论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译

　　论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译〔KeyWords〕translationmethods【关键词】习语；神话典故；翻译方法
　　1。Introduction2。Background
　　Englishasaninternationallanguage，itsusageiswideranging。ManycountrieschooseEnglishastheirofficiallanguage。Whatismore，sixtypercentofbroadcastingintheworlduseEnglishtopropagatetheirinformation。Ofcourse，therearemanyidiomsinEnglishandpartsofthemareloanwords。ThefeaturesofassimilatingloanwordsinEnglishareevident。Ontheonehand，itbelongstoGermaniclanguagefamilythatenablesittotakepossessionofthecommonwordsinGermaniclanguage。Ontheotherhand，EnglishkeepsintouchwithFrenchandRomanlanguagefamilycloselyforalongtime。TheancientGreekmythologies，RomanmythsandfairytalesofnorthernEuropearethepubliclyownedwealthofEuropeannations。TheyhavedeepinfluenceondevelopmentofwholeEuropeancultureinwhichmanystoriesprovidesourcematerialsforEnglishidioms。Therefore，EnglishidiomstakeinanywordthatcanrepresentthemainEuropeanculture。Anditismoretypicalandrepresentativethanothersinreflectingtheculturalpersity。JustlikeBaconsaid：Talent，quickwittedandspiritinanationcanallbefoundinitsidioms。〔3〕
　　2。1ThesourcesofEnglishidioms
　　Aseveryoneknows，idiomscomefromdifferentaspects：literaryworksandmythologyandallusion。
　　2。1。1Idiomsfromdifferentlivingenvironments
　　Idiomsarecloselyrelatedtopeople’slaborandlife，becausepeopleinaparticularcultureneedwordstonameandexplainobjectsandappearancepresentinthatculture。TheHanPeople，liveonland，andbelongtoanagrariansocietythatplacesagriculturalproductionatthetopofthenationalagenda。Duringthelonghistoryoffarming，theChineselanguagehasaccumulatedlargenumbersoffarmers’idiomslike瑞雪兆丰年（atimesnowpromisesagoodharvest），五谷丰登（abundantharvestofallfoodcrops）。WhileBritishliveinanislandcountry，probablyhaveidiomsaboutwaterandsailing。Forexample，wespeak挥金如土inChinese，butweshouldrenderitintoEnglishasspendmoneylikewater。Andtherearesimilarexamplesasfollows：tokeepone’sheadaboutwater（奋力图存），infullsail（全力以赴），towero论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译ne’ssail（甘拜下风）。
　　Whatismore，therecomedifferentspecialproductsdeterminedbythedifferentgeographicalsurroundings。Forexample，likemushroomsandspringuplikemushroomsinEnglish，means像蘑菇一样，and雨后春笋般地涌现inChinese。Bothofthemhavethesamemeaningofthegreatdevelopmentofathing，buttheyusetheirrespectivethingstoformthemetaphor，becauseChinaaboundswithbamboo，whereasitdoesnotgrowinEngland。SotheCwhiletheEnglishdon’t。Thiscaseisquitethesamewiththeidiomplentiful
　　asblackberries，forblackberriesareeasilyavailableinEnglandwhileinChinese，多如牛毛isused，forcattlecanbefoundeverywhereinChina。Entertainmentandactivities，whicharepartsofnationalculture，arequitedifferentinvariouscountries。Horseracing，boxingandcricketareancientandtraditionalsportsinEngland，soinEnglish，thereareidiomslikeneckandneck（不分上下），downandout（倒下出局），notcricket（不讲信用），andstraightfromtheshoulder（直截了当），andhaveagoodinnings（一帆风顺）；whereastheancientChinesepreferredhuntingandchess：棋逢对手（diamondcutdiamond），剑拔弩张（atdaggersdrawn），明枪易躲，暗箭难防（Falsefriendsareworsethanopenenemies）。Therearesomeaspectsineverydaylifeinthefollowing。
　　（）Idiomsfromfood
