1、The Theory & Practice of Translation (II),词语的英译（IV）,汉语、成语、典故、俗语、谚语与歇后语英译 上述五类汉语词语英译，是汉语词语英译的一大难题。虽不乏共性，但各有特点。成语、典故基本上是书面语言，俗语、谚语和歇后语基本上是口头语言。,汉语成语、典故、俗语、谚语、歇后语等种类繁多，每一种类尚可细分。例如成语，有些是四字格式的，有些则不是；四字格成语的内部结构也极其复杂。汉语成语有的形成于历史典故或寓言，有的则不是。汉语典故，有的是历史典故，有的则源于寓言、神话或传说，少量甚至源于近现代事件。汉语谚语中相当一部分是农谚，与农业耕作、节气和气候有关，
2、也有源于其他生产和生活经验的。汉语的歇后语多源于生活，充满着生活气息，但有其固定格式，酷似谜语。汉语俗语，有时用于统称俗语、谚语和歇后语，有时用于指除谚语和歇后语之外的那一部分通俗但比较固定的词语。另外，成语、典故、俗语、谚语、歇后语中都有相当一部分利用谐音双关与歧义。如此种种，都需要采取不同的翻译策略予以处理。,翻译涉及的因素很多，既有语言层面的，也有文化层面的、时空层面的，还有译者与读者层面的，要翻译到没有斧凿之痕是很不容易的。因此翻译得是否到位，在很大程度上，是个是否尽了力的问题。从接受的角度看，翻译汉语成语、典故、俗语、谚语和歇后语，要尽量采用接受方读者喜闻乐见的形式，如果较多地采用异
3、化译法，使读者感到难以阅读与理解，就难以达到翻译的目的。另外，异化是一个循序渐进的过程，有赖于历史积淀，切忌急转直下。,汉语成语英译 现代汉语词典将汉语成语定义为“人们长期以来习用的、形式简洁而意义精辟的、定型的词组与短语。”辞海称之为“习用的固定词组”。,成语作为短语或词组在句中可担任一定成分，如主语、谓语（包括能愿合成谓语、判断合成谓语、兼语句谓语、连动句谓语等）、宾语（包括介词宾语）、定语、状语、补语和独立成分等，还可以分句的形式存在。但成语作为句子成分往往深埋在一定的层次中。从结构上看，成语可分为联合式、动宾式、主谓式、偏正式、连动式、兼语式、紧缩式等，如山盟海誓（联合式）、为所欲为（
4、动宾式）、盛气凌人（主谓式）、泰然自若（偏正式）、投笔从戎（连动式）、引狼入室（兼语式）和脍炙人口（紧缩式）。成语的意义涉及的面很广，涉及到生活、语言、文化、历史等各个层面。,英译汉语成语涉及语言、文化与时空，涉及这些因素的相互交叉，涉及对语言、文化、时空及其交互因素的跨越。一般说来，很难译出汉语成语的语言结构，只能译出意义，尤其难以做到既译出语言结构又译出意义。就是翻译意义，有时也往往难以兼顾本义与现在人们通常使用的意义，因为从本义到现在人们通常使用的意义有一个变迁过程，在变迁过程打下了时空的烙印。汉译英中的跨语言文化因素，又增加了翻译的难度。,如果既有本义又有现在人们通常使用的意义，我们先
5、译本义，再译现在人们通常使用的意义，翻译之后对该成语的结构、本义与现在人们通常使用的意义等用汉语简要地予以说明。翻译本义时往往采用字对字的翻译方法，翻译现在人们通常使用的意义时，更多地考虑英语的行文规范。这样做，或许能使读者了解一点汉语成语意义演变的概貌，进而从一个侧面窥视汉语的思维文化。这种翻译方法，通常称为意译。一般说来，直译很容易使读者茫然。另外，汉语成语英译多采用意译，是因为英汉两种语言的成语，很少具有对应性。我们有时将kill two birds with one stone译成一箭双雕，严格地说，是很勉强的，所以后来多倾向于译成一石二鸟。像这样直译成语，在某种意义上属于巧合。因此，
6、英译汉语成语时，我们很少选用具有一定对应性的英语成语。,见异思迁 见异思迁是连动结构，字面意义是见到了不同的东西就想丢掉原来的，换上那个不同的。主要用于描写人们容易改变主意，喜爱不够专一。 change ones mind upon seeing something new; be inconsistent in inclination,剜肉补疮 剜肉补疮为连动结构，剜肉的目的是为了补疮。字面意义是，某人生了疮，为治疗这个疮竟然将自己的好肉割下来补上因生疮而烂掉的那块坏肉。人们通常用它来比喻顾此失彼或只图一时之急,缺乏长远打算为了救眼前之急，竟然牺牲未来。 cut flesh to patch
7、 an ulcer; take short-term measures to do something which requires long-term measures to be taken; to pull through a light crisis or solve a problem at the expenses of the future,调虎离山 调虎离山是兼语结构，字面意义是，想办法引诱老虎使它离开它所生活的山，因而使其失去地理优势，以便战胜老虎。此成语多用于指称战争策略。战争中，一方占据地理优势，另一方为了改变这种局面，故意引诱它离开占据优势的地方，以便使其失去优势进而战
8、而胜之。 lure the tiger so that it will leave the mountain where it lives; lure somebody to leave his advantageous location so as to overwhelm him.,脍炙人口 脍炙人口中，脍是切成精细的小片的鱼肉或肉，炙是烤肉。脍炙人口为紧缩结构，字面意义是，好吃的东西人人都爱吃，多用于比喻好的诗文令大家赏心悦目。 sliced and roast meat is pleasant to everybodys taste; poems and pieces of prose
9、 are so excellent as to please every reader,不学无术 不学无术为联合结构，不学和无术间既可理解为并列关系，也可理解为因果关系。因此字面意义为，由于不学习而没有本领，也可以理解为，既没有学问也没有本领。用于他人多含贬义，用于自己多表自谦。 one is not skilled with anything due to the fact that he does not study well; be incompetent due to ones ignorance; incompetent and ignorant,触类旁通 触类旁通为连动结构，含有如
10、果触类了就可以旁通的因果意义，因此，本义是接触到某一类知识，就懂得了类似的或相关的知识。用时多用本义。 knowledge of an example enables one to understand the relevant category; comprehend something by analogy; understand things of a kind upon touching an example,汉语典故英译 现代汉语词典将典故定义为“诗文里引用的古书中的故事或词句”。辞海将典故定义为“诗文中引用的古代故事和有来历出处的词语”。应该说，典故多涉及古代故事或古人的诗词歌赋与
