A Study on Translating English Metaphors into Chinese

A Study on Translating English Metaphors into ChineseAcknowledgementsIm extremely grateful for the support from my supervisor, associate Professor Chen Wenqi, for his invaluable guidance. Though quite busy, he showed unfailing patience in proof-reading my thesis and provided many valuable suggestions for my improvement. His instruction offered enlightenment for the completion of my thesis.I must also thank all the teachers who have taught me in my whole college life for they have offered me warm encouragement and good advice.Finally I wish to express my deep gratitude for all the teachers and friends who have helped me with my thesis, my study, and my college life in the four years. Their help and friendship will inspire me to go ahead always.A Study on Translating English Metaphors into ChineseAbstractMetaphors are pervasive in our daily life. They appear not only in various texts but also in spoken English. People use metaphors extensively to express their feelings and thoughts. Many subjects with universal meanings are described by metaphors. Cognitive linguistics has proved that metaphor is not only a rhetorical device but also a reflection of culture and thinking pattern. This paper makes a general introduction of metaphor. The focus of this paper is chapter 5, which explores five methods translating metaphors. Metaphors in English and Chinese must bear some similarities. But metaphors in each of the languages are deeply embedded in its particular culture. Therefore, translators should take every factor into consideration. In the process of translation, translators should follow the principle and criteria of translation. A qualified translator should method flexibly according to varied situation and cultural background. Key Words: English metaphor, translation, method, literal translation, free translation 论英语隐喻的翻译中文摘要隐喻在日常生活中普遍存在。隐喻不仅出现在各种文本中，还存在于口语中。人们大量地使用隐喻来表达感情与想法。许多具有普遍意义的主题都是用隐喻来表达的。认知语言学已经证明，隐喻不仅是一种修辞手法，而且是一种文化和思维方式的反映。本文对英语的隐喻做了基本的介绍。重点是第五章，主要探讨了隐喻的五种翻译方法。中英文中的隐喻肯定存在一些相识点，但是每一种语言的隐喻都深深嵌入其文化中。因此，译者要将每个因素考虑在内。在翻译的过程中，译者要遵循翻译的原则与标准。一名称职的翻译应该根据不同的形势与文化背景灵活选择翻译方法。关键词：英语隐喻，翻译，方法，直译，意译ContentsAcknowledgementsAbstract.摘要.Contents.1 Introduction.12 Overall Introduction of English Metaphor.12.1 Definition of English Metaphor12.2 Characteristics of English Metaphor .32.3 Functions of English Metaphor.42.4 Classification of English Metaphor.43 Principles and Difficulties of Translating English Metaphor.73.1 Principles of Translating English Metaphors.73.2 Difficulties of Translating English Metaphor.84 Methods of Translating English Metaphor.9 （以下略）vA Study on Translating English Metaphors into ChineseA Study on Translating English Metaphors into ChineseChapter1 IntroductionMetaphors are pervasive in our daily life. They appear not only in various texts but also in spoken language. Metaphors are widely used to express the feelings and thoughts, and many subjects with universal meanings are described by metaphors. Cognitive linguistics has proved that metaphor is not only a rhetorical device but also a reflection of culture and thinking. Language and culture are closely related to each other. Language is the carrier of culture. “The translation of any metaphor is the epitome of all translation”. (Peter Newmark, 1988: 113) From the translation of metaphor, it can be inferred whether the translator is targetlanguage oriented or sourcelanguage oriented or even reach a compromise. It is well known that translation is cross cultural communication. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of target text and convey the message effectively, Translators should take such factors as context and cultural difference into consideration and make use of different methods in translating metaphors.Chapter 2 Overall Introduction of MetaphorMetaphor usually has two purposes. The first is cognitive while the second is aesthetic. Firstly, “Its referential purpose is to describe a mental process or state a concept, a person, an object, a quality or an action more comprehensively and concisely than is possible in literal or physical language.”(Peter Newmark, 1988: 104)2.1 Definition of MetaphorThere are many definitions of metaphor. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson define metaphor as a means for representing something as if it were something else and no single metaphor can encompass the full reality of the subject it seeks to describe.I. A. Richards gives metaphor such a definition: “It is the use of one reference to a group of things that are related in a particular way in order to discover a similar relation in another group.” Chapter 3 Classification of Metaphor:According to Peter Newmark, metaphors are classified into six types: dead, clich, stock, adapted, recent and original metaphors:3.1 Dead metaphorPeter Newmark defines dead metaphor as metaphors where one is hardly conscious of the image: they are usually related to universal terms of space and time, the main part of the body, general ecological features and the main human activities, such as: “space”, “field”, “line”, “top”, “bottom”, “foot”, “mouth”, “arm”. They are particularly used for the language to clarify or define. For example: Chapter 6 Conclusion Metaphor is widely used in English. As we know, the study of metaphor is related to many areas of academic field, such as semantics, pragmatics, aesthetics, etc. For English learners in China, it is necessary to understand the different forms and intended meanings of English metaphors if they want to have a better understanding of English language in use. Metaphors in English and Chinese must bear some similarities. But metaphors in each of the languages are deeply embedded in its particular culture. One cannot have a thorough understanding of them without studying the particular culture they represent. For the same image may have different metaphorical meaning in English and Chinese; so in the process of translating English metaphors, a translator should follow certain translation principles and criteria. This paper mainly explores five methods of translating English metaphors, such as literal translation, free translation, image-converted translation, literal translation with addition and translation by simile. 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