第六章词语的翻译详解.ppt

井底雕花——深刻 carving a flower design on the bottom of a well——carving deeply or get to the essence of something 王小二过年——一年不如一年 Wang Xiao’er spending the New Year——one year is worse than another; like Wang Xiao’er’s life, one year is worse than another Note: Wang Xiao’er in Chinese can mean any poor fellow at the bottom of the society. 铁打的馒头——一个硬似一个 mantou made of iron——one harder than another；they are like steamed bread made of iron, one is harder, more stubborn or determined than another 热锅上的蚂蚁——走投无路 ants in a hot pot——nowhere to escape; like ants in a hot pot, they find nowhere to escape 英汉两种语言中存有大量由历史典故形成的习语，如， “东施效颦”、“名落孙山”、“叶公好龙”等等。英语典故习语多来自《圣经》和希腊罗马神话，如Achilles’heel（唯一致命弱点）、meet one’s waterloo（一败涂地）、a Pandora’s box（潘多拉之盒代表灾难、麻烦、祸害的根源）等。 有关典故的这些习语结构简单，意义深远，往往是不能单从字面意义去理解和翻译的。 在翻译利用典故的歇后语时，如果仅仅使用解释性增补方法是远远不够的，我们还应该对译文加以注释，从而从文化上和历史上更准确的传达汉语歇后语所包含的民族和文化特色。 王羲之写字——横竖都好 a character out of Wang Xizhi’s hand——vertical strokes are as good as horizontal ones; like Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy, it is good in every way Note: Wang Xizhi was a famous Chinese calligrapher and a Chinese character is usually composed of strokes, of which the vertical and horizontal ones are the most commonly used. Hengshu here has two interpretations: 1) the horizontal and vertical strokes; 2) horizontally or vertically, that is, in any way. 灶王爷扔石头——砸锅 the Kitchen God throwing stones——to break the pot or ruin the matter Note: The literal meaning of zaguo is to break a pot but it is usually used to mean ruining the matter. 秦叔宝卖马——穷途末路 Qin Shubao selling his horse——the last resort to overcome his difficulty; like Qin Shubao selling his horse, they are driven into a dead end Note: Qin Qiong, styled Shubao, was a famous general in the Tang Dynasty. Before becoming a general, he was once penniless and had no way out but to sell his own horse 李林甫当宰相——口蜜腹剑 Li Linfu serving as the prime minister——a man with honey at lips but swords at heart or a honey-mouthed but dagger-hearted man Note: Li Li