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习语的翻译--Part I 课文学习--第一页
（ Translation of Idioms ） |
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| 本章重点： 习语的定义 习语的属性 习语的翻译中文化差异的重要性 1．Introduction Translation is a kind of linguistic activity. It is a bridge by which human beings, who manipulate different languages, are able to communicate through the expression of the source language in the target language. Idiom is a special type of linguistic form. It not only reflects the custom, the convention or the culture of a country, but also thoroughly represents the rhetoric ways of the language of this country. It is the representation of the features of a nation. Since each nation has its own character, the idioms in different nations are various naturally. In translating idioms, problems often arise from lack of equivalence in the target language or having a similar counterpart in the target language, but with different context in use. Therefore the translation of idioms has always been a hard nut to crack (knotty problem) in practical translating work. This paper deals with the definition of idioms, the properties of idioms and the strategies of translating idioms through the analysis of practical examples. Moreover the problem of untranslatability of idioms is discussed. 2．The definition of Idioms According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary , idiom means "an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically or in having meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements". Mona Baker gives her understanding to the term "idiom" in her work In Other Words : A Coursebook on Translation . In her opinion, "collocations are fairly flexible patterns of language, which allow several variations in form", and "idioms are at the extreme end of the scale from collocations in one or both of these areas: flexibility of patterning and transparency of meaning. They are frozen patterns of language which allow little or no variations in form and, in the case of idioms, often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components." In Modern Chinese Dictionary, idioms refer to “ 人们长期以来习用的，形式简洁而意思精辟的，定型的词组或短句 ”. 3．The Properties of Idioms Since idioms are fixed patterns of language, they have the following properties: 1) The order of the words cannot be changed. e.g. "Rain cats and dogs" cannot be replaced by the phrase "rain dogs and cats". 2) None of the words in an idiom can be deleted. e.g. "As mute as a fish" cannot be took the place of by the phrase "as mute as fish". 3) No words can be added to it. e.g. It is impossible to use the phrase “to turn over a completely new leaf” for the idiom “to turn over a new leaf”. 4) A word cannot be replaced with another. e.g. You cannot use "the tall and the short of it" instead of the idiom "the long and the short of it". 5) The grammatical structure cannot be changed. e.g. The idiom "to flog a dead horse" cannot be changed into the sentence “a dead horse is flogged”. 4. The Translation of Idioms: strategies 4.1 Using an idiom of similar meanings and forms This strategy means using an idiom in the target language which conveys roughly the same meaning as that of the source language idiom. When the lexical meaning of the target idiom is consistent with the source one, we can translate directly without changing the metaphoric image of the source language. Example A Their tempers, doubtless, are rendered pliant and malleable in the fiery furnace of domestic tribulation; and a curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering. ( W. Irving ) 他们的脾气，毫无疑问，都是经过了家庭这一熊熊炉火的熔炼，才变得这般柔顺和服帖。 看来，要教人养成耐苦和坚忍的美德，一次 帐中的训斥 抵得上世上一切说教得威力。 Example B As he walked across the room to the veranda ， to escape her angry accusing face ， it seemed to her mat it was… a swaggering little boy ， trying to keep his end up after cold water had been poured over his enthusiasm. (D. Lessing) 他穿过房间到走廊上去，躲避她那愤怒责难的面容。在她看来，他的热情给 泼了冷水 之后，活脱儿是一个装模做样的小孩，要炫示自己仍然喜冲冲的。 |
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