毕业论文英文论中西方文化差异文档格式.docx

毕业论文英文论中西方文化差异文档格式.docx

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expressestheviewsongeographicalenvironment,backgroundofhistory,customsandreligionandbeliefandthensuggeststheprinciplesthatmaybeappliedinthetranslationofEnglishidiomsandalsoofferssomepointsforattention.

Keywords:

culturaldifferences;

idioms;

translationprinciples

英汉习语的文化差异与翻译

摘要

习语主要包括成语、谚语、歇后语、典故等，它是语言中较为重要而且不可或缺的一部分。

习语是一种特殊的语言单位，因为它具有结构稳定、语意连贯的特点；

而且习语善于运用多样化的修辞手法，从而具有了隐含的比喻意义。

习语是人类交际中的普遍现象，同时又是文化的重要组成部分。

它具有强烈的民族特色和本土的语言特征。

习语的产生、变异和发展都包含着丰富、复杂的文化信息。

因此，要准确的翻译习语，就要深入了解原语和目的语的文化背景。

正确把握英汉文化的差异，对于提高翻译质量大为有益。

本文论述了英汉习语在地理环境、历史背景、风俗习惯以及宗教信仰方面的差异，进而提出英语习语翻译中潜在的原则和注意事项。

关键词：

文化差异；

习语；

翻译；

原则

CulturalDifferencesofEnglishandChineseIdiomsandTheirTranslation

Thesisstatement:

Idiomisanimportant,peculiarandindispensablepartofalanguage.ThispapermainlydiscussestheimportanceofunderstandingtheculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseandsuggeststheprinciplesthatmaybeappliedinthetranslationofEnglishidiomsandalsoofferssomepointsforattention.

Outline:

.Introduction

.CulturaldifferencesbetweentheEasternandWesterncountries

.Geographicalenvironment

B.Historicalbackground

C.Custom

D.Religionandbelief

.TheprinciplesforthetranslationofEnglishidioms

A.Keepingtheculturalflavoroftheoriginalwork

B.Theimpliedmeaningandtheliteralmeaning

C.Thetranslationinconformitywiththecontext

D.Keepingthetranslationhigherquality

.SomepointsforattentioninthetranslationofEnglishidioms

A.Avoidingword-for-wordtranslation

B.Avoidingblindlysubstitutingculture-boundidioms

.Conclusion

Ⅰ.Introduction:

AccordingtoWebster’sNewWorldDictionaryoftheAmericanLanguage（secondcollegeedition,1972）,anidiomreferstoanacceptedphrase,construction,orexpressioncontrarytotheusualpatternsofthelanguageorhavingmeaningdifferentfromtheliteral.Thatis,anidiommustbewellestablishedandacceptedthroughcommonpracticeandanidiomusuallyhasanimpliedmeaning.Ingeneral,noelementsintheidiomcanbechangedwithoutdestroyingthesenseasawholeandalsoitcannotbeinterpretedonlyaccordingtoitsliteralmeaning.

Inabroadsense,Englishidiomsincludesetphrases,proverbs,sayings,colloquialisms,allusionsandslangs.Idiomsareimportant,peculiarandindispensablepartofalanguage.Theyarespeciallinguisticunits,fortheyaremainlycharacterizedbytheirstructuralstability,semanticunityandcontainvariouskindsofrhetoricaldevicesandthusacquireafigurativemeaning.Furthermore,beingheavilyloadedwithculturalelements,theybestreflectthecultureofanation.Consequently,theyhavebeendescribedastheessenceoflanguageandtheconcentratedculture.Anappropriateuseofthemwilladdtothestrengthandvividnessofourlanguage.Menofletters,inmodernorancienttimes,inChinaorEngland,allexcelinusingidioms.EnglishandChinese,aslanguages,bothhavealonghistory.Theycontainalargenumberofidiomswithdifferentflavors,whichofferhumanakindofbeautifulenjoyment,thatis,deservedbuthumorous,strictbutelegant,briefandtothepoint,vividandfullofbeautyandsignificance.EnglishandChineseidiomsconnectcloselywithculturaltraditionandcarrydifferentnationalculturalfeaturesanddifferentculturalinformation,becauseofdifferentgeographicalenvironments,historicalbackgrounds,customsandreligionbelievesandsoon.

AsAmericanphilosophyprofessorH.P.GricesaidinhisMeaningthatthemeaningoflanguecanbedividedintonaturalmeaningandnon-naturalmeaning,andthelattermeansthemeaninghumanintendtoexpress,thatis,theimpliedmeaningthecommunicatorintendtoexpressinparticularoccasions.ThisisthebaseofGrice’sconversationalimplication.AsaresultofthedifferencesoftheculturalbackgroundsofEnglishandChinese,thediscourseandarticlemayhavecompletelydifferentimpliedmeaning,whichareusuallytherightmeaningsthespeakerorauthorwantstoexpress.Ⅱ.CulturaldifferencesbetweentheEasternandwesterncountries

