The Translation of English and Chinese Idioms from the Viewpoint of Cultural Differences 浅析英汉谚语的文化差 15页

OUTLINEAbstractKeyWordsI.IntroductionII.CulturalDifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseIdioms2.1.TheDefinitionofCulture2.2.CulturalDifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseIdioms2.2.1.DifferencesinGeographicalConditions2.2.2.DifferencesinLivingEnvironment2.2.3.DifferencesinReligiousBeliefs2.2.4.DifferencesinSocialCustoms2.2.5.DifferencesinHistoricalandLiteraryAllusionsIII.IdiomTranslation3.1.CriteriaofTranslation3.2.TranslatingStrategies3.2.1.Foreignization3.2.2.Domestication3.2.3.CombinationofForeignizationandDomesticationIV.ConclusionBibliography中文标题、摘要、关键词15 TheTranslationofEnglishandChineseIdiomsfromtheViewpointofCulturalDifferences浅析英汉谚语的文化差异及其翻译摘要:习语是语言的精华，文化的积淀，它短小精干、寓意丰富、生动形象。由于不同国家有着不同的文化，英汉谚语都有其自己的文化特点。论文将从五个不同的文化侧面入手分析中英文化的差异。谚语的翻译不仅是语言的转化也是文化的传袭，因而谚语的理解与翻译也变得日益重要。为此，论文将重点介绍两种翻译策略及其在谚语翻译中的应用。关键字：谚语；文化差异；归化；异化；融合Abstract:Idiomsaretheessenceoflanguageandthecarrierofculture.Theyareconciseinforms,richinmeaningsandvividinimages.Asdifferentnationshavedifferentcultures,bothEnglishandChineseidiomshavetheirownculturalcharacteristics.So,thisessayanalysestheculturedifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseidiomsfromfivedifferentaspects.Andthetranslationofidiomsinvolvesnotonlythetransferoflanguagebutalsothetransmissionofculture.Onthebasisofthisfeature,thisessaydiscussestwomajortranslatingstrategiesthatareavailableinidiomtranslation.KeyWords:idioms;culturaldifferences;foreignization;domestication;combinationI.IntroductionIdiomsareaparticularpartofalanguage;theyareusuallyhighlyconcentratedonmeaningcloselyrelatedtodistinctiveculturalfeaturesandculturalattitudes.Idioms,whichformanessentialpartofthegeneralvocabularyofalanguage,canbecalledthecreamofthelanguage.Webster’snewworldDictionaryoftheAmericanLanguage,2ndcollege15 edition(1972),definesidiomas“anacceptedphrase,constructionorexpressioncontrarytotheusualpatternsofthelanguageorhavingameaningdifferentfromthelanguageorhavingmeaningdifferentfromtheliteral”.AccordingtothelatestWebster’sNewWorldCollegeDictionary,3rdEdition(1995),“idiomisaphrase,constructionorexpressionthatisrecognizedasaunitintheusageofagivenlanguageandeitherdiffersfromtheusualsyntacticpatternsorhasameaningthatdiffersfromtheliteralmeaningofitspartstakentogether”.Thesedefinitionsshowthatidiomsareanumberofwordswhich,puttogether,meansomethingdifferentfromtheindividualwordsoftheidiomswhentheystandalone.Theyareusuallymetaphoricalratherthanliteral.Sothemeaningof“todrawablank”hasnothingtodowiththemeaningsoftheseparatewords;itmeans“tofailtodiscoverorfindoutaboutsomethingaftersearchinghardandaskingmanyquestions,asin“Ilostmycoatyesterday,andhavelookedforiteverywhere,butsofarI’vedrawnablank”,“toraincatsanddogs”doesn’tmeancatsanddogsarecaughtintherain.Instead,itmeans“torainveryheavily,asin“Itrainedcatsanddogsallday,wehadtostayindoors.”Besides,theyaresyntacticallystableandsemanticallyunited,i.e.theyarepeculiaringrammaticalstructuresandcollocations.Thewordsinidiomaticexpressionscannot,asarule,replacedbysynonymouswords,orputinadifferentorder,withoutaffectingordestroyingthemeaning.Tosumup,anidiommaybedefinedasagroupofwordswithaspecialmeaningdifferentfromthemeaningsofafreephrase.Theterm“Englishidioms”inthisthesisisusedinitbroadsense,i.e.Itreferstosetphrases,colloquialisms,proverbsandslangexpressions.WhereasChineseidiomscanberoughlydividedintosetphrases,commonsayings,proverbs,two-partallegoricalsayings.Idiomsarethecrystallizationofhumancollectivewisdomandalsothecreamofallkindsoflanguagesintheworld,andtheyarebeautifulgemsofalanguageaswellaskernelsofnationalculture.“Idiomsusuallycarrymoreimpactthannon-idiomaticexpressionsbecauseoftheiridentificationwithaparticularlanguageandculture.”(Nida,E.A,2001:28)Andidiomstranslation,whichactsasabridgebetweendifferentlanguagesandcultures,contributessignificantlytocross-culturalcommunication.Iftheyaretranslatedappropriately,theoriginalspiritbefaithfullyconveyed,clearlyunderstoodanduniversallyacceptedbytheTLreaders.Thereforeitisasignificantproblemtodealwith“loyalty”inidiomtranslation.Duringtheprocessoftranslation,translatorsalwayshaveto15 makeachoiceofwhichtranslationstrategyshouldbeadoptedtodealwiththedifferences.Domesticationandforeignizationaretwomajortranslationstrategies.Thisthesismakesanattempttodiscussthetwostrategiesandtheirapplication.II.CulturaldifferencesBetweenEnglishandChineseidioms2.1.TheDefinitionofCultureCultureisalargeandextremelycomplexconcept.Hundredsofdefinitionshavebeensuggestedforculture.Amongthesedefinitions,whathasbeensaidtobethefirstimportantanthropologicaldefinitionofcultureisprovidedbyE.B.Tylorinhisprimitiveculture(1871).Hedefinescultureasacomplexwholewhichincludesknowledge,belief,art,morals,customandothercapabilitiesandhabitsacquiredbymanasamemberofsociety(刘宓庆,2005:27).Sofar,thisdefinitionhasbeenoneoftheclassicalones.Besides,therearesomeotherdefinitionsbyscholarsathomeandabroadasfollows:AccordingtoNewmark(2001:94),culturereferstothewayoflifeanditsmanifestationsthatarepeculiartoacommunitythatusesaparticularlanguageasitsmeansofexpression.ChinesescholarKePing(1999:75)statesinhisarticlethatmostanthropologistsagreeonthefollowingfeaturesofculture:1)Cultureissociallyacquiredinsteadofbeingbiologicallytransmitted.2)Cultureissharedamongthemembersofacommunityinsteadofbeinguniquetoanyindividual.3)Cultureissymbolic.Symbolizingmeansassigningtoentitiesandeventsmeaningswhichareexternaltothemandnotabletobegraspedbythemselves.Languageisthemosttypicalsymbolicsystemwithinculture.4)Cultureisintegrated.Eachaspectofcultureistiedwiththeotheraspects(郭建中,2000:142-143).Initsbroadsense,cultureconsistsofallthesharedproductsofhumansociety,whichmeansnotonlysuchmaterialthingsascities,organizationsandschools,butalsonon-materialthingssuchasideas,customs,familypatterns,andlanguage.Inaword,“Cultureiseverythingandeverywhere”,“Cultureplaysadominantsroleinourlives”(Samovar,2000:34).2.2.CulturalDifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseIdiomsDifferentlanguagesreflectdifferentculturesanddifferentculturesentaildifferentlanguageexpressions.Inthispart,acomparativestudyofculturaldifferencescarried15 