习语的分类与翻译

ClassificationandTranslationofIdioms习语的分类与翻译Eachlanguagecontainsmanyelementsderivedfromitsculture,suchasidiomsandotherfixedexpressions.First,itisnecessarytohaveaclearknowledgeofsomebasicconcepts.一、ABriefDiscussionofSeveralFundamentalConcepts1.1DefinitionofIdiomsEachlanguagehasmanyidioms.Idiomsarelinguisticchunks(语言模块)madeupoffixedexpressionsandsentences.Idiomsincludesetphrases,proverbs,allusions,commonsayingsorfolkadages(俗语),ect.Theyareknownas“熟语”inChinese.Themeaningofanidiomisnotclearfromthemeaningofitsindividualwords.Anidiommustbelearnedasawholeunit.Englishhasmanyidioms.E.g.giveway,achangeofheart,behardputtoit.Chinesealsoboastsplentyofidioms.E.g.“小题大做”(tomakeamountainoutofamolehill鼹丘)、“后来居上”、“朝秦暮楚”(serve等。theStateofQininthemorningandtheStateofChuintheevening—bequicktoswitchsides;befickle;beinconstant);“杯弓蛇影”(mistakingthereflectionofabowinthecupforasnake—besetwithimaginaryfears;extremelysuspicious);“杯水车薪”（tryingtoputoutablazingcartloadoffaggotswithacupofwater—anutterlyinadequatemeasure）Idiomsarebasedonpeople’scommonexperiencesinlife.Theyshinewithpeople’swisdomandtheyarecharacterizedbynationalcultures.Nowondersomepeoplesaythatidiomsarethecreamorthebestpartoflanguage.Translationisnotonlyaninter-lingualtransfer,butalsoacross-culturalcommunication.Beforewetalkabouttranslationofidioms,wethinkthatitisnecessarytodiscusstherelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.betweenlanguageandculture.1.2TheRelationshipBetweenLanguageandCultureCultureisthemediumevolvedbyhumanstosurvive.Nothinginhumanlifeisfreefromculturalinfluence.Itisthekeystoneincivilization’sarchandisthemediumthroughwhichalllife’seventsmustflow(Samovar&Porter,2000:22).Cultureisreallyanextremelywideandcomplexconcept.Themoderntechnicaldefinitionofculture,associallypatternedhumanthoughtandbehavior,wasoriginallyproposedbythe19thcen-turyBritishanthropologist,EdwardTylor(2005):“Culture…isthatcomplexwholewhichincludesknowledge,beliefs,arts,moral,law,customsandanyothercapa-bilitiesandhabitsacquiredbymanasamemberofsociety.”Thestrategiesfortranslationofidioms,includingculture-loadedexpressions,aretheliteraltrans-Thereisnostandarddefinitionofculture.InCiHai(《辞海》),thedefinitionofcul-tureis“inabroadsense,thesumtotalofmaterialandspiritualwealthcreatedbyhumanbeingsintheprocessofsocialde-velopment;narrowlyspeaking,itreferstosocialideologyandtheinstitutionandorg-anizationstructurecorrespondingtoit.”(“……从广义来说，指人类社会历史实践中所创造的物质财富和精神财富的总和。从狭义来说，指社会的意识形态，以及与之相应的制度和组织结构。”)“Languageistheprincipalmeanswhere-byweconductoursociallives.Whenitisusedincontextsofcommunication,itisboundupwithcultureinmultipleandcom-plexways”(Kramsch,2000:3).Atfirst,languageexpressesculturalre-ality.Thewordspeopleutternotonlyre-fertocommonexperienceandtheknow-ledgeabouttheworldthatpeopleshare,butalsoreflecttheirattitudesandbeliefs.Secondly,languageembodiesculturalrealitythroughverbalornon-verbalcom-munication.MembersofasocialgroupNotonlyexpressexperience;theyalsocreateexperiencethroughlanguage.TheygivemeaningtoitthroughthemediumTheychoosetocommunicatewithoneanother.Finally,languagesymbolizesculturalre-ality.Languageisasystemofsignsthatisseenashavingitselfaculturalvalue.Speakersidentifythemselvesandothersthroughtheiruseoflanguage;theyviewtheirlanguageasasymboloftheirsocialidentity.Theprohibitionofitsuseisoftenperceivedbyitsspeakersasarejectionoftheirsocialgroupandtheirculture.“Althoughalanguagemayberegardedasarelativelysmallpartofaculture,itisalsoindispensabletoboththefunctioningandperpetuationofculture.”“LanguageAndculturearetwointerdependentsymbolicsystems”(Nida,2001:139).Humanculturewithoutlanguageisun-thinkable.Withoutlanguage,therewouldNoculture.Languageisthekeystoneofculture.Withoutculture,languagewouldloseallitsmeaningsandvanishintheend.“Alanguageisapartofacultureandacultureisapartofalanguage,thetwoareintricatelyinterwovensothatonecannotseparatethetwowithoutlosingthesignificanceofeitherlanguageorculture”(Douglas,1980:16).1.3TheRelationshipBetweenCultureandTranslationTranslationisinitsessenceakindofInterculturalcommunicationandiscloselyrelatedtoculture.Translationandcultureshareaninterdependentrelationship.First,translationdefinitelyinvolvesculture.Inappliedlinguisticsandanthropology,acultureiscloselylinkedwithacertainlan-guageandmakesthislanguageculturally-loadedinamannerdifferentfromotherlanguages.Theintimaterelationshipbet-weenlanguageandculturedeterminesthatintheprocessoftranslation,cultureisanimportantpartneededtobedealtwith,andmoreattentionshouldbepaidtoculturalelements.Second,translationisameansoftrans-mittingcultureeversincenationsandlanguageshavebeenincontactwitheachother.Translationservesasabridgebetweendifferentcultures.Forinstance,manyEnglishexpressionshavefoundtheirwayintotheChineselanguage,whiletheChinesepeoplefeelnoforeignnessatall,fortheyhavebeenassimilatedintotheChineselanguage,suchas“Ivorytower”(象牙塔),“atrumpcard”(王牌),“honeymoon”(蜜月),“blue-print”(蓝图),“TheOpen-doorPolicy”(门户开放政策),etc.Third,translationpromotesculturalde-velopmentbyimportingforeignculturalnourishmentsandtransplantingtheout-