从文化视角看习语翻译【开题报告+文献综述+毕业论文】

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毕业论文开题报告英语从文化角度浅析中西习语的翻译OntheViewofCultureinTranslationofIdiom一、选题的背景、意义历史背景：中西文化都有着悠久的传统，在漫长的历史过程中都曾创造过辉煌。一般而言，西方文化至少包含着三种传统，一种是希腊的，一种是罗马的，还有一种是基督教的。英汉习语中，有一些习语的来源有历史的习语的来源有历史的原因，也有的是出自寓言，神话传说，他们的结构简洁，但意义很深远。因此有很高的研究价值。源自希腊神话的Achilles’heel让人想到了“唯一致命的弱点”；cat’spaw直译为猫爪子，源于《伊索寓言》，用来比喻“被人当作工具使用”或“受人愚弄的人”；betweenScyllaandCarbides译为“进退维谷”，出自荷马史诗；Pandora’sbox直译为潘多拉的盒子，意思是“无穷的灾难”。中国文化也具有许多不同的源流传统。中国文化自秦汉以来，基本上是循着一条所谓“以夏变夷”的路线发展下来的，各种异质文化在中国文化的主体——儒家文化面前不是被同化，就是被排拒，从而使儒家文化始终能够保持一种唯我独尊的纯粹性。在中国文化史上，“以夏变夷”始终就是主导，当然也曾经有过以夷乱夏的情况。汉语中的习语和成语主要是来源于中国经传典籍、寓言故事和神话传说。例如守株待兔、叶公好龙、愚公移山、刻舟求剑等是源于寓言故事；夸父追日、嫦娥奔月、画龙点睛、精卫填海等是出自神话传说。这些习语成语充分体现了汉民族独特的古代文化，很难在英语中找到对等的习语，表现了与英语民族文化的巨大差异。选题意义：由于习语在语言中的重要地位，习语的翻译早已引起了翻译界的重视。从文化角度对比研究中英习语，有助于掌握习语的意义和运用。习语的正确理解是翻译的第一步，也是至关重要的一步。一个翻译者 要进行有效的翻译，不仅要熟悉两种语言系统，而且要了解两国之间的文化差异。所以必须注意既定存在的文化差异，并在翻译中运用不同的翻译方法，以有效传达源语色彩。在《当代美国翻译理论》一书中，郭建中教授提到近二十年来翻译研究的两个明显的趋向：一是交际理论在翻译理论上的体现，二是对文化转换的重视深刻动摇了重视语言转换的传统。换言之，因为交际与文化都具有以人为本人的特质，人文关怀在翻译界已经赢得高度的重视，翻译理论界正在加强宏观把握，拓展翻译视野，加强翻译工作的文化融合功能。 二、相关研究的最新成果及动态 1．对于文化这个及其宽泛的概念,很多学者试图给出一个较为准确的定义。现代文化学之父,美国著名人类学家克鲁克洪定义文化为“历史上所创造的生存式样的系统，即包括显型式样，又包括隐型式样，它具有为整个群体共享的倾向，或是一定时期中为群体的特定部分所共享。”罗伯特·拉多和语言学家爱德华·萨丕儿也都指出文化行为的模式化特性。.英国学者泰勒做出了另外一种经典的定义：“所谓文化或文明，即知识、信仰、艺术、道德、法律、习俗以及其它作为社会成员的人们能够获得的包括一切能力和习惯在内的复合型整体。”1813年,德国神学家、哲学家及翻译理论家施莱尔马赫(Schleiermacher)在谈到翻译方法时指出:“Thereareonlytwo.Eitherthetranslatorleavestheauthorinpeace,asmuchaspossible,andmovesthereadertowardshim;orheleavesthereaderinpeace,asmuchaspossible,andmovestheauthortowardshim.”2．英国著名语言学家Lyons认为语言系统受两种结构的制约,一种是“地层结构”(structure),即人类共同的生理特征和世界的原有结构,这种结构使语言趋向一致;另一种结构是“超结构”或“上层结构”(superstructure),即各个民族不同的文化结构,它导致各民族的语言在表现形式上呈现各种各样的差异。3．在某种程度上,翻译作品不仅仅是源语文本的再现,而且与源语文本相比较是一种再创造。法国文学家、社会学家罗伯特·埃斯卡皮认为“翻译就是一种创造性叛逆”(埃斯卡皮,1987,P137)。创造性叛逆是一个与文化差异处理直接相关的术语。正是由于它的存在和使用,出现了许多超过原作的优秀的翻译作品。 4．近二十多年来,翻译研究已逐渐转向文化间的比较。自1990年翻译文化学派的代表人物巴斯奈特(Bassinet)和勒弗维尔(Lefebvre)正式提出了“翻译的文化学转向”这一口号之后,译界开始对翻译中的文化因素给予越来越多的关注,翻译已不再被视为单纯的语言符号的转换,而被看成是一种跨文化的交际行为,一个文化移植过程。在近二十年里，文化研究、文学研究、人类学、信息科学、认知科学、心理学和广义上的语言学等均对翻译学科的发展起了较大的推进作用5．美国翻译理论家韦努蒂(Venetia)于1995年在TheTranslator’sInvisibility:AHistoryofTranslation一书中对施莱尔马赫所提出的两种翻译方法进行了进一步概括,将第一种方法称为“异化”,第二种方法称为“归化”(domestication)。“归化和异化可看成直译和意译概念的延伸,但并不完全等同于直译与意译。……如果说直译和意译是语言层次的讨论,那么归化和异化则是将语言层次的讨论延续升格至文化、诗学和政治层面。也就是说,直译和意译之争的靶心是意义和形式的得失问题,而归化和异化之争的靶心则是处在意义和形式得失漩涡中的文化身份、文学性乃至话语权利的得失问题。”(王东风,2002:24—25)6．孙致礼在《翻译的异化与归化》中提到:“翻译的根本任务是准确而完整地传达原作的‘思想’和‘风味’。在翻译中，译者不仅要考虑语言的差异，还要密切注视文化的差异，力求最大限度地保存原文所蕴涵的异域文化特色。如果不是万不得已，特别不宜归化，而要尽可能真实地传达出来。”“归化主要表现在‘纯语言层面’，在‘文化层面’上则应力求最大限度的异化。”7．著名学者辜正坤先生说得好：“在翻译理论领域，翻译标准问题无疑是最具历史意义的论题。可以说翻译者对翻译标准的讨论，几乎从一有翻译现象的时候就已经开始。因此，这个古老的论题吸引了如此众多的理论家的注意，是不足为奇。”三、课题的研究内容及拟采取的研究方法、技术路线及研究难点，预期达到的目标1.研究方法： 本文通过收集大量的相关实例，然后对所收集的有关中西方习语翻译的差异的例子进行分析，研究及对比，从而找出引发这些差异的原因；同时对实例进行了论证分析，得出相关的解决方法。2.技术路线：一是大量阅读图书馆的与之相关的期刊杂志，并做出记录及分析；二是广泛的搜索与课题相关的文化信息，并对其进行编辑整理，以供写作本文参考之用；三是充分利用学校图书馆的已购数据库，从数据库中搜索到大量相关论文，在仔细阅读的基础上，做出了深刻细致的分析，从中得到启迪，形成了本文的构思、框架的来源。3.研究难点：习语是文化的产物。他们蕴含了太丰富的文化知识。寻找中西文化差异的实例需要翻阅大量文献资料，并将这些实例归类，比较耗时。4.预期目标：通过这次文学研究，分析体现在习语中的英汉文化差异,让读者能更近距离地体会到中西文化的差异，减少中西交流中的翻译失误并取得读者的认可。四、论文详细工作进度和安排2010年9月20日－10月24日确定论文题目2010年10月24日－2010年12月20日指导老师下达任务书，学生提交开题报告，文献综述，2011年1月底前提交论文初稿2011年3月底前初稿、二稿的修改2011年4月底前三稿、四稿的修改2011年5月10日前定稿，提交按要求装订的论文终稿一式四份五、主要参考文献[1]LefebvreAndre.TranslatingLiterature:TheGermanTraditionfromLuthertoRosenZweig[M].VanGorcum.Assen&Ams-terdam,1977.[2]埃斯卡皮1文学社会学[M]1王美华,于沛译,安徽文艺出版社,1987[3]Gentler1993,Norbert&Shreve1992 [4]VenetiaLawrence.TheTranslator’sInvisibility:AHistoryofTranslation[M].London:Routledge,1995.[5]孙致礼.中国的文学翻译：从归化趋向异化[J].中国翻译，2002[6]王佐良.翻译中的文化比较[A].郭建中.文化与翻译[C].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2000.[7]王东风.归化与异化:矛与盾的交锋[J].中国翻译,2002,(5). 毕业论文文献综述英语从文化角度浅析中西习语的翻译OntheViewofCultureinTranslationofIdiom一、前言部分（说明写作的目的，介绍有关概念，扼要说明有关主题争论焦点）首先从文化交流与传播的角度对英汉习语的异同进行了比较与分析,进而论述了几种英汉习语的翻译方法,以期能够对英汉习语的互译有所帮助，达到语言转换及文化交流的目的。本文就英汉习语方面的文化差异及其翻译谈谈自己的看法。文化是一个民族创造的物质财富和精神财富的总和。它不仅包括物质的东西，而且包括思想、习惯、家庭模式、语言等非物质的东西。