　　InEngland，breadisusuallyeatentogetherwithbutter，andsalt，milkandcreamaretheireverydaydiet。AllofthemaretheeverydaydietforwesternpeopleandthusappearThereisnousecryingoverspiltmilk（不要做无谓的后悔），baker’sdozen（面包师的第十三个面包），andpolishtheapple（拍马屁）；ChinahasalonghistoryofcookingandtheChineseareknownasthemostcritical，forwhoattachgreaterimportancetofoodthananyotherpeople，asisreflectedinthesayinglike：画饼充饥（todrawcakestoallayhunger）
　　（）Idiomsfromsea
　　BothintheChineseandtheEnglishlanguages，idiomsabouttheseaarenumerous，becausebothofthesetwocountriesaresurroundedandhalfsurroundedbysea，andtheyarerichinnaturalresourcesoffish。Fishingplaysavitalroleintheireconomy，soalargenumberofidiomsconcerningfisharehandeddown：Fishbeginstostinkatthehead（上梁不正下梁歪），Neveroffertoteachfishtoswim（不要班门弄斧），andtofishintroubledwater（浑水摸鱼）。
　　（）Idiomsfrommilitaryaffairs
　　Thehistoryofmankindisalmostthehistoryofwar，whichisthesourceofnumerousidioms。TheChinesenationhasalonghistoryofwarformorethantwothousandyears，andthereforetheChineselanguageisrichinsuchidioms：项庄舞剑，意在沛公（XiangZhuangperformedthesworddanceasacoverforhisattemptonLiuBang’slife。actwithahiddenmotive）；四面楚歌（beindesperatestraits）；暗度陈仓（tostealamarchon）。AnditisalsomirroredinthefollowingEnglishidioms：WhatmillionsdiedthatCaesarmightbegreat（一将功成万骨枯）；Meetone’sWaterloo（遭遇惨败）；Pyrrhicvictory（得不偿失的胜利）；andgentleman’sagreement（君子协定）。
　　2。1。3Idiomsfromreligion
　　Religionisanimportantsourceforidioms。Itisasocialphenomenonandmainlyacodeofethicsgoverningpersonalandsocialconduct。Comparativelyspeaking，BuddhismhasgreaterinfluenceinChineseculturealthoughChinaisamultireligiouscountry。ItwasfirstintroducedintoChinainthefirstcenturyAD，andhasshapedtheChineselanguage，diet，arts，etc。，andgreatlystimulatedthedevelopmentofChineseliterature。ThelargenumberofwordsandidiomsderivedfromBuddhismisoneofthemanifestationsofitsinfluence，suchas放下屠刀，立地成佛（AbutcherbecomesaBuddhathemomenthedropshiscleaverawrongdoerachievessalvationassoonashegivesupevil）and做一天和尚，撞一天钟（takeapassiveattitudetowardone’swork）。AndtherearequiteafewEnglishidiomsfromreligion。Suchas：Benjamin’smess（最大的份额）；
　　raiseCain（大吵大闹）；appleofSodom（金玉其外，败絮其中）；soptoCerberus（贿赂）；handwritingonthewall（不祥之兆）andsoon。
　　2。1。4Idiomsfromhistoricalevents
　　Inmostlanguage，peopleembellishtheirspeechorwritingwithreferencestocharactersoreventsfromtheirhistory，thatistosay，idiomaticexpressionsarecloselyrelatedtoacountry’shistory。TherearealotofidiomsintheChineselanguagecannotfindanequivalentintheEnglishlanguagebecausethehistoryofthetwocountriesarequitedifferent。Manyidiomsarefromtheirownhistory。TheEnglishlanguagehasmuchlessidiomsfromhistoricaleventsthantheChineselanguagebecauseEnglishjusthasahistoryofmorethanonethousandyearsduringwhichlessimportanthistoricaleventshappened。Forexample，tomeetone’sWaterloo（遭遇滑铁卢）isfromthed论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译efeatofNapoleonatWaterlooin1815，whichmeanstobecompletelydefeated。
　　2。1。5Idiomsfromliteraryworks
　　LiteraryworksarealsooneofthemainsourcesofEnglishidioms。InEnglishliterature，themostglitteringstarisShakespeare。Hisdramasarethemajorsourceofthiskindidioms：toclaimone’spoundofflesh（割某人的一磅肉）isfromTheMerchantofVmakeassurancedoublysure（加倍小心）comesfromMacbeth。Andthereareotherexamples：Readingmakesafullman，conferenceareadyman，writinganexactmanBaconOnStheuglyducking（丑小鸭）isfromHanAnderson’JekyllandHyde（双重性格）originatesfromStevenson’sTheStrangecaseofDr。JekyllandMr。HopensesameandoldmanoftheseacomefromArabiantales。
