英汉动物谚语对比研究 34页

英汉动物谚语的对比研究AComparativeStudyofEnglishandChineseAnimalIdiomsIwouldliketoexpressmysinceregratitudetoanumberofteachersandfriendsattheForeignLanguageSchoolfortheirhelpandencouragementinthewritingofthisthesis.SpecialthanksshouldgotoMr.LiuChao,myrespectedsupervisor,whogavemesomuchconstructiveinstructionandinsightfulguidancethroughoutmyresearchwork.Withgreatcare,hereadthewholemanuscriptandofferedmuchinvaluablecriticism.Hisgreathelpmakesthisthesisabetteronethanitwouldotherwisehavebeen.Iamalsoindebtedtomyaffectionateparents,andtherestofmyfamily.Throughoutthedevelopmentofthispaper,theyhavebeentherealwaysgivingmecontinuoussupport,encouragementandunderstanding.Theirloveandsupportencouragemetopursueprogressallthetime.29 AbstractCulturestudyhasbeenaheatedsubject;hencemanyscholarsfocustheirattentiononthefieldofinterculturalstudy.IdiomsareaveryimportantpartofChineseandEnglishlanguages,andChineseandEnglishlanguagesaboundwithanimalidioms,whichreflectrespectiveculture.Thethesisattemptstomakeaninterculturalstudyofanimalidiomstotrackdownthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinculturalaspectsandculturalfeaturesexpressedinanimalidioms.Inshort,inexploringtheessenceofculture,animalidiomsshiningwithculturalflavorandculturalconnotationswillcontributetotheunderstandingofdifferentcultures,italsocanpromotethecommunicationbetweenChineseandWesternculture.Keywords:ChineseandEnglishanimalidioms;associatedmeanings;Culturalconnotations;translation29 摘要在文化研究成为热门话题的今天，许多学者把视角锁定在跨文化领域。谚语是汉英语言及文化的重要构成部分之一。其中动物谚语能最丰富地体现汉英语言文化,本文从跨文化角度入手，对含有动物形象的汉英谚语进行对比研究，透过文化底蕴、联想意义以及翻译方法三个层面研究汉英动物谚语，着眼于动物习语反映出的中西文化相似与差异之处。总的来说，研究文化以及这些谚语所反映的文化内涵可以加深人们对两种不同文化的理解，促进中西文化的交流。关键词:汉英动物谚语；联想意义；文化底蕴；翻译29 ContentsIntroduction……………………………………………………………..1I.DifferentCulturalBackgroundsbetweenChineseandEnglishAnimalIdioms……………………………………………………..21.1TheConceptofAnimalIdioms..........................................................21.2CulturalConnotations………………………………………………2II.UniqueAnimalIdiomsinChineseandEnglish………………92.1UniqueAnimalIdiomsinChinese………………………………….92.2UniqueAnimalIdiomsinEnglish…………………………………10III.TheTranslationofEnglishandChineseIdioms……………113.1SuggestedWaysofTranslation…………………………………….11Conclusion…………………………………………………………….17Bibliography………………………………………………………1829 29 IntroductionLanguageisapartofcultureandplaysaveryimportantroleinit.Meanwhile,languageisalsoaculturalcarrierandservesastheprincipalmeanstocross-culturalcommunication.Asaparticularpartoflanguage,idiomsarenoexceptionindicatingthedistinctivefeaturesofaculture.Idiomsaresmallpiecesofhumanwisdomthathavebeenhandeddownfromgenerations.Theyexpressideasinshortandrecognizablesentences.Whatmighthavetakenanentireparagraphtoexplainisexpressedmetaphoricallyintheseidioms,whichcontaininanutshellthephilosophyofthecommonpeople.Idiomsalsoembodyaconcentratedreflectionofvariousrhetoricalmeansandserveasamirrorofthehistoricalandculturalconceptionsofasocialcommunity.Idiomsareexistentinvariouspeople’slanguagesandincirculationbyformulaicphrasesinspokenlanguageaswhatcomprehensivelytransmitsexperiencesandlessonsforastruggleinexistence.Differentpeoplesharewitheachothersuchfeaturesasidiomaticformsandcontents,becausetheysharepracticalexperiencesandwisdomforhumanbeingsinordertosurvive.Idiomsareneverthelessrootedinthesoilonwhichthepeopleliveandarerealizedasformulaicphrasesinitslanguagesystem.Thereforethecharacterofthepeopleisclearlybrandedinitsidioms.Bycomparingidiomsofdifferentpeoplewitheachother,wecanfindthat29 