11、其他作品中的词句。,典故往往与成语一起合称成语典故，语法功能和结构与成语的语法功能和结构也基本相同。 典故既有本义也有转义，如果希望读者真正理解它的本义和转义，还得介绍典故的出处。翻译时，先翻译本义，再翻译现行的使用义，最后用增加注释的方法用英语简要地译介该典故的出处，但不是严格地将该典故的汉语部分译成英语，而是用比相应的汉语介绍更为简略的英语来介绍。,班女之才 典出后汉书.列女传，有关情节可大致简述如下。班女名班昭，班彪之妹。班彪编著汉书，剩下八表和天文志没有写完就去世了。班昭接替其兄，完成了他的未竟之业，她还是皇后与贵人的老师，被认为是极富才学的女性。班女之才多用于描写才高的女性。 (of
12、 a female) as capable as Ban Zhao; talented Note: Historic records have it that Ban N, whose name is Ban Zhao, the younger sister of Ban Biao, a historian famous for his monumental work of A History of the Han Dynasty. However, the historian died leaving the writing unfinished. Then Ban Zhao was ass
13、igned the task and completed the writing. For her talent, Ban Zhao was also appointed tutor for the empress and the emperors concubines.,董狐直笔 典出左传.宣公二年，有关情节可大致简述如下。春秋时晋灵公欲杀赵盾，赵盾逃亡。他的从弟赵穿起兵攻打晋灵公并在桃园将他杀死。史官董狐认为，此举是赵盾弑君，并不畏赵盾的权势，冒着生命危险将这件事载入了史册。后来多用此典比喻人们不为权者讳、不为贤者讳，在史册或其他书籍中，实事求是地记载或谈论他们的过失。 Dong Hu,
14、a historian in Spring and Autumn period, recorded historic facts as they were without any distortion to appease officials for their vanity; (in recording historic events) call a spade a spade as Dong Hu did Note: Historic records have it that during the Spring and Autumn period, when Duke Ling of Ji
15、n was going to kill Zhao Dun, who then escaped by running away, Zhao Duns distant brother Zhao Chuan took armed forces to attack the duke and killed him in a peach garden. Dong Hu, the historian, believed that it was an act of regicide on the part of Zhao Dun and recorded the act in history this way
16、 despite Zhao Duns overwhelming power that might threaten his life. The allusion is later used to refer to speaking frankly.,邯郸学步 典出庄子.秋水，有关情节可大致简述如下。古代燕国有一个少年看到邯郸人走路姿态很优美，就学他们的样子走路，结果没有学会，反而将自己原来的走路方法也忘了，只好爬着回去。后来用这个典故形容人们盲目地模仿他人，结果反而弄糟了。,To learn to walk as people of Handan do; in attempting to wa
17、lk like a swan， the crow loses its own gait.; slavishly imitate others and lose own originality; take a leaf out of another persons book Note: Legend has it that a youngster from the State of Yan saw that the Handans walk was very graceful and then tried to acquire the walking manner but only to fin
18、d that he did not learn anything at all and had forgotten how he originally walked. Therefore, he had to crawl all the way back home. The allusion is now used to ridicule those who imitate blindly.,孟母三迁 典出烈女传，有关情节可大致简述如下。为了孟子和其他孩子有一个良好的成长环境，孟母（孟子的母亲）三次搬家以避免不好的成长环境。后来人们常用此典褒奖那些教子有方的女性，有时也用以指好邻居。,The
19、mother of Mencius moved their home three times; moving ones home for the desired environment for the education of ones children Note: Tradition has it that Mrs Meng, mother of Mencius, moved her home three times for an ideal neighborhood for the education of her son Mencius and his brothers. The all
20、usion is now used to give praise to those who are good at educating their young.,相濡以沫 典出庄子.大宗师，有关意思可大简述如下。水干了，鱼被困于干地，亟需水来维持生命，于是相互吐沫以湿润对方。后来多用此典指在困境中相互救助，也指老年夫妻或一般夫妇相依为命。,To moisten each other with pit when water becomes dry; to help each other in the time of need; (of an aging couple or a couple in
