English may use material nouns to replace abstract nouns, or use certain expressions or movements of people to reveal people's inner world, or incorporate profound philosophy into vivid images, and so on, using "real" metaphors The expression of "emptiness" turns abstraction into concreteness and emptiness into images, making readers feel like seeing things and hearing sounds, which they will never forget. Some people believe that it is crucial to learn to grasp the spiritual essence in translation, get rid of the constraints of the surface structure of the original text, prevent the conversion from "real" to "real", and achieve licentious issues. This view requires further elaboration. Regarding the image expression technique of using actual metaphors to describe imaginary things in English, we should try every means to maintain the concreteness and image of the original text when translating. A common method is to translate the English metaphorical metaphors into Chinese from "real" to "real". It uses reality as a metaphor for imaginary.
I recently read this sentence: The magics of archaeology have given us the whole lost world of Egypt. The translation is: Archaeologists have unearthed the entire world of ancient Egypt like magic. Regardless of whether the translation of the word magic as "like magic" is appropriate or not, the translator's omission of the wonderfully used spades in the original text cannot but be said to be a major flaw. How about a literal translation of the word spades? Translation: The archaeologist's impressive shovel has unearthed the entire world of ancient Egypt for us.
Although the two languages, English and Chinese, belong to different language families and each has its own characteristics and habits, they "share" a large number of similar expressions that use real things to describe virtual things, and many extensions of figurative vocabulary. The meanings and associations they cause also coincide with each other. When translating into Chinese, try to adopt the "borrowing principle" from "real" to "real" to get twice the result with half the effort. Literal translation is okay. Such as:
But when you’ve learned English, you’ll find ititabridge to somuchknowledge.
But when you learn English, you will find that it is a bridge to such rich knowledge.
The invention of printing was a mile-stone in human progress.
The invention of printing is a milestone in human progress.
I hope to avoid straying on the one hand into thesandsofforeignpolicy, and on the other into the marshes of international law.
I hope not to deviate from the topic, on the one hand to avoid straying into the desert of foreign policy, on the other hand to avoid falling into the swamp of international law.
Chaucerisburiedinthe"Poets'Corner",asmighthavebeenexpected,butinterestinglyenough,notbecauseheisthefatherofEnglishpoetry,butbecausehehappenedtobeClerkoftheWorkswhenhediedin1400.
As expected, Chaucer was buried in "Poets' Corner", but interestingly, he was He is buried here not because he is the father of English poetry, but because he happened to be the director of this project when he died in 1400.
If we attack quickly, we can nip the enemy’s plans in the bud.
If we attack quickly, we can nip the enemy’s plans in the bud.
We want to learn to laugh in the face of the inevitable, to smile at the looming of the death.
We need to learn to laugh at the inevitable, and even face the threat of death with a smile.
As for which image words can be translated literally as above, and which ones need free translation, it depends to a certain extent on the habits of Chinese word choice and sentence construction, and there seems to be no rule to follow. The same material noun can be translated literally in this sentence, but needs free translation in that sentence. Such as:
Hisnovelisamirrorofthetimes.
His novels are a mirror of the times.
Thenewspaperclaimstobethemirrorofpublicopinions.
The newspaper claims to faithfully reflect public opinion.
The word spades mentioned above can be translated literally, but the word pickandshovel in the same article cannot be translated literally.
Such as:
IthastakenmanyapickandshoveltoprovetotheworldthatthehistoryofGreecewentbacklongbeforetheyear776BC.
Prove to the world that the history of Greece can be traced back to 776 BC. A lot of archaeological excavations have been done.
Of course, what we say about trying every means to maintain the concreteness and image of the original text is based on coordinating the dialectical relationship between "faithfulness, elegance and elegance". It does not mean that we blindly pursue image and neglect other translations. A hard translation of the essential meaning of "cutting one's feet to fit the shoes".
If the terms sound unscientific to the 20th-century ears, letus remember there is a definite connection between marshylands and malaria.
Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if the ears in the previous sentence were translated as "ears"?
What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave.
