動物詞在漢英文化中的喻義及其翻譯 英語學(xué)專業(yè)

動物詞在漢英文化中的喻義及其翻譯[Abstract]Asweknow,animalsaregoodfriendsofhumanbeings.Inthelongprogressofhumansociety,animalscontributemuchtoman’sliving.Therefore,animalwordscometohumanlanguageandplayaveryimportantroleinhumancommunication.Languageisaculturalcarrier.TherearealotofanimalwordsinbothEnglishandChinesebutthetwocountrieshavegreatdifferencesinculturalbackgroundsandthinkingmodes.Thesedifferencesbetweenthetwoculturesleadtodifferentfigurativemeaningsofanimalwords.ThisessaywilltrytocomparethefigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsbothinEnglishandChinesefromthefollowingaspects:sameanimalassociationvehicleswiththesimilaranddifferentfigurativemeanings,thedifferentanimalassociationvehicleswiththesimilarfigurativemeaningsandthesemanticgaps.Withcomparison,wecanclearlyseethatthesefigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsgreatlyinfluencetheinterculturalcommunication.Asanimportantmeansofcross-culturalcommunication,translationisalsocloselyconnectedwithculture.Forthepurposeofoureffectivecommunication,weshouldusedifferentkindsofmethodstodotheequivalenttranslationbetweenthetwolanguagesandbuildabridgeforthelinguisticculturalexchange.

[KeyWords]animalwords;figurativemeaning;associationvehicle;EnglishandChinesecultures;interculturalcommunication;translation

【摘要】眾所周知，動物是人類的朋友。在人類社會漫長的發(fā)展過程中，動物為人類的生存提供物質(zhì)基礎(chǔ)。而語言作為文化的載體，記錄著人類社會文明發(fā)展的進(jìn)程；人類的語言中必然存在著大量的反映動物名稱的詞匯。但由于漢英兩個民族各自的社會文化背景和思維方式不同，在動物詞的喻義的表現(xiàn)上也不盡相同。本文擬從英漢兩種文化中動物詞的聯(lián)想喻體與喻義之間的對應(yīng)關(guān)系著手，主要表現(xiàn)為：同一聯(lián)想喻體，喻義卻有同有異；不同聯(lián)想喻體，喻義卻相同以及一方語義空缺等來進(jìn)行比較分析，從中得知漢英兩個民族在以動物為比喻的應(yīng)用上存在著差異，而這種差異給跨文化交際帶來障礙。因此在跨文化交際中，我們必須正確理解這些動物聯(lián)想喻體所負(fù)載的文化信息，采取不同的方法進(jìn)行英漢兩種語言的等值翻譯，以便減少交際障礙，為兩種語言文化的交流搭建一座溝通的橋梁。

【關(guān)鍵詞】動物詞；喻義；聯(lián)想喻體；漢英文化；跨文化交際；翻譯

1.Introduction

1.1Closerelationshipbetweenanimalsandhumanbeings

Humanbeingsandanimalsareboththeproductsofnaturalevolution,andfactuallymanhadevolvedfromanimals.Butsincehumanbeingscreatedlanguage,therehaveexistedsomegreatdifferencesbetweenmanandanimals.Language,theresultofhumanlaborandsocialactivities,ishumanspecific,whichisthemajorfactorthatdistinguisheshumanbeingsfromanimals.Inthelongprogressofhumansociety,animals,whichprovidefoodandlaborforceforhuman,havebeencloselyboundupwithhumanexistenceanddevelopment.Theirfurswerealsogooddressmaterialsforancienthumantokeepoutwindandcold.Inacertainstageofprimitivesociety,manonceconsideredanimalsasGodstoworship.Sofaranimalsarestillclosefriendsofhumanbeings.Nowthatanimalsplayanimportantroleinhumanlives,theanimalwordsinhumanlanguageswillbearthedeepsocio-culturalimprintsinthecourseofbeingusedlongbythehumanbeings.

1.2InfluenceofanimalwordsinbothChineseandEnglishculture

Languageisthecarrierandcontainerofculturalinformation.Humanbeingshavebeeninteractingwiththeworldandaccumulatedtheirexperienceandknowledgeabouttheworld,whicharerepresentedinlanguage.Asaresult,wecanfindinlanguageallhumanknowledgeandexperiencewhichareinterpretedasculturalinformation.[1]Soinhumanlanguagethereexistaplentyofanimalwordsthatareoftenusedaskindsofassociationvehicles.Humanbeingsoftenassociatetheirfeelingsandemotionswithvariousanimalsaccordingtoanimals’featuressuchastheirappearances,habitsandcharacteristicssothatthenamesorimagesofanimalspossessspecificculturalconnotations.