eachpeople′scharacteristics,history,economiclife,culturaltradition,mentality,morality,senseofvalue,geographicalenvironmentsandotheraspectsarefullyexpressedinitsidioms.Consequently,inordertounderstandidioms,weshouldobservetheminrelationwithsuchconditionsasitsreligion,history,culture,customs,geography,etc.I.DifferentbackgroundsbetweenChineseandEnglishIdioms1.1AnimalIdiomsandCultureManyidiomsaretestedinpracticeandhavebeenregardedveryimportant.Manyofthempackalotofinformation,especiallyculturalinformation.Animalimagesaremuchmorepopularinidiomswhicharefullofculturalconnotations.Makinguseofidiomsisamethodofexpressingoneselfmorequicklyandconciselythaninanyotherway.Peoplearecarryingontheresearchonhowtoovercometheculturalobstaclesevokedbyculturaldifferences.Culturally-loadedvocabularyplaysanimportantroleinalanguage.Differentsocialbackgroundsandnationalculturehaveagreateffecton29 culturalconnotations.Withcomparison,thesameanimalwordsmaybearthesameanddifferentculturalmeanings.Anddifferentanimalwordsmayconveythesimilarorevensamemeaning.ChineseandEnglishidiomscarvedwithculturalcharacteristicsaccountforagreatpartintranslation.Culturalsimilaritiesanddifferencesmayhaveapositiveornegativeeffectontranslation.Idiomshavemanycharacteristics,suchassuccinctwriting,properchoiceofwords,vividandbrightimages,andtheyarefullofrhythm.TolearnandstudyidiomsbystudyingtheassociativemeaningsofanimalimagesbothinEnglishandChineseidiomsaswellastheoriginofidiomswillhelptoachieveathoroughunderstanding,apropercommandandasolidgraspofanimalcultureinidioms.1.1CulturalConnotationsReflectedinChineseandEnglishAnimalIdioms1.1.1GeographicalCulturesinAnimalIdiomsGeographicalculturereferstothecultureformedbythearea,naturalconditionandgeographicalenvironment.ThegeographicalculturesoftheChineseandEnglishnationsareofgreatimportanceanddifference,whichhaveobviouslymanifestationsintheirindividualproverbs.Emergenceofidiomsiscloselyrelatedtopeople"slaborandlife.Most29 idiomsaretheoffspringoftheirdifferentlifeexperience,sonaturallytheymanifesttwodifferentkindsofnationalforms.Duetodifferentlivingconditions,theEnglishandChinesepeoplehavetheirownindividualstateofmindandwaysofthinking,whichalsoaddnationalcoloringtotheidioms.TheChinesepeoplebelongtoanagrariansocietythatplacesagriculturalproductionatthetopofthenationalagenda.Sincetimeimmemorial,Chinahasbeenalargecontinentalcountrychieflybasedonagriculture,andanoverwhelmingmajorityofthepeoplelivesintheruralareas.HencethereisasurprisingnumberoffarmingidiomsandidiomswithanimalimagesaccumulatedintheirproductivelaborbytheChinesepeasantsfromgenerationtogeneration.Forexample,林中不卖柴，湖上不卖鱼。Fuelisnotsoldinaforest,norfishonalake.Thefarmers"proverbialsayingsformalargepartofChineseidioms.TheChineseancestorscreatedgloriousmaterialwealth.EverythingneededwasproducedintheterritoryofancientChina.TheChineselovepeaceandearth.Sothemajorityofagriculturalidiomsemphasizetheimportanceofagriculture,takingfarmingasmaterialsandshowingthesimpleandindustrioustraditionofChinesepeopleandtheirnationalcharacter---"stickingtotheirhometownland,revertingtotheirorigin".SuchidiomsareaveryimportantcomponentofChineseidioms.29 Forexample,牛不喝水强按头。