语言是文化的基石，文化通过语言文字的形式被传承、传达、记载、反映出来。语言与文化是密不可分的，没有语言，文化就失去了载体。没有文化，语言就成了无源之水。英汉语言产生于不同的文化环境，所承载的文化信息也就存在着差异。同一句话，不同的文化背景的人反应有时是不同的，甚至会截然相反。究其原因是说话双方没有真正了解对方的文化。作为语言核心和精华，习语大都具有鲜明的形象，适宜用来比喻事物，因此带有浓厚的民族色彩和地方色彩。在翻译时就应当尽量保持原文习语的形象比喻、丰富联想、修辞效果以及其民族、地方色彩。因此习语的翻译极其重要，它不应只是两种语言的简单转换，更应是文化的交流。恰当的英汉习语翻译在跨文化交际中起着重要的作用。习语的翻译可谓语言翻译者的一大难题,如何在形似与神似,字面与字外,本国与异域之间寻找一种调和与平衡,确实是翻译者所难以逃避的两难抉择。本文的争论焦点是在汉英翻译过程中，应该注重翻译技巧和策略，还是在不影响双方交流的基础上，融入文化因子，将翻译提升到文化融合的层次。二、主题部分（阐明有关主题的历史背景、现状和发展方向，以及对这些问题的评述） 中西文化都有着悠久的传统，在漫长的历史过程中都曾创造过辉煌。一般而言，西方文化至少包含着三种传统，一种是希腊的，一种是罗马的，还有一种是基督教的。英汉习语中，有一些习语的来源有历史的习语的来源有历史的原因，也有的是出自寓言，神话传说，他们的结构简洁，但意义很深远。因此有很高的研究价值。源自希腊神话的Achilles’heel让人想到了“唯一致命的弱点”；cat’spaw直译为猫爪子，源于《伊索寓言》，用来比喻“被人当作工具使用”或“受人愚弄的人”；betweenScyllaandCarbides译为“进退维谷”，出自荷马史诗；Pandora’sbox直译为潘多拉的盒子，意思是“无穷的灾难”。中国文化也具有许多不同的源流传统。中国文化自秦汉以来，基本上是循着一条所谓“以夏变夷”的路线发展下来的，各种异质文化在中国文化的主体——儒家文化面前不是被同化，就是被排拒，从而使儒家文化始终能够保持一种唯我独尊的纯粹性。在中国文化史上，“以夏变夷”始终就是主导，当然也曾经有过以夷乱夏的情况。汉语中的习语和成语主要是来源于中国经传典籍、寓言故事和神话传说。例如守株待兔、叶公好龙、愚公移山、刻舟求剑等是源于寓言故事；夸父追日、嫦娥奔月、画龙点睛、精卫填海等是出自神话传说。这些习语成语充分体现了汉民族独特的古代文化，很难在英语中找到对等的习语，表现了与英语民族文化的巨大差异。由于习语在语言中的重要地位，习语的翻译早已引起了翻译界的重视。从文化角度对比研究中英习语，有助于掌握习语的意义和运用。习语的正确理解是翻译的第一步，也是至关重要的一步。一个翻译者要进行有效的翻译，不仅要熟悉两种语言系统，而且要了解两国之间的文化差异。所以必须注意既定存在的文化差异，并在翻译中运用不同的翻译方法，以有效传达源语色彩。...在《当代美国翻译理论》一书中，郭建中教授提到近二十年来翻译研究的两个明显的趋向：一是交际理论在翻译理论上的体现，二是对文化转换的重视深刻动摇了重视语言转换的传统。换言之，因为交际与文化都具有以人为本人的特质，人文关怀在翻译界已经赢得高度的重视，翻译理论界正在加强宏观把握，拓展翻译视野，加强翻译工作的文化融合功能。 语言不是独立的,学习语言永远不会是单纯的学习语言技巧或技能,这个冰山一角之后所隐藏的是巨大的民族文化基奠,习语更是如此,可以说,要想准确的翻译英汉习语,对中英历史文化的广泛涉猎非常必要。三、总结部分（将全文主题进行扼要总结，提出自己的见解并对进一步的发展方向做出预测）本文对习语的差异性及翻译方法进行了探讨。其实,无论对汉语还是英语来说,习语都是一种特殊的语言现象，从习语中可反映出中西文化的差异。如何做好英汉习语的翻译，这就要求译者应特别谨慎,仔细分析隐含在语词背后的容易引起语义冲突的文化因素,根据具体语篇,在不违背原文语言的表达基础上再现原文语词的文化意蕴,达到忠实原文的目的,真正实现两种文化的沟通与移植。只要对中外文化的差异多加研究，以科学的翻译原则做指导，结合适当的翻译方法，习语的翻译一定会“更上一层楼”。四、参考文献（根据文中参阅和引用的先后次序按序编排）[1]LefebvreAndre.TranslatingLiterature:TheGermanTraditionfromLuthertoRosenZweig[M].VanGorcum.Assen&Ams-terdam,1977.[2]埃斯卡皮1文学社会学[M]1王美华,于沛译,安徽文艺出版社,1987[3]Gentler1993,Norbert&Shreve1992[4]VenetiaLawrence.TheTranslator’sInvisibility:AHistoryofTranslation[M].London:Rutledge,1995.[5]孙致礼.中国的文学翻译：从归化趋向异化[J].中国翻译，2002[6]王佐良.翻译中的文化比较[A].郭建中.文化与翻译[C].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2000.[7]王东风.归化与异化:矛与盾的交锋[J].中国翻译,2002,(5). （20__届）本科毕业设计英语从文化视角看习语翻译OntheViewofCultureinTranslationofIdioms ContentsAbstract......................................................................................................................III1Introduction............................................................................................................11.1TheSourcesofIdioms........................................................................................21.2Idioms,CultureandTranslation.........................................................................22DifferencesinCulturebetweenChineseandEnglishIdioms..………………..32.1DifferencesinReligions....................................................................................42.2DifferencesonValues…………………………………………………………52.3DifferencesinThinkingPatterns.......................................................................62.4DifferencesinSocialRelationships...................................................................72.5DifferencesinCulturalConnotationofVocabulary...........................................73TranslationMethodsofidioms.…………………………………………..……..93.1LiteralTranslation.…………………………………………………………….93.2LiteralTranslationplusAnnotations………………………………………....103.3LiberalTranslation..………………………………………………………….103.4CombinationofLiteralTranslationandLiberalTranslation............................114Conclusion.……………………………………………………………………....11Bibliography..............................................................................................................12Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………1315 内容摘要习语是一种特殊的语言形式，是某一语言在使用过程中形成的独特的固定的表达方式，承载着不同的民族特色和文化信息，最能体现一个民族的文化。同一句话，不同的文化背景的人反应有时是不同的，甚至会截然相反。究其原因是说话双方没有真正了解对方的文化。英汉两种语言都有着大量习语，因此，加强对英汉习语文化内涵差异的了解和翻译有着重要意义。