　　2。1。6Idiomsfrommythologyandallusion
　　Inthisthesis，theauthorfocusesonthetranslationofmythologiesandallusionsinEnglishidioms，whichcomefromstoriesofGodsandheroes。Asweallknow，GreekandRomancivilizationshaveagreatinfluenceonEnglish，sotheGreekandRomancivilizationshavegreatinfluenceonEnglishidioms。Let’spayattentiontothefollowingidioms：
　　（1）Achilles’heel（致命弱点）whichcomesfromtheGreekmythologyhasthemeaningtheoneweakspotinaman’scircumstancesorcharacter。InGreekepic，hismothertookAchillesupsidedownintotheStyxwhenhewasachild。Sohewasarmsproofexcepthisheelbecauseitwasheldinhismother’shand。ThereforeinTroywar，hediedforParisshotapoisonedarrowintohisheel。
　　（2）Otherexamples，Hercules’schoicemeanstherewardoftoilinreferencetopleasure，theHerculianefforts（九牛二虎之力），andthepillarsofHercules（天涯海角）。ItissaidthatHerculeswasoneofthemostfamousheroesinGreekmythologies。Hekilledtwosnakeswhenhewasababy，andwasknownasamanofmuscle。HerefusedthePleasureGoddess’sallure，wentthroughinnumerablehardshipsandintheend，hewontheeternallife。
　　Idiomshavebeencalledthecrystallizationoflanguage。Anappropriateuseoftheminourspeechandwritingwilladdtothestrengthandvividnessofidioms。PerhapssomepeoplearequitefamiliarwithtocuttheGordianknotandAPandora’sboxsuchallusionsnotonlymakethelanguagericher，butalsomakecommunicationmuchmorevividerandeasier。However，indailycommunication，peopleusuallydon’tknowwhyHobson’schoicemeansnochoiceatall（别无选择）；pilePeliononOssameansextremelydifficult（难上加难），orMercuryfigmeansthefirstfruit（最初的果实）。Ifthesourceofanidiomisknown，itiseasiertofigureoutitsmeaning。Itis
　　difficulttotranslateidiomsfaithfullybecauseidiomsreflectthewisdomofordinarypeoplethatis
　　allinclusive。Theknowledgeofthesourcesoftheseidiomswillhelpuscomprehendwhattheyreallymean。
　　2。2ThedifficultiesinthetranslationofEnglishidioms
　　Inthe1950’stheAmericanwriterHockettputforwardtheconceptrandomholesinpatterns文化空缺whichmeanstheaccidentalgapinconservationwhencontrastingtwolanguages。〔4〕AndNidahadsaid：Theremustbeinformationdrainsinanycourseofconservationandtheabsoluteequityisneverpossible。Thegoaloftranslationisconservationinmaximumtoenabletheforeignreadersunderstandthesourceculture。Therearetworeasonsasfollows。Firstly，theformationandsolidificationofEnglishidiomsareinrelationshipwiththedifferenthistories，environmentsandculturalbackgrounds。Itcontainscertainnationalculturecharacteristicsandinformation。Furthermore，ChineseandEnglishliveindifferentregions，sotheirlivingenvironmentsandexperiencesaredifferent，especiallyintheirwaystoobservetheworld，understandtheworldandtransformtheworld。Theircultureatmospheresareunique。Secondly，ChinesebelongstotheSinoTibetanlanguagefamilywhileEnglishbelongstotheIndoEuropeanlanguagefamily，sotheirlanguagestructuresaredifferent。Allmentionedaboveenrichtheidiomsandmakethemmorecomplex。
　　2。3Thedevelopmentoftranslationprinciple
　　TheprincipleoftranslationbetweenEnglishandChinesehasdevelopedforalongtime。Abouttranslationstandards，translatorsfromhomeandabroadputforwarddifferentopinions。FromYanFu’sfaithfulness，expressiveness，elegancetoMr。ZhangPeiji’fromFuLei’sapproximationinspirittotheAmericanfamoustranslationtheoreticianEugeneNida’sfunctionalequivalenceordynamicequivalence，wemayseethatthesepositionsaffecteachother，supplementeachotheralthoughtheiremphasesaredifferent。Thefocusistotranslatethesourcetextfaithfully，me论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译anwhile，tokeeptheoriginaltasteasmuchaspossible。