trytomakeanoxdrinkbyforcinghisheadintothewater---trytoimposeone"swillonsb.马到成功。bevictoriousthemomentthebattlesteedsarrive---gainanimmediatevictory.风马牛不相及。betotallyunrelated.TakingapanoramicviewofEnglishhistoryandanalyzingEnglishidioms,wewillfindoutthat"islandculture".Britainisanislandcountrywhichhasalonghistoryofnavigation.Therefore,peoplewholivealongseacoastandwhoselivelihoodisdependentonseawillhaveenormousnumbersofnauticalidiomsconnectedwithwater,sailingandfish,andagreatnumberofEnglishidiomsarederivedfromthesea[12:44].ThelifeandlaboroftheEnglisharecloselyconcernedwithoceans.AlotofEnglishidiomshavemuchtodowiththesea,marineclimate,shippingandrelevantexperienceandlessons.Forexample,ascloseasanoysterasdrunkasafishcrystinkingfishallisfishthatcomestohisnet29 neveroffertoteachfishtoswimthebestfishswimnearthebottomthrowoutasprattocatchaherring/mackerelAnothertraitofBritainisthatitsagricultureisbasedonanimalhusbandryandalotofordinarypeopleareengagedinthisworkandpoultryraising,fromwhichmanyidiomshavebeencreated.Forexample,Likecow,likecalf.YoucantakeahorsetothewaterbutyoucannotmakehimdrinkAlllayloadsonawillinghorse.Abigfishinalittlepond(山中无老虎，猴子称霸王。)1.1.1CustomaryCulturesinAnimalIdiomsCustomarycultureisthecultureofanation"scustomsandconventionswhichexistindailysociallifeandcommunicativeactivities.Linguistsholdthatlanguageisacceptedthroughcommonpractice.ManyidiomsbothinChineseandinEnglishcomefromcolloquialspeechindailylifeandcustomsofdifferentnations.Peoplehavecreatedlotsofidiomsinpractice.Theyarevivid,practicalandcloselyrelatedtohuman"slifeexperience.Bothculturesaretheproductofthedifferentlifeexperience,andcustomsandconventionsofthesocialmemberswhousethelanguages.29 Thedifferencesintheseaspectsofthetwonationscertainlyproducegreatdiscrepanciesintheangleandmethodoftheobservationofthingsfortheirmembers.SomefamiliaridiomsarefromtheclassicsintheChineseeducationalsystem---thefirstreaderofallChineselads,《三字经》(theTrimeticalClassic)ofWang"Bohouand《千字文》(theThousandCharacterClassic)ofZhouXingsi.Forexample,犬守夜，鸡司晨。Dogswatchbynight.Theroosterannouncesthemorning.HorseswerethetransportationmeansindailylifeandweaponsinthewarinancientChina,alotofidiomscameintobeing,suchas,人仰马翻。menandhorsesthrownofftheirfeet---badlybattered马后炮。cannonbehindthehorseTheculturalconnotationsinEnglishprovokedbysuchkindofcultureareinevitablyreflectedinidiomsandmeanwhilehaveaneffectonpeople"scorrectreadingofthem.toletthecatoutofthebag在不小心的情况下泻露了秘密Itistodivulgeasecret,especiallyinadvertently.Formerlycountryfolkgoingtomarketwouldsometimesputacatinabagthattheypretendedtoholdasucking-pig,hopingtoimposethisonagreenhornwhowould29 buyitwithoutexaminations,butiftheintendingbuyeropenedthebag,thetrickwasdisclosed.1.2.3ReligiousCulturesinAnimalIdiomsReligiousculturewhichconcernsthereligiousbeliefsandawarenessofdifferentnationsisamajorintegrantofthecultureofhumanbeings.Asaresult,theculturaldiscrepanciesofthetwonationsinthisrespectcanbeshownmoreclearlybyanalyzingtheiridioms.Itreflectstheculturaldifferencesofdifferentnationsinwhattheybelieveinandabstainfrom.Differentreligiousbeliefandawarenessofdifferentnationscreatelotsofidioms[12:49].Asaresult,religionhasbecomeanimportantsourceforidioms.Ourperceptionsoftheworldarerepresentationswemakefromboththenerveimpulsesthatreachourbrainsandouruniquesetofexperiencessuppliedtousasmembersofaparticularculture.InChineselanguage,Confucianism,Taoism,andBuddhismhaveprofoundlyandenormouslyinfluencedChinesetraditionalculture.AlargenumberofidiomsderivedfromdifferentreligionsinChinaandtheyhadanimmenseinfluenceonpeopleinfeudalsociety.ThereisnoquestionthatChineseidiomsreflecttheinfluenceofBuddhismandDaoism.ThebelieversinBuddhismhavefaithinaprinciplethatonecannot29 