Translation of idioms

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. 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。

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 英汉习语的翻译方法: • 1．直译 • the government's policy has given a green 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.

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

11. 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 impulse 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。

12. 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？

13. 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。

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

15. 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.

16. 5．归化 • Ａ:Ｉam sorry now that we bought this house; it 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。

17. 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

18. 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 another 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

19. 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.

20. 3.那胡正卿心头/十五个吊桶打水,七上八下(水浒全传)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 upset 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.

21. 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 grief, 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.

22. 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 combined 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.