本文从最能体现中西文化差异的习语着手，简单分析了中英文习语的来源，习语和文化以及习语翻译的关系。通过重点讨论习语在文化上五个方面中所反映的中西文化差异，即宗教文化、价值观、思维方式、社会关系、词语文化内涵，归纳了英文习语翻译的技巧和策略。关键词：习语；文化内涵；中西文化差异；习语翻译；翻译技巧15 AbstractIdiomsarespeciallanguageforms.Itisaspecificandstructurallyfixedexpressioninacertainlanguagewhichcarriesalotofinformationandculturalconnotation.Anditisoneofthemostimportantwaystoshowanation’sculture.Differentpeoplefromdifferentculturesmayhavedifferentunderstandingsorreactionstowardsthesamesentence.BothEnglishandChinesearerichinidioms.Therefore,inordertounderstandEnglishidiomsandtranslatethemproperly,itisnecessarytoknowtheculturalconnotationofidiomsandculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishidioms.Inthispaper,theauthorwillstartswithanalyzingthesourcesofChineseandEnglishidioms,therelationsbetweenidiomsandculture,idiomsandtranslation.BydiscussingtheculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseidiomsinreligions,values,thinkingpatterns,socialrelations,andculturalconnotationinvocabulary,theauthorconcludesthetranslationmethodsandskillsfortranslatingidioms.KeyWords:Idioms;CulturalConnotation;CulturalDifferences;TranslationofIdioms;TranslationMethods 15 1IntroductionIdiomsaretheessenceofalanguage,whicharealwaysphilosophicalandeternal.EnglishidiomsandChineseidiomsaregemsofthetwolanguagesaswellasthecrystallizationofthetwonationalcultures.AccordingtothelatestWebster'sNewWorldCollegeDictionary(Sapir99:100)“Idiomisaphrase,constructionorexpressionthatisrecognizedasaunitintheusageofagivenlanguageandeitherdiffersfromtheusualsyntacticpatternsorhasameaningthatdiffersfromtheliteralmeaningofitspartstakentogether.”Thedefinitionshowsthatidiomsareanumberofwords.Fromtheauthor’spointofview,idiomsarenotonlythebridgetolanguagebutalsothemirrortoreflecttheculture.Differentcountriescansharethesamelanguage,however,differentpeoplehavetheirowndialects,thelocalsocialtradition,thenativeconceptsandbeliefs;manyidiomsarejustdevelopedfromsuchspecialculturalbackgrounds.1.1SourceofIdiomsItiswell-knownthatidiomsaremainlyformedorcreatedbypeopleduringtheirdailypractices.Tomuchadegree,theyarethenaturaloutcomeoftheworkingpeople'lifeandexperience.Forexample,"ploughthesands"isactuallyaboutagriculture;"toknowtheropes"isfromnavigation;"neckandneck"isoutofhorseracing;"aliveandkicking"isrelatedtofishing.Inaddition,cultureandreligionarealsothemajorsourcesofEnglishidioms.AlargernumberofEnglishidiomscomefromtheBible,forexample"notknowingsomebodyfromAdam"meanstheonewhoisaperfectstranger.Theidiomlike"outofjoint"isfromthewritingofShakespeare.FromtheGreekmythsthereisanidiom'theAchilles'Heel"whichmeanstheonlydeadlyweakpoint.Thusfromtheaboveexamples,itisnotdifficulttofindoutthatEnglishidiomsarecloselyconnectedwithpeople'scommonlife,literature,religion,ancientlegendsandfables.InChinese,thesourcesofidiomsarecommonlyrelatedtoenvironmentsuchasgeographicalposition,climate,orecologicalcondition.Forexample:二人同心，黄土变金(Whentwopeopleareofthesamemind,evenclaymaybechangedintogold)，上无片瓦，下无寸土(aspoorasachurchmouse).InChineseculture,"eastwind"is"thewindofspring";springiswarmandcolorful,anditisregardedasthebeginningofalllives.TherearemanyidiomsinChina,whichrefertospring:春暖花开(in15 warmspring,alltheblossomsareinfullbloom),一年之计在于春(thewholeyear'sworkconsistsinagoodstartinspring).1.2Idioms,CultureandTranslationTherelationsbetweenlanguageandculturehavelongbeenclearlyobservedandthoroughlyunderstood.TheAmericanlinguisticprofessorSappierwhohavekickedthebucketsaid:"Therearethingsbehindlanguage.Andlanguagecannotdepartfromculture."Baimaalsosaid:“Thehistoryoflanguageandthehistoryofcultureareincooperationwitheachother.Theynotonlyofferhelptoeachother,butalsoenlighteneachother."Languageisthecarrierofculture.Anylanguagecannotsolelyexistwithoutculture.Varyinglevelsoflifeexperiencesofpeopleleadtovarioussortsofunderstandingsandevaluationsofthephysicalrealityconfrontingthem.Thoseideasandthoughtsaremanifestedinformsoftheircustoms,traditions,religiousbeliefs,andworksofart,whichhelptograduallyshapedistinctiveculturalmodesorculturalorientations.Mostimportantofall,suchculturalmessagesaremostlikelytobecodifiedin,transmittedthrough,andfurtherreinforcedbylanguage,andthatcreatesIdioms.Idiomsareaveryimportantpartofalanguage.Anidiomisaphraseorsentencewhosemeaningisnotclearfromthemeaningofitsindividualwordsandwhichmustbelearntasawhole.Idiomsincludesetphrases,proverbs,truncatedwitticism,colloquialismandslangexpressions;therefore,itisrichinculturalconnotation.BothEnglishandChinesehavequitealonghistory,sobothofthemhavealargenumberofidioms.Idiomsarethecoreandessenceoflanguages.Withoutthemlanguagesmaysounddullandcolorless.Thepersoninacommunitynotonlyhasones'ownlanguage,butalsohasones'ownhabit,ones'ownideology,ones'ownvaluesystem,andones'behaviorrulesandsoon.Thisis"culture".Idiomtranslationplaysanimportantroleintranslation.Itisregardedasthemostimportantandtoughthingintranslationpractice.Becauseidiomsaresaidtobethemoststrikingreflectionofcultureinthatthemeaningofwordsarearbitrary.Itdependsonsomesocialgroupswhohavethesameviewpointsontheirvalues.Itcaneasilybeaffectedbythepermeationofculture.Consequently,swarmsofidiomsareabundantinculturalconnotation.Forlackofagoodknowledgeofcultureofthelanguagetheyarelearning,orinfluencedbyculturalcustomsandculturalmodesintheirownnation,intheprocessofreading,manylanguagelearnersfailtohavea15 completelycorrectunderstandingofwordsofthelanguagetheyhavelearned,whichaffecttheeffectivenessoftheirreading.Fromthistothat,languagelearnerswhomakethewronguseofwordsinwritinganddailycommunication,culturalmisunderstandingandculturalconflictscanalsobeinterpretedbythisreason.2CulturalDifferencesinIdiomsbetweenChineseandEnglishIdiomsCultureisanall-encompassingconcert.Ithasatleasttwosenses.Inanarrowsense,culturemeansintellectualandconceptualculture.Inabroadsense,culturemeanshumancultureincontrastwithnature,suchasthesumofanation'scustoms,materialandspiritualproducts,waysofthinkingandsoon.Cultureisacomplexsystem.Asaproductwithitsorigindeeplyrootedinthedevelopmentofman'sculture,languagecanreflectvariousculturalphenomena.Translationisaninterculturalactivity.Therefore,culturaldifferencesshouldbetakenintoconsiderationwhenpeopletranslate.Thesamethingholdstruefortranslatingidioms.TheculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishidiomscanbeclassifiedintosixtypes.2.1DifferencesinReligionsReligion,themaincomponentofhumanculture,reflectsdifferentattitudestowardsadmirationandtaboosofeachnation.Ifpeopledonotunderstandreligionandculturalbackgroundduringthetranslation,thetranslationmaynotbeaccurateandproper.Therefore,differentreligiousbeliefscausedbyculturaldifferencesintranslationcannotbeignored.ChinesecultureisdeeplyaffectedbyTaoism,BuddhismandConfucianism,amongwhichtheeffectofBuddhismisthemostinveterate,whileEnglishcultureisgreatlyinfluencedbyChristianity.ThereisnoquestionthatChineseidiomsreflecttheinfluenceofBuddhism,whereasEnglishidiomsarecloselyrelatedtoChristianity.Forinstance,远看菩萨，近看泥巴and平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚aretakenfromBuddhism,while灵丹妙药and回光返照arefromTaoism.“临时抱佛脚”isaverycommonlyusedexpressionsforstudentstouseespeciallybeforetheexams.IdiomsfromtheBibleandChristianityarealsoabundant,suchasathornintheflesh(眼中钉),theforbiddenfruit(禁果),theappleofone’seye(掌上明珠),acovenantofsalt(不可背弃的盟约),girdupone’sloins(准备行动),aspoorasJob/thechurchmouse15 (家徒四壁),pridegoesbeforeafall(骄兵必败),etc.TheChineseproverb“泥菩萨过江,自身难保”isapparentlyrelatedtoBuddhismwhichwasonceverypopularinChina.Christianityisthedominantreligioninthewest,mainlyEnglish-speakingcountries.HerearesomemoreexamplesrelevanttoChristianity:(1)Whomgodwouldruin,hefirstdeprivesofreason.上帝要毁灭谁，必先夺其理性。(2)Godsendsmeatandthedevilsendscooks.上帝赐给食物，魔鬼派来厨师。(3)Eachcrosshathitsowninscription.每个十字架都有自己的铭文。(4)“Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves”.上帝帮助自助的人。(5)“Gotohell”.下地狱去。