takeanimal"slife[12:50].Inparticular,theChinesepeoplehavebeendeeplyinfluencedbythephilosophyofBuddhism.Theybelievethatanimalsarebutaforminwhichsomebodyhasreturnedinitsnewincarnation.Underthisphilosophy,peoplebelievethateventhekillingoffliesandmosquitoesisprohibited.Therefore,nottoomanyanimalidiomsarereflected.Thisthinkinginevitablygivesrisetoagreaterorlesserextent,totheideathat"peoplearemoreimportantthananimals"indailylife.Thisisthebeliefthatpeople,asthemasters,mustcarefortheanimalpropertyintheircare.土地爷捕蚂蚱---慌了神。Thelocalgodcatchinggrasshoppers---anagitateddivinity狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心。WhenadogbitesLvDongbin,itisbecausehedoesnotknowatruemanwhenheseesone.Theidiomisusedtorefertoagoodman,whoismisunderstood.TheEnglishnationhaslongbelievedChristianityanditsholybook,theBible,hashadaprofoundandtremendousinfluenceonthesocialthoughtsandcultureofEnglishsociety[5:95].PeoplequotesomuchfromtheBiblethatmanyidiomsentertheirdailylife.Don’tletablackcatcrossyourpath.Ablackcatsignifiesbadluck.Itisalsoatabooofthewesterners.Inthe29 Bible,dogsaredespisedbypeople.beawareofdogsTheidiommeans“beawareofevilworkers.”IntheDrunkard"sCupbyRobertHarris,writtenin1619,thewriterhadthedescription“oneiscoloredoneisfoxt,andathirdisgonetothedogs”.CalvesareservedassacrificetoGodongalacelebrationsintheBible.Peoplekillthefattedcalfongalacelebrationortowelcomethedistinguishedguests.killthefattedcalfItmeans"totreatorentertaintheguestshospitably".Forexample,whenshereturnedfromabroad,thefamilyputonaparty---theyreallykilledthefattedcalfforher,infact.AndheshallseparatethemonefromAnother,asashepherddividethhisSheepfromthegoats;andheshallsetThesheeponhisrighthand,buttheGoatsontheleft.-----Martthew25:32ThesentenceisfromNewTestamentintheBible.Goatsareunpleasantoldmen,especially,onewhoissexuallyactive.1.2.4LiteraryAllusionsinAnimalIdiomsLiteraryworksareoneofthemainsourcesofidioms.Manyfamous29 writersstoreagreatmanyofidiomsconcerninganimals[12:52].InChinese,wehavedifferentanimalimagesappearingandoriginatedinclassics.TheyaretheheritageofthegloriousChinaandtheentireChinesefeeldignifiedaboutthis.亡羊补牢《战国策》Itisnottoolatetomendthefoldevenaftersomeofthesheephavebeenlost.狐假虎威《战国策》anassinlion"sskin.尖嘴猴腮《儒林外史》haveamouththatsticksoutandachinlikeanape"s---haveawretchedappearance.老马识途《韩非子说林》Anoldhorseknowstheway;anoldhandisagoodguide.猪八戒倒打一耙“PilgrimagetotheWest”Pigsystrikingbackwardswithhisrake---makeacounterattackorcountercharge.Zhubajie(thepiginPilgrimagetotheWest)putstheblameonhisinnocentvictim---makeunfoundedcounterchargesrecriminate.TheLiteratureofRome,GreeceandIsraelprovidestheEnglishliteraturewithitsliteraryfoundationasitsculturalfoundation---thebasisofEnglish-relatedculture.29 