The strategies of English idioms’ translation英语专业毕业论文.doc

1 IntroductionIdiom is derived from the Greek “Idioma” and “idiomatikos”, which means peculiar or peculiarity. Although linguists of different ages differ from each other on the scope of English idiom, in a broad sense, idioms with a great number of vocabularies, may include “set phrases, proverbs, sayings, epigrams, slang expressions, colloquialisms, quotations, two-part allegorical sayings of which the first part is always descriptive, while the second part often carries the message” 1.Not only do the linguists of different ages disagree with each other on the scope of English idiom, they have also made different definitions of it. But while studying so many documents about English idiom of different times, you can find that the older the documents are, the more indistinct the definitions are. For example, some linguists just defined the idiom as “an accepted phrase, construction, or expression, which is different from the literal”1. English idioms are fixed expressions or phrases, often carrying special meanings that cannot be guessed from their individual parts. They often have a distant origin and a long development, full of relatively strong national coloring or local features, widely used among the people and established by the people through long social practice. Some of the idioms are vivid, humorous and explicit, while others are implicit, containing more than one meaning, and can bring varieties of associations. So you have to judge the meaning from the whole text. Idioms are the language or dialect of people, of a region and a class, etc. And they are the special way of people expressing their culture, region, ideas and life patterns, etc. They have characteristics of nationality, regionalism, and fixedness of structures. Collocated by more than two words customarily, they are fixed phrases, prohibiting any change of words or of each individual part of the idiom from each other at will. For example, “kick the bucket” is made up of three morphemes, and cannot be added or reduced freely. It cannot be changed to be “kick the big bucket”, or “kick the pail”. Besides, vivid and affluent devices of rhetoric are also the idioms characteristics. Rhetoric is a common device widely used in the English idioms. Idiom itself is the application and expression of rhetoric, while writers often view the idiom as a figure of speech to clarify and enhance the images, so as to enrich the fascination of their articles. The words of each idiom are brief but vivid, exoteric but vital. By the form of metaphor, simile, or other kinds of figure of speeches, idioms abstractly but vividly show us a piece of lively and glorious history as if the antiquity were talking with us. For example, “speech is silvern, silence is golden” applies the device of alliteration. So does “as red as rose”, “first come, first served”. “More haste, less speed” uses antithesis. All these characteristics are all due to the development of history and culture. English idioms, with rich connotations and distinctive cultural features, are the refined language handed down by history, and the fertile fruits of peoples long social practice. As the essence of English language, English idioms reflect the English-speaking nations long history, and penetrate different nations cultural and geographical features, psychology, tradition, and ways of thinking. Idioms most obviously and objectively convey one nation or countrys cultural peculiarity. Though they are often brief and terse, just in several words, English idioms can convey clearly and lucidly what you want to express, which is so unforgettable that it often leaves a deep impression on your mind.2 The status and strategies of English idioms translationThe thesis here shows the function and the status of idioms translation, analyzes the two strategies literal translation and free translation respectively and discusses its extension and development based on literal and free translation.2.1 The status of English idioms translationMutual translation between languages is a fine means of cultural communication. However, as a matter of fact, it is much more beneficial for the development and flourishing of the language itself than for the cultural communication between different countries all over the world. The function of idioms as a linguistic expression with profound cultural foundation appears particularly outstanding. As the complexity and variety of English idioms, the translation of English idioms is surely featured in the whole translation. However, the translation of idioms has been considered to be comparatively difficult by the translators all along. Thats because the qualified translators are required not only to be conversant with the meaning of idioms in the text, but also to possess abundant of idioms in target language as for reference. What is more, the translation of idioms places a direct influence on the quality of the whole text. Undoubtedly it is difficult for the translator to keep both the original flavor and meaning in the translation. As Yan Fu said, the translation of English idioms should comply with three basic principles, thats “faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance”. Be faithful to the content, meaning, and spirit of the original; make it smooth and express the original wholly and precisely; reappear the style and the figure of speech of the original. The translation of idioms is not only to translate the language, or to say, simply reproduce the original, but also transmit the connotations of one culture to those of another one. Many English translators regard the idioms as roadblocks, since they are very complicated but inevitable. A good translator should not only faithfully represent the content of the original idioms, but also keep the flavor of the idioms, such as the figure of speech, cultural coloring and national features. While dealing with the English idioms, you should undoubtedly pay attention to the impact of culture. Literates who emphasize culture-export often advocate keeping the original form of the idioms since they think the cultural features of idioms lie in their forms of expression. For example, “talk of the devil, he is sure to appear.” Only it could be translated as “说人人到，说鬼鬼到”, but not “说曹操，曹操到” complying with the Chinese culture. Because they view “曹操” as a word flashing bright Chinese feature, while English has not such a word. Nowadays, many translations of English idioms are only the words equivalent transformation, just decoding idioms surface meaning but depriving of their original cultural features. Indeed, different cultures respectively enjoy their own particular historical and geographical features. In practice, it is of quite difficulty for the translators to guarantee according with both of the original regulations of figure of speech, and standards of the target language completely. Thus you must be cautious while translating and keep these in mind: first, set base on the accuracy of the idioms meaning and figure of speech; second, taking into account the readerships ability of comprehension; third, pay attention to the difference between the original and the target cultures. In addition, imagination or creation is also necessary for the translators to possess. Then you must be aware of not overusing it regardless of idioms original meaning.2.2 The strategies of English idioms translationTo be specific, there are two basic strategies