respectivelybyChineseandEnglishidiomsistobemadeinaspectssuchasgeographicalconditions,livingenvironment,religiousbeliefs,socialcustoms,historicalandliteraryallusionsandsoon.2.2.1.DifferencesingeographicalConditionsThedifferentgeographicalconditionsineachcountryhavealsoplayedanimportantroleindeterminingnationalcharacteristicsofidioms.Anation’sgeographicalconditionisaframeworkinwhichalanguageandculturedevelop.Thegeographicalfeaturesofanationareinevitablyreflectedinthenationallanguageingeneralandidiomsinparticular.Forexample,theChineseidiom“不到黄河心不死”(nottostopuntilonereachestheYellowRiver--refusetogiveupuntilallhopeisgone)isapparentlyrelatedtotheYellowRiver,thesecondlongestriverinChinaandthecradleofChinesecivilization;theidiom“泰山压顶不弯腰”(Donotbendone’sheadevenifMountTaitopplesonone--nottogiveintoanypressureordifficulty)isrelatedtoMountTai,alargemountaininChinaandasymbolofgreatweightorimportance.PlacenamescanalsobefoundinEnglishidioms.Herearesomeexamples:coalstoNewcastle多此一举shootNiagara孤注一掷takeFrenchleave不辞而别Fromabove,thedifferencesingeographicalofthetwopeoplesareresponsibleforthedifferentculturalvaluesembodiedintheidiomsofthetwolanguages.2.2.2.DifferencesinLivingEnvironmentIntheotherhand,fordifferentgeographicallocation,theEnglishpeopleandtheChinesepeopleliveinquitedifferentenvironment,whichleadtodifferentlifestylesofthepeople.TheEnglishnationisanomadicnationanditslivesarelargelydependentonlivestockhusbandry,fisheryornavigation.ThereisnodoubtthatplentyofEnglishidiomsareontheseaspects.Forexample:AfamineinEnglandbeginsatthehorse-manger英国的饥荒始于马槽Thebestfishswimnearthebottom好鱼翔水底However,Chinaistraditionallyafarmingcountrysinceancienttimesandthereforemanyidiomsarefromfarmersandareaboutthem,suchas:七十二行，庄稼人头一行地不翻，苗不欢15 边收边耕，野草不生Ontheotherhand,ChinaliesintheEasternHemispherewhileEnglandislocatedintheWesternHemisphere,andthereforeChinaandEnglandhavecompletelydifferentclimates.InChina,eastwindblowsinspringandisconsideredtobeawarmanddampone;however,inEnglanditblowsinwinterandisconsideredtobeacoldandwetone,justtheoppositeillustrationoftwosituationofChina.Thefollowingexamplesareprovedtobethedifferentclimates.Awestwindandhonestmangotobedtogether春风不刮，草芽不发Whenthewindisinthewest,theweatherisatthebest等闲识得东风面，万紫千红总是春Allinall,theidiomsabovehaveshowntheirdifferentfeaturesaboutthelifestyleofpeopleandtheclimates.Fromtheidioms,wecanseethattheChinesepeopleliveonagricultureandtheEnglishpeoplemainlydependentonfisheryandtheocean.2.2.3.DifferencesinReligiousBeliefsReligionexistsineverycountryandnation.Anditasaculturalphenomenonandthemanifestationofdifferentculturesisthevitalpartofhumanthoughts.Differentnationsusuallybelieveindifferentreligions.Thusidiomsofdiversenationssurelyexpressvariousreligiousbeliefs.InChineseandEnglishlanguage,thereexistalotofidiomsrelatedtoreligiousbeliefs.InChina,Confucianism,Buddhism.Taoismhasbeenspreadoveronethousandyears,theyexertinfluenceonChineseculturepsychologydeeplyandtheBuddhistculturehasbeenmeltintothedailylifeoftheChineseforalongtime.Asaresult,itisverycommonthatquiteanumberofChinesebelieveBuddhism.Forthisreason,manyChineseidiomsconcernaboutBuddhism,suchas:放下屠刀，立地成佛dropone’scleaverandbecomeaBuddha-achievesalvationassoonasonegivesupevil做一天和尚撞一天钟goontollingthebellaslongasoneisamonk-takeapassiveattitudetowardsone’sworkWiththeeverdominationofChristianity,theBiblebecamepopularoverthewesterncountries.ItisnotonlythedoctrineofChristianity,butalsoabookofgreatliterarymeritbookthatrecordsthesourceofwesterncultureinrich,polishedandoriginallanguage15 