　　Thequalityofidiomstranslationhasthedirectinfluenceontheentirearticle。Inordertobeloyaltotheoriginaltext，thetranslationmustnotonlymaintainitsoriginaltasteandflavor，butalsoconformtothedemandofwritingintargetlanguage。However，theidiomstranslationisdifficulttomeetthesetwostandardsatthesametime。Itisextremelyimportanttotranslateidiomsfaithfully，andthetranslationbetweenEnglishandChinesemustpayattentiontofollowingthreepoints：
　　（）Itheyhavemanifesteddifferentnationalflavors。Therefore，thetranslationofidiomsmusttrytokeeptheoriginaltasteandnottousethosetargetwordsthathavestrongnationalcharacteristics。
　　（）Chineseidiomsstresstotherhythmandstructure。SoitisnecessarytoaugmentorreadjusttheoriginallanguagestructurewhentranslatingEnglishidioms。
　　（）Doone’sbesttotranslatetheoriginalimages，metaphoricmeaningandrhetoricofthesourcelanguage。
　　3。OntheTranslationMethodsofEnglishIdioms
　　3。1TwomaintranslationapproachesofEnglishidioms
　　Domesticationandforeignizationaretwomainapproachesoftranslation。TheUStranslationtheoreticianVenutidefinesthetwomethodsasfollow：〔5〕
　　Domesticationadoptsthenationalcenterprinciple，enablesthesourcelanguagetexttosatisfythevalueoftargetlanguageandculture，andleadsthesourcelanguagereadersintothetargetculture，whileforeignizationmeanstoacceptthedifferencesbetweenforeignlanguagecultureandtargetlanguageculturetotaketargetlanguagereaderstoseetheforeignscene。Fromthedefinitions，wecanseebothofthemholddifferentapproachestowardtheculturaldifferences。Buttheauthorbelievesthatthedomesticationisthebestwaytoenrichtheexpressionoftargetlanguage。Adoptingdomesticationinmaximumcanenablethetargetlanguagereadersemergethesameorthesimilarassociationasthesourcelanguagereaders。
　　3。2FourconcretetranslationskillsofEnglishidioms
　　TherearesomeconcreteskillsoftranslationbetweenEnglishandChinese，whicharecitedasfollows：
　　1。Literaltranslation
　　2。Freetranslation
　　3。Borrowing
　　4。Literaltranslationwithannotation
　　Theauthorrevealsthemethodsindetailinthefollowing。
　　3。2。1Literaltranslation
　　LiteraltranslationcanfairlyretaintheEnglishidioms’nationalandlocalflavors，inthepositionofnotviolatingthestandardoftranslationorcausingthereadersmisunderstand。Thiswayoftranslationcannotonlyretaintheoriginalintention，butalsoenrichChineselanguage。Itcanbeseenclearlyinthefollowingexamples：
　　（3）Anappleofdiscord（不和女神的金苹果）comesfromGreekmythology。Thestoryisabout：agoddessnameddiscordisangryandneverforgivesKingParisandhiswifebecausetheydon’tinvitehertoparticipateintheirweddingbanquet。Inordertogiveventtothehate，declaringthatthisappleisgiventothemostbeautifulladyinthisweddingbanquet。Therearethreegoddesseswanttoobtainthisgoldenapple。Andthenitcauseswrangleinamess。Fromthenon，themeaningofanappleofdiscordspreads。Itbecomesthesynonymofthecauseofdisasterandthesourceofthedisagreement。〔6〕
