theculturalinformationofpeasantshasbeenchanged.Atpresent,theword“farmers”ismoreappropriatetorefertotheChinese“农民”thantheword“peasants”.Sowesaydifferenttimeshavedifferenttranslatededitions.JustasNidasaid“Atranslatedwork,nomatterhowmuchitapproachestheoriginalwork,itslifeisnomorethan50years”.[11]Itisalsothereasonwhytherearemassiveretranslationsofasamesourcetextoverandoveragain.
Inaddition,bothidiomsinChineseandEnglishtakerootinmyth,fable,andallusionandsoon.Thiskindofidiomsmaybecalledtheliteraryidioms.Soitisworthdrawingouttheoriginalliteraryplotswhennecessary.Itcanbeclearlyseeninthebelowexamples:
(13)HelenofTroy绝色美女;
(14)TheTrojanhorse特洛伊木马;
(15)BetweenScyllaandCharybdiswhichmeansbeingattackedfrontandrear,inadilemma进退维谷andsoon.
3.2.3Borrowing
DoasingleobservationandresearchinChineseandEnglishidiomscarefully,wecandiscoverthatafewChineseandEnglishidiomshavethesameformandconnotation.Someevenhavethesamesignificanceandconstruction.Thisisbecausethesetwolanguagesandcultureshavesimilarity,sowemaytranslateeachothermutually.
(16)Take“burnone’sboat”forexample.Thestoryis:in55BCoftheancientRome,whengreatCaesarcommandedhistroopstocrosstheRubicon,heissuedanordertofiretheboatstoexpresstheirdetermination“notwins,ratherdie”.ThisissimilartoaChineseidiom：破釜沉舟whichmeans“breakthecauldronsandsinktheboats(aftercrossing)”.[11]TheoverlordXiangYuintheSpringandAutumnPerioddidittolethissubordinatebedeterminedtowin.Thesetwoidiomscarrythesameculturalconnotation,andareusedtoexpresstheidenticalmeaning--settingfirmresolutiontowin.Sowhentranslatingidiomslikethis,toadoptthesynonymyidiomsinChineseisbetter.Suchculturalphenomenoniscalledculturaloverlaps.Borrowingthesimilarimagesinthetargetlanguageculturetoreplacetheoriginalimagesismucheasiertounderstandforthetargetlanguagereaders.Therearesomeinterestingexamplesasfollow:
(17)PremierZhouaccompaniedwiththeforeigngueststoenjoythefamousplayLiangShanboandZhuYingtai.Theinterpretertriedhisbesttoexplainthelovestoryfortheforeigner,buthefailed.WhilePremierZhousaid:theyareRomeoandJulietinChina,andthissuddenlyenlightenedtheforeignguests.PremierZhouhadjustborrowedtheimageintheforeigners’culture.Sotheycanunderstandthelovestorywithoutanydifficulty.
(18)YangYuhuan,whoisfamiliartoChinesewhilenottotheforeigner.Wecanexplainitlikethat:ShewasHelenofTroyinChina.
(19)DamonandPythias,whichsomemenurgetotranslateitdirectly,whileothermenbelievethattranslatingitintomenbelievefriendshipuntodeath(莫逆之交)orfriendswhoarewillingtodieforoneanother（刎颈之交）isbetterbecausethemajorityofChinesedonotknowDamonandPythias.[12]TheauthorbelievesthatexplainingthemintoGuanZhongandBaoShuyainChinesemayenabletheChineseeasilytounderstand.
Inordertoavoidthemisunderstandingandinvitingridicule,translatorshadbetternotusethismethodwithoutthinking.AsaresultofdifferencebetweenChineseandEnglish,someidiomsinonekindofcultureareself-evident.Butitisverydifficulttounderstandthesameidiomsinanotherculture.Eventheidenticalwordsandexpressionsinidiomsoftenhavethedifferentmeaningsindifferentculturalbackgrounds.Somepeoplelikeusingtheidiomstotranslateidioms,especiallythefourcharactersidiomtotranslateEnglishidioms.Actually,idiomscanreflectanationalculturalandwritingcharacteristic.Sometimescertainidiomslookthesamebuttheirpracticalsignificanceisquitedifferent.Sometimestheyareapparentlyrightbutactuallywrong.
(20)Forexample:theidiom“asquarepeginaroundhole/Aroundpeginasquarehole”istranslatedinto“方枘圆凿”isnotexactly.ThemeaningofthisEnglishidiomisnarrow.Itreferstosomebodywhoisnotsuitfortakingonsomedutyorsomeincompatiblewithenvironment.Butthemeaningof方枘圆凿thatisbroader.Itisreferstoallthethingsthatdonotcoincide.Soidiomscontainquiteobviousnationalandlocalcolorsarehardtotranslate.