21、 general) to help each other in their remaining life or life in general Note: Legend has it that when water became dry, fish were in difficulty on the dry land so that they pitted to moisten each other. The allusion is now used to mean help each other in the time of need though the helper is also in
22、volved in difficulty or to describe an aging couple who help each other in their remaining time or any couple who help each other in their life.,一饭千金 典出史记.淮阴侯列传，有关情节可大致简述如下。东汉开国功臣韩信年轻时穷困潦倒，经常在城边的河里钓鱼。有位漂纱的老夫人见到韩信饥饿就将自己的饭分给他吃，一连吃了几十天。韩信非常感激，离开那儿时他对漂母说，今后如果有出息，一定要用千金报答她。后来韩信帮助刘邦建立了帝业，被封为楚王。他招来这位漂母，赐给她
23、千金。后来多用此典说明人们知恩图报。,A meal in give, a thousand taels of gold in return; to cherish others kindness at heart and repay it Note: Historic records have it that when young, Han Xin was in poverty and often went fishing by the river near a town. He had no food to support himself and on seeing this, a yarn
24、 rinsing old lady gave him half of her own meal. She had done this for tens of days on end. Appreciative of her kindness, Han Xin said to the lady on his departure that if he could climb high, he would return her kindness by giving her a thousand taels of gold. Then Han Xin helped Liu Bang in utterl
25、y defeating Xiang Yu and establishing the Han Dynasty. For his contribution, Han Xin was appointed King of the Kingdom of Chu. Then calling the lady to his official mansion, Han Xin gave her a thousand taels of gold as he had promised. The allusion is now used to mean repaying others kindness.,张耳陈余
26、典出史记.张耳陈余列传，有关情节可大致简述如下。张耳陈余都是秦末汉初人，起初为刎颈之交，后来起兵反秦，因产生嫌隙，积怨日深，相互交恶，乃至兵戎相见。后来用此典指势利之交，不能永远。,Not devoted to each other throughout like Zhang Er and Chen Yu; disloyal friends Note: Historic records have it that Zhang Er and Chen Yu were great figures by the end of the Qin Dynasty or at the beginning of
27、 the Han Dynasty. At first, they were bosom friends and took armies to overthrow the Qin Dynasty. For reasons, discords developed between them and finally they became enemies and attacked each others by resorting to armed forces. The allusion is now used to refer to disloyal friends.,杞人忧天 groundless
28、 worry 绕梁三日 (of a song) so excellent as to let the audience feel it lingering for a long time 塞翁失马 a loss may turn out to be a blessing 闻鸡起舞 diligent and self-disciplined 煮豆燃萁 to do harm to ones own brothers or sisters,汉语俗语英译 现代汉语词典将俗语定义为，“通俗并广泛流行的定型的语句，简练而形象化，大多数是劳动人民创造出来的，反映人民的生活经验和愿望。”辞海将俗语定义为，“流
29、行于民间的通俗语句，带有一定的方言性。指谚语、俚语及口头上常用的成语等”。定义虽然下得很精辟，其实俗语与谚语是很难分开的。一般认为，谚语多与农业耕作和节气有关。,许多俗语只有字面意义，有些俗语有比喻意义。然而所有俗语都涉及中国文化，尤其是民俗文化。俗语翻译的困难主要也难在民俗文化的表达上。考虑到外国人理解俗语的字面意义有一定的困难，英译时，先翻译字面意义，再按照英语规范翻译其常用意义。,不看僧面看佛面 dont blame the monk for the Buddha sake; dont blame the inferior or the young for the sake of his
30、 superior or the old; forgive one person for anothers sake not for the monks sake, but for the Buddhas - (do sth. for a person) out of deference to sb. else; do sth. out of consideration for sb. else不怕官，只怕管 not afraid of an official but afraid of an administrator; it is not the official but the pers
