Chapter 14
Translation of Culture-loaded
Expressions
Teaching aims (教学目的)
1. To cultivate students’ competence in novel translation.
2. To help students select the appropriate strategy in translation.
Teaching requirements (教学要求)
1. Students can apply the translation methods about idioms.
2. Students can express correctly in Chinese and English.
Teaching methods (教学方法)
1. Students and teacher cooperatively accomplish the translation task.
2. Peer work, group work is required in discussion and practice.
C o n t e n t s
1. Foreignizing Translation (异化)
2. Domesticating Translation (归化)
3. Three Don’ts in Translating English Idioms
（习语翻译中的“三不要”）
4. Proper Use of Chinese Idioms, proverbs and
sayings in Translation（翻译中正确使用汉语习语）
5. Translation Practice.
1. Foreignizing Translation (异化法)
• Foreigninzing: retaining the cultural flavors
of the source language and enables the
reader to have an alien reading experience,
and developing the reader’s awareness of
cultural differences in the target language.
• armed to the teeth
• 武装到牙齿/全副武装
• Crocodile tears
鳄鱼的眼泪/猫哭老鼠
• Beauty lies in the lover’s eyes
• 情人眼里出美人/西施
• In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man
is King.
• 肓人国里，独眼人称王/蜀中无大将，廖化充先
锋 /山中无老虎，猴子称霸王
• Achilles’s heel
• （来自希腊神话）阿基利斯致命的脚后跟；
致命的弱点
• As gay (cheerful) as a lark
• 像云雀一样快活（兴高采烈）
• Sour grape
• 酸葡萄 （来自《伊索寓言》）把得不到的东
西说成是不好的，聊以自慰
• 例如： teach a pig to play on a flute
• 教猪吹笛(对牛弹琴/做荒唐或不可能的事)
• A dark horse
黑马
• a black sheep 害群之马
• can the leopard change his spots?
• 花豹岂能改变身上的花斑 （本性难移）
• Look for a needle in a haystack
• 干草堆里找针（大海捞针）
• A stick-and-carrot policy
• 大棒加胡萝卜政策
• John is her office Romeo
• 约翰是他办公室里的罗密欧式的痴情男子。
• Never offer to teach fish to swim.（谚语）
• 不要教鱼儿游泳（不要班门弄斧）
• Who keeps company with the wolf will learn to
howl.
• （染于苍则苍，染于黄则黄）（近朱者赤，近墨者黑）
2. Domesticating translation
• Domesticating translation minimizes the
foreigness of the source-language text by
changing the alien elements into what is
familiar to the target-language reader. It
seems has been dominant in China. E.g.
• As stupid as a goose 蠢得像猪
• put the cart before the horse
• 前后颠倒，本末倒置
• kick the bucket 翘辫子，死
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have something at one’s fingers’ ends
胸有成竹，对某事了如指掌
Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
毁掉摇钱树，杀鸡取卵
Neither fish nor fowl
不伦不类，非驴非马
talk horse
吹牛，说大话
As dumb as an oyster
守口如瓶，沉默不语
as timid as a rabbit
胆小如鼠
leave no stone unturned. 想方设法，千方百计
中外文学作品中文化信息的翻译
• １.
• ２.
《红楼梦》
《简·爱》
《红楼梦》
The Story of the Stone
Dream of the Red Mansion
译句赏析：
• 1. 盛宴必散（《红楼梦第13回》）
• Yang’s version: Even the grandest feast must
have an end.
• Hawkes’ version: Even the best party must have
an end.
• 2. 周瑞家的听了笑道：“阿弥陀佛，真坑死人的
事儿！等十年未必都这样巧的呢。（第七回）”
• Yang’s version: “Gracious Buddha!” Mrs. Chou
chuckled. “How terribly chancy! “ You might wait
for ten years without such a run of luck.”
• Hawkes’ version: “God bless my soul!” Zhou Rui’s
wife exclaimed. “You would certainly need some
patience!” “why , you might wait ten years before
getting all those things at the proper times!”
• 3. 那薛老大也是“吃着碗里看着锅里的。（第16
回）
• Yang’s version: Hxed Pan is another of those greedyguts who keep “One eye on the bowl and the other
on the pan”.
• Hawkes’ version: You know what cousin Xue is like:
always “one eye on the dish and the other on the
saucepan”.
• 4. 寻春问腊到蓬莱 （第50回）
• Yang’s version: He goes to the Fairy Isles in search of
spring, asking a boon. （仙人岛）
• Hawkes’ version: In quest of spring I sped to Elysium
（极乐世界，至福之境）
4. Three Don’ts in Translating English Idioms
译中的“三不要”）
（习语翻
• (1) Don’t take idioms too literally (不要望文生义
• (2) 不要混淆习语的不同含义
• (3) 不要把英语习语译成具有鲜明文化特色或浓
厚地方色彩的汉语习语。
5. 四字词、成语、谚语等翻译运用
• Jane Eyre
Two Chinese
versions by
黄源深
宋兆霖
Idiom: 习语
成语：set phrase, idiom, allusions, phrase
俗语：sayings; 谚语：proverb 俚语：slang
• 1．特殊句子表现译本的不同
• (1) Bluntly disregarded her wishes, not infrequently
tore and spoiled her silk attire; and he was still: “her
own darling.”