Cultureisthesoiloflanguage.SirEdwardTylor,aBritishanthropologist,wasoneofthosewhofirstdefinedculture，inPrimitiveCulture(1871).Hisdefinitionwasthat“Cultureiscomplexwhole,whichincludesknowledge,belief,art,law,morals,customsandanyothercapabilitiesandhabitsacquiredbymanasamemberofsociety.”Tylor’sdefinitionhascontinuallybeenthebasisofmostanthropologicalconceptionofculture.[2]Cultureisalsoahistoricalphenomenon.Eachgenerationinheritsthecultureestablishedbyitsforefathersandmakesitsowncontributionstothedevelopmentofculture;sodifferentnationshavedifferentcultures.UniversalitybetweenChineseandEnglishculturesandsimilarityinthethinkingmodesmakepeopleassociatethesameanimalwordswiththesameorsimilarfigurativemeanings.Butdifferencesbetweenthesetwoculturesalwaysleadtodifferentassociation,i.e.ChineseandEnglishpeoplehavedifferentfigurativemeaningstosameanimalwordsorusedifferentanimalassociationvehiclestoexpresssameorsimilarfigurativemeanings.

EnglishandChinesearerichinanimalwordsasassociationvehicles,sointhispapertheauthormainlycomparesfigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsinEnglishandChinesecultureandindicatestranslationtechniques.

2.Animalwordsasassociationvehicles

ItiswellknownthattherearemanyfigurativeexpressionsinEnglishandChinese,especiallyanimalmetaphors.However,becauseofdifferenthistories,socialbackgroundsandcultures,theconnotationsofanimalwordsaredifferent.IfChinesepeopleandEnglishpeoplewanttousethefigurativewaytoexpressthesametenor,theywouldusethesameordifferentassociationvehicles,sothecorrespondingrelationshipsbetweenassociationvehiclesandfigurativemeaningsarealsodifferent.

2.1Sameanimalassociationvehiclesandsimilarfigurativemeanings

Asallhumanbeingsliveinthesimilarenvironment,theChinesepeopleandEnglishpeoplenearlyhavethesameknowledgeofanimals.Therefore,theyhavethesameorsimilarfigurativemeaningstoanimalwords.Forexample,Englishpeoplewouldsay,“Heisafox.”Similarly,Chinesepeoplecanunderstandthemeaningofthesentence“Heisafox.”inChinese“他是一只狐貍?！盩hisexampleshowsthatinEnglish“fox”canbeusedtodescribesomebodywhoiscunninganddishonest.Thisexampleindicatesthatdifferentlanguagesandculturesendow“fox’’thesamefigurativemeanings.

ThefollowinganimalwordshavethesimilarfigurativemeaningsbothinEnglishandChinese.“Sheep(羊)orlamb(羔羊)”canbeconsideredasakindofanimalwithasweetandtametemper.Asaresult,the“sheep(羊)orlamb(羔羊)”isusedtoshowthecharacterwithasweetandtametemperbothinEnglishandChinese,forexample:“aslovelyasalittlesheep(像小羊羔一樣可愛)”.

Wolf(狼)isakindofgreedy,savageandcruelbeast,soinChinesethereexistsuchexpressions:“狼心狗肺”,“豺狼當(dāng)?shù)馈?“如狼似虎”,“狼吞虎咽”,“狼狽為奸”,“狼子野心”.Similarly,thegreedy,sinister,dishonestcharacterofwolfalsodisplaysvividlyandincisivelyinwesternculture,e.g.:“awolfinasheep’sclothingorawolfinlamb’sskin(披著羊皮的狼)”;“wakeasleepingwolf(自找麻煩)”;“holdawolfbytheears(騎虎難下，進(jìn)退兩難)”;“keepthewolffromthedoor(勉強(qiáng)度日)”.[3]

Inaddition,when“wolf”isusedtorefertoaperson,itmeans“amanwhocharmswomensoastousethemforhisownpleasure’’.Therefore,inEnglishthereisanidiom“awolfwhistle(挑逗口哨)”.InChinese,thereisalsosuchanexpression“色狼”.