TheUglyDuckling(HanAnderson"stales)asscareashen"steethEdmundKirkeinhisSouthernFriendssaid,"Horsesarescarcerthanhen"steetharoundhere."Therefore,theidiomemphasizesextremescarcity.Theidiomsappearedinanothersouthernhistoricalnovelasfollows"sometimesclientsgetasscareashen"steeth"[12:53].Therearesomeotheridiomsconcerningwithscarcitylikechicken"smilk,bird"smilk,blackswanandsoon.ThedramasofShakespearearethemajorsourceofmanyidiomsintherespectofliteratureandotherworksofthewesternliteraturesaretherichestliterarysourceofEnglishidioms[12:53].HamletisfromaveryfamousplaybyShakespeare.HamletpretendedtobeinsaneandbetwithPolonius,aminister.Hecomparedthecloudtobeacamel,thenaweasel.Andthenhesaid,“Orlikeawhale?”Poloniusfollowedhim,“Verylikeawhale”.Therefore,verylikeawhaleisquotedtorefertoapprovesatiricallyofabsurdexpressionasintheidiomasscareashen"steeth.EverydoghashisdayisfromthesameworkbyShakespeare.Verylikeawhale.LetHerculeshimselfdowhathemay,Thecatwillmewanddogwillhavehisday.Takealookattwomoreexamples.ExcusemethattheMusesforce29 Thecartstandbeforethehorse.----HudibrasRediviviusbyEdwardWord[12:53]IdidnfknowthatCheshirecatsAlwaysgrinned;infact,itdidn"tknowThatcatscouldgrin.----AIiceAdventuresinWonderlandbyLewisCarroll[12:53]Ifanimalsareamirrorofnature,theirimageinhumansocietymustalsobeamirroroftheculturewhichdefinesitselfwithrespecttoculture.Allinall,culturalconnotationsareenrichedbythenumerousanimalimages.II.UniqueAnimalIdiomsinChineseandEnglish2.1UniqueAnimalIdiomsinChineseAccordingtofolkcustom,Chinesepeopleassociatedpartialtoneofanimalswithsomethingauspiciousandpropitious.Kylin,amythicalanimal,willbringachildtothefamily[12:38],resultinginanidiom.麒麟送子Kilinbringsachildtothefamily.AccordingtowhatMr.LiaoGuangronghasobserved,mostculture-loadedanimalimagesintraditionalculturearefowlsandthenfish.Takealookatoneexample.29 鸳鸯(Mandarinduck)isapairoflovebirdinChinaanduniqueintraditionalChineseculture[12:38].OnefamousnovelRebeccaistranslatedintoChineseas《鸳梦重温》(ReviveanOldDream),implyingthehappinessbetweenthehusbandandthewife.《古诗十九首》“客从远方来，遗我一端绮。文彩双鸳鸯，裁为合欢被。”（Avisitorsentmesomeclothandsilkwiththepictureofmandarinducks.I"dliketomakeitaquiltofconjoinedhappiness.)Thereisanidiom.鸳鸯戏水mandarinduckssportinginwaterCraneisanotheroneasthesymboloflongevityandtalent.Theidioms“松鹤延年”strikestheearsoftheChinese.Andthephrasescometous.TheimageoffrogisuniqueinChineseculture.鲤鱼((commoncarp)representsbraveryandperseveranceyandthereisanidiom[12:39].Takealookatsomeexamples.松鹤延年Pinetreesandcranesstandsforlongevity.鹤立鸡群likeacranestandingamongchickens---standheadandshouldersaboveothers.29 可知我“井底之蛙”，成日家只说现在的这几个人是有一无二的；谁知不必远寻，就是本地风光，一个赛似一个。（曹雪芹《红楼梦》）Ihavebeenlikethefroglivingatthebottomofthewellwhothoughttheworldwasalittleroundpoolofwater,imaginingthatourgirlsherewereunmatched,butnow,withoutsearchingforafield,hereonthisveryspotIseeotherswhosurpassthem.(CaoXueqinTheDreamoftheRedMansions)井底之蛙isapersonwithaverylimitedoutlook.鲤鱼跳龙门carpsjumpingintothedragon"spool---becomingflourishing.2.2UniqueAnimalIdiomsinEnglishEachoftheidiomsformedinaparticularperiodandpassedonfromgenerationtogenerationreflectsuniqueculturalelements.Beingthecrystallizationofhumanwisdomandtheessenceoflanguages,idiomsarewidelyusedinbothspeechandwriting[2:40].TheyfeaturedifferentculturesinbothChineseandinEnglish.Thestorkvisitedthefamilyyesterday.Inthesentence,thefamilywasnotvisitedbyabird.Avisitbyastorkreferstothebirthofababy.ThisisanotherexampletypicalanduniqueinEnglishculture.assilentasanoyster29 Chickenisatimidpersoninthewest.Andfishhasitsowncharacteristics,andtherearealotofidioms,suchasdrinklikeafishasdrunkasafishasmuteasafish.AnothertypicalimageisthealbatrossinEnglishlanguage.Takealookatthepoemasfollows.Godsavethee,ancientMariner!FromthefiendsthatplaguetheeThus!