Study on translation techniques of English idioms

崔瀚文

Preface

Idioms are fixed phrases or short sentences that have been extracted a long time . Most of the idioms have distinct images and appropriate metaphors， often extend more profound meanings than the literal meaning， and can cause rich associations， thus often have strong national and local characteristics. Some idioms are explicit， but some are implicit， and some may contain several meanings， which must be determined according to the context. When translating English idioms into Chinese， we should also pay attention to the expression habits of the two languages and the differences between the lifestyles and customs of the two nations. The translation of idioms has a direct impact on the quality of the whole translation of paper . Therefore， how to accurately understand and translate idioms is very important in English learning. In order to translate English idioms well， it is necessary to understand their origin， characteristics， as well as some translation skills.

1.Translation skills of English idioms

1.1 The literal translation method

In the translation， the original contents should be kept， while the original methods should be kept. For example， some idioms such as "kill two birds with one stone"， "to strike the iron while it is hot" and "many hands make light work" come from daily life， which is a common life experience of both Chinese and Anglo-Saxon peoples.

1.2 Free translation

Free translation refers to the method that translators have to discard the literal meaning of idioms in certain situations due to the limitations of translation due to cultural differences between English and Chinese ，in order to conform to the content of the original text and the main language functions. Due to differences in geographical location， living environment， religious belief， customs and ways of thinking， the British and Chinese people have different views on the same thing in many cases. If the literal translation method is adopted， it cannot accurately reflect the thoughts expressed in the original text and even lead to misunderstanding. In this case，we should use free translation.

1.3 Borrowing method

Due to human have feelings， and social experiences inevitably exist similarities， so there is a small amount of the same or nearly in English and Chinese idioms of idioms.The meaning， image meaning of these idioms literal are the same or similar， implied meaning is completely the same， such idioms， borrowing the method may be used for translation. "Roma is not built in one day" in English and which in Chinese."learn to walk before you run" is similar to the Chinese idiom "step by step".

1.4 The rhetoric method

Rhetorical devices can vividly express the meaning of words， and use all kinds of rhetorical devices to beautify the translation. As a man sows，so he shall reap. When cat is away，the mice will play， which is translated as "the tiger is not in the mountain，the monkey calls the king"， and "give a dog a bad name and hang him"， which is translated as "the crime of desire."

2. The conclusion

English idioms play a very important role in English with their vivid characteristics. The translation of idioms should be both principled and flexible. Based on the overall situation， the translation should be able to retain the flavor of the idioms in the original text and express willingness smoothly and freely. Human civilization has something in common. When translating English idioms， the translator of English idioms should consciously build a database of Chinese and English idioms. If it can be connected with the idioms in the native language， it can vividly express the sense of humor and rhetorical devices in the language. English idioms are the essence of English language culture and contain rich cultural elements. In view of the different English idioms， the appropriate translation method is adopted to strive to accurately express the implied meaning of English idioms. It is very helpful for us to understand， use and translate English idioms.

Reference

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[2]Wang xin. Trans： translation and culture [M]. Beijing： foreign language press， 2008.

[3]Bao gang. Introduction to interpretation theory [M]. Beijing： China international translation publishing co.， 2005.

[4]Li liyan. Factors and strategies influencing the translation of English idioms "J". Chinese journal： foreign language education teaching，2015（4）

（作者單位：沈阳市第二中学）