Abstract

 This paper is a study on Chinese and western idioms from the perspective of the cultural differences and the translation methods. It’s aimed to get the in-depth knowledge of the culture related to the idioms and solve the problems we met in the process of translating the idioms under the promise of the Chinese and western cultural differences. The paper analyzes the cultural differences reflected from idioms, such as the difference of the customs, the difference of the religions, the difference of the history and so on. Also, it introduces different kinds of translation methods we need when we translate the idioms. 

Key words: the Chinese and western, cultural difference, idiom, translation method  

CONTENTS

中文摘要

Abstract

1. Introduction-1

2.The definition of idiom, culture and translation-2

3. Cultural differences reflected from idioms-3

3.1 Customs-3

3.2 Religions-4

3.3 Historical allusions-5

3.4 Living environments-5

3.5 Metaphor-6

3.5.1 Same metaphorical object and same meaning-6

3.5.2 Different metaphorical objects but the same meaning-7

3.5.3 Same metaphorical object but different meanings-7

3.5.4 Different metaphorical objects and different meanings-7

4. The methods of idiom translation-8

4.1 Literal translation-8

4.2 Free translation-9

4.3 Amplification and omission-10

4.4 Annotation-11

5.Conclusion-12

Works Cited-13