On the Translation Methods of Biblical Idioms

【Abstract】The Bible， as one of the most important classics of Christianity， is the core of the western culture and the treasure house of English idioms， which has a great impact on English language. As an essential part of language and culture， idioms are the most culturally loaded element in a language. To translate idioms from the Bible is not an easy task， since they are characterized by concise and vivid expressions， obscure religious teachings and values， profound cultural connotation. This paper aims to help readers to overcome intercultural communication barriers through the illustration of cultural connotation of biblical idioms， exploration of translation strategies and methods of idioms.

【Key words】English Idioms； Bible； Translation Methods； Cross-cultural communication

【作者簡介】謝真（1993-），女，廣東外語外貿大學南國商學院，碩士，研究方向：翻譯理論與實踐。

1. Bible and English idioms

Idioms are the most culturally loaded elements in a language， which have grown out of the linguistic practice of ordinary people and are realized as formulaic phrases in its language system. According to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English （2009）， an idiom is “a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit.” In other words， idioms are expressions that are not readily understandable from their literal meanings. While the Bible， as a public chrestomathy and cultural enlightenment text in western countries， facilitated the development of the English language over thousands of years. No wonder some critics sigh： if an English learner had no idea of the Bible， even the most diligent and intelligent student will miss the in-depth meaning of literature.

2. Translation Methods of Biblical Idioms

2.1 Liberal Translation

Liberal translation， also called free translation， which does not strictly conform to the literal meaning form or grammar structure of the original. It is frequently used when the literal translation fails to convey the correct meaning of the text. Due to the great difference between eastern and western culture and language， sometimes its really hard to find an appropriate equivalence.When it comes to such translation dilemma， the best way to handle is applying liberal translation， in other words， we can show their implicative meaning instead of original literal meaning.

Eg.Heap coals of fire on sbs head （the Old Testament， Genesis）

This phrase is of biblical origin：“if thine enemy hunger， feed him； if he thirst， give him drink： for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head” （Romans 12：20）. It implies returning good for evil behavior and helps someone to realize his fault. Since readers are unaware of such religious and cultural background， the best way to interpret is to adopt liberal translation and translate it into “以德報怨以使某人悔悟” or “化干戈為玉帛”.

Other examples：

Fall to the ground 倒塌，一敗涂地

Land of promise 樂土

No respecter of persons 一視同仁/ 對任何人一律平等

Daughter of the horseleech 貪得無厭的人/吸血鬼

2.2 Conversion——Replacement with Similar Chinese Idioms

Both English and Chinese are rich in idioms and allusions， careful learners may easily notice that they share lots of similar expressions. Therefore its not difficult to find some Chinese equivalence in idiom translation. Replacement with Similar Chinese idioms is a good way in domesticating translation practice， which not only show the original meaning to the utmost， but also conducive to better understanding of its cultural and historical implication.

Eg： A drop in the bucket （the Old Testament， Isaiah）

It comes from Isaiah （《以賽亞書》）40：15： “Behold， the nations are as a drop of a bucket， and are accounted as the small dust of the balance： Behold， he takes up the isles as a very little thing.” This idiom refers to something that is not important because it is very small. A few 4-character Chinese idioms share analogous sense， they are “滄海一粟”，“九牛一毛”，“杯水車薪”.

Eg： Salt of the earth （the New Testament， Mathew）

According to Mathew （《新約·馬太福音》）， Jesus said to his followers： “Ye are the salt of the earth： but if the salt have lost its savor， wherewith shall it be salted？ ”（你們是世上的鹽，鹽若失了味，如何才能再咸呢？）Salt is rare and valuable merchandise in the ancient， so people compare important people or mainstay to salt. This idiom can be interpreted into “社會中堅， 中流砥柱”.

Other examples：

Land of milk and honey 魚米之鄉

Change from Saul to Paul 洗心革面

A living dog is better than a dead lion 好死不如賴活

Apples of gold in pictures of silver 錦上添花

Blow ones own trumpet 自吹自擂/大言不慚

One sows， another reaps 前人種樹，后人乘涼

Brand from the burning 劫后余生

Bring nothing to the world and cannot take anything out 生不帶來，死不帶去

Judas kiss 口蜜腹劍

At ones wits end 黔驢技窮

2.3 The Literal approach

The literal approach， in other words， literal translation， refers to a full representation of the original when the original coincides with the target language idiom in the sequence of lexical items， grammatical structure and rhetorical device. It faithfully conveys the meaning of the original and keeps the full flavor of English idioms. Literal translation is translation that follows closely not only the content but also the form of the source language.

Eg.All is vanity （the Old Testament， Ecclesiastes）

It comes from chapter one of the Ecclesiastes（《舊約·傳道書》）. Vanity means short-sighted pursuit of bodily life， its transient pleasures， and achievements. In secular society， vanity is most readily identified with the sin of pride in bodily appearance， manifesting in luxurious garb and flamboyant ornamentation. “all is vanity” refers to all the bodily enjoyment will be lost and you will gain nothing. So this idiom can be directly interpreted as “一切皆空” or “四大皆空”.

Eg.No man can serve two masters （the Old Testament， Matthew）

In the King James Version of the Bible， the text reads： “No man can serve two masters： for either he will hate the one， and love the other； or else he will hold to the one， and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ” There are several translation versions to this idiom， such as “一仆難事二主”，“一人難侍二君”， this is a typical example of literal translation and the others are liberal translation .

Other examples：

A little fire kindles a forest 星火燎原

Double-edged sword 雙刃劍

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth 以眼還眼，以牙還牙

Eat the fruit of ones own doings 自食其果/自作自受

2.4 Literal translation plus Annotation

To achieve successful intercultural communication， the translator need to take up two important tasks during translation process： 1） to express the original meaning of the work to the foreign readers； 2） to convey the historical and cultural messages to the foreigners as well. In some cases， mere employment of literal translation or free translation cannot express the meaning correctly and comprehensively. Under such circumstance， the translator has to take advantage of annotation， particularly for some idioms which are introduced to foreign audience for the first time. The below are a few examples：

Eg. Ones ewe lamb（the Old Testament， Samuel）

Its literal meaning is “一只母羊羔”， since we all know that the image “lamb” plays a significant role in the Bible because it serve as a symbol of the Jesus， so we can guess “Ones ewe lamb” must be used to represent something very precious and important. We can add annotation to its original meaning and translate it into “一只母羊羔：比喻最珍愛的東西”.

Other examples：

A grain of mustard seed 一粒芥種：大有前途的微小事物

Crown of thorns 荊棘之冠：比喻苦難與折磨

Thorn in the flesh 肉中刺：比喻煩惱的根源

Gall and wormwood 苦膽和茵陳：比喻令人氣憤的事

3. Conclusion

English idiom is a mirror of English language and culture. Over thousands of years， English has created a large number of idioms， which makes the languages more vivid， concise and expressive. Among all of these expressions， biblical idioms are the least understood and interpreted. However， with the ever-growing frequency of cultural exchange， mutual understanding is in great demand. To help readers overcome barrier of understanding， modern translators ought to work harder to interpret English literature works with far-reaching influence and spread brilliant western culture. In the practice of E-C idioms translation， qualified translators are supposed to equipped with broad knowledge about their history， culture， religion， literature， etc. In addition， the accumulation of bilingual transformation practice is also essential. During the translation process， translators need to adopt proper translation methods with careful consideration of the purpose of translation， the readers acceptability and specific language context.

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