EnglandisaChristiancountrywithalonghistory.AndChristianasthemainbeliefofEnglishmanhasalreadytakenrootsintheirlivesforages.Accordingly,thereareagreatnumberofEnglishidiomsinvolvingChristianandtheholybookofChristian--theBible.Suchas:Godiswherehewas上帝无处不在Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves天助自助者Eachforhimselfandthedeviltakethehindmost人各为己，迟者遭殃FromtheidiomsabovebothfromEnglishandChinese,wecanseethatreligionisanintegratedpartofculture,andthatthedifferentreligionpeoplebelievemakesoneculturesodistinctiveandcolorfulfromtheother.2.2.4.DifferencesinSocialCustomsLanguagereflectspeople’slifeanditcomesfrompeople’slife.Livingcustomsgreatlyinfluenceandrestrictthesystemoflanguageexpressions.Everylanguageischaracterizedbyitsbrandsofdifferentsocialcustoms.TheChineseidiom“萝卜白菜，各有所爱”(Differentpeoplehavedifferenttastes,somelikeradishandsomelikecabbage)isusedtodescribethatpeoplevaryintheirpreferencetocertainobjectsorideas.ThisexpressionisveryvividinthemindsofChinesepeoplebecause“radish”and“cabbage”aretwoverycommonvegetablesinChinaandthey,whenusedintheidiom,representthedifferenttastesoropinionsofpeople.However,thesameimagesarenotverylikelytoproducethesameexpressiveeffectsinthemindsofBritishpeople.Intransmittingthesamemessage,theyprobablyusetwootherdifferentimages“apple”and“onion”.Theywouldsay,“Differentpeoplehavedifferentopinions,somelikeapplesandsomelikeonions”(有人爱吃苹果，有人喜食洋葱).“Apples”and“onions”aretwokindsofcommonfoodinBritainandthechoiceof“apples”or“onions”representpeople’sdifferenttastes.Whenusedinthisidiom,theyservetoexpressthatdifferentpeoplepreferdifferenttastesorideas.Onemoreexampleistheidiom“Unkissed,unkind”(不接吻，不友善),whichreflectstheWesterncustomofkissingeachotherasfriendlygreetings.WhileinChina,ifapersondoessowhengreetinganother,hemightbemisunderstood.Thoughthetraditionof“男女授受不亲”(Grown-upsofdifferentsexesarenotexpectedtotoucheachother’shands)isobviouslyalittlebitout-dated,Chinainthemodernageisstillacountrythatdoesnottakekissingasawidelyacceptedcustomofgreetings.KissingeachotherinChinainthe15 modernageisstillsomethingparentsdototheiryoungchildrenorloversdoinarelativelyprivateplace.Thisisadistinctivefeatureshowingthedifferencesbetweentheexpressionsofonelanguageandthoseofanotherandisalsothetypicalexampleoftheso-called“exoticflavors”.2.2.5.DifferencesinHistoricalandLiteraryAllusionsInthelonghistoryofthedevelopmentofeverynation,alargenumberoflegendsandmythswerecreatedandmanyallusionsbasedonthemwereproduced.Therearealsomanyallusionsfromtheclassicalliteraryworksofeverynation.Allusionsfromhistoricaleventsandclassicalliteraryworksendowidiomswithspecialnationalculturalbrandsandpresentavividpictureofsociety.SpeechandwritinginbothEnglishandChineseaboundwithallusions.InChinese,manyallusionsaredrawnfromliteraryworks.Forexample:智多星Zhiduoxing,thenicknameforWuYong,theresourcefulstrategistofthepeasantarmyinWaterMargin-mastermind.