摘要:The responsibility of translators’ is to let readers understand what they translate, and let readers have the same feeling with that of the source language readers. Functional equivalence takes the equivalence of readers’ reaction as the most important issue.
an proposes, god disposes. 谋事在人,成事在天
Many of the idioms can find origins in the Bible, the most classical work in the Christianity. As a missionary of religious thought, the Bible has been the absolute authority governing people’s value and thought. It is not the doctrine of Christianity, but also a book of great literary merit, rich in the source of culture and language. Idioms like “apple of one’s eyes” (掌上明珠), “feet of clay” (致命的弱点), “a Judas Kiss” (背叛行为), “apples of Sodom” (徒有虚表), “as poor as Job” (一贫如洗) all come from Bible.
3.2.5 Mythological Tales
Fables, like religions, are also an outcome of the primitive society. The Primitive people invented the stories about mythical or supernatural beings and events, often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans, to explain the natural phenomenon beyond their understanding. The ancients were fond of finding a hidden meaning in their mythological tales.
Fables of a particular people are a mirror to reflect the trueborn ethical features. And they are more of the essence and embodiment of the way of thinking and moral values of an ethical group. They were mostly brought into being and spread in the spoken language. In modern English some ancient fables were later contracted into the idioms, some of whose sources include Greek and Roman mythology, Aesop’s fables.
For example, “like an Apollo—美男子”, if you think a man is very handsome, you may say he is like an Apollo, to describe a young man of great physical beauty; “Pandora’s box—潘多拉的盒子”, this idiom stands for a source of unforeseen trouble, it is a box that Zeus gave to Pandora with instructions that she can’t open it, she gave in to her curiosity and opened it, all the miseries and evils flew out to afflict mankind.
3.3 Cultural Flavor of Idioms
Idioms are the expressions in a language gradually developed in the populace’s physical life and widely accepted and used among a community of people. They are , in essence, the outcome of cultural growth and ethnical evolution. Idioms are, often colloquial metaphors—terms which require of users some foundational knowledge, information, or experience, to use only within a culture where parties must have common
Reference. As a specialized form of language, idiom will naturally reflect its culture even more profoundly and intensely than all other kinds of words. As idioms are typically localized in a culture, learning idioms well in a language will undoubtedly involve knowledge of its culture.
IV. The Application of Functional Equivalence in the Translation of Idioms
4.1 Corresponding Idioms
Some idioms in both Chinese and English have the same images and meanings, they can reflect the similarity of Chinese and Western countries. So we can translate these idioms equivalently, and realize functional equivalence of meaning. This is the most ideal state, and realizes the unity of contradiction.
4.1.1 Literal Translation
Firstly, let’s see some examples:
to strike while the iron is hot: 趁热打铁
go through fire and water: 赴汤蹈火
to pour oil upon the flame: 火上浇油
easy come, easy go: 来的容易,去的快
All roads lead to Rome: 条条大路通罗马
This kind of idioms are the best examples to convert cultures of different country, and it can easily been accepted by the target language readers. And they are the best state of idiom translation. We always try to find the bes
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