语言与文化密不可分。语言是文化的载体，可以容纳文化的各个方面，也可以反映文化的任何内容，同时它也受到文化的制约。正如J uri Lotman 所说:“没有一种语言不是根植于具体的文化之中的;也没有一种文化不是以某种自然语言的结构为中心的。”习语是语言的精髓，它蕴含着丰富的文化信息，包含着大量的文化特征和文化背景，具有鲜明的形象和比喻，带有鲜明的民族特色和地域色彩。如习语“有眼不识泰山”，大家知道泰山位于我国山东省，我国古人以泰山为高山的代表，用来比喻敬仰的人或重大且有价值的事物。汉语习语中用了这一特定地域的事物，来比喻重要的人物。英谚也是如此，如:All roads lead to Rome。因此要翻译好习语，就必须了解这些习语中用作比喻的内涵。 风俗习惯也同样影响习语，如“情人眼里出西施”。一般西方人不太可能知道西施是中国历史上的美人，因此不可能理解这句习语中富有中国文化特色的喻义。在翻译中译为“情人眼里出美人”为宜。又如英语习语中的“Do as the Romans ”只有译为“入乡随俗”才能被译语读者所理解和接受。 英汉文化同样也受到明显的宗教影响，因为宗教信仰是人类文化的重要组成部分。在汉语文化中人们受佛教影响较深，许多习语中都含有佛教中特有的事物，如“做一天和尚撞一天钟。”而英语文化受天主教、基督教影响较深，有关的习语有:as poor as the church (像教堂里的老鼠一样穷) 。 由此可见，翻译好英汉习语，不但要求译者有扎实的语言功底，而且，还要熟悉和了解两种语言的文化背景、异域的风俗习惯、民族色彩以及宗教信仰。 二、英汉习语翻译方法 英语和汉语是不同语系的两种语言，而习语来自不同著作、不同作者、不同国家、不同民族，这样一来，习语翻译就有一定困难。王佐良先生说到:“翻译里最大困难是什么呢? 就是两种文化的不同。在一种文化里有一些不言而喻的东西，在另外一种文化里却要花很大力气加以解释。”翻译涉及两种不同语言之间的转换，只要研究了习语各方面的特点，准确理解原作的思想，就能大致掌握习语互译的规律。下面介绍几种英汉习语翻译方法。 11 直译法。指在符合译文语言规范化的基础上，在不引起错误的联想或误解的前提下，保留习语的比喻、形象以及民族色彩的方法。巴恩斯通认为直译法就是能够极力保持英汉习语之原意、形象和语法结构，基本上兼顾“形式相当”和“功能对等”。形相似、功能对等的习语很多，翻译时使用直译法能保持原文风格。如: 1) 如今听见周瑞家的捆了他亲家，越发火上浇油。(《红楼梦》) The news now that Chou J ui’s wife had had a relative of hers tied up added fuel to the fire of her 2) Blood is thicker than 血浓于水。 3) to strike while the iron is hot 趁热打铁。 21 套译法。由于英汉两种语言的差异和不同的民族文化背景，无法保留原语中的比喻形象，而需要转换为译语读者所熟悉的形象进行翻译，尽管套译中形象各异，但喻义相似或对应，也能保持习语固有的那种鲜明性、主动性，达到语义对等的效果。如: 4) Fools rush in where angels fear to 初生牛犊不怕虎。 5) Every potter praises his own pot 老王卖瓜，自卖自夸。 6) 姨奶奶犯不着来骂我，我又不是姨奶奶家买了。“梅香拜把子———都是奴才”罢咧! 这是何苦来呢!(《红楼梦》)You’ve no call to swear to me ， You didn’t buy We’ve all birds of a feather ———all slaves Why go for me ? 这些习语在内容上和形式上都相符合，即对某一具体问题的思维方式和结果以及具体的表达形式有不谋而合的情况，两者不但有相同的隐义，而且还有大体相同的形象和比喻。 31 意译法。 有不少习语带有浓厚的民族文化色彩，在比喻部分包含有人名、地名、典故，有的源于本民族特有的风俗习惯或宗教等，如直译出来，译文繁冗拖沓，对于不了解文化背景的译语读者很难理解，因此舍弃形象对喻义进行意译，译文反而显得言简意赅、简洁明了。如: 7) “你真是不到黄河心不死”，她低声说，无可奈何地摇摇头。(《寒夜》)“You really do refuse to give until all hope is ”She murmured ， shaking her head 这句话带有明显中国地域色彩，如果直译“不到黄河”，译语读者会因不了解其背景而难以理解，用意译法就能确切地表达原意。 8) When Greek meets Greek ， then comes the tug of 两雄相争，其斗必烈。 若直译为“希腊人遇上希腊人，定有一场好斗。”外国读者会误认为希腊人非常好斗。一般来说，不宜用含有中国地名或人名的汉语习语去套译英语习语，同样也应尽量避免让西方的地名或人名出现在汉语习语中，而应对习语中的专有名词作相应的变通，以利于译语读者对习语的理解和接受。 41 直译兼意译。有些习语是人们日常交际中广泛流传的语言形式，在语体上非常接近日常口语。在翻译时采用直译方法，往往表达不出其含义，若采用直译法之后，再意译出其含义，会收到画龙点睛的效果。如:9) Every bird likes its own nest 鸟爱自己的巢，人爱自己的家。 10) A little pot is soon hot 壶小易热，量小易怒。 51 增补译法。由于英汉民族文化背景不同，一些母语读者容易理解的习语对译语读者来说很难理解。使用增补译法，即对习语先直译后再加注的方法，可以保持译文与原文“意”相似，有“貌合神离”之感。例如:11) They have ， by this very act ， opened a Pandora’s 正是他们的这种做法，打开了希腊神话中潘朵拉的盒子，造成了混乱和不幸。 Pandora 原是希腊神话传说中从天宫下凡的人类第一个女性，Pandora’s box 之意表面上看来是贵重之物，而骨子里却是祸害，其含义为“万恶之源”， “造成极大混乱”，若直译Pandora’s box ，而不增补，会造成一些译语读者难以理解其真正喻义。 总说起来，习语是民族语言的精华，是语言中最富有民族文化特色的部分，翻译时既涉及两种不同的文化背景，又涉及两种语言的表达习惯，准确理解习语在特定语境中的语用含义，把握好正确的翻译方法，这是译好习语的关键。
Song of the Burial of Flowers 葬花吟 by Cao Xueqin [Qing Dynasty] （清）曹雪芹 Flowers fade and fall and fly about up in the sky， But who pities the loss of your fragrance when you die? 花谢花飞飞满天，红消香断有谁怜？ Like gossamer you float and land on pavilions， With your fallen petals clung soft to fine 游丝软系飘春榭，落絮轻沾扑绣帘。 In my boudoir I sigh over the close of spring， But there’s no way to express my sorrowful 闺中女儿惜春暮，愁绪满怀无释处。 Spade in hand， I go out from under my fine curtain， To and fro on fallen petals， how can I bear treading? 手把花锄出绣帘，忍踏落花来复去？ Willow twigs and elm buds send sweet scents as they may， Who cares when peach and plum petals are in decay? 柳丝榆荚自芳菲，不管桃飘与李飞。 Next year peach and plum trees will be in bloom again， But who will be the master of my boudoir then? 桃李明年能再发，明年闺中知有谁？ In March lunar swallows have got their nests ready， They on the beam seem to be those without 三月香巢已垒成，梁间燕子太无情。 