万事俱备，只欠东风Everythingisready,andallthat’sneededisaneastwind:allisreadyexceptwhatiscrucial.China’shistory,withover2,000yearsofitwellrecorded,hasalsoprovidedsomeallusionssuchas:名落孙山TofallbehindSunShan,thelastonthelistofsuccessfulcandidates-tofailinaparticularcompetition.完璧归赵ReturnthejadeintacttotheStateofZhao-returnsomethingtoitsownerinperfectcondition.ManyEnglishallusionsinvolveeventsorcharactersfromthetreasurehouseofEnglishliterature,especiallyfromShakespeare’sworks.Forexample:“that’sallGreektome”.(我对此一窍不通)OtheridiomsalludingtomythologythathavebecomecommonplaceintheEnglishlanguageinclude:Achilles’heel唯一致命弱点(theweekorvulnerablepointofaperson,anorganization,acountry,etc)Pandora’sbox潘朵拉之盒一灾难、麻烦、祸害的根源(apresentorsomethingwhichseemsvaluablebutbringstroubleandmisfortune)Inbrief,bothChinaandtheWesternworldhavetheirdiversehistoriesandliterary15 workswhicharevividlyreflectedintheiridioms.Wheneverthetranslatortranslatesidioms,itishelpfultolookintothehistoriesandliteraryworks,andthentakethepropertranslationstrategy.III.IdiomTranslation3.1.CriteriaofTranslationBeforeourexplorationofthequestion,itmustbeclearthatnoindependentprinciplesofidiomtranslationexistandtheprinciplesofidiomtranslationaremerelythebreakdownofgeneraltranslationprinciplesinthecontextofidiomtranslation.Intermstheprinciplesofidiomtranslation,wethinkthat:truthismainlyconnectedwiththemeaning(ortheproposition)oftheoriginalidiom;beautywiththeformofit;kindnessthefunctioni.e.tomakeoutsideworldprogressinamorepeacefulandenjoyableway.Whendoingidiomtranslation,weshoulda.Bearinmindthefactthatweareseekingfactsintheoriginalidiomwhicharerepetitiveandalwaysholdtrue.b.Retainthesoundeffectandlayoutoftheoriginalidiomwhichareagreeabletoearsandeyes.Itshouldbeborneinthetranslator’smindthatheisworkingaswellasentertainingthetargetreaderssincelanguage,themostingeniouscreationofhuman,hastheverypotentialtomeetinghuman’sneedofentertainment.c.Keeptheimagesoftheoriginalidiomaslongastheyarenotinconflictwiththetargetculture.Translationisaprocessofknowingnewthings.Thefactofmatteristhatwedooftenthinkbyimageandimagescouldcertainlyenhanceourunderstandingofthingsandeventsinaveryconvenientandsuccessfulway.d.Employthedecisivetonetorealizethefunctionofidiomsi.e.instruction.Instructionisthestartingpointandthefinishinglineofidiomtranslation.e.Aimtocreatesortofhybridlanguagewhichcouldhelpusknowtheworldinasuccessfulandmoreenjoyableway.3.2.TranslatingStrategiesIndealingwiththeculturalfactorsintheprocessoftranslating,twofundamentalstrategies-domesticationandforeignizationcapturesscholars’attentionintherecentdevelopmentoftranslationstudies.3.2.1.Foreignization15 Foreignizationdesignatesthetypeoftranslationinwhichatargettext“deliberatelybreakstargetconventionsbyretainingsomethingoftheforeignnessoftheoriginal(Shuttleworth&Cowie,1997:59).Venuti,anItalianAmericantranslationtheorist,definesforeignizationas“anethno-deviantpressureonthosevaluestoregisterthelinguisticandculturaldifferenceoftheforeigntext,sendingthereadersabroad”,anddomesticationas“anethnocentricreductionoftheforeigntexttotarget-languageculturalvaluesbringingtheauthorofthesourcelanguageintothetargetlanguageculture”(Venuti,1995:20).Allmembersofhumansocietyshareprimaryattributesofperceptionandresponsewhicharemanifestinspeechutterancesandwhichcanthereforebegraspedandtranslated.Mostidiomssharethesimilaritiesinmentalprocesses,semanticresponses,rangeofculturalexperience,andcapacityforadjustmenttothebehavioralpatternsofothersbetweenthetwonations.Underfollowingconditions,foreignizationismorelikelyappliedtoidiomtranslation.a.WhenwhattheculturalimagesinidiomsimplyisforeigntoTLreadersbutcouldbecomprehendedinTLcommunity,foreignizationshouldbeadoptedintranslation.Foreignizationcouldbeusedtotransmittheculturalcoloroftheoriginalidiomswithoutdifficulty.Forexample,ifwetranslatetheChineseidiom“萝卜白菜，各有所爱”into“Peoplehavedifferenttastes,somelikeapplesandsomelikeonions.”,culturallossmayoccur.ThisversionisobviouslypossibletomisleadEnglishreaderstothinkthatpeopleinChinaalsotake“appleandonion”asseriouslyastheyare.AbettertranslationoftheChineseidiomwouldbe“Peoplehavedifferenttastes,somelikeradishandsomelikecabbage.”Similarly,theculturespecialtiesofidiomsarepresentedthroughtheforeignizingtranslation,butarehiddenbythedomesticatingtranslationinthefollowingexamples.Comparethetranslatedtextsindifferenttranslationapproach.(1)Praiseisnotpudding:赞美不能当布丁吃(foreignization)赞美不能当饭吃(domestication)(2)Assignificantasagameofcricket:和板球一样重要(foreignization)和吃饭一样重要(domestication)b.Whentheculturalimagesinidiomsreflectanation’spreferencetocertainexpression15 habitsbutposelittleornodifficultytothecomprehensionoftheTLreceptors,foreignizationisbetterthandomestication.ThereisanEnglishidiom“Betterbetheheadofadogthanthetailofalion.”TheconnotativemeaningoftheidiomissimilartothatoftheChineseidiom“宁为鸡头，勿为凤尾”.However,peopleinthetwodifferentculturescanshareacommonunderstanding.Itisauniversalacknowledgementthat“lion”and“phoenix”represent“nobleness”or“highersocialposition”and“dog”and“cock”indicate“humbleness”or“lowersocialposition”.So,translatingtheEnglishidiominto“宁当狗头，不当狮尾”isbetterthan“宁为鸡头，勿为凤尾”.TheforeignizingstrategynotonlytransmitstheconnotativemeaningbutalsointroducesanewexpressionintoChinese.Likewise:InBritain,peoplesay“Ineverycountrydogsbite”,whileinChina,wesay“天下鸟鸦一般黑”(Allcrowsunderthesunareblack.).Actuallythesetwoidiomsexpressthesimilarconnotativemeaningswithdifferentculturalimages.Itisthedifferentimagesusedintheidiomsthatshowustheirdifferentpreferences.c.WhenthereligioustermsinidiomshavenocorrespondingtermsintheTLculture,foreignizationshouldbeemployed.Forexample,theChineseidioms“谋事在人，成事在天”.“天”isatermwithculturalconnotations,reflectingculturalcolorofBuddhism.Theforeignizedtranslationis“Manproposes,Heavendisposes”whilethedomesticatedtranslationis“Manproposes,Goddisposes”.Thereplacementof“Heaven”with“God”,whichcomesfromChristianity,completelychangedtheculturalconnotationsofthesourcelanguageimage.Thesecondversionistarget-language-culture-orientedandtheculturaldifferencebetweentheimage“天”inChineseandtheimage“God”inEnglishiscompletelyignored.TomaintaintheculturalimagesintheiroriginalformswouldbeawiserchoicethoughitmaycausesometemporaryunderstandingdifficultiestotheTLreaders.d.WhentheculturalimagesinidiomsimplyaneutralsenseintheSTbutmaybecomederogatoryinsenseifdomesticatedintotheTLculturalimagesorviseversa,theyshouldbetranslatedinforeignizingstrategy.Thereisanexample.