---Whylook"stthouso?”---”CrossbowIshottheAlbatross!-----SamuelColeridge,RimeoftheAncientMariner(1798)[12:40]Analbatrossembodiedthesoulofadeadsailor,soitwasunluckytokillanalbatross.InanarrativepoemRimeoftheAncientMarine,anancientmarinershotanalbatross,arousingaseriesofdisastertothecrew.Therefore,thephrase"analbatrossaroundone"sneck"meansaburdenofguiltonemustcarryout,soheavythatitpreventsprogressofaction.29 III.TheTranslationofEnglishandChineseIdioms3.1SuggestedWaysofTranslation3.1.1LiteralTranslationLiteraltranslationreferstoanadequaterepresentationoftheoriginal.WhentheoriginalcoincidesoralmosttallieswiththeChineselanguageinthesequenceofvocabulary，ingrammaticalstructureandrhetoricaldevice[8:83].LiteraltranslationpreservestheoriginalformofEnglishidiomswithoutcausingconfusioninmeaning，ittransferstheoriginalculturalinformationeffectivelyandshortensthegapsbetweentwolanguages，EnglishandChinese.Furthermore，literaltranslationkeepsthefullflagofEnglishidioms[6:36].Forexample,Donotthrowcoldwateronnewemergingthings,onthecontraryyoushouldsupportthem.A.不要给新生事物泼冷水，相反，你应当支持它们。B.不要反对新生事物，相反，你应当支持它们。ObviouslyAfitstheoriginalsentencebetterthanB，becausetheEnglishidiom"throwcoldwater”“反对”inChineseareobsoleteequivalence.ifweselectB，“反对”cannotexpresstheoriginalmeaningaccurately.Onthecontrary，BcreatesdiversitytoChinesereadersinthought.Letuslookatanotherexample，Whenshewasyoung,shewasanuglyduckling,butnowsheisa29 beautifullady.A．小时候，她长得很丑，而现在成了一个美丽的女人。B．小时候，她是个丑小鸭，而现在成了一个美丽的女人。Thisoriginalsentencecontainsametaphor.Sheiscomparedtoanuglyduckling.AlthoughinChina，ducklingcannotrepresentugliness，herfairytaleiswellknownbyeveryfamily，particurlarytothechildren，thatistosay，thisEnglishidiomhasbeenassimilatedbyChinesecultureafteralongtimeoftransformation.Therefore,Badoptsliteraltranslation,itdoesnotcauseconfusion，andtheexpressionisvividandliving.Aomitsthemetaphoroftheorigin,producesthelossinculturalmeaning，andviolates"faithfulness”oftranslationstandard.3.1.2LiteralTranslationwithNotesGoodliteraltranslationcanhelpChinareaderstoacquiretheculturalinformationofEnglishidioms,butdirectliteraltranslationwithoutanynoteswillpuzzlereaders,asaresult,culturalgapswillbeproducednaturally[8:83].LiteraltranslationwithnotesmaysupplynotestoEnglishallusions,backgrounds,figuremeaning,contextandsourcesstrengthentheacceptabilityofEnglishidiomsandretaintheoriginalflawrofEnglishidioms[9:64].Forexample,AsAmericanasapplepie.29 像苹果一样是典型美国式的。Astothisvension,Chinesereadersmightbeconfused,soanotemustbeadded.(苹果馅饼，是美国人喜欢的甜食之一，据说是美国发明的，因此这个短语是用来强调某种东西是真正美国式的)。Withthenote,ChinesereaderscouldacquiresomenewknowledgeaboutthisEnglishidiom.EnglishAllusionisapartofidiom,whichhasmanysplendidstoriesandorigin.LiteraltranslationwithnotestoallusioncanmakeChinesereaders,especiallychildren,recognizethelegendsandwidentheirknowledgeinreadingtheversion.Forexample,TheAchillesheeloftheAustralianeconomytodayisthat,……澳大利亚今天经济中的阿克琉思的脚后跟是……（TheAchillesheel这个典故来源于神话史诗《伊里亚特》，阿克琉思是海神Thetis和国王Peleus的儿子，因为他母亲把他浸在环绕地狱的冥河水中，是他全身刀枪不入，但他母亲疏忽了一点，就是忘了把他的右脚跟沾湿，战神知道了这一秘密，并把它悄悄告诉了Achilles的死敌Paris，Paris从容不迫地举起箭，瞄准了他唯一的致命弱点——无力的脚跟，Achilles就这样被射死了。）