Culture Differences and the Translation of English and Chinese Idioms.docVIP

Culture Differences and the Translation of English and Chinese Idioms Abstract： Culture is a national phenomenon. English nation has its unique culture and so does Chinese nation. Idiom is an important part of language and culture. Idiom and culture are not separable. Special attention should be paid to the differences between English and Chinese cultures when translating idioms， and the translation can be perceived as a process of consideration of both English and Chinese cultures. Key words： culture； difference； idiom； relationship； influence； translation. Introduction Culture is a national phenomenon. Each culture is unique. English and Chinese people live in different national boundaries and there are many differences between them. In this article， a limited number of culture differences between English and Chinese will be presented and discussed. From time to time a cross-cultural comparison will be made. The differences or contrasts will mainly be discussed， but we can’t forget those similarities. They are the basis for comparative study of cultures. Idioms are closely related to culture and they are culture-specific. It is often hard to understand them and harder to translate them correctly because they are culture rich language items. To translate them means to translate not only words and grammar but also the underlying culture. The role of idioms within a culture and the influence of the culture on the meaning of idioms are so pervasive that scarcely any text can be adequately understood without carefully consideration of its cultural background. The article will also inquire into the methods of the translation of English and Chinese idioms. I. the Definition of Culture and the Differences between English and Chinese Cultures Culture（文化） is a word which has widespead and profound influence. Generally， culture has been interpreted in two senses， a broad sense and a narrow one. In its broad sense culture is the attributes of man. In this sense， whatever dist