A Comparative Study of the Translation of English and Chinese idioms

Xu Jing

【Abstracts】Idiom refers to fixed phrase or short sentence extracted from social practice for a long time. It is created by people of all nationalities in the long-term use of language. Thus， idioms often have strong national， historical and local color and carry profound cultural connotations. This paper， through the analysis of the cultural differences between China and foreign countries， tries to find a solution to the translation of Chinese and English idioms.

【Key words】idiom translation; cultural differences; translation methods

【作者簡介】Xu Jing， Yantai Nanshan University.

1. Introduction

According to Wang Zuoliang， the most difficult part in translation lies in the varying cultures. In Chinese， Idioms often have fixed structure. Some also represents historical allusions and carries implied intentions. Some may use metaphor or other rhetoric to express meaning. While in English， idiom refers to a group of words whose meaning is varying from the meanings of each separable words. In a sense， idioms reflect the peculiar culture of a country or a nation. Therefore， when translating idioms， the figure of speech， and cultural information should be taken into consideration.

2. Cultural differences between English and Chinese idioms

The cultural differences are analyzed as follows： regional cultural difference， historical and cultural differences and social custom difference.

2.1 Regional cultural differences

Regional culture concerns the culture moulded by the region， natural conditions and geographical environment. In terms of regional culture， different ethnic groups usually use varying language forms to convey the same phenomenon. （Zhu， 1997）. Different location and geographical environment are the main reason causing different language expression. For instance， China bordering the Pacific Ocean on the east and Eurasia on the west is located in the eastern hemisphere. Thus， when Chinese people say “東風吹拂時（the east wind blows）”， it means that the spring is on the way. And， idioms with “東風（the Chinese character of east wind）” often have bright meaning and means “Good luck”. The idiom “東風化雨”? means wind and rain suitable for the growth of plants. It is a metaphor of good cultivation and education; Britain， on the other hand， is in the western hemisphere， bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and Eurasia to the east， thus， to them， “west wind” represents good signs such as Shelleys Ode to the West Wind are celebration of west wind.

2.2 historical and cultural differences

Many Chinese idioms come from historical allusions such as “臥薪嘗膽（put up with an insult in order to take revenge）” “指鹿為馬（point to a deer， call it a horse——deliberately misrepresent）” These idioms are quite famous in China because of its historical allusions， however， if translated with literal translation， they may not be understood by foreigners who do not know Chinese culture.

This phenomenon also exists in the translation of English idioms into Chinese. With respect to the idiom “above the salt”， In ancient Europe， salt was regarded as a treasure. On the table of princes and nobles， there was a big salt pot. Distinguished guests sat very close to the salt pot， while ordinary guests， poor relatives and relatives sat far away from the salt pot. Thus this idiom means “of high standing or honor” and can be translated into “坐上席;受尊重”.

2.3 Social custom differences

Due to cultural differences， Chinese and western nations often have different understandings towards the same thing. For example， “dragon” in China is a symbol of wealth， power， the status of princes and generals. Chinese people also call themselves “descendants of the dragon”. Therefore， “dragon” is endowed with auspicious meaning in Chinese traditional culture. While in western countries， dragon which has derogatory color is a monster. Based on this， the idiom “望子成龍” should? be translated into “expect ones child to make great achievements in the future” instead of “wish ones child to become a dragon”.

3. Translation methods of English and Chinese idioms

In order to translate idioms， it is necessary to find out their specific meaning， source and cultural information， and then choose appropriate translation methods according to the differences between the source language and the target language. The following is a brief exposition of the translation methods of English and Chinese idioms.

3.1 Literal translation

When translating idioms， literal translation is indispensable under the condition that readers of the target language know very well about the source and cultural information of idioms. And the literal translation method can retain the vivid image and color of the original text.Such as the idiom “never say die”can be translated into “永不言敗”and the Chinese idiom “囫圇吞棗” can be translated into“gulping down a whole date”. The introduced idioms may be added into the target language after the precipitation and test of time， thus making the target language richer.

3.2 Free translation

Free translation，the complement of literal translation， is also a very important translation method.Some idioms cannot reproduce the cultural information and cultural connotation contained in the original idioms with literal translation， so they must adopt free translation to express their meanings more accurately. Such as “bear the palm” and “bite the bullet” . Thus， under such circumstance， it is necessary to first understand the original， specific meaning and cultural information of idioms， and then adopt proper sentences or phrases that can convey the same meaning in the target language.

3.3 Borrowing

Although English and Chinese belong to different languages， their idioms are also widely divergent， and their cultural significance is not the same. However， due to the fact that English and Chinese people grow and flourish together on the same vast land， some English idioms and Chinese idioms are in line with each other in content and form， not only having the same meaning and implication， but also having the same and similar images or metaphors. When translating such idioms， it is good to adopt the translation method of borrowing. For example， the idiom “to turn a deaf ear to” can be translated into “充耳不聞”;and the idiom “odds and ends” can be translated into “零零碎碎”.

4. Conclusion

Translation is not only to express the meaning expressed in one language in another language， but also to express the thoughts expressed in one culture in another culture. Therefore， translation is both linguistic and cultural.This paper analyzes the characteristics and differences between English and Chinese idioms to explore some common translation methods， and give examples to illustrate， but in this paper， the author only briefly put forward their own views and common methods， there are many shortcomings of the article to be improved and supplemented.

References：

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