ThroughthenoteChinesestudentsknowwhoisAchillies，alegendwithunlimitedpowerandtheonlyvulnerablepart.AndtheyunderstandAustralianeconomicsituationvividly.29 3.1.2LiberalTranslationIfliberaltranslationisalsocalledfreetranslation,whichdoesnotadherestrictlytotheformorwordorderoftheoriginal[8:84].WhenthereexistdissimilaritiesorgreatdifferencebetweenEnglishandChineseinthesequenceofvocabulary,ingrammaticalstructureandartdevice,freetranslationwouldbeemployed.Forexample,TheteenagersdonotinviteBobtotheirpartiesbecayseheisawetblanket.A.青年们不邀请他参加他们的聚会，因为她是个扫兴的人。B.青年们不邀请他参加他们的聚会，因为她是块湿毯子。CompareversionAandB.Aemployedliberaltranslation,Busedliteraltranslation,fromtheviewpointofthesentencestructureandgrammar,theyareallright,butaccordingtothemeaningoftheoriginal,“awetblanket”isareasonthattheteenagersdonotinviteBobtotheirparty.“湿毯子”thisversionhasnolinkwiththereasonoftheoriginallogically.Although“扫兴的人”inversion,Ahasnomeaningof“awetblanket”,itmightexpressthelogicalreason,Moreover,hereadersarenotconfusedwhytheydonotinviteBob.Onthecontrary,Bwouldmakereadershaveamuddledidea.Hereisanotherexample,Hetouchedwoodwhenhespokeofherfuture.29 A.讲到未来，他祝她好运。B.讲到未来，他就会摸木头。Here,Aismoresuitable,peoplewhoseeforeignfilmsusuallyfindthatpeopleinthewestlikemaking"cross"ontheirchesttobegforgoodluck.InthisEnglishidiom"wood"standfor"cross",sothisidiomshouldbeliberallytranslatedinto“但愿走好运”.Onfirstsightofthisversion,thereaderswouldfeelataloss,butafterthinkingitover,theywillgettheexactmeanmg.Bbelongsto"stifftranslation"inChinese,theversionseemstokeepthe"flayor"oftheoriginal,butinfact,itnotonlydoesnotexpressthespiritoftheEnglishidiom"touchwood",butalsoproducesunreasonableChineseexpression,whichletsreaderstasterboredominliterarytaste.3.1.4LiberaltranslationwithnotesLiberaltranslationcannottransferEnglishculturalinformationeffectively,butitisdifficulttofindoutasuitableChinesewordandexpresstoshow,forthesakeofimprovingthesendingoforiginalmeaningofbackgroundsandallusionsaresuppliedtoenhanceEnglishidioms，thetranslatorusuallyadoptsliberaltranslationwithnotes,inwhichnotesofbilingualtransformingrange[8:84].Forexample,29 Johncanbereliedon.Heeatsnofishandplaysthegame.A.约翰为人可靠。他既忠实又正直。B.约翰为人可靠，他不吃鱼，并且参加比赛。C.约翰为人可靠，他既忠实又正直。Letusobservethesethreeversions,wecouldfindCisthemostpreferable.AlthoughBexpressestheorignalmeaningoftheEnglishidiom“toeatnofish,”inChina,peoplejustknowtheoneiscleverandwittywhoofteneatsfish，Bhasnoconnectionwiththecontext.Awouldmakethereadersknowtheexplanationof“toeatnofish.”butdonotknowwhy.OnlyCsolvethisproblem,makingthereadersknowthespiritofthisidiomaswellasthesource.ThefollowingexampledealtwithinthiswaywouldmakethereadersgetabetterunderstandingaboutEnglishidiomsfromanotherbackground.Justinthemiddleofthechess,hehadtothrowupthesponge.译：棋下到中盘他就只好投子认输。（注:“sponge”是拳击中用以擦身的海绵。他还有个用途，那就是：在比赛中，当一方遭到对手的沉重打击，眼看就要被对手击倒的时候，他的教练或副手就把擦身用的海绵往空中一扔，或是投入拳击场，做为裁判员承认失败的一种形式。）Fromthenote,thereadersunderstandwhy“throwupthe29 sponge”istranslatedinto“认输”inChinesewithoutanydoubts.3.1.5Liberaltranslation---ReplacementwithsimilarChineseidioms.ItisbetterthatwecandiscovertheChineseidiomswhichcontainthesimilarcontents,forms,pictures,metaphorsorotherrhetoricdevices.Inthisway，wecanfindthecrossingpointbetweenEnglishandChineseidioms,thatiscommonsensebytwocountries’people;theversionwouldglitterundertranslator’spen[9:72].Thisskilladequatelyexpressesthecommoncrystallizetionofwisdomoftheorientalandoccidentalpeople,allthesecouldbeillustratedbythefollowingexamples,Strikewhiletheironishot趁热打铁Amongtheblindtheone-eyedmanisking山中无老虎，猴子称霸王。