A.Geographicalenvironment

Peoplelivingindifferentgeographicalenvironmentshavedifferentgeographicalcultures.Peoplewholiveinacertainenvironmentforalonghistorywillhavetheirownculturaltraditionrelatedtotheiruniquelivingcondition.Thusvariedidiomsaregenerated.Differentplacesofthesamecountryevenhavedifferent,misunderstandingidiomsbecauseofdifferentgeographicalenvironments.Therefore,theidiomscollectedfromtheeasternandwesterncountriesarecertainlyhavingdifferentculturalimpliedmeanings.InChina,thedirectionsouthisoftenputinfrontofnorthwheninChinesesetphrases,suchas从南到北，南来北往，南辕北辙andsoon.However,inEnglish,“fromnorthtosouth”isusedtoexpressthesetphrase“从南到北”.Besides,Englandisanislandroundedbywateranditsnavigationonceledtheworld,whiletheChinesepeopleliveintheAsianContinent.Therefore,theremustbealargenumberofEnglishidiomsaboutwaterandshipbutChineseidiomsaboutland.Forexample,whilerepresentingsomeonewastingofmoney,wesay“spendmoneylikewater”inEnglish,butinChinesewesay“挥金如土”.Otherexamples,“asweakaswater（弱不禁风）”,“tomisstheboat（错失良机）”,“torestonone’soars（暂时歇一歇）”,“tokeepone’sheadabovewater（奋力图存）”,“allatsea（不知所措）”,etc.

IntheChineseculturalatmosphere,“eastwind”means“thewindofspring”,whichisusuallyusedtosymbolizethewarmofspring.Therefore,Chinesepeopleseemtohaveapreferenceforeastwind.ApoemofLanMaoinMingDynastysaid:

“东风破早梅，向暖一支开”.However,EnglandliesinthewesternHemisphere,beingoceanicclimateandthewestwindisalwaysthereporterofspring.OdetotheWestWind,apoemofBritishpoetShelley,istherightexampleofpraisingthespring.AnotherBritishpoetAlfredTennysonhadapoemaboutwestwind,thatis:

Sweetandlow,sweetandlow./

Windofthewestsea,/

Low,low,breatheandblow,/

Windofthewesternsea!

SummerinChinaisoftenlinkedwithheatandhot,butinBritain,thisseasonisquitecomfortableandisoftenrelatedtowordslikecute,softandwonderful.InoneofShakespeare’ssonnethecomparedhisbelovedtosummer:

“ShallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday?

/Thouartmorelovelyandmoretemperate.”

B.Historicalbackground

TherearealargenumberofEnglishandChineseidiomsformedfromhistoricalallusions.Theyhavesimplestructuresbutprofoundmeanings,thusit’simpossibletounderstandortranslatethemjustfromtheirliteralmeanings.InChinesetherearemanyidiomsformedinthisway,suchas,“东施效颦”,“名落孙山叶公好龙”,“守株待兔”，“三十六计走为上”,etc.Herewetake“东施效颦”forexample,it’seasyforChinesepeopletounderstanditsculturalconnotation,whileasforaforeignerknowinglittleaboutChinesehistoricalculturewouldbepuzzledonseeingtheliteraltranslation“TungShihimitatesHsiShih”,becausetheconnotationoftheoriginalallusionhasbeenlost.Therefore,inordertomakethisChineseallusionunderstoodbytheforeigner,itcanbetranslatedbyaddinganote:

“HsiShihwasafamousbeautyintheancientkingdomofYueh.TungShihwasanuglygirlwhotriedtoimitateherway.”

InEnglishtherearealsosomeidiomswithhistoricalculturalbackground,forexample,“Homersometimesnods”,whichisusuallytranslatedintoChineseas“智者千虑，必有一失”,insteadof“荷马有时也打瞌睡”.Ifnot,manypeoplemaybepuzzledbecausetheycannotimagethereasonwhyHomer,theancientGreekpoet,awisdommanislinkedwithsleepynods.Similarexamples,“Pandora’sBox灾难的根源”,“Achilles’heels某人唯一的致命弱点”,“Hamlet优柔寡断的代名词”,“paintthelily画蛇添足，多此一举”,“meetone’sWaterloo一败涂地”,“Penelope’sweb永远完不成的工作”..

C.Customs

Languagecomesfromlife.Therefore,toalargeextent,customsrestricttheexpressionsystemoflanguage.Asfortheattitudetowardssomeanimals,theculturalconnotationsofChineseandBritishpeopleareabsolutelydifferent.Heretakedogforexample,inChinesedogsaregenerallyassociatedwithunpleasantnessanddogsarekeptbecausetheyareuseful,notbecausetheymakegoodcompanions.Generally,theyareconsideredanecessaryevil,tobetoleratedbutnotloved.SotheChineseidiomsaboutdogsarealmostderogatory,suchas,狗腿子，狼心狗肺，狗急跳墙，狗仗人势，狐朋狗友,etc.However,dogsareconsideredasmen’sbestfriendsinwesterncountries.MostEnglishidiomsaboutdogsarecommendatoryandtheyareusuallyusedtorepresentpeople’sbehavior,forexample,“Youarealuckydog.（你是一个幸运儿）”，“Everydoghashisday.（凡人皆有得意日）”，“Olddogwillnotlearnnewtricks（老人学不了新东西）”，“Loveme,lovemydog（爱屋及乌）”，“acleverdo