“Aleopardcannotchangeitsspots”cannotbereplacedby“狗改不了吃屎”becausetheChineseidiomcontainsaverystrongderogatorysensewhiletheEnglishonedoesnot.Theversion“Adogreturnstohisvomits”isamorefaithful15 translationwithitsaccurateinterpretationofboththesemanticmeaningandtheculturalconnotationsoftheoriginalone.e.Whenidiomsexpressuniquecustoms,beliefs,valuesandaestheticperspectivesoftheSLculture,foreignizationseemstobeabetterchoice.Forexample,theEnglishidiom“Unkissed,unkind”expressesthespecialcustomforwesternpeopletogreeteachotheronsocialoccasionswhichisdifferentfromChinesecustoms.Whentranslatingthisidiom,foreignizationisamuchbetterandmoreappropriatechoice:“不亲吻，不友善”.Ifatranslatortriestranslatingitinto“不作揖，不友善”soastomaketheversionmatchtheculturalmodesofChinese,theChineseversioniscertainlyirresponsibleandabsurd.Foreignizingstrategyissimilarlyusedinthefollowingexamples:留得青山在，不怕没柴烧:Aslongasthegreenhillsremain,there’llbenoshortageoffirewood.马好不在鞍，人好不在衫:Don’tjudgeahorsebyitssaddle,anddon’tjudgeapersonbyhisclothes.ForeignizationoftheseidiomsmakestheversionsmorefaithfultotheoriginalculturalfeaturesoftheSL,whiledomesticationrunstheriskofculturalmisinterpretation,evenculturalloss.3.2.2.DomesticationDomesticationreferstothetranslationstrategyinwhichatransparent,fluentstyleisadoptedinordertominimizethestrangenessoftheforeigntextfortargetlanguagereaders.Ifforeignizationwillbringaboutmisinterpretationofthecommunicativeinformation,domesticationshouldbeemployedsoastoguaranteethecomprehensionoftheconnotativemeaningoftheST.Someidiomscontainsomeculturalimageswithstrongculturalconnotationsandtheseconnotationscanhardlybeunderstoodifthetranslatortriestoretaintheforeignflavors.Inthiscase,ifthetranslatorinsistsonforeignization,itwillnotonlyfailtotransmittheSLculturetotheTL,butalsofailtoachievethecommunicationeffects.Therefore,domesticationshouldbeemployedtoachievecommunication.TheEnglishidiom“God’smill”isareligiousimageinChristianityanditrefersto“punishmentfromGod”.Theconnotativemeaningoftheidiomisthatonewhohasdoneevilthingsissuretosufferpunishmentintheend.ButtheimageisillegibletocommonChinesereadersandtheycan’tfigureoutwhatitrefersto.So“God’smillgrindsslowbut15 sure”shouldbetranslatedinto“天网恢恢，疏而不漏”.Ifitistranslatedinto“上帝的磨转得慢，但一定会转”,Chinesereaderswillgetconfused.TheChineseidiom“小巫见大巫”originallymeantthatanapprenticesorcerercouldnevergettheupperhandofamastersorcererbecauseofhisinexperienceandtheconnotativemeaningofitisthattwothingsarenotcomparablebecauseofthebigdifferencesbetweenthem.WitchcraftisakindofculturalphenomenonthatisnowrarelyseeneveninChina,letaloneinBritain.Therefore,keepingtheculturaltermsinthetranslationwillleadtomisinterpretationamongthetargetreaders.Suchexpressionsshouldbetranslateddomesticallyaccordingtothecontext.TheconnotativemeaningoftheEnglishidiom“Newbroomssweepclean”isnotobviousenoughtounderstand.Actuallyitmeansthatapersonnewlyappointedtoapostusuallydoesabetterjob.Fortunately,theChineseidiom“新官上任三把火”expressthesimilarmeaning.Undersuchacondition,domesticationisagoodchoice.However,idiomsthatbelongtothiskindonlyoccupyaverysmallproportion.Sotheimplicationofdomesticationinidiomtranslationisverylimited.Inaword,foreignizationisstillthemajortranslationstrategyappliedtoidiomtranslation.3.2.3.CombinationofForeignizationandDomesticationSomeidiomsthatcontaincertainhistoricalorliteraryallusionsandtheseallusionsareofrichculturalconnotationsofanationandtheyarehardfortheTLreaderstounderstandiftheyaretranslatedinforeignizingstrategy.Acombinationofforeignizationanddomesticationwillbeveryhelptosolvethisproblem.Ononehand,domesticationhelpsthetargetreaderstounderstandthesourcetext;ontheotherhand,foreignizationisusedtoremaintheoriginalculturalfeaturesandtotransferforeignelements.Forexample,theChineseoldsaying“三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮”shouldtranslatedinto“ThreecobblerswiththeirwitscombinedwouldequalZhugeliang,themastermind”,whichsimplymeansthatthemasseshavegreatcreativepower.AmongtheChinesepeoplethereareinfactthousandsandthousandsof“Zhugeliang”.“Zhugeliang”,ahistoricalfigureinChina,isanimageofwisdomwhichisveryfamiliartoChinesereadersbutunfamiliartoEnglishreaders.Itisthereforenecessarytoadduptheexplanation“themastermind”soastomakesuretheEnglishreaderscanunderstandwhatitstandsfor.Otherexamples:秋后的蚂蚌蹦趾不了几天Attheendofautumn,agrasshopper’sjumpingdays15 arenumbered-imminentfailure.近水知鱼性，近山识鸟音Neartorivers,werecognizefish;neartomountains,werecognizethesongsofbirds.Thoughthebasictranslationstrategyherefortheaboveidiomsarestillforeignization,theaddedexplanation,whichisdomesticallytranslated,makestheversionmorecomprehensibletoreaders.IV.ConclusionIdioms,asaspecialkindoflanguagematerial,haveenjoyedgreatpopularityamongpeoplebecauseoftheirconciseness,vividness,distinctivenessandcomprehensiveness(包惠南,2001:148).TherearebothsimilaritiesandobviousdifferencesinmeaningandexpressionbetweenEnglishandChineseidioms,whichmakeiteasytoproducemistranslationwhentranslating.Idiomstranslationistofullyexpressthemeaningoftheoriginalidiomandtheculturalimplicationandnationalcharacteristicsbyusingthemajortranslatingstrategiesflexibly.Inbrief,itexpressestheideologicalcontentsofalanguageaccuratelyandcompletelywithanotherlanguage.OnlyinthiswaywecanaccomplishinEnglish-Chinesetranslationpractice,andmakeidiomtranslationtobeperfect.Bibliography[1]E.B.Tylor,PrimitiveCulture[M].NewYork:HarperofTorchlooks,1871.[2]Newmark,P.ATextbookofTranslation[M].Shanghai:ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationpress,2001.[3]Nida,EugeneA.Language,Culture,andTranslating[M].Shanghai:ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationPress,1993.[4]Samovar,L.A.etal.CommunicationbetweenCultures[M].Beijing:ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress,2000.[5]Schulte,R.etal.TheoriesofTranslation:AnAnthologyofEssaysfromDrydentoDerrida[C].ChicagoandLondon:TheUniversityofChicagoPress,1992.[6]Shuttleworth,M&Cowie,M.DictionaryofTranslationStudies[M].Manchester:StJerome,1997.[7]Venuti,Lawrence.TheTranslator’sInvisibility:aHistoryofTranslation[M]LondonandNewYork15 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