translation of english proverbs from a cultural perspective从文化视角析英语谚语的翻译 11页

编号2014030204B/F/Z研究类型理论研究分类号学士学位论文（设计）Bachelor’sThesis论文题目TranslationofEnglishProverbsfromaCulturalPerspective作者姓名学号2008113010204所在院系外国语学院学科专业名称英语导师及职称论文答辩时间2014年5月18日 学士学位论文（设计）诚信承诺书中文题目：从文化视角析英语谚语的翻译外文题目：TranslationofEnglishProverbsfromaCulturalPerspective学生姓名刘敏学生学号2008113010204院系专业外国语学院英语系英语专业学生班级0803学生承诺我承诺在学士学位论文（设计）活动中遵守学校有关规定，恪守学术规范，本人学士学位论文（设计）内容除特别注明和引用外，均为本人观点，不存在剽窃、抄袭他人学术成果，伪造、篡改实验数据的情况。如有违规行为，我愿承担一切责任，接受学校的处理。学生（签名）：年月日指导教师承诺我承诺在指导学生学士学位论文（设计）活动中遵守学校有关规定，恪守学术道德规范，经过本人核查，该生学士学位论文（设计）内容除特别注明和引用外，均为该生本人观点，不存在剽窃、抄袭他人学术成果，伪造、篡改实验数据的现象。指导教师（签名）：年月日 Contents1.Introduction12.TheEnglishProverbs12.1TheDefinitionofProverbs12.2TheSourceofEnglishProverbs22.3TheFeaturesofEnglishProverbs32.4TheFunctionsofEnglishProverbs33.EnglishProverbsandCulture43.1CulturalDifferencesinEnglishProverbs43.2CulturalConnotationinEnglishProverbsTranslation5Bibliography7TranslationofEnglishProverbsfromaCulturalPerspectiveAbstract:TheEnglishproverbsaretheshortwell-knownsayingsthatarehandeddownamongtheEnglishspeakingpeople.Becauseofculturaldifferences,itbringsdifficultiesinEnglishproverbsunderstandingandtranslating.ThispaperattemptstoexploretherelationshipbetweentheEnglishproverbtranslationandculturebyconsideringculturetobethefocusofattention,and“thefigureofspeech”tobetheclueandculturalcontexttobethebasis.What’smore,ittriestorevealculturalconnotationandvalueintheproverbs,aimingattranslatingtheproverbsinamoreproperway.Keywords:Englishproverbs;culturalperspective;translation;differences;connotation 从文化视角析英语谚语的翻译摘要：英语谚语是在英美民间广为流传的表达人们智慧的简短格言。由于存在文化差异，这给英语谚语的理解和翻译带来困难。本文以文化为切入口，以修辞手法“比喻”为线索，以文化语境为依据，探讨英语谚语翻译与文化之间的关系，并进一步揭示谚语中的文化内涵和价值，旨在使翻译更得体。关键词：英语谚语；文化视角；翻译；差异；内涵 TranslationofEnglishProverbsfromaCulturalPerspective1.IntroductionHowtotranslatetheEnglishproverbsefficiently?Manytranslatorsareharassedbythisissuethroughout,especiallytheEnglishlearners.Themajorityofscholarsdiscussitintheaspectsofetymology,contrastsbetweenEnglishandChinese,rhetoric,andthetransfertheoryandsoon.Theseresearcheshaveimportantimplementalandinstructivesignificanceswithregardtoraisethetranslationlevel.Fromtheabove,itisnotdifficulttoseethattheytouchupontheculturalinterferencealittle.Becauseofthecloserelationshipbetweenlanguageandcultureandtheeffectsbroughtbymotherlanguage,ChinesestudentscombineChinesetraditionalthinkinghabits,valuesandsoonunavoidablyintotheproverbstranslation.Therefore,theinferencestakeshapeandthetranslatedworksChinglish.Thiswriterholdsthatculturalbarrieristhekeyofaffectingefficientproverbstranslationbecauselanguageandculturearewellblendedasmilkandwater.Inordertolearnalanguage,onemuststudytheculturethelanguagereflectsandknowthedifferencesbetweenthenationalcultureandtheforeignones.Andthemanifestationshowedinlanguage.