　　（4）ThesearetheGreekgiftsforyou。Theliteraltranslationofthisidiomis希腊人的礼物，whichcomesfromthewellknownepicpoemOdyssey。WhentheGreekhadleftTroy，theyleftbehindabigwoodenhorseoutsidetheTroycity。PriestLaocoontriedhisbesttopersuadehiskingnottoacceptthethingthattheGreekstayedbehind。Hesaidthat，IfeartheGreek，evenwhenbringinggifts。Butwhatapity，thekingandthepeopledidnotlistentohisadvice。Theypulledthebigwoodenhorseintotheircity。Actually，inthewoodenhorsetherehidthemostexcellentGreeksoldiers。Atthatnight，theykilledtheTrojanandfiredthecity。ThiswoodenhorsebroughtdisastertotheTroy。〔7〕InEnglishGreekgiftsisequaltotheproverb：Whenthefoxpreaches，takecareofyourgeese。ThesimilarChineseidiomistheyellowweaselgoestohisrespectstothehenwiththebestofintention。黄鼠狼给鸡拜年不安好心。〔8〕
　　Otherexamplesare：
　　（5）Achillesheelwhichmeanstheonlyweakness，orstrategicpoint致命弱点；
　　（6）CuttheGordianknotmeanstakingthedrasticmeasures，inChinesemeans论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译快刀斩乱麻；
　　（7）TheswordofDamocles，theswordhangingaboveDamocles’headcomparestotheworryingmentality忧患意识
　　Furthermore，weshouldneverneglectthefollowingfacts。Makeageneralsurveyofthehistoryoftranslation，wearenotdifficulttoseemanyliteraltranslationsaretemporarymeanstomeetemergency。Themostremarkablerepresentistransliterations。Goingthroughalongtime，transliterationstandsfirmlyandslowlyandisgraduallyacceptedbyChinese。Intheendtheybecomeoureverydayterms。Likehumor，sofa，hamburgerandsoon。Andweshouldrealizeanothertwowaysoftranslation：oneisimitatingtheoriginaltextthatismoreorlessalittlenondescript，andtheotherisexplainingtheoriginaltextclearly，butitwouldbelengthy。TranslatingtheallusioninEnglishidiomsisthesame。
　　（8）Hereisatypicalexampleontransliteration。RightnowtheChineseareprobablyfamiliarwiththesetwowords：scienceanddemocracy。Butinfact，theyarenotlocallyborn。Ontheearly20thcentury，thetranslationsofthesetwowordswereratherstrangetous。Theformeristransliteratedinto赛因斯orshortenedasMr。Sai（赛先生），whilethelatteris德谟克拉西orshortenedasMr。De（德先生）。Afterwardstheyarechangedinto科学and民主〔9〕。EvenMr。LuXunalsohasmadetheveryinterestingattemptinthisaspect。HetranslatedEnglishwordfairplayinto费尔泼赖whichwasacceptedbytheChineseatthattime。Actually，eitherscienceorfairplayisjustatemporaryidealapproachoftranslationinthesituationthathadnoequivalentsinChinese。
　　（9）Thereisanotherexample。Inthe1960’stherewasalargequantityofyoungmencalledthedecadentsinAmerica。Theywerediscontentedwiththesocialsituation，hatedanything，heldtheresistancetothetraditionalvalue，didanythingnewanddifferentinordertooutofordinary，keptthelonghair，woretheoutlandishclothes，andadvocatedintercoursefreely。TheywerecalledhippiesinEnglish。HowtotranslateitintoChinese？SinceinChineseglossary，noreadymadewordcanexpresstheabovesectionofspeeches。Summarizingthewordasthementocountertraditionorpeopledissatisfyingtherealityunavoidablylosetheculturalmeaning。Sotransliteratinghippiesinto嬉皮士canwellsolvethisproblem。
　　3。2。2Freetranslation
　　Freetranslationissimilartodomestication。Itreferstosuchatranslationmethod：theyhavetodiscardculturalmessagetokeeptheoriginalcontentanditscommunicativefunction。Freetranslationisanincorporatingexplanationtodealwithculturaldifferences。Obviouslyfreetranslationintheprocessofdealingwithculturaldifferenceisveryimportant。RegardingthereaderswhonevergetintouchwithMongoliaandPeaceywhichistranslatedinto达蒙和皮西阿斯，theydonothaveanyideasofthisidiomevenifthetranslationlookssofaithful。Evenmore，thesourceinformationlostcompletely。