Next year in their flight， fresh flowers they may peck， though， All that they and I have will be lost， they never 明年花发虽可啄，却不道人去梁空巢也倾。 There are three hundred and sixty days in one year， With you the elements of nature are 一年三百六十日，风刀霜剑严相逼。 Time is not long for you to be bright and charming， Your trace and track are hard to find in your 明媚鲜妍能几时？一朝飘泊难寻觅。 You are easy to see when open but hard when fallen， Before the stairs I am worried where to find your 花开易见落难寻，阶前闷杀葬花人。 Against the spade I lean and in secret weep sudden， Splashed on your bare branches are my tears like 独把花锄泪暗洒，洒上空枝见血痕。 The cuckoo ceases its warbling at twilight， With my spade I return and shut the doors 杜鹃无语正黄昏，荷锄归去掩重门。 I go to bed with a lone oil lamp still shining， My quilt is not warm when a cold rain is 青灯照壁人初睡，冷雨敲窗被未温。 I feel at heart it is a matter quite nerve-racking， For I like spring or I feel sad over its 怪奴底事倍伤神？半为怜春半恼春。 Spring I love and my sorrow repair at a fast pace， They come silent and go without leaving a 怜春忽至恼忽去，至又无言去不闻。 Last night beyond pavilions sad song seemed rising， Was it the souls of flowers or birds that were singing? 昨宵庭外悲歌发，知是花魂与鸟魂？ It is always hard to ask their souls to stay behind， That birds are silent and flowers feel ashamed， I 花魂鸟魂总难留，鸟自无言花自羞。 I wish to have two wings under my arms to fly， After you unto the farthest end of the 愿奴胁下生双翼，随花飞到天尽头。 At the farthest end of the sky， Where can I find the grave of your fragrance lie? 天尽头！何处有香丘？ Better in silk to shroud your petals fair， With a handful of clean earth as your 未若锦囊收艳骨，一抔净土掩风流。 For pure you have come and pure you repair， Lest you fall into some foul ditch or 质本洁来还洁去，强于污淖陷渠沟。 I hold a burial when you die today， But there’s no telling when I pass 尔今死去侬收葬，未卜侬身何日丧？ Others laugh at me that have buried thee， Who will be the one that shall bury me? 侬今葬花人笑痴，他年葬侬知是谁？ The end of spring makes flowers fall one by one， It’s also the time when beauty meets its 试看春残花渐落，便是红颜老死时。 Once beauty is carried to its very tomb， Both beauty and flowers perish known to 一朝春尽红颜老，花落人亡两不知！ 可以先从作者背景开始写起。。。。。 Cao Xueqin (? ~1764) was one of the most famous novelists and poets in the history of Chinese Born in an influential Manchurian bureaucratic family， he had high cultural accomplishments and outstanding competence for During the reign of the Qing Emperor Yongzheng， his father was involved in a political struggle within the ruling class， defeated， so his family suffered a heavy blow both politically and Thereafter， his family circumstances However， adversity brought talent in It was when he was plunged in such an embarrassing circumstance that he had the chance to contact himself with the underprivileged of the then society， thus giving him specific， intense experience， and enabling himself to see better of He spent as was recorded， at least ten years busying himself with the production of the novel The Dream of the Red Chamber， in which， through a detailed description of the rise and fall of an influential noble family of that time， he created a great number of typical characters， conducted in-depth analyses and criticisms of the then evil society and， at the same time， sang ebullient praises of both the male and female youths who were considered heretical in pursuit of The Dream of the Red Chamber is seen as a great realistic masterpiece among the Chinese classic But the novel reveals a kind of pessimism and sentimentalism past With the tone of Lin Daiyu， one of the heroines in The Dream of the Red Chamber， the author Cao Xueqin blended human feelings with nature in this novel as if in confirmation of man’s helplessness in the presence of the change of nature and the flight of As is known to all that have read it， Lin is a sentimentalist who， taking as part of her life the enjoyment of flowers and
