英汉动物习语比较及其翻译

Contents

Introduction………………………………………….….…………….1

Ⅰ. Comparison of Similarities and Differences in Meaning….2

1.1 Similarities in meaning………………………………………….2 1.2 Differences in meaning……………….......…………………….3

Ⅱ. The Reasons of the Differences Between Chinese and English Animal Idioms……………………………………………………….7

2.1 Different living surroundings and conventions …………………7 2.2 Different influence of religion…………………..……………8 2.3 Different influence of history ……………………...……………9 2.4 Different influence of mythology and fable ………....………….9

Ⅲ. Methods of Translating Animals Idioms ……....…………..10

3.1 Literal translation……………………………………....…. . .10 3.2 Free translation………………………………………….......…11 3.3 Image-shift translation……………………………………........12 3.4 Literal translation plus connotation………………………....13 3.5 Literal plus free translation…………………………………...13 Conclusion ………………… ……………………………………........15 Bibliography………………………………………………….……......16

Introduction

Every idiom derives from a certain social life and productive labor, only when we understand the source of idioms could we have a better understanding of the meaning of idioms, have a better ability to master the usage of idioms in order to express certain thoughts and feelings successfully.

Language is a cultural carrier. Different social backgrounds and national cultures have a great effect on the cultural connotations of vocabulary. Idiom is a fixed group of words or a single word, or even a sentence with a special meaning that cannot be guessed from the literal meaning of its components. It is the product of social custom, which is usually used to depict people’s attributes or characters vividly. It often strikes hard in mind the message that the speakers intend to convey. With the definition of idiom, we know that it is not easy to understand an idiom from its literal meaning. In order to learn idioms well, one cannot ignore the importance of the cultural meanings they contain.

Animals are friends of human beings. Along with the development and progress of human society, many animals were tamed to serve people, and many others have become people’s pets. Gradually animals have become part of people’s life. Languages of all nations contain a lot of words denoting animal, and so do Chinese and English. And animal idioms are closely connected with daily life, which reflects the natural phenomenon, social activity and values of human society. People associate their feelings and emotions, even happenings and natural phenomena with various animals, which are thought to represent different characters like people, or which serve as omens. Many animals have become a kind of symbolism in people’s thinking, and this symbolism is reflected in the language. However, because of different history and culture, the connotations of animal words in one language do not parallel with those in another.

Therefore, this article will analyze the different cultural connotations between English and Chinese through comparison and research from similarities and

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differences of animal idioms. Then it will probe the reasons that cause the differences. At last，it will give some translation methods of dealing with cultural differences. Therefore, we can not only better master and use the animal idioms accurately, but also understand the eastern and western cultures, promoting the cross-cultural communication and translation practice.

Ⅰ. A comparison of similarities and differences in meaning

1.1 Similarities in meaning

All humankind lives on the earth. They have similar environment, psychology, and cognitive ability; therefore, both Chinese and English people nearly have the same knowledge of animals. As a result, they have the same or similar association and give the same cultural connotation to animal words. The examples are following: (1) as sly as a fox 像狐狸一样狡猾 (2) as fat as a pig 肥得像猪 (3) as cruel as a wolf 像狼一样残忍 (4) as slow as snail 像蜗牛一样缓慢

Both Chinese and English think the fox stands for cunning, so when English people say “He is a fox”, Chinese people can understand the meaning of the sentence at the same time. To the native English speaker and Chinese people, the first characteristic of pig is fat. It also stands for laziness and stupidity. A “wolf” is one kind of fierce wild animal. Avariciousness and fierceness are its natural instincts. So we often hear some of the same expressions in English and in Chinese, such as “a wolf in a sheep’s clothing” or “cry wolf”. In addition, when “wolf” is used to refer to a person, it means “a man who always ready to make sexual advances to a woman”. Therefore, in English, there is an idiom “a wolf whistle”(调情口哨). In Chinese, there is also such an expression “色狼”。 These idioms are given the same cultural meaning from their characteristics, so that both English and Chinese can understand each other directly and easily in cross-cultural communication.

At the same time, with more and more communication, lots of foreign words

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come into both languages. We can find some idioms with even the same images and the same intonations, such as: (5) fish in troubled water 浑水摸鱼 (6) a dark horse 黑马

(7) a wolf in sheep’s clothing 披着羊皮的狼

1.2 Differences in meaning

1.2.1 Same animals with different meaning

The majority of animal words carry different connotations, because of their different natural environment, customs, and society systems. Besides, English history is influenced more by Egypt and Roman, while Chinese history is much more independent.

In western conrtries, people say “as happy/merry as a cricket”. “Cricket” in English is the symbol of happiness, as it is written in Shakespeare’s famous work “Henry IV”. But in China, it often gives people imagination of sadness and loneness, for it is used as a reflection of poor life of ancient peasants in “book of poetry”. The different associations of cricket reflect the distinguished cognition and aesthetic standards of both nations.

Another example to explain the difference is the whale. Whale is very big in size, and full of fat. Westerners pay their attention to its merits and profits. So whale for them implies great benefit. “A whale of chance” means a very good chance, “a whale on skating”, “a whale at tennis” means a person that is good at skating and tennis. However, what whale impresses Chinese is its great amount of eating that is hard to feed. It implies great difficulties, as “蚕食鲸吞”in Chinese has derogatory meaning. “Petrel” in Chinese culture is a bird that always struggles with storms bravely and fortitudinous. So most Chinese people respect it. However, in western culture, it is not so welcome, for “as stormy as petrel” depicts a person whose presence seems to attract trouble.

“magpie” in Chinese is a welcome bird, and it is named “喜鹊” that means

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