　　Bothliteraltranslationandfreetranslationareloyaltotheoriginaltext。Infact，hereisadialecticalunification。Becausethetraditionaltranslationistoosubjective，Nidaproposedfunctionalequivalenceviewpointthatismoreobjective。Itmeanstorequestthetargetlanguagereaderstohavethesameorsimilarresponsewiththesourcelanguagereader。Themajorityoftargetlanguagereadersdonotunderstandthesourcelanguageandcultureexactly。Ttheirthinkingmodesofquestionaredifferent。Sothetranslatorshavetoseeksomekindoflanguagethatcontainsthesameculturalinformationofthesourcelanguage。
　　However，functionalequivalencetheoryhasitslimitation。Statingfromprecedingtranslationmethods，Nada’stheoryindeedgainsgreatachievementintranslatingidioms。Ithasabandonedtheformtofocusonthecontent，putasidethelanguagedifferencetofocusonthereaders’response，itcanberatedasonekindofinnovation。Therefore，thefunctionalequivalencedoublesthetranslationfavor，andwasoncefashionablealloverChinain1980s。Untilnow，theinfluenceoffunctionalequivalenceisstillextensive。ButsomeonepointsoutthatNidaraisedhisviewpointwhenhestudiedthetranslationstrategyofHolyBible。Soitismoresuitableforthemissionaryidiomsthatareinreligiousancientbooks，mythsandfablesinthewesternculture。
　　Forexample：
　　（10）AJuda’skisscomesfromHolyB
　　（1
　　1）AswiseasSolomonarefromGreekandRomanmyth。
　　Althoughthiski论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译ndofstructureofidiomsissimple，itssignificanceisprofound，anditsculturalcharacteristicsarestrong，sotheyoftencannotbeunderstoodortranslatedfromthesemanticlevel。Itmustbetransplanteddirectlyfromthesourcelanguageculturetothetargetlanguageculture。Thismethodiscalledculturalfacsimile。VenuttproposedhisResistancetranslation〔10〕asakindofsolutionfortranslationbetweenChineseandEnglish。Hethoughttranslationitselfundertooktheculturalexchangeandthereadershavetheabilitytounderstandtheexternalculturecompletely。Whatismore，foreignnesswillplayanimportantroleinenrichingthetargetlanguageinfuture。
　　（1
　　2）Justlikeonehundredyearsago，AllroadsleadtoRomewastranslatedintoreachingthesamegoalorconclusionfromdifferentapproaches（殊途同归）。ButtodayitistranslatedintoeachstrippathpassestotheRome（条条大路通罗马）becausetheChinesehaveacceptedthewordRome。Perhapscertainyearslater，theChinesecanalsoaccepttheidiomMongoliaandPeacey。Besidesthischangethereisanothersituationintheinteriorchangeofthesourcelanguage。Forexample，theyareignorant，backwardandpoorbecauseofthelowproductiveforce。Butnowalongwiththechangeofpeasants’socialposition，theculturalinformationofpeasantshasbeenchanged。Atpresent，thewordfarmersismoreappropriatetorefertotheChinese农民thanthewordpeasants。Sowesaydifferenttimeshavedifferenttranslatededitions。JustasNidasaidAtranslatedwork，nomatterhowmuchitapproachestheoriginalwork，itslifeisnomorethan50years。〔11〕Itisalsothereasonwhytherearemassiveretranslationsofasamesourcetextoverandoveragain。
　　Inaddition，bothidiomsinChineseandEnglishtakerootinmyth，fable，andallusionandsoon。Thiskindofidiomsmaybecalledtheliteraryidioms。Soitisworthdrawingouttheoriginalliteraryplotswhennecessary。Itcanbeclearlyseeninthebelowexamples：
　　（1
　　3）HelenofTroy绝色美女；
　　（1
　　4）TheTrojanhorse特洛伊木马；
　　（1
　　5）BetweenScyllaandCharybdiswhichmeansbeingattackedfrontandrear，inadilemma进退维谷andsoon。
　　3。2。3Borrowing
　　DoasingleobservationandresearchinChineseandEnglishidiomscarefully，wecandiscoverthatafewChineseandEnglishidiomshavethesameformandconnotation。Someevenhavethesamesignificanceandconstruction。Thisisbecausethesetwolanguagesandcultureshavesimilarity，sowemaytranslateeachothermutually。