“Ass(驢)”inEnglishandChinesehasthesameconnotationandfigurativemeaning“foolish,stupid”.InChinesetheexpression“笨驢”isusedtoindicateafooloranidiot.InEnglish,mostofthesetphrases,idiomsandproverbsincludingtheword“ass’’allimplythemeaningof“foolish”,e.g.“assingrain(十足的大傻瓜)”;“anassinalion’sskin(fromAesop’sFables,冒充聰明人的傻瓜)”;“allasseswagtheirears(諺語：驢子搖耳朵，傻瓜裝聰明)”;“asses’bridge(笨人難過的橋)”;“acttheass(做糊涂事)”;“makeanassofoneself(做蠢事)”;“sellyouass(口語：不要這樣呆頭呆腦)”.[4]

Theword“dove”inChineseandEnglishsharesthesamemeaning,andsymbolizesforpeace.Weregardthedoveas“peacedove”.Insomegrandcelebrations,weoftenseethesceneoftakingthedovesaway,standingforcherisheddesireforpeaceworldofallofus.[5]

Thefollowingaresomeotherfamiliarexamples:asfreeasabird(像鳥兒一樣自由);asuglyasatoad(像癩蛤蟆一樣丑);asbusyasabee(像蜜蜂一樣忙碌);asslowasanail(像蝸牛一樣慢).

Thiskindoftermswithsameorsimilarfigurativemeaningsshowthatindifferentculturestheredoesexistsomethingincommon,whichreflectsthecommonnessofdifferentnationalcultures.

2.2Sameanimalassociationvehiclesanddifferentfigurativemeanings

Differentlivingconditionshavecausedvariedstatesofmindandwaysofthinking,soChineseandEnglishpeoplehavedifferentideasandattitudestosomeanimalssuchasdragon,dogs,etc.Andtheirfigurativemeaningsinbothlanguagesandculturesdiffergreatly.

2.2.1SomeanimalwordswithcommendatoryfigurativemeaninginChinese,butwithderogatoryfigurativemeaninginEnglish

Wemustbeveryfamiliarwiththeword“dragon(龍)”,whichiscompletelyoppositeinChineseandEnglish.“Dragon(龍)”isnotarealanimalbutanimaginaryone.InChina,dragonisthesymboloftheChinesenation,especiallyintheancienttime,peopleworshipeddragontobegforrain.AndtheChinesefeudalemperorswereoftenreferredtoassonsofdragons(龍子),wearingclotheswithdesignsofdragons(龍袍).AndalsotheChineseallcallthemselvesdescendentsofthedragon（龍的傳人）andareveryproudofbeingthedescendentsofthedragon.However,inWesternpeople’sminds,thedragonissomeevilmonsterwithalargetailwithwingsandclaws,breathingoutfireandsmoke.Itsymbolizesevil.

“Monkey(猴子)”hasdifferentfigurativemeaninginChineseandEnglishlanguages.InChinese,“monkey”isoftenlikenedtoasmartandagileperson,withcommendatorysense.TheChinesepeopleoftenjokinglycallcleverandcutechildren“l(fā)ittlemonkey”.But,ifyoupraiseawesternchild“Youarelikealittlemonkey.”,hewillbeangry,thinkingthatyoucursehim.BecauseinEnglish,“l(fā)ittlemonkey,”means“atroublesomeplayfulchild”.And“monkey”isoftenlikenedtoapersonwithawholebagoftricks,e.g.“Themanisastrickyasamonkey.(那人詭計(jì)多端，極為狡猾。)”Therefore,inEnglish,expressionswith“monkey”havederogatorymeanings,e.g.“monkeybusiness(搗鬼，騙人的勾當(dāng))”;“monkeyaround(閑蕩，瞎弄)”;“monkeymeat(美俚：劣等牛肉)”;“suckthemonkey(英俚：酗酒)”.[6]

Let’stakealookattheword“petrel(海燕)”.InEnglishthepetrelisconsideredasanomenofdisaster.TheLongmanDictionaryofEnglish-Chineseoffersustheexplanations:“Astormypetrelisapersonwhosepresenceexcitesdiscontentment,quarrelling,etc.inasocialgroup.”Thereasonforsuchadislikeisthattheythinkpetrelisthesymbolfordisaster.However,inChinatheword“petrel”isassociatedwithbravinghardshipandadversity,advancingwithperseveranceandcourage.ThespiritiswellreflectedinthepoempetrelwrittenbyGorky,afamousRussianwriter.