(刘华,2003:9)ThispaperwillanalyzeitfromtheEnglishproverbs’definition,source,featuresandfunctionsanddiscussthetranslationofEnglishproverbsfromaculturalperspective.What’smore,itpointsouttheimportanceofdealingwiththeculturaldifferencesandconnotations.2.TheEnglishProverbs2.1TheDefinitionofProverbsAccordingtothedefinitionofTheModernChineseDictionary,proverbsarethefixedsentencesthatarespreadamongpeopleandreflecttheprofoundmeaningsbysimpleandpopularexpressions.AndMaGuofansayssomethingaboutthedifferencesbetweenproverbsandidiomsinIdiomsasfollows:⑴Idiomsaremainlywritten,whileproverbsaremainlyoral. ⑵Thestructuresofidiomsareeasiertobecomesetthanthethoseofproverbs.⑶Idiomsareusedaswordsinthepracticalspeech,whilethemajorityofproverbsareindependentsentencesorbecomeindependentofsentences.⑷Idiomsusuallyexpressgeneralideas,whileproverbsmainlygivejudgmentsandinference.(陈文伯,2004：2)DengYanchangandLiuRunqing’sLanguageAndCulturesays:“Proverbsareshortsayingsoffolkwisdom—ofwell-knownfactsortruths—expressedsuccinctlyandinawaythatmakesthemeasytoremember.Becausethesayingsaresopithy,theyhaveuniversalappeal.”(邓炎昌，刘润清，1989：42)“Proverbsmayprovideinterestinglittleglimpsesorcluestoapeople’sgeography,history,socialorganization,socialviews,andattitudes.Peoplewholivealongseacoastsandwhoselivelihoodisdependentontheseawillhaveproverbsaboutsailing,aboutbravingtheweather,aboutfishandfishing.Nomadicpeople,suchastheArabs,willhavesayingsaboutthedessertorpasture—land,aboutsheepandhorsesorcamels,aboutwolvesandjackals.Incultureswhereoldageisreversed,therewillbeproverbsaboutthewisdomoftheelders.Andinsocietieswherewomen’sstatusislow,therewillbeanumberofsayingsdemandingthem.”(邓炎昌，刘润清，1989：42)Inmyopinion,proverbisthepopularshort,pithysayingsthatexpressaprofoundpercept.Itisthecrystallizationofpeople’swisdom,andishandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.2.2TheSourceofEnglishProverbsTheEnglishproverbsoriginatefromtwoforms:oneisoralandtheotheriswritten.Theformeronealwayscomesfromfolkcommunication.Peoplearethecreatorsandusersoftheproverbs.Theyusethemtorecordtheirexperienceandrationalknowledgeinindustrialandagriculturalproductionandlife.Forexample,nothingtobegotwithoutpainsbutpoverty.(译文：只有贫穷可以不劳而获。)ThelateronegenerallycomesfromBible,theGreekandRomanmythology,Shakespeare’sworksandsoon.Forexample,lifeisashuttle.（译文:人生如梭。）Itiscondensedfrom“Mydayspassbywithouthope,passfasterthanaweaver’sshuttle.译文：我的时日无望地流逝，流逝得比织梭更快。）”,whichisfromBible·theOldTestment·BookofJoshua.Theproverb“Allcatslovefishbutfeartowettheir paws.（猫都爱鱼，却怕湿脚。）isfromOthello.TheEnglishspeakingcountriesmainlybelieveinChristianity.Therefore,mostoftheEnglishproverbscomefromBible.Itplaysanimportantroleintheorigin,enrichmentanddevelopmentoftheEnglishproverbs.2.3TheFeaturesofEnglishProverbsNotlikespeech,itisinformal.Notlikejoke,itismeaningful.Notlikeallegory,itisconcise.Sometimesithasrhythmandantithesis.Soitiseasytobememorizedandunderstood.AsmentionedintheChineseandEnglishProverbsandCulture,ithasseveralfeatures:⑴proverbisthelanguage’svocabularyunitandisonekindoftheidiomaticphrases.