On The Translation Of English Proverbs

Mainly derived from the daily life of the common people, English proverbs are regarded as a highly condensed encyclopedia of the English-speaking nations and their culture, as they cover the widest possible range of areas from the deepest philosophic contemplation of universal significance to the commonest daily activities of every household. They are not only the gems of the English language, but a form of literature with their terse and comprehensive language and melodious rhyme; more importantly, they serve as a window to the cultures of the English-speaking nations as they are deeply rooted in their social life and related to their history, living habits, social environment and natural environment. Handed down by the word of mouth generation after generation, English proverbs sum up experience of the English people's life and work, capable of admonishing later generations.As an integral part of both the English language and culture, English proverbs hold an important position in cultural communication. For the Chinese who are trying to keep pace with the times, the translation of English proverbs into Chinese is necessary and helpful. In China, more and more people have recognized the urgency of studying and translating English proverbs, making a great effort to research into translating English proverbs into Chinese. However, there are problems existing. On the one hand, many people just talk about certain aspects of the translation of English proverbs into Chinese; on the other hand, a comprehensive and systematic study is still needed because there aren't generally accepted guiding principles put forward.The thesis tries to study how to translate satisfactorily English proverbs into Chinese. To achieve the aim of good and satisfactory translation, the present author takes the translation theory of Eugene Nida, that is, functional equivalence, as theoretical basis. Compared with traditional views of translation, Nida's functional equivalence provides a completely new criterion for the evaluation of translation, which shifts the form of the message to the response of the receptor, thus enabling the translator to capture the meaning and spirit of the original language text without being bound to its linguistic structure. In translating English proverbs into Chinese, the translator should be aware what the difficulties are and where the problems lie. The thesis studies the difficulties and problems arising from reproducing the characteristics of English proverbs in detail. These characteristics of the English proverbs are examined from three aspects: the content, form and rhetorical methods.With functional equivalence as theoretical basis, bearing in mind the characteristics of English proverbs, the present author puts forward principles guiding their translation into Chinese. They are as follows:Firstly, in translating English proverbs into Chinese, the translator should take Chinese readers' response into major consideration and make sure that they can correctly understand and appreciate the translated proverbs, trying hard to achieve the "closest natural equivalence". The translator should employ literal translation wherever it is possible to retain the features and reproduce the beauty of English proverbs.Secondly, if the original proverb is colloquial in style and popular in terms of language choice, the translated version should have the same characteristics; if the original proverb is classical and graceful, so is the translated version.Thirdly, since proverbs are the crystalization of collective wisdom, they usually contain general truth about life and work and have metaphorical intention, capable of giving advice. In this sense, their translations should also reflect their function.The thesis classifies English proverbs into four groups to study the translation of them into Chinese according to their origins, namely, proverbs derived from the common people, from the Bible, from Shakespeare and other celebrities, from Greek and Roman mythology and fables. In each category, different translation techniques and examples are presented.The part "Introduction" talks about the research topic, states its significance and points out the problems existing in the translation of English proverbs. The thesis mainly consists of eight chapters. Chapter one is literature review, while theoretical framework is expounded in Chapter two. Chapter three is to deal with the difficulties in translating English proverbs into Chinese and principles guiding the translation will be put forward. Chapter four discusses the translation of English proverbs derived from the common people. Chapter five addresses the translation of English proverbs from the Bible. Chapters six and seven are devoted to the translation of English proverbs from Shakespeare and other celebrities, Greek and Roman mythologh, as well as other sources. Chapter eight includes the findings of the research and also its limitations.