31、on directly in charge that matters,不听老人言，吃苦在眼前 dont listen to your old people and you will suffer very soon; taking the advice for the old generation will save you from trouble or suffering不撞南墙不回头 he will not turn back until he bumps onto the southern wall; he will go ahead until blocked; he will go
32、 ahead until reaching the dead end,财大气粗 a wealthy man speaks louder; money talks不做亏心事，不怕鬼敲门if you dont commit any sin, you will not be afraid of the devil knocking at your door; an upright man isnt afraid of anything,差之毫厘，失之千里 an error the breadth of a single hair can lead you a thousand li astray;
33、a slightest error can lead to a greatest deviation; a slight carelessness can lead to a severe mistake.,成事不足，败事有余unable to accomplish anything but likely to spoil everything; impossible to achieve but possible to ruin,胜者为王，败者为寇 victorious, you will be a king, but defeated, you will be a bandit; vict
34、ory makes a king of the winner while defeat makes a bandit of the loser; whether you will be a king or a bandit depends on whether you can win or not,吃不了兜着走 if you cant eat it up, you have to take it away; get more than one has bargained for; you will have to take full responsibility if you are over
35、-engaged,痴心女子负心郎 a heart-devoted lady meets a heartless man; a heart-devoted lady but a heartless man,船到码头车到站a boat reaches its harbor and a bus its station; one who has completed his work will retire like a boat reaching its harbor or a bus reaching its station.,春雨贵如油 the spring rain is as dear as
36、vegetable oil; the spring rain is dearer than oil,聪明一世，糊涂一时intelligent for life but muddled for a moment; confused for the time being for that intelligent man,打狗要看主人面 when you are beating a dog, you have to take the owner into consideration; dont beat the dog for the owners sake; love me, love my do
37、g,打人休打脸，骂人休揭短in beating a person, dont slap his face, and in condemning a person, dont disclose his weakness; be careful with his dignity in criticizing a person; be careful with their dignity even in conflict with others,打是亲，骂是爱 beating is affection and abusing is love; superficial beating and abus
38、ing reveal profound affection and true love,打肿脸充胖子 pretending to be a fat man by slapping his own face swollen; pretending to be a wealthy man,大人不记小人过 man of high position dont care about the mistake of a person of lower position; man of dignity will certainly forgive a humble man; broad minded as y
39、ou are, you wont take my mistake into heart,大事化小，小事化了reducing great trouble to small, and small to nothing,汉语谚语英译 现代汉语词典将谚语定义为，“在群众中流传的固定语句，用简单通俗的话反映出深刻的道理”。辞海将谚语定义为，“熟语的一种。流行于民间的简练通俗而富有意义的语句，大多反映人民的生活和斗争的经验”。和俗语一样，谚语也是人民大众喜闻乐见的语言，体现着中国的民俗文化。许多谚语除了字面意义之外还有比喻意义。谚语的字面意义和比喻意义都不难翻译，难的是照字面意义和比喻意义翻译成英语了，英
40、语读者不一定好理解。翻译过程中，如果既有字面意义又有比喻意义，先翻译字面意义，再译比喻意义，以便英语读者对之有一个比较清晰的理解。当然，如果只有字面意义，一般仅提供一种译文。如果有通过翻译仍不好理解的，可适当地进行阐释性翻译。,不入虎穴，焉得虎子 if you dont enter the tigers lair, how can you catch the cubs?/You cant achieve the goal without a risk新来乍到，摸不着锅灶 a new comer isnt familiar with either pots or the kitchen rang
