Abstract This paper is focused on the translation of idioms as an issue of cross-cultural significance. As cultural translation is drawing more and more concern from scholars who study translation, t this thesis narrows down the discussion to the cross-cultural strategies for the English translation of Chinese idioms, since idioms are like a mirror reflecting culture, but are relatively difficult to be rendered into another language.55812
The thesis can be pided into three sections: the first section concerns translation theory, with the focus on Eugene Nida. The second section has four parts that explore from different perspectives the reasons why cultural differences brings difficulties in translation. The last section presents four methods of translation: literal translation, free translation, annotation, replacement, and in what circumstances the appropriate method is adopted. The last section is the main body of this article, merging translation with culture with examples to show the important role culture plays in the translation of Chinese idioms.
Keywords: translation of idioms; cross-cultural difference; translation strategy.
摘要随着全球化的进程的加速,翻译的要求越来越严格。更多的研究专注于翻译的精确性。很多研究着就对语言的翻译不仅仅对字面意思的翻译,而更多的是文化的一种转换达成共识。
对翻译的研究日新月异,很多的学者逐渐致力于将翻译做到最符合原语境,因此翻译的策略尤为重要。而习语又像一面镜子反映着文化。于是本文将翻译这个宽泛的题目缩小为“论汉语习语英译的策略”。
本文的主体部分主要从三个部分来研究文化对汉语习语英译的影响,第一部分,主要是与文化相关的翻译理论,侧重讲的是奈达理论。第二部分有四个组成部分,分别从各个角度研究由于文化的差异而带来汉语习语英译复杂多变的原因。最后一部分,列举了几种翻译的方面,分别是,直译,意译,注释,替换,并且在什么样的情况下要使用相应的方法。后两个部分是本文的主要内容,将翻译与文化相结合,举出了很多例子,能更直观的看到在对汉语习语的翻译这个板块上文化起到的作用。
毕业论文关键词:习语翻译;跨文化;翻译策略
Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Literature Review 1
2.1 Culture-related Translation Theories 2
2.2 Other Views on Cross-cultural Translation 4
3. Cultural Differences in Translation 5
3.1 Geographic Environment 5
3.2 Customs 6
3.3 Religious Belief 6
3.4 Historical Anecdotes. 7
4. Strategies for English Translation of Chinese Idioms 7
4.1 Literal Translation 7
4.2 Free Translation 8
4.3 Annotation 9
4.4 Replacement 9
5. Conclusion 10
Works Cited 12
1. Introduction
Culture is the soul of a country, likes countless stars in the sky, always shining and sparking throughout the long history. Translation is for communication between cultures, this thesis will use Bates and Plog's as a definition that terms culture as “a system of shared beliefs, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of a society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning” (Samovar 36). Generally speaking, culture is “the totality of beliefs and practices of a society” (Nida 78).