• 黄译：尽管他蛮横地与母亲作对，经常撕
毁她的丝绸衣服，却依然是“她的宝贝蛋”
• 宋译：对她的话全然不听，不止一次撕破
和弄坏她的绸衣服，可他仍然是她的“心肝
宝贝”。
• (2) Mrs. Reed soon rallied her spirits; she shook me most
soundly, she boxed both my ears, and then left me without a
word. (P23)
• 黄译：里德太太很快便振作起来，狠命推搡我，
扇我耳光，随后二话没说扔下我就走。
• 宋译：里德太太很快就回过神来，她抓住我死命
摇晃着，左右开弓狠打我的耳光，然后一句话没
说就走了。
• (3) Miss Eyre? Don’t trouble yourself to answer---I see you
laugh rarely; but you can laugh very merrily;
• 黄译：爱小姐？你不必费心来回答了----到知道
你难得一笑。可是你可以笑得很欢。
• 宋译：爱小姐？你不必费神来回答了----我看得
出你很少笑。但是你能笑得很开心。
• (4) Mrs. Reed was blind and deaf on the
subject: she never saw him strike or heard him
abuse me.
• 黄译：里德夫人则装聋作哑, 儿子打我
骂我，她熟视无睹。
• 宋译：里德太太对此则完全装聋作哑,
她从来看不见他打我，也从来听不见
他骂我。
习语
• (1) Her beauty, her pink cheeks, and golden curls, seemed to
give delight to all who looked at her, and to purchase
indemnity for every fault. P9
• 黄译：她的美貌，红润的面颊，色的头发，使
得她人见人爱，一俊便可遮百丑.
• 宋译：她的美貌，她红红的双颊和金色的卷发
，似乎让每个见了她的人都有喜欢，都能因此
原谅她的每一个缺点。
• (2) This state of things should have been to me a paradise of
peace, accustomed as I was to a life of ceaseless reprimand
and thankless fagging;
• 黄译：对我来说，过惯了那种成天挨骂，吃力
不讨好的日子后，这光景就好比是平静的乐园
• 宋译：我一向过惯了老是挨骂和费力不讨好的
日子，眼前的这种情况，对我来说，本该是个
宁静的天堂了。
• (3) Miss Smith sent me to sit in a quiet corner of the
schoolroom, with direction to hem the same. At that
hour most of the others were sewing likewise.
• 黄译：让我坐在教室僻静的角落，根据指
令依样画葫芦缝上滚边。
• 宋译；要我坐在教室安静的角落去给布沿
边时。
• (4) I alleged: “that I have awakened out of glorious dreams,
and found them all void and vain, is a horror I could bear and
master.”
• 黄译：我断言，“我从一场美梦中醒来，发现全
是竹篮打水一场空，这种恐惧我既能忍受，也能
克服。”
• 宋译：我辨解到，“从那些最美好的迷梦中醒来
，发现一切都是虚空和徒劳。
• (5) “She is a Fairfax, or wed to one; and blood is said to be
thicker than water.”
• 黄译：“她是费尔法克斯家的，或是嫁给了家族
中的一位，据说血浓于水。”
• 宋译： “她毕竟是费尔法克斯家的人，至少是嫁
过一个这家的人。据说自家人总比外人亲嘛。”
• (6) “Meantime, you forget essential points in pursuing trifles;
you do not inquire why Mr. Briggs sought after you---what he
wanted with you.”
• 黄译：“同时，你捡了芝麻忘了西瓜，没有问问布
里格斯先生为什么在找到你----他找你干什么。”
• 宋译：“而且，你只顾追问这种小事，却把最要紧
的事给忘了。你也不问一问布里格斯先生为什么
要找你-----他找你要干什么？”
Summary for culture translation
• 中国人对外国作品的英译特点
• 1.大量使用汉语中现有的四字词，成语， 谚
语，俗语等。
• ２.对含有文化信息的原语材料，要么用中国
文化，要么用英国习惯表达。
• ３.主要决定于译者的文字水平，文化素养。
• 习语：文化的载体，习语又是语言的精华。
习语一词的含义甚广，一般指那些常用在一
起，具有特定形式的词组，其蕴含的意义往
往不能从词组中单个词的意思推测而得。
• 习语通常包括成语、俗语、格言、歇后语、
谚语、俚语、行话等。其表现形式音节优美
，音律协调，或含蓄幽默，或严肃典雅，言
简意赅，形象生动，妙趣横生，给人一种美
的享受。
Homework
• 《论语》与《孟子》、《大学》、《中庸》全称为儒家《
四书》，其西译史已逾三百年。其中, 《中庸》提出以“
中庸”作为道德行为的最高标准。中庸之道是儒家思想的
核心内容之一，也是中国传统文化的重要组成部分。孔子
所谓的“中”不是指折中，而是指在认识和处理客观事物
时的一种“适度”和 “恰如其分”的方法。孔子主张不仅
要把这种思想作为一种认识和处理事物的方法来看待，而
且还应该通过自身修养和锻炼，把它融入自己的日常行为
当中，使之成为一种美德。从它形成到现在，中庸思想一
直对民族精神的构建、民族智慧的传播、民族文化的发展
发挥着不可估量的作用。(261字）
•
• Answer ：
• The Analects, Mencius, the Great Learning,
Doctrine of the Mean are called Four Books.
Their westward translation history can be
backed to 300 years ago. Among them,
Doctrine of the Mean put mean on the top of
the criteria of moral manner. The Doctrine of
the Mean is one of the cores of Confucianism
an important component of traditional
Chinese culture. The so-called “mean” by
Confucius doesn’t mean compromise but a
“moderate” and “just right” way when
• understanding and handling objective things.
Confucius advocated that this thought should
not only be treated as a way to understand
and deal with things but also be integrated
into one’s daily conduct to make it a virtue
through self-cultivation and training. From the
time it came into being to the present, the
Doctrine of the Mean has played an invaluable
role in the construction of national spirit, the
transmission of national wisdom, and the
development of national culture.
THANK YOU !