in the idioms translation traditionally: one is literal translation, the other is free translation. The former refers to the translation in which both the content and the form are equivalent to the original while the latter means keeping the content but not the form and transmitting flexibly. The central argument on whether to translate literally or freely has been going on since at least the first century BC. Literal translation is a full representation of the original. Especially when the original coincides with the target idiom in terms of wording, phrasing, and content, it is appropriate to use literal translation. To keep the idioms original styles and foreign cultural features, some translators who emphasize on the idioms divergence between nations or regions advocate this kind of strategy. Let us look at some examples: One is “She refused several offers of marriage, and then, at the age of forty, found herself left on the shelf.” Here “on the shelf” is literally translated as “束之高阁”. In this way, the translation expresses the content of the sentence faithfully and smoothly, at the same time retains the original figure of speech. If it is translated freely as “没有结婚希望了”, though correctly, the translation loses the original form and figure of speech , and is not vivid as the former. The other is “He who follows two hares is sure to catch neither (追逐两只兔子，两头都落空)”. This literal translation represents the original vivid image and figure of speech, meanwhile conveys the meaning of sentence. If it is translated as “同时干两件事，全都干不好”, though clearly and brief, the translation is no longer vivid and charming, since it loses the original figure of speech. Moreover, there are “to strike the iron while it is hot (趁热打铁)”, “fish in troubled water (浑水摸鱼)”, “a bolt from the blue (晴天霹雳)”, “misfortunes never come single (福不双至，祸不单行)”, “to have a well-oiled tongue (油腔滑调)”, “(theres) no rose without a thorn (没有不带刺的玫瑰)” and so on. The literal translation could retain the spirit, national coloring and figure of speech of the original idioms. When translated vividly and perfectly, it is easier for the translators to accept the foreign tradition and culture. By way of the literal translation, some English idioms have been compiled in Chinese dictionary and become an important component of Chinese language. For example, “armed to the teeth(武装到牙齿)”, “ivory tower(象牙塔)”, “all roads lead to Rome(条条道路通罗马)”, etc. However, the application of literal translation often brings about the negative influence of harming the device of rhetoric of idioms, even affecting the proper expression of translation. For example, the famous American author Pearl S. Buck has once made such a mistake when she was translating the Chinese classic All Men are Brothers. She insisted on translating this works by the principle of literal translation. And in its preface, she wrote: “I try my best to translate this novel by the principle of literal translation, since in my opinion, the style and content of the original coincide appropriately. The sole goal of my exertion is to make the translation resemble the original novel as much as possible. I hope that at least the readers who are foreigners might generate an illusion that what he read is the original version”3. Her motive is reasonable, but she ignores the differences between the two cultures. In consequence, her translation seems stiff and obscure, in lack of vitality. Furthermore, there is much distortion of concept from the original, not to mention keeping the style and cultural features of the original works. For example, she translated “你不在家时，谁敢来放个屁” as “when you were not at home, who dared to come near and pass his wind?”3 Here “pass ones wind” is no more than a physiological function, which is quite different from the meaning of the original version. J. H. Jackson translated it as “when you were not at home, who dared to come and insult me?”3 Though the rind of the expression changed, the connotation kept consistent with that of the original, which was much more appropriate than Pearls.Britain and China have different kinds of cultures, customs and conventions, it is nearly impossible to make a completely equivalent transformation between the two languages. We often feel it difficult to find the proper explanations of some words in dictionaries. Then we can try another strategy free translation, in which the translator expresses the same meaning as the original by adopting different wording, phrasing, style, or figure of speech. Most “culture” words are easy to detect, since they are associated with a particular language and can be literally translated, but many cultural customs are described in ordinary language and might be distorted the meaning by the principle of literal translation. Free translation could solve the difficulty. It reproduces the matter without the manner, or the content without the form of the original. For example, “a new broom sweeps clean” literally is translated as “新扫帚打扫得干净”. Though it keeps the original “posture”, the readers may not understand it clearly, while using free translation“新上任者急于除弊图变”is much more superior. In addition, “murder will out (纸包不住火)”, “rolling stone gathers no moss (滚石不生苔，或者：流水不腐，户枢不蠹)”, “to go down the drain (失败，每况愈下)”, “two heads are better than one (三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮)” and the like. Either of the two strategies has its advantages and disadvantages respectively. The literal translation appears brief and vivid, but may be obscure, stiff and annoying, while free translation is clear and authentic in expressing the original meaning. But it may be a paraphrase much longer than the original, a so-called “intralingual translation”, often prolix and pretentious, on the cost of losing vivid description or appropriate figure of speech. In Chinese and English language, there are commonness and difference in the wording and the habitual expression. So it is quite wiser to adopt both of the two strategies of translation. That is literal plus free translation. For example, “make hay while the sun shines (趁着晴天晒干草，莫失良机)”. The former half sentence, belonging to literal translation, successfully expresses the content and keeps the flavor of the original. However, the reader may not pay attention to the implication. Thus“莫失良机”freely translation is added. “A red rag to the bull” is translated as “对公牛摇晃一块红布，火上加油”. As not all the Chinese know the effect of a red rag to the bull, it is necessary to add the phrase“火上加油” to show the effect. The combination of the two strategies not only successfully keeps the vivid description and spirit of the original, but also smoothly and faithfully expresses its connotations, which makes it more interesting. Besides literal translation and free translation the two major strategies of English idioms translation, there are some supplements after linguists research for such a long time. Here I just list two kinds of the idioms translation methods. Different cultures may enjoy their commonness or similarities, whether in modern or ancient nations. Some of English and Chinese idioms are interchangeable, having the general same meanings, styles and even similar figure of speech. The two groups of idioms belonging to two different countries could be regarded as almost equivalent partners. Then we can adopt another strategy loan translation. For example, “strike while the iron is hot (趁热打铁)”, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder (情人眼里处西施)”, “old friends and old wine are