⑵proverb’slanguagecharacteristics:itisthefixedsentencethathasrelativelycompletesemanteme.Ithasmetreandrhymescheme.Thechoicesofwordsarepopular.Thefiguresofspeecharevivid.Anditisconciseandtothepoint.⑶proverb’scontentcharacteristics:itisthevaluableresultsofpeople’slivingexperienceandtheglisteningofpeople’swisdom,whichcoversspecialculturaldetailedcontent.⑷proverb’ssocialfunctions:itenlightenslife,guidespeople’behavior,teachesexperiences,givesmorallessons,doespropagandaandagitationandsoon.⑸proverb’source:generallyspeaking,itcomesfrompeople’slivingexperience.Itsmainsourceisfolkorallanguage.Andsomecomefromwrittendocuments,suchasreligiousclassicsandliterature.（王得春，杨素英，黄月圆，2003：11）AsBaoHuinansaysintheCulturesituationandLanguageTranslation,therearethreemainfeaturesoftheproverb.First,ithasconcisewordsandtidysentencestructure.Forexample,nomill,nomeal.（译文：不劳动者不得食。）Second,ithasharmonioussoundandcanbereadfluentlyandsmoothly.Forinstance,manproposes,Goddisposes.（译文：谋事在人，成事在天。）Third,ithasvividmetaphorsanddeep-goingimplications.Forexample,timeismoney.（译文：一寸光阴一寸金。）(包惠南，2001：160)2.4TheFunctionsofEnglishProverbsEverynationhastheirownwaytoexpresstheirfeelingsespeciallywhentheyareworking,suchastheworksongtosynchronizemovementsandalleviatefatigue,withonepersonleadingandtheothersrespondinginchorusandbrief,simpleandvibrantfolksongsungduringworkinthefieldsorinmountainareas,popularinruralormountainareasin southChina.Soistheproverb.Itsummarizespeople’sexperienceandlessonslearnedindailylife.Butitismorevividandacceptablethanpreachingtosomebody.Ifweuseproverbsinourconversationorwritingproperly,itwillmaketheconversationorwritingmorebeautiful.Anditwillmaketheconversationgoonsmoothlyandmaketheatmospheremorefriendlyandactive.Itisjustliketheepigramthattellsageneraltruthorgiveslessonstous.Nomatteryouareknowledgeableornot,youcanmanagetouseit.InChina,wehaveourownidioms.Theyareconciseandmeaningfulphrasesorshortsentencesthathavelongbeeninpublicusage.AndmostChineseidiomshaveahistoricaloriginandconsistoffourChinesecharacters.Likewise,someoftheEnglishproverbshavetheirhistoricaloriginandaretheconclusionsthataremadeaftertellingastory.ButtheEnglishproverbsarealwayssentencesorphrasesandhavenolimitationaboutthenumberofthewords.What’smore,differentculturehasentrusteddifferentmeaningstoitslanguages.Aslanguageisthecarrieroftheculture,theEnglishproverbsaretheresultsoftheEnglishspeakingcountries.3.EnglishProverbsandCulture3.1CulturalDifferencesinEnglishProverbsDifferentlanguages,culturalorigins,geographylocation,religiousbelief,moralstandardsandsoforthresultintheculturaldifferences.SoitisverynecessarytodealwiththeculturaldifferencesinEnglishproverbs.Toachieveit,weshouldnotinterpretthemwithoutunderstanding.Thebasicknowledgeofdifferentculture,historyandbackgroundandtheefficientconsultationareessentialacquirement.TheConfuciansholdtheopinionthat“Peoplearegoodandhonestwhentheywereborn.”Butwecanseedifferentopinionsin“Oursinsandourdebtsareoftenmorethanwethink.”Ifwejusttranslatetheproverbswithourownsubjectiveopinion,itwillmaketheculturaldifferencesbemoreanddeeper.Aboutfriendship,youcansee“Loveyourfriend,butlookafteryourself.