Translation of idioms

• Some had beautiful eyes, others a beautiful nose, others a beautiful mouth and figure; few, if any, had all.(p.8)

• 她们里面，有的美目流盼，有的鼻准端正，有的樱唇巧笑，有的身体苗条；但是兼备众美的，固然不能说没有，却少的很 (p124)

• She was so modest, so expressive, she had looked so soft in her thin white gown that he felt he had acted stupidly. (p.11)

• 她的态度是那样幽静娴雅 , 她的神气是那样脉脉含情，她穿着薄薄的白长衫，那样轻柔温软，因此他觉得，他刚才的所作所为，真是太愚蠢了。 (p131)

• Their chatter, their laughter, their good-humored innuendoes （影射） , above all, their flashes and flickerings of envy, revived Tess's spirits also;

• 张译 : 她们的闲谈 , 她们的笑声 , 她们的旁敲侧击的趣话 , 更加上她们闪闪烁烁的妒意 , 使苔丝的兴致也复活了。• 孙译 : 姑娘们的欢声笑语 , 善意的影射 , 特别是她们出于羡慕的七嘴八舌 , 使苔丝的精神复活了。

英汉习语对比• 1 ．形义完全相同• barking dogs do not bite 吠犬不咬人 • life in short and time is swift 人生苦短 , 岁月易逝• as cold as ice 冷若寒冰 • like father, like son 有其父必有其子 .• Heart to heart 心心相印

• 2 ．形义部分相同• spend money like water • 挥金如土 • as strong as horse • 力大如牛• teach a pig to play on a flute • 赶鸭子上架• talk horse • 吹牛

• kill the goose to get the eggs • 杀鸡取卵• laugh off one's head• 笑掉牙• as strong as horse • 力大如牛 • a lion in the way • 拦路虎

3 ．看似相同 其实不同 /

• pull one's leg • 欺骗或者戏弄某人 ( 不是拖某人的后腿 )• a walking skeleton • 骨瘦如柴的人 ( 不是行尸走肉 ) • a big fish in a small pond • 显赫人物 ( 小池容不下大鱼 )• eat one's words • 收回前言 ( 不是食言 )

• 4 ．没有对应• child's play • 非常容易做的事 • oil and vinegar • 截然不同的东西 • as fit as fiddle • 非常健康

英汉习语的翻译方法 :

• 1 ．直译• the government's policy has given a gree

n light to the development of our economy

• 政府的政策为经济发展开了绿灯 .• he said so to save his face• 他那样说是为了保全面子 .

• My uncle gives me money? Pigs can fly if they had wings.

• 我叔叔给我钱 , 要是那样猪也长翅膀飞上天了 .• living in an ivory tower, sally had no unde

rstanding of politics.• 萨莉身处象牙塔内 , 对政治一点也不了解 .

2 ．直译加注• advice and correction roll off him like water off a

duck's back.• 劝导和惩罚对他好像水过鸭被似的根本不起作用 .• Emerging from the “pastry-cooks”, Soams’ first i

mpulse was to vent his nerves by saying to his daughter: “Dropping your handkerchief!” to which her reply might well be: “I picked that up from you.”　

• 从糖果点心店里出来，索姆斯本想对女儿发作一下，“故意把手帕掉在地上，就是为了勾引人家。”但她的回答很可能是：“我这样子是从你那儿学来的。

• You told me the other day that you weren’t going to write anything about him. It would be rather like a dog in manger to keep to yourself a whole set of material that you have no intention of using.

• 前些日子，你告诉我你自己不打算写有关他的任何东西，可你却又占着大批材料自己不用，这岂不是狗占马槽太自私了吗？

• But I am short-tempered, frazzled from all responsibilities. I am the “Sandwich Generation”, caught between kids and parents.

• 但我的脾气不好，都是这些事给烦的。我是个夹在孩子和父母之间的“三明治人”• The favors of Government are like the box

of Pandora, with this important difference that they rarely leave hope at bottom.

• 政府的恩惠如同潘多拉的盒子，后患无穷， 主要的不同之处是：盒底很少留有希望。

• 3 ．套译法：• Laugh off one’s head• 笑掉大牙• To shed crocodile tears• 猫哭老鼠• To be out at elbows• 捉襟见肘• 我们在形容人很穷，穿的衣服都是“捉襟见肘”，英语对应的描述就是 out at elbows, 如果你想形容 a poor man w

earing shabby clothes （形容一个穿破旧衣服的穷人），就可以说 He looks out at elbows. ...

• 4 ．释义• save your breath; the boss will never give

you the day off. 说也无益 , 老板不会准你假的• she found herself to be a fifth wheel in the

family. 她感到她成了这个家庭多余的人 .

• 5 ．归化• Ａ :Ｉ am sorry now that we bought this house; i

t is much too far from the bus-stop.• B: well, what’s done is done.• A: And cannot be undone---unless we can sell it

without losing too much money.• A:　我们把这所房子买了，真遗憾，它离公共汽车站实在太远。• B:　唉，木已成舟了。／买了就买了吧• A: 也只好这样了－除非我们能在损失不太大的情况下再卖出去。

6 ．注意不要望文生义和滥用归化法• Blow hot and cold• 朝三暮四，不要译成　朝秦暮楚• A fair weather friend　• 不能共患难的朋友　不要译成　酒肉朋友• Give one an inch and he will take an ell • 得寸进尺　不要译成　得陇望蜀• A blessing in disguise. • 福祸互为因果。不译：塞翁失马，焉知非福

６．有些没有固定的译法 , 要灵活处理 .

• Jack owed David a dollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay David back. He robbed Peter to pay Paul.

• 杰克欠戴维一美元 , 于是向乔借了一美元去还戴维 , 他这是借东家还西家• Trying to study a lesson for one class during ano

ther class is like robbing Peter to pay Paul• 要在这节课里学习那节课的内容是挖东强补西墙

7. 歇后语用直译法翻译歇后语• 1. 我们有些同志喜欢写文章 , 但是没有什么内容 , 真是懒婆娘的裹脚 ,又长又臭 (毛泽东选集 )• Some comrades love to write long articles,

but such articles are exactly like the foot-bandages of a slut, long and smelly.

• 2. 看你，隔着门缝瞧人，把人看扁了。• Humph! If you peer at a person through a

crack, he looks flat! Don’t be so prejudiced.

• 3. 那胡正卿心头 /十五个吊桶打水 ,七上八下 (水浒全传 )• Hu Cheng-ching was very much u

pset by this and his heart was beating like fifteen buckets being hurriedly lowered into a well for water---eight going down while seven were coming up.

• 用意译法翻译歇后语• 1.这是黎统领“哑子吃黄连 , 有苦说不出”的事情咧 !(李六如 :六十年的变迁 )• This has caused our Commander Li real gr

ief, yet he finds it difficult to express.• 2. 他必审问我，我给他个“徐庶入曹营 ----一言不发” (老舍 :骆驼祥子 )• He’s sure to ask questions, but I’ll hold my

tongue to begin with.

用直译加注法翻译歇后语• 10. “三个臭皮匠 ,合成一个诸葛亮” ,这就是说，群众有伟大的创造力 (毛泽东选集 )• The old saying, “Three cobblers with their wits c

ombined would equal Chukeh Liang the master mind, simply means that the masses have great creative power.

• 11.鸠山先生 ,你这个诀窍对我来说 , 就好比擀面杖吹火 --一窍不通 .(红灯记 )• Mr. Hatoyama, for me your secret is like trying to

blow up a fire through a rolling pin. It just doesn’t work.