　　（1
　　6）Takeburnone’sboatforexample。Thestoryis：in55BCoftheancientRome，whengreatCaesarcommandedhistroopstocrosstheRubicon，heissuedanordertofiretheboatstoexpresstheirdeterminationnotwins，ratherdie。ThisissimilartoaChineseidiom：破釜沉舟whichmeansbreakthecauldronsandsinktheboats（aftercrossing）。〔11〕TheoverlordXiangYuintheSpringandAutumnPerioddidittolethissubordinatebedeterminedtowin。Thesetwoidiomscarrythesameculturalconnotation，andareusedtoexpresstheidenticalmeaningsettingfirmresolutiontowin。Sowhentranslatingidiomslikethis，toadoptthesynonymyidiomsinChineseisbetter。Suchculturalphenomenoniscalledculturaloverlaps。Borrowingthesimilarimagesinthetargetlanguageculturetoreplacetheoriginalimagesismucheasiertounderstandforthetargetlanguagereaders。Therearesomeinterestingexamplesasfollow：
　　（1
　　7）PremierZhouaccompaniedwiththeforeigngueststoenjoythefamousplayLiangShanboandZhuYingtai。Theinterpretertriedhisbesttoexplainthelovestoryfortheforeigner，buthefailed。WhilePremierZhousaid：theyareRomeoandJulietinChina，andthissuddenlyenlightenedtheforeignguests。PremierZhouhadjustborrowedtheimageintheforeigners’culture。Sotheycanunderstandthelovestorywithoutanydifficulty。
　　（1
　　8）YangYuhuan，whoisfamiliartoChinesewhilenottotheforeigner。Wecanexplainitlikethat：ShewasHelenofTroyinChina。Inordertoavoidthemisunderstandingandinvitingridicule，translatorshadbetternotusethismethodwithoutthinking。Asaresultofdifferenc论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译ebetweenChineseandEnglish，someidiomsinonekindofcultureareselfevident。Butitisverydifficulttounderstandthesameidiomsinanotherculture。Eventheidenticalwordsandexpressionsinidiomsoftenhavethedifferentmeaningsindifferentculturalbackgrounds。Somepeoplelikeusingtheidiomstotranslateidioms，especiallythefourcharactersidiomtotranslateEnglishidioms。Actually，idiomscanreflectanationalculturalandwritingcharacteristic。Sometimescertainidiomslookthesamebuttheirpracticalsignificanceisquitedifferent。Sometimestheyareapparentlyrightbutactuallywrong。
　　（20）Forexample：theidiomasquarepeginaroundholeAroundpeginasquareholeistranslatedinto方枘圆凿isnotexactly。ThemeaningofthisEnglishidiomisnarrow。Itreferstosomebodywhoisnotsuitfortakingonsomedutyorsomeincompatiblewithenvironment。Butthemeaningof方枘圆凿thatisbroader。Itisreferstoallthethingsthatdonotcoincide。Soidiomscontainquiteobviousnationalandlocalcolorsarehardtotranslate。
　　Anditisalsoanotherkindofforeignization。Itnotonlypreservestheoriginalidioms’significance，thevividsignificanceandtheconcealmentsignificance，butalsoretainstheoriginalidioms’styletomakethetargetlanguagereadersunderstandandacceptbetter。
　　3。2。4Literaltranslationwithannotation
　　Someidiomshavestrongnationalcharacteristicsandculturaltaste。TheirsignificanceshavebeenfamiliartoEnglishspeakingpeopleandextensivelyused。However，ifonlytranslatingthemwithoutexplaining，thetargetlanguagereaderswhoarenotfamiliarwiththeiruniqueculturalflavorcanhardlycomprehendit。Annotatingidiomsisgoodforthetargetlanguagereaderstounderstand。Literaltranslationwithannotationisanotherkindofannotation。Itcanmakeupforthelatentsignificanceandcorrelativebackgroundknowledgeofidioms。Addingtheannotationsandcommentsinthemarginwillworkwell。Itnotonlymakesthetargetlanguagereadersachievethesameeffectasfreetranslation，butalsogivesthemmoredetailedinformation。