(译文：爱朋友但要照顾自己。)”considersindividualinteresttobethemostimportant.Onthecontrary,weconsiderthenationalinterestscollectiveinteresttobethemostimportant.Andfriendshipismoreimportantthanindividualinterest.Thereisaproverbthatshowsakindofsocialphenomenon inwesternsociety.Thatis“Onelawfortherichandanotherforthepoor.”Sowemusthavefullconsiderationandtrytoavoidtheculturaldifferences.3.2CulturalConnotationinEnglishProverbsTranslationCulturalconnotationisthedeep-goingmeaningoftheproverbs.Withoutit,thetargetlanguagewilllosethefaithfulnessofthesourcelanguage.TheEnglishspeakingpeopleusevariedwaystopresentthemeaningfulculturalconnotation.First,theyusetheanimalasthesubject.Wecansee“cat”isusedtosubstitutefordifferentkindsofpeople.In“Alewillmakecatspeak.”,itreferstopeoplewhogetsdrunk.In“Allcatslovefishbutfeartowettheirpaws.”,itreferstopeoplewhoisnotwillingtopayforwhathewantstoget.In“Acatmaylookataking.”,itreferstotheunimportantperson.Butin“Acathasninelives.”,itmeanshavinggreatvitality.Weshouldconsiderboththesimilaritiesanddifferencestheword“cat”bringstousbetweendailylifeandliterary.Second,theyusesomeimagesthataretypicalandreflecttheirreligiousbelief“WhyasktheBishopwhenthePope’saround.”IfweknowthePopeismoresuperiortotheBishop,wewillunderstanditeasily.“Wemustnotliedown,andcry,Godhelpus.”Ittellsusnottodependonothersandtrytodoitbyyourself.Aftersurmisingtheculturalconnotation,weuse“神”totranslatetheword“God”.“神”referstomanwithmagicpowerandappearsinmythology.“IfeartheGreeks,evenwhenbringgifts.”AccordingtotheGreeklegend,wearefamiliarwiththestoryofTrojanhorse.Thenwecantranslateitproperly.“Manproposes,Goddisposes.”Hereweuse“天”totranslatetheword“God”.“天”meanstherulerofthenaturalworld.Soitisimportanttounderstandtheculturalconnotationandlearntomakeappropriateadaptation.Third,someoftheEnglishproverbsuseconciseexpressionsbutprofoundmeanings.Forexample,thechildisthefatheroftheman.(译文：从小看大，三岁看老。)Thestructureisnotcomplex,butthepuzzlementis“howcanachildbeaman’sfather”?Ifweconsideroverandoveragainandtranslateitinaconcretecontext,itwillbeeasilysolved.Anothertwoexamplesshowpeople’sopinionsonstatusinsocialrelationsandattitudestowardsloveormarriage.“Letbeggarsmatchwithbeggars.”“Likebegetslike.”Oneisveryvividimage“beggars”,whiletheotherisverygeneralimage“like”.Asweknow,beggarsarepeoplewho liveintheloweststratumofasociety.Onthecontrary,theword“龙”and“凤”arethehigheststratumoffeudalsocietyinancientChina.Today,peopleuse“龙”and“凤”as“hopeone’ssonwillamounttosomethingwhenhegrowsup”,whichexpressesparentsgreatexpectonchildren.Theacquirementofknowledgeisaprocessofbeingaccumulateddaybyday.Soisthehandleandgraspoftheculturaldifferencesandconnotations. 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