Thereisonesceneinamoviewhichisaboutajourneyonaship.Duringthetrip,itsufferedastorm,andafterthedisaster,thepassengersfromallovertheworldthankedinvariousways:theChineserepeatthephrase“菩萨保佑”，“阿弥陀佛”whilethewesternerssay“ThankGoddess”.2.2DifferencesonValuesValuesgenerallyconsideredtobethecoreofthespecificcultureandwayoflife.Valuesintwolanguageswillcausealotofobstaclesforunderstandingandtranslation;therefore,translatorsshouldpayattentiontovaluesindifferentcultures.Example1:Evilistherepresentativeofthefalse，thebadandtheugly.SoidiomsrelatedtoevilinEnglishalwayshavenegativemeanings.However,inChinese,thereisaword“ghost”whichdoesmeanevil，buttheinfluenceofitiscomparativelysmall.Theinfluenceofghostsorspiritsaremuchmorelagerthanthatoftheevil.Ghostsarenotalwaysbadandtheymaybekind,cuteandcleverinChinesepeople’sminds.Example2:Chinesepeoplebelieveinmodesty,andtheyseldomshowoffinfrontofothers.Intheoldtimes,Confuciusenlightenedhisstudentsbysaying,"三人行必有吾师"(Byasking,welearn).Nowadays,westicktothelogionofchairmanMao,"谦虚使人进步，骄傲使人落后"(Bemodest,youwillmakeprogress;Behaughty,youwilldropbehind).Butinwesternculture,self-worthandindependencearestressed.Theyconsidertheindividualsmoreimportantthanthatofsociety.Belowaresomemoreexamples:15 (1)American:Youdidagoodjob.Chinese:a.That’stheresultofjointefforts.b.There’sstillmuchroomforimprovement.c.No,no,Ididn’tdoitquitewell.(2)Host:Drinksomewine,please.Chinese:No,Idonotwanttodrinkwine.British:Allright.Thankyou.Example3:Mostwesterners(especiallyAmerican)believethateachpersonhashisownindividualidentityandpersonality,whichshouldberecognizedandreinforced.Thecoreofindividualismisthepursuitofpersonalhappinessandachievements.Itishighlyvalued,deeplybelievedandwellappreciatedasafundamentalsocialvirtue.IntheirChristianitytraditions,individualsareimportantnotonlytoeachother,butalsotothesocietyandGod.Individualismhasbeenhandeddownfromtheirancestors----pioneerswhomigratedtotheNewWorldandintendedtoobtainanewlife.Theyneedtosurviveinthenewlandwhichmadethembelieveinindividualism.Onlywhentheindividualcanliveuptohispotentialwillthesocietymoveforward,andthisisthebestwaytoservethesociety.Therefore,toAmericans,individualismisnotselfishnessbutratheravirtue.Thinkingaboutthepoweroftheconceptinsomewordsandsayings:self-control,self-confidence,self-esteem,self-reliance,self-respect;“Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves”,“Hetravelsthefastest,whotravelsalone’’.Alltheseexpressionsliethemessage:individualachievementandfreedomarethevirtuesthataremostglorified.However,toChinesepeople,theword“individualism”isrelatedtothederogatorymeaningasegoism,whichrepresentsselfishnessinqualityandloosenessindiscipline.IntraditionalChinesebeliefs,especiallyinConfucianism,collectivismisappreciated.A“we”consciousnessprevailsinsteadofan“I”orientation.LookatthemessageofcollectivisminthewordsofConfucius:“Ifonewantstoestablishhimself,heshouldhelpotherstoestablishthemselvesatfirst.”Collectiveculturesemphasizecooperationamonggroupmembersandindividualsuccessisduetothecollectiveeffortofthestaffinaunit,anorganizationoracommunity.ThesacrificeofindividualinterestforthatofthecollectiveisanoblequalityeulogizedsomuchbyChinesepeoplethatbeingmodestandthoughtfulofothersarehighlypraised.Withtheknowledgeofthis,itwillnotbehardforAmericanstounderstandChinese15 modesty.2.3DifferencesinThinkingPatternsCulturalisareflectionoftrendoflanguagesandmindsthroughcenturies,anditembodiesthecharacteristicofthinkingpatternsindifferentcountries.ThereisnodoubtthatChineseandEnglishhavetheirownwaysofthinking.Englishspeakerspaymuchmoreattentiontologicwhetheroralspeakingorwriting,andtheydonotexcludedialecticalwayofthinkinginordertoensurethattheirwritingiscompactandwellorganized.However,Chinesewayofwritingisoppositeandtheirwritingisnotwell-knitenough,sosomeforeignersmayeasilymisunderstandtherealmeaningofthewriter.ThedifferenceisthatChinesepeopleprefertospeakin“indirect”way.Thestructurecouldbesketchedoutas:BecauseA,andbecauseB,，andbecauseC,thereforeD.Thereappearstobeawesternpreferenceforadirectpatternincommunication.Forexample,inspeakingorwriting,theChinesetendtofirstlydispersetheirthoughts,andthengatherthem,andfinallyputthemtothestartingpointwhileEnglishpeopleprefertheoppositeway.Theyusuallypresenttheiroptionsfirst.2.4DifferencesinSocialRelationsWeChinesepaymuchattentiontorelationshipsamongpeople.Thekinshiptermsaretypicalexamples.AstheresultofthelonghistoryofthepatriarchalsystemChinesewordsindicatingrelativerelationshipsarericherthanthoseinEnglish.Fromtheviewpointofsociolinguistics,formsofaddressingcanserveasanindicationoftherelationshipofpowerandsolidarityinthesociety.Incallingtheirsuperiorsorelders,theChineseareaccustomedtothenonreciprocalorasymmetricaladdressing.Inotherwords,theyuse“title+surname”toaddresstheirsuperiorsoreldersratherthancallthemsurnames,whilethesuperiororelderscalltheaddresserstheirnames.TheChinesetendtoabidebythepoliteprincipleofdepreciatingoneselfandrespectingotherstoshowappropriaterespectstowardsthepersonsbeingaddressed,otherwise,theaddressermaybeconsideredasillmannered,illeducatedorrude.ButinEnglishspeakingcountries,peoplehaveatendencytofollowthereciprocalorsymmetricaladdressing.Althoughtheyaredifferentinageandstatus,theycancalltheotherdirectly,namely,theirnames,15 evenfirstnamesexceptwhentheycallthedoctors,notarousingoffencebetweenthem,butdemonstratingthesenseofintimacyandtheconceptionof“Everyoneiscreatedequal”.Foeexample,“sixfeetofearthmakeallmanequal”（六尺之地，人人平等）；“weareallAdam’schildren”（人人都是亚当的孩子）；“acatmaylookataKing”（猫儿亦能平视国王）；“It'snoneofyourbusiness”（与你无关）；“Mindyourownbusiness”（管好自己的事）；“Agoodfencemakesagoodneighbors”（好围墙造就好邻居）.Generallyspeaking,therearetwotypesoffamiliesinfamilystructure.“Extendedfamilyismembersofthreeormoregenerations,relatedbybloodormarriage,whichlivetogetherornearoneanother.”(Zanden:347)“Nuclearfamilyisconsistingofahusband,wifeandtheirdependentchildrenlivinginahomeoftheirown.Thedefiningcharacteristicofthenuclearfamilyisindependence.”(Zanden:347)Traditionally,Americanfamilyhasbeenanuclearfamilyconsistingofahusband,wife,andtheirchildren,livinginahouseoranapartment.Grandparentsrarelyliveinthesameplacewiththeirmarriedsonsanddaughters,andunclesandauntsmostneverdo.Incontract,extendedfamilyhasbeenthenorminChinesesociety.2.5DifferencesinCulturalConnotationofWordsLanguageis,toacertaindegree,justliketheairpeoplebreathe.Withoutair,peoplecan'tliveanymore.But,it'salwaysdifficultforpeopletoperceivetheexistenceofair.Likewise,people'slifeisboundupwithlanguage.Veryoftenpeopletakeitforgrantedandarehardlyconsciousofitsculturalimplicationsorvalueswhichconstituteapotentialshapingforcefortheminds.Languageisintimatelyassociatedwithcultureandthetwocannotbedivided.Wordsinlanguagearethemostoutstandingreflectionofcultureandembodythesocialculturalfeaturesofanationtothefull.Therefore,alargenumberofwordspossessspecificculturalmessages.Asfaraslanguagelearnersareconcerned,iftheydon'thaveagoodknowledgeofthespecificculturalconnotationofwords,theymayfailtohaveathoroughunderstandingofandmakethecorrectuseofthosewords,nottomentionhowtomaketheappropriateuseoflanguage.Anylanguagehasprofoundculturalconnotation.Eachlanguageasaculturalcarriercorrespondstocertainspecificculture.But,wordsinlanguagearesaidtobethemoststrikingreflectionofcultureinthatthemeaningofwordsarearbitrary.Itdependsonsomesocialgroupswhohavethesameviewpointsontheirvalues.Itcaneasilybeaffectedbythe15 permeationofculture.Consequently,swarmsofwordsareabundantinculturalconnotation.Forlackofagoodknowledgeofcultureofthelanguagetheyarelearning,orinfluencedbyculturalcustomsandculturalmodesintheirownnation,intheprocessofreading,manylanguagelearnersfailtohaveacompletelycorrectunderstandingofwordsofthelanguagetheyhavelearned,whichaffecttheeffectivenessoftheirreading.InChineseculture,“fish”isequallyregardedas“surplus”,symbolizingrichness.Asisknowntoall,thetwoChinesecharacter“鱼”and“余”havethesamepronunciation“yu”.Sowheneverhappyfestivalcomes,theremustbeadishoffishonthetable,symbolizingtheprosperity,wealthandhealthofthefamily.ManyChinesefamiliesprefertohangthepaper“年年有余”onthedoorduringthespringfestival.Belowaresomeexamplesrelatedtofish:①如鱼得水Tofeeljustlikefishinwater;tobeinone'selement②鱼水深情Deepfeelingbetweenfishandwater③沉鱼落雁Exceedinglybeautiful④临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网Itisbettertogobackandmakeanetthantostandontheedgeofapoolandidlylongforfish.However,theculturalconnotationoffishinEnglishisquitedifferent.InEnglish,becausethefishcontainsthederogatorysensecolorso,itisgenerallyusedfordescribingthepersonwhodoesnothaveanypopularity,forexample:①aloosefish放荡之人②acoldfish古怪之人③adullfish言语乏味之人④apoorfish倒霉而易上当之人Inaddition,therearelotsofidiomscomingfromthehistoricalallusion.Forexample，“东施效颦”,whichisfrom(庄子.