My interest in English starts from grammar to poems, rhetorics, now to translation and intercutural communication.Looking back, I seem to be changing from an idealist to a materialist.In my reading or translation, I realize that to master a language, one will have to learn about the culture to better understand people from other countries.
Below is adapted from a paper I wrote in 2002, which shows the relationship between culture and idiom. However, I‘m not at all satisfied with my research results. It is only a start of my sparetime dip into different cultures.
ENGLISH IDIOMS: CULTURE AND TRANSLATION
--------------Wind Gu Sep. 2002
“Every language is part of a culture. As such, it cannot but serve and reflect culture needs.”(Hu Zhuanglin etc, 250). So, Idioms, as part of language are naturally indispensable to culture. English abounds in idioms which are characterized by their colorful and thought-provoking expressions, involving history, religion, social customs etc.
1. Introduction
In all, what are idioms? “Idioms consist of set phrases and short sentences” and “idioms are expressions that are not readily understandable from their literal meanings of individual elements.”(Zhang Weiyou, 174)
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines idioms as “ a fixed group of words with a special meaning which is different from the meanings of the individual words.”
“Most phrasal lexemes are idioms, especially a sequence of words which is semantically and often syntactically restricted.” (Hu Zhuanglin etc, 106)
However, my study shows that an idiom consists of at least two words, of which the structure is usually stable and the meaning is unpredictable from its formation, that is, its true meaning is different from its literal meaning. English idioms include phrasal verbs, colloquialisms, sayings, proverbs, etc.
As idioms are part of a particular language and are usually related to the culture of the language, they always pose problems to English learners in their comprehension, application and translation. Approaches to the comprehension and translation of English idioms, with native cultures, are urgently needed.
“A sufficient knowledge of the respective cultures and the subject matter is indispensable requisites for translators.” (Jin Di and Eugene A. Nida, 26)
2.Approaches to Translation
Though only Chinese translations are given here, these methods are also applicable to other target languages.
2.1 Metaphrase
Metaphrase, also called literal translation, it is a way by which the rhetoric, national and regional characteristics are kept in the target language. In this way, the meaning and form of the source language are unchanged. Sometimes, equivalent translation can be found, but mostly only similar ones.
Metaphrase is usually necessary in the following situations.
2.1.1 English Idioms have same meanings and culture messages as those in the target language.
Seeing is believing. 眼见为实，百闻不如一见
Turn a deaf ear 置若罔闻
Draw the curtain 落下帷幕
Pour oil on the flame 火上浇油
Facts speak louder than words. 事实胜于雄辩
Strike while the iron is hot. 趁热打铁
The above are not the only versions, and other expressions are always available.
Tom told John he had passed the test, but John said, “ Seeing is believing.”
My translation: 汤姆告诉约翰他通过了考试，但约翰说：“耳听为虚，眼见为实”。
I told him to quit smoking but he just turned a deaf ear to my words.
My translation: 我让他戒烟，但他根本不听。
Mother is in good mood now. Strike while the iron is hot and ask her to let you go to the cinema.
My translation: 母亲现在情绪很好，趁此机会求她让你去看电影。
2.1.2 English idioms share similar meanings but different culture messages and images with the target language.
It is quite often different languages have different images. In English, we say, “ as mute as a fish”, yet in Chinese we say, “噤若寒蝉 (as mute as a winter cicada)”. Fish and cicada have similar function in the above examples though they are not similar at all themselves. As far as “silence” is concerned, fish is a familiar image to English speakers, yet the Chinese tend to associate the sense with winter cicadas.
So familiar images of the target language are often used to replace those of the source language. “Like a drowned rat” means “ wet and miserable, soaked to the skin” in English. If it is translated word for word into “湿透如鼠”, it is understood but not be able to impress Chinese readers as strongly as “落汤鸡” (as wet as a drowned chicken).
More examples are as follows.
Love me, love my dog. 爱屋及乌。 ( in Chinese: Love one’s house, love the crows around the house).
Beat the dog before the lion. 杀鸡骇猴。 (in Chinese: Kill the chicken before the monkey).
He cries wine and sells vinegar. 挂羊头卖狗肉。 ( in Chinese: He cries mutton and sells meat of dog).
A new broom sweeps clean. 新官上任三把火。
( in Chinese : a newly appointed officer carries out new efficient policies).
However, the idioms are not restricted to only one translation version.
“One boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy” is often metaphrased as “一个和尚挑水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝”（One Buddhist monk carries water for himself; two Buddhist monks carries water together; three Buddhist monks carries no water for drinking）. Chinese readers receive familiar culture messages from the translation. But I think maybe it is better to preserve the original images and avoid cultural loss for this idiom and I would like to translate it into “一人做事尽力，两人做事合力，三人做事没力”, from which the Chinese readers can also be able to grasp the images and meanings.