Likefather,likeson有其父，必有其子。Birdsofafeatherflocktogether物以类聚，人以群分。Giveadogabadnameandhanghim欲加之罪，何患无辞。3.1.6CombinationofliteralandliberaltranslationLiteraltranslationwilldecreasethereadabilityoftheversion29 sometimes,leadingtothefeelingofboringreadingasineffectivewellasculturaltransfer;liberaltranslationwilloftenchangethefaithfulnessofEnglishidioms.Inanefforttoovercomethistrouble，wemayemployacombinationofliteraltranslationandliberaltranslation.Forexample,Untilallisover,ambitionneverdies.不到黄河心不死“心不死”isliteraltranslation,“不到黄河”isliberaltranslation.Therearemanyexampleslikethis,Toliftarockonlytohavehisowntoessquashed.搬起石头砸自己的脚Tolookondeathwithoutflinching.视死如归29 ConclusionIdiomsaretheglitteringgemsoftheculturaltreasurehouseintheworld.Culturesinwhichlanguageareembeddedarenotabsolutelyincompatible.Overlappingculturalelementsconstituteabasisforinterculturalcommunication.ChineseandEnglishbothaboundinidioms.Theidiomshavebeensummarizedandamassedbypeoplefromtheirproductiveactivitiesandlifealloverseveralthousandyears.Someidiomspackalotofinformation,especiallyculturalinformation.Ifanimalsareamirrorofnature,asEpicurussuggested,theirimageinhumansocietymustalsobeamirroroftheculturewhichdefinesitselfwithrespecttoculture.Aperson"sknowledgeandapplicationofidiomscan,toalargeextent,helptoimprovehisculturalawarenesswhichisbecomingevenmoreessentialbothintraculturalandinterculturalcommunication.ThethesisroughlydividesthephenomenaarisingfrominterculturalcommunicationofChineseandEnglishanimalidiomsintothreecategories:similarityoridentity,contradictionandblankness.BothChineseandEnglishidiomscontainthenaturallaws,experienceandlessonsdrawnfromthelifeandlaborofthepeoplewhicharenotdistinguishedbycountriesandnationsbecausethecognitivecompetenceofmankindlivinginasimilarmaterialenvironmenthasthefeatureover29 nationandterritory.Asaresult,theyoftencarryculturalconnotationswiththesameorsimilarcontent.TheChinesepeoplehavelivedsofarfromthenativespeakersofEnglishforthousandsofyearsthattheythinkindifferentwaysandhavedifferentcustoms.Culturesdiffernotmerelyindressandbehavior,butalsointradition,religionandinlanguage,whichisaformofsocialbehavior.Nocultureintoday"sworldcanremainseparatedfromtheinfluenceofothers.Thegoalofthestudiesonculturalcomparisonistogeneralizetheuniversalitiesandanalyzetheindividualitiesofdifferentcultures.Theycanhelptoimproveunderstandingandenlightenpractice.Chinaisdevelopingintoamoderncountrywiththeadvancedscienceandtechnologyanditsbrilliantculture,anditwillplayanincreasinglyimportantroleontheworldstage.Therefore,moreandmoreChinesewordsincludingidiomswithanimalimageswillbeloadedintoEnglish.Thepurposeofinterculturalcommunicationstudiesistohelpincreasepeople"sinterculturalawarenesssothatfewerproblemswouldarisefromtheirinteractionwithpeopleofanotherculture.Toachievethis,itisnecessarytocompareculturestoestablishsimilaritiesandidentifydifferences.Allinall,animalidioms,aboundwithassociatedmeaningsandculturalconnotations,havebecomethefocusofmanyscholars.Itisofgreatsignificancetomakeresearchonanimalidioms.29 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