Anditisalsoanotherkindofforeignization.Itnotonlypreservestheoriginalidioms’significance,thevividsignificanceandtheconcealmentsignificance,butalsoretainstheoriginalidioms’styletomakethetargetlanguagereadersunderstandandacceptbetter.
3.2.4Literaltranslationwithannotation
Someidiomshavestrongnationalcharacteristicsandculturaltaste.TheirsignificanceshavebeenfamiliartoEnglish-speakingpeopleandextensivelyused.However,ifonlytranslatingthemwithoutexplaining,thetargetlanguagereaderswhoarenotfamiliarwiththeiruniqueculturalflavorcanhardlycomprehendit.Annotatingidiomsisgoodforthetargetlanguagereaderstounderstand.Literaltranslationwithannotationisanotherkindofannotation.Itcanmakeupforthelatentsignificanceandcorrelativebackgroundknowledgeofidioms.Addingtheannotationsandcommentsinthemarginwillworkwell.Itnotonlymakesthetargetlanguagereadersachievethesameeffectasfreetranslation,butalsogivesthemmoredetailedinformation.
(21)Forexample:“inthearmsofMorpheus”.Itmeansfallingasleeporsleepingsoundly.(Note:MorpheusisgodofsleepintheGreekmythology)
Eachidiom’ssentimentalcoloraswellastheassociationisdissimilar.Thereforewhentranslatingthesourcelanguagetothetargetlanguage,weshouldpaycloseattentiontoitsnationalcharacteristics,sentimentalcolors,culturalelementsandlocalcolorsinordertokeeptheoriginalnationality.ThecontemporaryfamoustranslationtheoreticianPeterNewmarkbelievesthat“Asthelastresort,explanationisthetranslation”(解释就是翻译).[13]Practicetestifiesthatliteraltranslationwithannotationisveryefficacious.
(22)Take“thePandora’sbox”forexample.Itsliteraltranslationis"boxofthePandora".ThetargetlanguagereadersaffirmablydonotunderstandwhattheboxofthePandoraisandwhatitisusedfor.Atthattime,translatorshadbetterexplainitssourceintheGreekmythologyforthereaders.Thentheycanunderstand“thePandora’sbox”meanstheinfinitivedisasterorsourceofdisaster.Itcanbeclearlyseeninthefollowingsentence.
“TheyhavebythisveryactopenedaPandora’sbox..他们这种做法犹如打开了潘多拉的盒子----引起混乱,造成不幸”
(23)“ABarmecidalFeast”whichistranslatedinto巴米萨式的宴会.Ifthetranslatortranslatesitinto虚情假意的宴请,hecannotdelivertheliteraryreferenceandimageofthesourcetexttothetargetlanguagereaderssuccessfully.Thereisanotherchoice.Translateitinto巴米萨请客---虚情假意，justasChineseenigmaticfolksimiles.Orwecanaddafootnotetoexplaintheidiom,whichmayhelpthetargetlanguagereadersunderstandthisidiommoreeasily.
4.Conclusion
Inthethesis,someimportantstrategiesofthetranslationofEnglishidiomsaretalkedabout.Throughtheoreticalanalysisandresearchresults,itisconcludedthatthesestrategiesmakegreatcontributiontothedevelopmentoftranslation.Anidiomusuallyhasanimpliedmeaning.Itcannotbeinterpretedonlyaccordingtoitsliteralmeaning.IndeedthereismuchculturalinformationinEnglishthatisvacatedinChinese.Perhapsattheverybeginning,thetargetlanguagereaderswouldfeeltruly“CultureShock”(文化冲击)[14],butastimegoeson,theybecomeaccustomedtotheidiomsthatcomefromothercultures.Theauthorbelievesfirmlythatthereader’sabilitytoacceptthenewculturalimagesishardtoassessandcannotbeunderestimated.Withthefrequenterinternationalcommunicationdaybyday,thereadersgetintouchwithmoreandmoreexternalculture;thereadersnowadayswillunderstandandabsorbtheforeignculturewithoutdifficulty.Thereforesolongasnottoaffecttheunderstandingofthesourcelanguage,theauthoradvocatestranslatingidiomliterallyasfaraspossibletocarryontheculturewhichpromotestheculturalexchangeamongthedifferentcountriesandmakesgreatprogresstotheculturalglobalization.
Justbecauseofthegreatimportanceoftranslatingstrategies,theaimofthispaperistoproduceefficientEnglishtranslationstrategiesandenablethetargetlanguagereadersunderstandtheforeignculturemoreeasily.Soitsuggestssomeusefulstrategiestohelpthemsolvetheproblemof“randomholesinpatterns”.
Withthehelpofthesestrategies,thetargetlanguagereaderswillbelightened.Butthemostusefulstrategyforthemisgettingintouchwithforeigncultureasmuchaspossiblebythemselves.Atthattime,theproblemof“CultureShock”willbecomeapapertiger,nolongerblockingthewayofefficientandeffectiveEnglishtranslation.
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