天运)andnowitmeansimitatingsomebodystupidly.“名落孙山”whichreferstoapersonwhofailsintheexamandisnotenrolled.“叶公好龙”meansapersonwhoprofessedloveofwhatonereallyfears..MostEnglishallusionscomefromtheBibleandtheGreekRomanMyth.For15 instance,“Achilles’heel"(阿基里斯的脚后跟，指唯一致命弱点);“meetsone’swaterloo"(一败涂地);“aPandora’sbox”(潘多拉之盒，指灾难，麻烦，祸害的根源);“Penelope’sweb’’(铂涅罗铂的织物，指反来复去永无结果);“crocodile’stears”(鳄鱼的眼泪),itisjustliketheChineseIdiom“猫哭老鼠假慈悲”.ChineseidiomscarrymorehistoricalcolorandliteraryallusionsthanEnglishidiomsdo.3TranslationMethodsofIdiomsTranslationisanart,abilingualart,whichisconsideredastheculturalbridgeandmediabetweentwolanguages.Asthereexistwidedifferencesinculture,vocabularyandsyntax,betweenorientalandoccidentallanguages.Translationisnoeasyjob,especiallythetranslationofEnglishidioms.Therefore,inordertokeepthefeaturesoforiginalEnglishidiomsandmeettheneedsofalltheChinesereaders,translatingskillsshouldbeproperlyemployedinthetranslatingprocess.BelowarethefourtranslatingmethodsandskillswhichcouldbeappliedinthetranslationofEnglishidioms.3.1LiteralTranslationLiteraltranslation,knownasword-for-wordtranslationaswellasdirecttranslation,isawaytotranslatetheoriginalEnglishidiominexactaccordancewiththeChineselanguageintheformofvocabulary,grammaticalstructureandrhetoricaldevice.Inlightofidiomtranslation,literaltranslationcankeeptheoriginalformofEnglishidioms,anditwillnotcauseanyconfusioninthemeaning.Inaddition,iteffectivelyconveystheoriginalculturalinformationandnarrowsthegapsbetweentwolanguages.ThemostimportantistokeepthefullflavorofEnglishidioms.Forexample,"don'tthrowcoldwateronnewlyemergingthings".TranslationA:不要给新生事物泼冷水TranslationB:不要反对新生事物EvidentlyTranslationAisbetterthanTranslationBbecauseitkeepstheflavoroftheoriginalsentence,fortheEnglishidiom"throwcoldwater"and“泼冷水”inChineseareperfectlyequivalent.TranslationBcannotexpresstheoriginalmeaningaccurately.3.2LiteralTranslationplusAnnotationsAlthoughagoodliteraltranslationcanenableChinesereaderstohaveabetterunderstandingofEnglishidioms,duetotheculturaldifferences,inmanycasesthe15 literaltranslationwithoutanynoteswillmakereaderspuzzledandcausemisunderstanding.Therefore,thiskindoftranslatingskillmaysolvetheproblem.Forexample,"asAmericanasanapplepie"(像苹果派一样是典型的美国式的)。Astothisversion,Chinesereadersmightbeconfused,soanotemustbeadded.[注：苹果馅饼是美国人最喜爱的甜食之一，据说是美国人发明的，因此短语常用来强调某种真正的美国式的]Withthenote,Chinesereaderswouldunderstandtheidiomsbetter.Anotherexample:TheAchilles'heeloftheAustralianeconomytodayisthat,althoughitsstructureisgearedtointernationallytrade,itsparticipationintradehasdeclined.澳大利亚今天经济中的阿克留斯的脚后跟是：虽然它在不断参与世界贸易，但是它在世界贸易中的地位已下降。(注："theAchilles'heel"这个典故来源于史诗，阿克留斯全身刀枪不入，唯有脚后跟未受到保护，而后用来指唯一致命的弱点)3.3LiberalTranslationLiberaltranslationconveysthecontentandspiritoftheoriginalfilmtitleswithoutstickingtotheformtightly.Whentranslatingidioms,it'shardtocontaintheirliterarymeaningsandimagesbecauseoftheculturalinfluence.Soitisbettertotransfertheoriginalimagetoanotheronefamiliartothereaderssoastoconveytheoriginalmeaningbytranslatingtheirhiddensignificances.InEnglish,onemaysay,"I'mtoooldadogtolearnnewtricks".However,inChina,noonewantstobecalledas"狗"Therefore,thesentencemaybebettertobeputintothetranslationas"我上了年纪，学不会了".Similarly,theword"dog"inthefollowingsentencescannotbetranslatedword-for-word."topdog"means"有权势的富人",and"underdog"means“受压迫的穷人”.Anotherexamplecommonlyknownis"wheninRome，doastheRomansdo".TranslationA:在罗马，要做罗马人做的事。