Idiom Translation And Its Implications For Elt--A Cultural Contrastive Perspective

Translation, which is born of the strong need of communication, has been challenged by deepening cultural globalization with its research focus shifting from the level of language to the level of culture. Translation researchers have come to realize that translation, which is a cross-cultural communication event, involves not only two different languages but also different cultures. As idioms are a crystallization of human language and culture, special attention has been paid to idiom translation. In addition, according to the newly amended National English Curriculum Standards for College, the aim of college teacher is to foster the students to be good at reading, and to possess the ability of listening, speaking, writing and translating to a certain extent, which help them communicate in English. Thus, we know all the skills are equally important. The function and significance of translating, an important but long-time neglected skill, has been reconsidered in English teaching.The present thesis begins with a contrastive study of the category, classification and sources of English and Chinese idioms, followed by an analysis of the relationships between language, culture and idiom. Through the study on this subject, the author has found that both English and Chinese idioms own their distinct features, such as those related to geographical environment, historical background, customs and habits, religious belief and the like. Owing to these differences, there are different corresponding levels between English and Chinese idioms on the formal and semantic level. For this reason, a nonnative speaker of a language may feel comfortable with standard speech but at a loss when confronted with idiomatic expressions. It is meaningful to learn more cultural elements of a foreign language. Then the author makes a contrastive study of idiom translation employing two translation strategies—domestication and foreignization. Finally, the author has concluded that a translator ought to put cultural elements into consideration, contemplate its cultural implications between English and Chinese and use flexible translation methods to produce proper version.The author hopes that the thesis will serve to arouse readers'interest in translation, cultivate their English ability and intercultural awareness, and ultimately pave the way for efficient English teaching.