The cradle and the grave in the sentence are very specific and have a strong rhyme, but if translated literally: what a person learns in the cradle will be taken to the grave. Go in. From the perspective of Chinese appreciation habits, the translation appears to be too direct and too explicit, and it is indeed a little less "elegant". Buruo can be translated as: What you learn when you are young will never be forgotten when you grow old.
It is also a common method to translate the "real" in the fictitious expression as "virtual", but this is only a method when literal translation does not work. The wonderful expression of using reality as metaphor can only be completely translated, which is also a manifestation of "untranslatability". The beauty of the original text can only be "exclusively enjoyed" and "understood" by the translator, but cannot be "expressed in words" in Chinese or "shared" with readers.
How do we account for this split between the critics and the readers, the head and the heart?
How to explain this divergence between critic and reader, between reason and emotion?
Sam knows she can depend on his family, rainshine.
Sam knows that no matter what the situation is, he can rely on his family as a support.
There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of the colonialists.
The character of the colonialists is both cruel and cunning.
In many cases, when literal translation cannot maintain the specificity and image of the original text, free translation is not the only way. "Adaptation" is also an ideal way out. The so-called "adaptation" means, under the premise of "faithfulness", to promote the strengths of the Chinese language and to use indirect and flexible means to maintain the specificity of the original text. Specifically, there are the following two common methods.
First of all, discarding the original specific images in the original text and borrowing or applying well-known images or metaphors in the native language is a creative work in translation that deserves attention. Practice has proved that the Chinese image vocabulary is vast and inexhaustible.
Betty stands headandshoulderaboveherclassmatesinplayingtennis.
The noun phrase headandshoulder is used as an adverbial, and the image is vivid. Can we use the Chinese idiom "stands out among the chickens" and translate the original sentence into: Betty stands out among the class in playing tennis. .
Hegaveuptheswordfortheplough.
The connotations of thesword and theplough are: military service and agriculture. If this sentence is translated into "put down the sword and pick up the plow", it will be contrary to Chinese. Habit, can I use an idiom and translate it into: He has demobilized and returned to the countryside. Thehistoryteachertoldusthatmakinganoutlinekillstwobirdswithonestone,itmakesusstudythelessontillweunderstandit,anditgivesusnotestoreviewbeforethetest.
The history teacher said that making an outline can kill two birds with one stone. It can not only help us understand the text, but also provide us with materials for reviewing for the test.
We are only one step away from making informed decisions about these important issues.
Secondly, use the method of "adding vocabulary".
Howdoyouexpectmetofallinlovewithsomeonewhospeakslikeabookallthetime?
How can you expect me to fall in love with a nerd who loves to talk about words?
Thereismuchwomanabouthim.
His behavior is quite feminine.
Thatpeninsulatonguessouthwardintothesea.
That peninsula extends into the sea in the shape of a tongue.
The discovery of penicillin was amonument in medical research.
The discovery of penicillin is a monument to medical research.
Hebombardedherwithquestions.
He bombarded her with questions.
When it comes to using "flexible" methods to maintain the specificity and image of the original text, the translation of English proverbs into Chinese has provided us with many useful experiences worth learning from, such as:
Hewhohasamindtobeathisdogwilleasilyfindhisstick.
If you want to add insult to injury, why bother?
Twodogs fight for a bone, and third runs away with it.
The snipe and the clam fight, and the fisherman benefits.
Faultsarethickwhereloveisthin.
Once friendship is weak, everything is unpleasant.
Hethatwillthrivemustriseatfive.
Get up at five o'clock, and all businesses will prosper.
When adopting the so-called "flexibility" method, we also cannot stay at the surface structure of the language and make mechanical transformations.
Johnknewhewasskatingontheice,buthecouldnotresistteasinghersisteraboutherboyfriend.
The word skatingontheice in the sentence seems to be consistent with the Chinese idiom "walking on thin ice", but once we think about it, we find that this idiom is used when a younger brother and his sister are talking about their boyfriend. To joke about the problem is a bit alarmist and goes too far. It is better to translate skatingontheice "virtually" into "no joke".
