The Cultural Differences of English and Chinese Idioms
and Their Translation

英汉习语间的文化差异及翻译
Abstract

 Idiom is a phrase or sentence which must be learnt as a whole unit not as an individual word. Idiom includes colloquialism, proverb, slang, maxim, allegorical saying etc. Both English and Chinese language have long history, so there are a large number of idioms. English and Chinese idioms embody different national cultural features and different cultural information which result from the various geography positions, histories, customs, religious beliefs and literature tradition. In order to make the idiomatic translation brief, vivid and interesting, we should take the culture inside when translating. This paper mainly investigates the factors which lead to the difference between Chinese and English idioms through numerous examples. Meanwhile, it proposes four methods for translation idioms: literal translation, free translation, equivalent translation and combination of literal translation and free translation.

Key words: idioms; culture; difference; translation

摘      要

 习语是一种短语或句子，习语的意义不等同于组成它的各自单词的意义，在研究习语时，我们应该把它看成一个整体。习语包括俗语，谚语，俚语，格言和寓言等等。英汉语言都具有相当长的历史，因此英汉语言体系里也包含很多习语。但由于不同的文化背景，英汉习语承载了不同的民族文化特征和信息。地理环境，历史背景，风俗习惯，宗教信仰以及文学传统都是造成文化差异的因素。为了使习语翻译简洁明了、生动形象，在翻译时，我们应该考虑英汉习语中的文化因素。本课题主要研究英汉习语的差异，并提出了四种翻译方法：直译、意译、对等翻译和结合直译和意译。

关键词：习语；文化；差异；翻译

Contents

I. Introduction … ……………………………………………………………1
II. Idioms and Culture ……………………………………………………….1
 A. The Definition of Culture ………… ………………………… … …...2
 B. The Definition of Idiom……………………..……….………………. 2
 C. Relationship between Idiom and Culture ………… ………………….3
III. Cultural Differences Reflected in English and Chinese Idioms……….....3
 A. Differences in Natural Enviroments……...………………... ………………..3
 1. Geographical Conditions and Features Reflected in Idioms…....4
 2. Weather Reflected in Idioms………………………………..…..4
 B. Differences in Social Factors……...………………... ………………..5
 1. Differences in Customs and Habits……………………………...5
 2. Differences in Religious Beliefs………………..……………......6
 3. Differences in Historical Allusion……………………………….7
 4. Differences in Life Experiences………………………………....7
 5. Differences in Literature………………………………………....8
IV. Methods to Deal with Cultural Differences in Idioms Translation………..8
 A. Literal Translation…………………………………….....……………..9
 B. Free Translation……………….………………………………...……...9
 C. Equivalent Translation…………………………………………………10
 D. Combination of Literal Translation and Free Translation……………..10
 1. Literal Translation plus Annotation……………………………...10
 2. Free Translation plus Literal Translation………………………...11
V.Conclusion………………………………………………………………......11          Notes…………………………………………………………………….. .…..13
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………..19
I. Introduction
 Idiom is a kind of phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit. Semantic unity and structural stability are the two characteristics of idioms.  Different languages reflect different cultures; different cultures entail different language expressions. Idioms, the essence of a language, label especially cultural differences in different languages. In a board sense, idioms include common sayings, proverbs, allusions, maxims and the allegorical sayings. And in this paper the term idiom is used in its broad sense. Because of the differences in geography, history, religion and beliefs, customs, living environment, social conventions and literature tradition etc, English and Chinese idioms are closely connected with cultures and traditions, and they reflect different national characteristics and are loaded with rich cultural information. And it is the cultural element in idioms that poses a difficulty in translation. As a matter of fact, translation, from the time it started, has played an active and important role in advancing the great course of cultural exchanges. With the development of society, people are engaged in more intercultural communication than before. So, to some extent, it is safe to say translation is a cultural creation, for translation refers to both the original and translated cultures.
 This thesis is to summarize the cultural differences of English and Chinese idioms and their translation. It is divided into three chapters plus an introduction and a conclusion. Introduction is the epitome of the whole paper. Chapter one makes a general introduction to idiom and culture. Then, chapter two relates in detail the cultural differences reflected in English and Chinese idioms from two major aspects: natural environment and social factor. The paper studies two types of natural environments, namely the geographical condition and feature and the weather. And there are five types of social factors: customs and habits, religious beliefs, historical allusion, life experiences and literature. Chapter three focuses on the methods to deal with cultural differences in idioms translation. This chapter studies four kinds of methods, namely literal translation, free translation, equivalent translation and the combination of literal translation and free translation. The conclusion summarizes the main idea, and states briefly the realistic significance of the thesis.
II. Idioms and Culture
 In order to analyze the cultural characteristics of idioms, we must first make clear what culture is, what an idiom is and how the two affect each other.
2.1 Definition of culture
 Different people have different views on culture. Culture derives from the Latin word “culture”, which means “cultivated materials” and “human cultivated nature”. Among various definitions, the first generally accepted and comparatively complete definition is presented by an anthropologist -- Sir Edward Tylor in Primitive cultures (1871). He defines culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of a society”. Some linguists consider culture as the deed and thought of a society. Some famous translation theorists define culture as the way of life of a peculiar community, which is expressed by a language.
 Afterwards, scholars enriched the concept of “culture” by adding material to it and divided it into three parts in broad terms.
  (1) Material culture, which is manifested by various productions made by mankind. For instance, drinks, foods, buildings, dresses, tools, etc.
  (2) Spiritual culture, which is presented by the way and the result of men’s thinking process, including beliefs, ideas, views, values, outlook on life, etc.
  (3) Social systems and customs, which means people’s way of life and social regulations, involving laws, customs, education, history, etc.
 But this classification is not the terminal one. Other scholars, such as Eugene A. Nida, view ecology a part of culture. So generally speaking, culture is like an umbrella, covering every aspect of our life, from environment to cultivated nature, from social productions to spiritual works.
2.2 Definition of idiom 

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