The culture difference between English and Chinese in translation

沈燕铃

Translation is language or culture to another language or culture. Translation is also language activity which express the meaning of one language correctly with another language again； it is a main medium that connecting the thoughts of all nations. English and Chinese represent the western and eastern culture respectively， they have great difference in pronunciation ， grammar and vocabulary. To a certain extent， the cultural difference is more complex and extensive in the course of translation. When the west meet the east， we always meet with many idioms that reflect the peculiar features of the nations culture. The similar experience and ideology of the two nations make some idioms put up many similar culture features， but large quantities of idioms put up utterly differently.

Generally speaking， relying on their own characteristics， English and Chinese idioms can be divided into three kinds： correspondence， semi- correspondence， and non- correspondence.

I correspondence

1，an eye for an eye ， a tooth for a tooth 以眼还眼，以牙还牙

2，A bird in the hand is worth than two in the bush 一鸟在手胜过两鸟在林

3，A cat has 9 lives 猫有9条命

4，A candle lights others and consumes itself 点燃自己，照亮别人

5，A constant guest is never welcome 常客招人厌

6，Actions speak louder than words 事实胜过雄辩

7，A faithful friend is hard to find 知心难求

8，A friend is easier lost than found 得朋友难，失朋友易

9，A friend is never known till a man has need 需要之时方见友

10， A friend in need is a friend indeed 患难见真情

11，A snow year， a rich year 瑞雪兆丰年

12，kill two birds with one stone 一石两鸟

13，Where there is smoke， there is fire 无风不起浪

14， The onlookers sees most of the game 旁观者清

15，，out of sight ， out of mind 眼不见，心不烦

16，East or west ，home is best 金窝，银窝，不如自己的狗窝

17，Good indeeds would not be known outside ones house. While， bad news travels fast. 好事不出门 坏事传千里

18，Good luck would never come in pairs 福无双至

19，Misfortunes seldom comes single 祸不单行

20，He laughs best who laughs last 笑到最后笑得最好

21，look before you leap 三思后行

22，Cut your coat according to your cloth 量体裁衣

23，Follow the river and you will get to the sea 沿河汇海

24，Walls have ears 隔墙有耳

II semi- correspondence

1，with ones heart in ones mouth 提心吊胆

2，diamond cut diamond 棋逢对手

3，birds of feather 一丘之貉

4，buy ones head in the sand 掩耳盗铃

5，chicken-hearted 胆小如鼠

6， fish in the air 水中捞月

7， lead a dogs life 过着牛马生活

8，sink or swim 不进则退

9， A close mouth catches no flies 病从口入

10，New brooms sweep clean 新官上任三把火

11，A fox may grow gray， but never good 江山易改，本性难移

12，A fair death honors the whole life 死得其所，流芳百世

13， A bully is always a coward 色厉内荏

14，The foremost dog catches the hare 捷足先登

15，Great thieves hang little ones 大鱼吃小鱼

16，The more things change， the more they are same 万变不离其宗

17，Spoil the ship for a half penny worth tar 因小失大

18，It happens in an hour that happens not in seven years 机不可失

19， Talk of the devil and devil is sure to come 说曹操，曹操到

20，Small gifts keep friendship alive 千里送鹅毛，礼轻情意重

21，Set a fox to keep ones geese 引狼入室

III， non- correspondence

1，love me， love my dog 爱屋及乌

2，touch and go 一触即发

3，move heaven and earth 翻天覆地

4，like father like son 有其父必有其子

5，to the bitter end 奋斗到底

6，beween the devil and the sea 进退维谷

7，take the world easy 玩世不恭

8，burn your bridge 破釜沉舟

9，sow the wind and reap the whirlwind 种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆

10， as drunk as a mouse 烂醉如泥

11，get straight to the point 开门见山

12，take oneself out of the line of fire 不趟浑水

13，land on my head 厄运当头

14，Nothing succeeds like success 靠山吃山靠水吃水

15，A bad thing never dies 遗臭万年

16，A bad workman always blames his tools 不回撑船怪河弯

17，A burden of ones choice is not felt 情人眼里出西施

18， A cat may look at a king 人人平等

19，Adversity leads to prosperity 穷则思变

20，A miss is as good as a mile 失之毫厘差以千里

21，An old age barks not in vain 不听老人言，吃亏在眼前

22，In instruction， there is no separation into categories 有教无类

23，Every arm shall bear his own burden 一人做事一人当

24，When the fox approached， be care your geese 黄鼠狼给鸡拜年

25， Coming events cast their shadows before them 山雨欲来风满楼

26，Time to be a hero 英雄救美

27， Ship that pass in the night 萍水相逢

28， When ones ship comes home 发财的时代

29，Good to the last drop 滴滴香浓，意犹未尽

30，A home from home with our cordial service 宾至如归，热诚服务

To sum up， translation needs a translators solid foundation of using both source language target language and his rich imagination and strong ability to understand and appreciate languages. As a translator， we should recognize the difference between different language cultures and deal with them. By doing so， we can leap over the gap of two languages， get the original meaning， lay a bridge between west and east culture.