TranslationB：入乡随俗TranslationAemploysliteraltranslationwhileTranslationBusesliberaltranslation.IfpeopleadoptTranslationA,readerswillfeelpuzzledwhyit'sinRomeinsteadofanyotherplacesthatweshoulddoso.Actually,itshiddenmeaningis“入乡随俗”.Thereareafewmoreexamplesasfollows:(1)Acatonhotbricks热锅上的蚂蚁(2)Achilles'heel唯一致命的弱点(3)Aweblanket扫兴的人或事Duringthetranslation,it'sbetterifthetranslatorscanfindtheChineseidioms15 verysimilartotheoriginalincontent,aswellasform.Theycanborrowthesynonymousidiomstoexpress,becausealthoughsometimestheyarenotexactlyinthesameimages,theirbasicmeaningsaresame.(1)Strikewhiletheironishot.趁热打铁(2)Giveadogabadnameandhanghim.欲加之罪何患无辞(3)Pouroilontheflame火上浇油(4)Giveadogabadnameandhanghim.欲加之罪，何患无辞(4)Birdsofafeatherflocktogether.物以类聚，人以群分(5)Amongtheblindtheone-eyedmanisking.山上无老虎，猴子称霸王3.4CombinationofLiteralTranslationandLiberalTranslationAttimes,it'snotagoodwaytotranslateidiomsonlywithliterarytranslationorlibrarytranslation,becauseneithercouldhavetheidealtranslation.Andneithermayleadtotheboringfeelingofreadingandtransfertheoriginalmeaningineffectively.EvenliberaltranslationbeyondlimitwilldamagethefaithfulnessofEnglishidioms.Tosurmountthisobstacle,thecombinationofliteralandliberaltranslationmaybeemployed.Forexample:(1)carrycoalstoNewcastlemeans多此一举，白费力气或时间。Theyhaveabiggarden,youknow,totakethemflowersistocarrycoalstoNewcastle.你知道，他们有个大花园，给他们带花简直是往煤区送碳—多此一举。(2)她单身一个人，无亲无故。Thisgirlwasallbyherselfandfarfromhome,withoutasinglerelativeorfriendtohelpher.(3)王冕一路风餐露宿，九十里大站，70里小站，一径来到山东济南府地方。Bravingthewindanddew,WangMiantraveleddayafterdaypastlargepoststationsandsmall,tillhecametothecityofJinan.4ConclusionIdiomsareaveryimportantpartofanylanguage.Eachidiombearsanimageandafigurativemeaning.BothEnglishandChineseidiomsembodyrichcultures,andsharesimilaritiesbutmoreimportantlytheyhaveculturaldifferences.Thereforeobtainingnecessaryknowledgeofculturaldifferencesisindispensabletothetranslationof15 Englishidioms.Thethesismainlydiscussesfourmethodsoftranslationappliedtoidioms.Asfortranslators,theymustchoosethepropertranslationmethodsaccordingtothespecificcontextorsituation.Thisisespeciallyimportanttotranslationofidioms.Withaccurateandgoodtranslationofidioms,peoplewillhavelessmisunderstandingwitheachotherintheprocessofcrossculturalcommunication.BibliographyAlbertG.2005.ChristianityandWesternCulture[M].Beijing:PekingUniversityPress.Bassneet,Susan.1988.TranslationStudies(RevisedEdition)[M].MethuuenCo.Ltd.Dueing,S.(ed.)1993.TheCulturalStudiesReader[M].London:Routledge.Feldspar,R.1995.AnencyclopedicDictionaryofChinese-EnglishandEnglish-ChineseTranslation[M].HongKong:ChineseUniversityPress.George,Steiner.AfterBabel.1975.AspectsofLanguageandTranslation[M].Newmark,P.P.1982.ApproachestoTranslation[M].Pergamon,Oxford.Nida,EugeneA.1993.Language,cultureandTranslation[M].上海：上海外语教育出版社。Sapir,Edward.1921.Language[M].NewYork:Harcout,Brace.Williams,R.1963.CultureandSociety[M].Harmondsworth:Penguin.Zanden,James.1990.TheSocialExperience,3rded[M].OxfordUniversity,陈文伯,1982，英语成语与汉语成语[M]。北京:外语教学与研究出版社。邓炎昌,刘润清，1989，语言与文化———英汉语言与文化对比[M]。北京:外语教学与研究出版社。侯宁海,2001，英语习语大典[M]。合肥:中国科学技术大学出版社。蒋磊,2001（2），英汉习语的文化差异溯源[J]，河南财政税务高等专科学校学报。马祖毅,1980，英译汉技巧浅谈[M]。南京:江苏人民出版社。平洪、张国扬，1999，英语习语与英美文化[M]。胡文仲,主编：北京外语教学与研究出版社。吴柱存,1980，动力,目的,方法[A]。中央广播电视大学汇编。英语专题讲座[C]。北京:冶金工业出版社。王秉钦，1995，文化翻译学。[M]。天津：南开大学出版社。王学英、张会，2005，汉英英汉习语大全[M]。清华大学出版社。游桂兰,2003，（16），英语习语与历史发展[J]，高等函授学报。於奇,2003，世界习语文化研究[M]。郑州:大象出版社。15 谢金良,1986，西方文学典故词典[M]。北京:中国展望出版社。张培基等,2000，英汉翻译教程[M]。台北:书林。张培基,喻云根,李宗杰等，1980，英汉翻译教程[z]。上海:上海外国语学院印刷厂。AcknowledgementsManypeoplehavemadeinvaluablecontributions,bothdirectlyandindirectlytomyresearch.Iwouldliketoexpressmywarmestgratitudetomysupervisor,forherinstructivesuggestionsandvaluablecommentsonthewritingofthisthesis.Withoutherinvaluablehelpandgenerousencouragement,thepresentthesiswouldnothavebeenaccomplished.Besides,IamalsogratefultoJiaxingUniversitythathasprovidedmeachanceofthisstudy.Finally,Igreatlyappreciatemyparents’endlesslove.Myheartswellswithgratitudetoallthepeoplewhohelpedme.15