On the Translation of Color Terms in Chinese Idioms from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory文献综述

 2022-09-09 15:51:30


On the Translation of Chinese Color Idioms from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory

Every time-honored language has a large number of idioms, which are fixed phrases and short sentences derived and refined from long real life experience with the features of conciseness, metaphor and penetration, etc. They are the pith and marrow of a language and the crystallization of wisdom. Idioms, especially the color idioms are vivid enough to imply sufficient metaphorical meanings and cultural connotations, and carry unique social mores and ethnic characteristics. Therefore, the translation of color idioms is relatively difficult to achieve exact equivalence and misunderstanding occur in cross-cultural communications at times. The reasons for such misunderstanding includes ignoring the figurative meanings of color idioms, neglecting the unequivalence in forms, functions and contents between English and Chinese idioms, not realizing the untranslatability of some color idioms and lacking the cognition of differences between national preferences to colors. And as Eugene Albert Nidarsquo;s Functional Equivalence Theory emphasizes on the content and form as well as target readerrsquo;s response which is appropriate to be applied in English translation of Chinese color idioms. Therefore, in this paper, there will be an exploration of Nidarsquo;s theory and the cultural connotatons of color idioms, putting forward some translation strategies to figure out the problems in translation. Also, the author hopes to promote the dissemination of Chinese culture.

Keywords: Chinese color idioms; Functional Equivalence Theory; cultural connotations; translation strategies

  1. Literature Review

1.1 Nidarsquo;s Functional Equivalence Theory

1.1.1 Introduction of Functional Equivalence Theory

Eugene Albert Nida, one of the most distinguished American translation theorist, has made a huge success in translation field. His famous “Functional Equivalence Theory” has exerted a huge and profound impact on the translation researches in the world.

In order to set up a standard for the translation between source language and target language and minimize the differences, Nida puts forward and gives the definition of “dynamic equivalence” from the perspective of linguistic in his work Toward a Science of Translating. He wrote “Dynamic equivalent translation is not so concerned with matching the receptor-language message with the source-language message, but with the dynamic relationship between the original receptor and the message should be substantially the same as that which existed between the original receptor and the message”. (1964) It is further expounded in Nidarsquo;s later word The Theory and Practical of Translation: dynamic equivalence is therefore to be defined in terms of the degree to which the receptor of the message in the receptor language responds to it in substantially the same manner as the receptor in the source language.(1982) Obviously, dynamic equivalence theory lays much more emphasis on basically the same responses of both the source and target languages. Take the color idiom “洁白如雪” for example. If it is translated literally as “white as snow”, people in the equator area will be confused since they hardly have the concept of snow. Therefore, according to dynamic equivalence theory, it should be translated into “white as mushroom” or “white as cloud” to express such a feeling toward white. And four years later, Nida substitutes this theory with the famous “functional equivalence theory” which attaches more importance to “the concept of function” in his book From One Language to Another.(1986)

According to Nida, translating consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style. This shows the task of translation is to reproduce the source text to target text. Upon this notion, Nida puts forward four criteria of translation:

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