The Culture Discrepancy Between English and Chinese Idioms
Abstract
Idioms of a nation, which we may compare them to a mirror, best reflect the peculiar features of the nation’s culture. Both Chinese culture and English culture have created a large number of idioms with distinctive national characteristics. Incorrect understanding and inappropriate usage of them have long been a main problem of intercultural clashes. And the appropriate use of idiom is a mark of a language learner’s command of the language. The importance of studying idioms will be illustrated in the first part. The following analysis in the second part may help language learners to gain some knowledge of the cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms, for us to study the cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms. The third part deals with idiom translation from the perspectives of three cultural differences and explores four techniques so as to enhance language learners’ intercultural awareness to comprehend and translate idioms from different cultures precisely and accurately.
Key Words: idiom; linguistic; culture; cultural discrepancy; linguistic
application
摘要
習語反映1種文化的概貌，最具有鮮明的'民族文化特徵。中英兩種文化孕育了各具特色的習語。正確理解和使用習語是誇文化交際中的主要盲點問題。社會中習語是語言和文化的重要組成部分，恰當運用習語體現了語言學習者對該語言的熟練程度。本文第1部分闡述了學習習語差異的重要性第2部分分析了習語的差異及其影響，最後提供了習語翻譯的技巧，意在提高語言學習者的跨文化交際意識，以便更準確的理解和翻譯不同文化背景的習語。
關鍵詞：習語、 語言、文化、文化差異、語言應用