英语论文网

ashes, ashes could not die. Therefore, literal translation is used to give people the artistic conception.
　　　On contrary, free translation mainly pay attention to the original content and implied meaning to seize the important aspect, join the above and the following to convey the original meaning.
　　　For instance:
（1）刘雨生回到乡政府，把老谢的话，一五一十，告诉了邓秀枚和李月琴。
When Liu Yusheng got back the township government, he recounted everything Lao Xie said in detail to Deng Xiumei and Li Yuhui.
（2）他讲起话来总是眉飞色舞。
He always beams with joy when speaking.
　　　The example translate 一五一十 into recounted everything in detail, it can accord with the context, but if translate into one five one ten, readers especially the non-speak Chinese people can not understand what did the speaker say and it is wrong in grammar. Also, the second example if translate 眉飞色舞 into eyebrow flying and expression dancing, reader may consider it is a wrong sentence, so free translation is used here.
　　　
2 .Modern Chinese proverbs
　　　Proverb is a kind of expressions which is a comprehensive summery of the variety of life and widespread use in popularity. In China, most of these proverbs are the scientific summary of the long-term life experience of working people. These proverbs have such characteristics: vivid metaphor, pregnant meanings, concise language, not a single superfluous word, single-sentence emphasizes rhythm, two-sentence stress parallelism, very colloquial style and so on. Then how can people translate proverbs? Is literal translation better? Or paraphrase better? It depends on the characteristics of the language and cultural backgrounds of the proverbs.
The following example can give some elicitation.
（1）明枪易躲，暗箭难防。
It is easy to dodge a pear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow shot from hiding.
（2）城门失火，殃及池鱼。
A fire on city wall brings disaster to the fish in the moat.
（3）路遥知马力，日久见人心。
As a long road tests a horse’s strength, so a long task proves a person’s heart.
（4）初生牛犊不怕虎。
New-born calves make little of tigers. (Young people are fearless)
（5）失之东隅，收之桑榆。
What one loses on the swings one gets back on the roundabouts.
（6）塞翁失马，安知非福？
A loss may turn out to be a gain.
（7）此地无银三百两。
A guilty person gives himself away by conspicuously protesting his innocence.
　　　The 1—4 are literal translations. From the example above, we can learn that literal translation is not word-for-word translation. It remains the content and the form of the original language in accordance with the cultural tradition. 明枪易躲，暗箭难防translate into it is easy to dodge a pear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow shot from hiding, it is not only necessary to retain the original meaning of original, but also translate lively and be consistent with grammar, so literal translation is used here.
　　 The rests are free translation, and free translation remains the meaning of its source language. Free translation is a translation skill which is active but can not add personal emotion to the original meaning. If塞翁失马，安知非福 translate into a man lost his horse, but he didn’t know it was a lucky thing, the grammar is OK, but the meaning is not the original meaning, it has changed a little. The original sentence is a rhetorical question, literal translation is not proper, so free translation is