The stylistic attributes of an article should always have a place in the translator's mind. Such as:
a.Thechurchfrownedonpalmistrybecauseofitspaganorigin.
b.MarywantedtogotoEuropebyherself,butherparentsfrownedontheidea.
Sentence a is suitable for free translation: The church is opposed to palm reading because it originated from paganism. Sentence b can be translated literally: Mali wants to go to Europe alone, but his parents frown.
The above is a problem in Chinese translation of using real to refer to virtual expressions in English. Let’s talk about the Chinese translation problem of using virtual to replace real in English, that is, using abstract nouns to refer to specific people or substances.
Some people think that it is necessary to translate them (referring to abstract nouns) more concretely and clearly to ensure readability that matches the original text. One question we need to clarify first is: Translating abstract nouns more concretely and clearly does it mean to "process" them into nouns with specific meanings through "translation"? Or do such abstract nouns themselves contain concrete meanings? This is a question involving how to correctly understand and recognize the universal meaning of some abstract nouns in English. The objective situation is: some abstract nouns in English have concrete meanings in specific contexts rather than abstract ones. Take the example sentence quoted by someone as an example: Asaboy, hewasthedespairofallhisteachers. One of the inherent meanings of despair in the sentence is: someone that causes loss of hope, a disappointing person.
Using virtual abstract nouns to replace real ones can greatly simplify English expressions, which is a not uncommon language phenomenon. In terms of their characteristics, how can such abstract nouns be classified? According to the author's opinion, it seems to be divided into two categories. One category refers to abstract nouns that refer to all kinds of "people", such as:
Is Jane's possibility (= asuitable person) asawifeforRichard?
Is Jane a suitable candidate to be Richard's wife?
Our son has been a disappointment to us.
Our son has become a disappointment to us.
He’saninfluence(=thepersonthathasthepowertoproduceagoodmoraleffect)forgoodinthetown.
He’s the person who influences others to do good in the town.
Hisskillatgamesmadehimtheadmiration(=apersonthatcausessuchfeelings)ofhisfriends.
His athletic skills make him the envy of his friends.
His new car made him the envy (=a person that makes someone new to be like the person) of every boy in the neighborhood.
He owned a new car, for which he became the envy of the neighborhood boys.
My dad has three dependents (= a person who depends on another for material support): my mother, my sister and I.
Dad needs to support three people: my mother, sister and me.
The other type refers to abstract nouns that refer to various specific substances, such as:
Have you read any humour (= something designed to inducelaughteroramusement) recently?
Have you read any humorous works recently?
Thebighouseonthehillismyambition.(=theobjectdesired).
The big house on the mountain is what I long for.
What’syourgreatestdesire（=somethinglongedfor）?
What do you want most?
Thisisnotarealgun,butitisagoodimitation(=thingthatimitatessomethingelse).
This is not a real gun, but it is an excellent replica.
Havethepartyinvitations(=awrittenrequest)beensentout?
Have the invitations to the party been sent out?
Theirtransportation (=ameansoftransport) was camel.
Their transport was camels.
I’m reading all the chief criticisms (= a review or other articles expressing such judgment and evaluation) of the play.
I’m reading all the chief criticisms about this play.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that human language is constantly developing and changing in its rich and colorful language practices. Comparatively speaking, the expression of concrete images is always easier to win people's favor. Some specific image expressions in English are also influencing Chinese, so much so that there are also a number of fresh image words derived from English in Chinese. Such as:
It was in the 1960s that people in Britain began to talk about the "permissive society" and the "generation gap".
The generationgap in this sentence has been translated as "the gap between the elders and the younger generation" and "the generation gap". Today it has been widely translated as "generation gap". At the same time, the term "generation gap" has begun to appear in domestic books, periodicals and newspapers. However, the first edition of "Modern Chinese Dictionary" in 1978 has not yet included the term "generation gap".
The emergence and use of a new vocabulary is a complex social issue of convention. In translation, we must not subjectively create cold words that are misleading or even confusing for the sake of imageability.