　　（2
　　1）Forexample：inthearmsofMorpheus。Itmeansfallingasleeporsleepingsoundly。（Note：MorpheusisgodofsleepintheGreekmythology）
　　Eachidiom’ssentimentalcoloraswellastheassociationisdissimilar。Thereforewhentranslatingthesourcelanguagetothetargetlanguage，weshouldpaycloseattentiontoitsnationalcharacteristics，sentimentalcolors，culturalelementsandlocalcolorsinordertokeeptheoriginalnationality。ThecontemporaryfamoustranslationtheoreticianPeterNewmarkbelievesthatAsthelastresort，explanationisthetranslation（解释就是翻译）。〔13〕Practicetestifiesthatliteraltranslationwithannotationisveryefficacious。
　　（2
　　2）TakethePandora’sboxforexample。ItsliteraltranslationisboxofthePandora。ThetargetlanguagereadersaffirmablydonotunderstandwhattheboxofthePandoraisandwhatitisusedfor。Atthattime，translatorshadbetterexplainitssourceintheGreekmythologyforthereaders。ThentheycanunderstandthePandora’sboxmeanstheinfinitivedisasterorsourceofdisaster。Itcanbeclearlyseeninthefollowingsentence。
　　TheyhavebythisveryactopenedaPandora’sbox。。他们这种做法犹如打开了潘多拉的盒子引起混乱，造成不幸
　　（2
　　3）ABarmecidalFeastwhichistranslatedinto巴米萨式的宴会。Ifthetranslatortranslatesitinto虚情假意的宴请，hecannotdelivertheliteraryreferenceandimageofthesourcetexttothetargetlanguagereaderssuccessfully。Thereisanotherchoice。Translateitinto巴米萨请客虚情假意，justasChineseenigmaticfolksimiles。Orwecanaddafootnotetoexplaintheidiom，whichmayhelpthetargetlanguagereadersunderstandthisidiommoreeasily。
　　4。Conclusion
　　Inthethesis，someimportantstrategiesofthetranslationofEnglishidiomsaretalkedabout。Throughtheoreticalanalysisandresearchresults，itisconcludedthatthesestrategiesmakegreatcontributiontothedevelopmentoftranslation。Anidiomusuallyhasanimpliedmeaning。Itcannotbeinterpretedonlyaccordingtoitsliteralmeaning。IndeedthereismuchculturalinformationinEnglishthatisvacatedinChinese。Perhapsattheverybeginning，thetargetlanguagereaderswouldfeeltrulyCultureShock（文化冲击）〔14〕，butastimegoeson，theybecomeaccustomedtotheidiomsthatcomefromothercultures。Theauthorbelievesfirmlythatthereader’sabilitytoacceptthenewculturalimagesishardtoassessandcannotbeunderestimated。Withthefrequenterinternationalcommunicationdaybyday，thereadersn论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译论英语典故与习语的来源与翻译owadayswillunderstandandabsorbtheforeignculturewithoutdifficulty。Thereforesolongasnottoaffecttheunderstandingofthesourcelanguage，theauthoradvocatestranslatingidiomliterallyasfaraspossibletocarryontheculturewhichpromotestheculturalexchangeamongthedifferentcountriesandmakesgreatprogresstotheculturalglobalization。
　　Justbecauseofthegreatimportanceoftranslatingstrategies，theaimofthispaperistoproduceefficientEnglishtranslationstrategiesandenablethetargetlanguagereadersunderstandtheforeignculturemoreeasily。Soitsuggestssomeusefulstrategiestohelpthemsolvetheproblemofrandomholesinpatterns。
　　Withthehelpofthesestrategies，thetargetlanguagereaderswillbelightened。Butthemostusefulstrategyforthemisgettingintouchwithforeigncultureasmuchaspossiblebythemselves。Atthattime，theproblemofCultureShockwillbecomeapapertiger，nolongerblockingthewayofefficientandeffectiveEnglishtranslation。
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　　〔3〕袁芳，王惠芳。中西文化的差异与习语翻译〔J〕。甘肃教育学院报，2002，2。P1
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