English proverb and its translation 英语谚语及其翻译.doc

PAGE  PAGE 18 Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………2 Key words ……………………………………………………………………………2 摘要 ………………………………………………………………………………2 关键词 …………………………………………………………………………2 1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………3 2. The definition of proverb …………………………………………………………3 3. The feature of English proverb …………………………………………4 4. The function of English proverb …………………………………………7 5. Cultural backgrounds of English proverb …………………………………7 5.1 Traditional customs …………………………………………………………8 5.2 Religion …………………………………………………………………9 5.3 Historical stories and literary works ………………………………10 6. Translation Strategies of English proverbs …………………………10 6.1 Literal translation………………………………………………………11 6.2 Free Translation………………………………………………………12 6.3 Combination of literal and free translation………………………………13 6.4 Substitution translation…………………………………………14 7. Conclusion …………………………………………………………15 references………………………………………………………………………16 English proverb and its translation Abstract ：As a particular part of language, proverbs are concrete fragment of wisdom results of observation and embodiments of universal truths. They are pithy, comprehensive and full of figures of speech and serve as a mirror of the historical and cultural conceptions of a social community. Readers can enrich themselves with plentiful interesting information of other cultures by familiarizing themselves with proverbs. However, when proverbs are being translated, translators are often confronted with difficulties such as retaining the characteristics as well as the images and national flavor of the original in translation. This thesis intends to study the translation of English proverbs. Through the studying of definition, features and functions of proverbs, the author finds out the background of English proverb. On that basis, the author comes to a conclusion that if we want to translate proverbs well, we must understand its cultural background and learn some basic translation skills, such as literal translat