ToEnglishpeople,ifamagpie(喜鵲)fliesnearawindow,itisasymbolofbadluck.TherearetwoexplanationsinTheOxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionary:(a)personwhocollectsorhoardsthings(愛收藏或貯藏東西的人),(b)personwhochattersalot(愛饒舌的人).Alltheseexplanationsarefigurativewithderogatorymeanings.Onthecontrary,amagpieisasymbolofgoodluckinChina.Ifamagpiesingsinatreenearhouses,peoplewouldthinksomehappythingswouldhappen.SoChinesepeopleoftensay,“Magpiesings,happythingcomes.”

What’sabouttheanimalword“fish”?“fish”and“魚”hasquitedifferentculturalfigurativemeaningsinEnglishandChinese.InEnglish“fish”hasderogatorymeaningthatreferstobadthingsandpersons,e.g.:“apoorfish(可憐蟲)”;“aloosefish(生活放蕩的女人)”;“fishintheair(水中撈月)”.InChinesetheletter“魚”and“余”arehomophones.Therefore,intheimportantfestivalssuchasSpringFestival,Chinesepeoplewouldliketouse“fish”asanindispensabledishtosymbolize“abundance”.[7]

InChina,“elephant(象)”isamascot.ManyplacesinChinaarenamedfortheletter“象”suchas“象山”inZhejiangprovince,“象州”,“象鼻山”inGuangxiprovince,“象河”inTibet,etc.“Elephant”alsosymbolizesstatus.Forexample,inremoteantiquity,thenobleladiesworeclotheswithdesignsofelephants(象服);Theemperorsrodeonelephants.The“elephant”isdotedbyChinesepeoplebecauseoftheBuddhistlegends.ItissaidthattheBuddhistpatriarchwasthereincarnationofwhiteelephant.Onthecontrary,inEnglishwhiteelephant(白象)islikenedtothingsthatareuselessandoftenexpensive.TheallusionisoriginatedfromafolkstorythatinSiam(nowThailand),thekingwouldgiveawhiteelephantasapresenttoasubjectthathedidnotlike.Thesubjectwouldhavetospendallhismoneyonlookingaftertherareanimal.Therefore,thereexistsuchexpressionsinEnglish,“elephantine(笨拙)”,“elephanthumor(蹩腳的幽默)”,“elephanttask(累贅的活兒)”.[8]

2.2.2SomeanimalwordswithcommendatoryfigurativemeaninginEnglish,butwithderogatoryfigurativemeaninginChinese

Let’stakeourfamiliaranimalword“dog”forexample.Thedogisveryinterestingandcloselyrelatedwithpeople.Mostofthe“dog”expressionspossessacommendatorysenseoratleastaneutersenseinEnglish.Itisallrighttorefertocertainpeopleas“bigdog(重要人物)”,“topdog(優(yōu)勝者)”,“l(fā)uckydog(幸運(yùn)兒)”,etc.inEnglish.“Tohelpalamedogoverthestile”means“tohelpsomeoneindifficulty”.“Toletsleepingdogslie”means“tomakenotrouble”or“nottodisturbpeople”.“Everydoghasitsday,”means“everypersonwillsomedaysucceedorbecomefortunate.”Suchusagedoesnotcontainderogatorymeaning.ButfiguresofspeechlikethesearenotproperinChineseastheword“狗”inmostChinesephrasesisassociatedwithsomederogatorymeanings,asisreflectedinsayingslike“狗膽包天、狗急跳墻、狗頭軍師、狗腿子、狗血噴頭、狼心狗肺、狗眼看人低、喪家之犬、狗嘴吐不出象牙”,etc.,eventhoughmostChinesenowthinkthedogisman’sfaithfulfriend.[9]

However,insomecasestheword“dog”mayhavederogatorysenseinEnglish,asisshowninthefollowingexamples:“yellowdog(卑鄙之人)”,“dirtydog(齷齪之人)”,“slydog(陰險(xiǎn)之人)”,“deaddog(無用的人)”,andsomevulgarlanguages:“sonofbitch(狗雜種)”,“youdog(狗東西)”,“thatcur(小雜種狗)”,etc.[10]