41、e; a new comer has to familiarize himself before starting work.,当家才知柴米贵，养儿才报父母恩 you wont have any idea of the high prices for rice and firewood before running a house, and you wont repay your parents until you have your own sons and daughters; experience teaches the young how to live实践出真知，斗争长才干 genu
42、ine knowledge comes from practice, struggle improves ones competence,看花容易绣花难 its easy to appreciate than to embroider; you wont know the difficulty until you are engaged in the work.事大事小，人到便了 whether it matters or not, your coming will drive the trouble out,初生牛犊不怕虎 a newborn calf isnt afraid of the
43、tiger; a youngster is a daredevil.吃一堑，长一智 a fall in pit, a gain in wit; Wisdom comes by suffering; the burnt child dreads fire; experience teaches,人不可貌相，海水不可斗量 dont judge a man by his appearance and dont measure the sea with a dou or bucket; he may be more capable than he looks; a man may have more
44、potential than you know.脑越用越灵，手越用越巧 thinking improves ones intelligence and working ones skills; working improves ones intelligence and skills.,老马识途 an old horse recognizes the way back; an old hand is a good guide生姜还是老的辣 old ginger proves more pungent; an old hand has more experience,无古不成今 any mode
45、rn time has a history; modern times are based on history 旧的不去，新的不来 if you wont discard the old article, how can you get the new one? discard the old article and youll have to get a new one,尺有所短，寸有所长 on some occasions, a chi, consisting of ten cun, might prove shorter while a cun, a tenth of a chi, m
46、ight prove longer; the stronger may have weakness while the weaker may have strength; the advantageous may have disadvantage while the disadvantageous may have advantage不怕一万，就怕万一 not afraid of ten thousands but afraid of a ten-thousandth; always prepared for the unexpected risk in a million doings;
47、take every care just in case.,有利必有弊 advantages are necessarily accompanied by disadvantages; There is not any advantage without disadvantage. 十个指头有长短，荷花出水有高低 out of the ten fingers, some are longer than others, and similarly, of lotus flowers, some are higher than others; differences are only too na
48、tural.,祸兮福所依，福兮祸所伏 misfortunes may promise fortunes while fortunes may promise misfortunes; fortune or misfortune may lead to the opposite.磨刀不误砍柴工 sharpening your knife wont waste your time for cutting your faggot; preparation may quicken the process.,汉语歇后语英译 现代汉语词典将歇后语定义为，“由两个部分组成的一句话，前一部分像谜面，后一部分像
49、谜底，通常只说前一部分，而本意在后一部分。”辞海将歇后语定义为，“熟语的一种。多为群众熟悉的诙谐而形象的语句。运用时可以隐去后文，以前文示意”。,对于不同的歇后语，在翻译过程中，应采取不同的处理方法。涉及谐音和歧义的，如果没有现成的谐音和歧义译文可资翻译之需，需增加注解；涉及典故的，也需增加注解。其他歇后语可以采取先翻译字面意义，后翻译常用意义或适当地予以阐释的方法予以处理。,门里出身 born into a family of a special linemore advantageous than others by 30 percent；a man with specialized tr
50、aining is stronger than others without such backgrounds.,强人三分,铁打的馒头 mantou made of ironone harder than another；they are like steamed bread made of iron, one is harder, more stubborn or determined than another火爆玉米 a blasted corn grainopened at heart or happy at heart; like a blasted corn grain with inside out, the person concerned is exhilarated.,