“Owl(貓頭鷹)”isverypopularwiththewestern.TheGreeksuse“owl”tostandforAthens,whichisfamousforitsmanyowls.Andit’ssaidthatAthena,thewomanpatronsaintwasgivenanowlsashermark.Itsymbolizeswisdom,calmness,gravityandsteadiness.Indisputeamongbirdsandbeats,itistheowlthattheygotoforadvice,andwecanseesuchidiom“aswiseasanowl”.Ifweuse“owlish”todescribesomebody,wewanttosayheiscleverorserious,e.g.“Patrickpeeredowlishlyatusthroughhisglasses.(帕特里克透過他的眼鏡嚴(yán)肅而機(jī)智地審視著我們。)”ButinChinese,thefigurativemeaningoftheword“owl”isquitedifferent.“Owl”isdescribedasthedevil,illomenandevil.Peopleareafraidofseeinganowl,especiallyseeingitsenteringthehouse,sothereareproverbswhichgolikethese:“夜貓子進(jìn)宅，無事不來”;“夜貓子抖擻翅，大小有點(diǎn)事兒”.Themeresightofanowlorthesoundofitshootingmightcausepeopletodrawbackinfear.[11]

ToChinesepeopleandEnglishpeople,“bear”hasquitedifferentfigurativemeanings.ToChinesepeople“bear”means“cowardlyandtimid”or“stupid”,suchas“笨熊”,“瞧那熊樣”,etc.However,inEnglish,peopleuse“bear”torefertothosepersonshavingspecialability,forinstance,“Heisabearatmusic.(他是音樂天才。)”

Anotherexampleisaninsect---cricket(蟋蟀),which,however,meanstotallydifferenttoboththeChineseandtheEnglish.InChineseculture,“cricket”referstoasmall,brown,jumpinginsectwhichmakesashrillsoundbyrubbingitsfrontwingstogether.Itisoftenusedtoexpress“grief”and“desolation”,whichisreflectedinthefollowingexample“獨(dú)申旦而不寐兮，哀蟋蟀之宵征”writtenbySongYuinthebookof《九辯》.ButinEnglish,sinceShakespeareused“asmerryascrickets”inHenryIV,theEnglishandAmericanpeoplehaveused“cricket”tosymbolizejoyallthetime.Forexample,C.KingleyoncewroteinhisTwoYearsAgothat“IhavenothadalltheluckIexpected,but…amasmerryasacricket.(雖然我沒有得到想要的一切好運(yùn)，但我卻很高興。)”[12]

2.3Differentanimalassociationvehiclesandsimilarfigurativemeanings

DifferentanimalwordshavesimilarculturalconnotationsinEnglishandChineselanguagesandpeopleusedifferentanimalwordstoexpresssimilarmeanings.Eventhoughtheanimalassociationvehiclesaredifferent,theyhavesimilarfigurativemeanings.

Forinstance,agricultureisthefoundationofChina’seconomicdevelopment,sothecattle(牛)playagreatroleinChineseculture.Therearesomanyexpressionswhichuse“cattle”asassociationvehicles,suchas“壯實(shí)如牛”,“牛氣沖天”,“象老黃牛一樣辛勤工作”,“過著牛馬不如的生活”.However,intheMiddleAges,horsewasnotonlytheinseparablepartofKnights’lives,butalsotheanimalkeptandusedbytheimperialfamilies.SoEnglishpeoplegivehorsemanygoodfigurativemeaningssuchas“asstrongasahorse”,“toworklikeahorse”,“getonone’shighhorse”.Similarly,GreatBritainisanislandcountry,sofisheryisimportant.Therefore,thereexistssuchfigurativeexpression“todrinklikeafish(牛飲)”.[13]

InEnglish,therearemanyfigurativeexpressionsusingtheword“horse”asassociationvehicles,e.g.“changehorse(換馬)”islikenedto“changegroupsorleaders(換班子或領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人)”;“fromthehorse’smouth(第一手的)”;“talkhorse(吹牛)”,etc.

ToChinesepeople,“tiger”isreferredtoasthekingofanimalsandstandsforpower,vigorandbravery.Sotherearemanyexpressionswiththeletter“虎”:“英雄虎膽”,“龍爭虎斗”,“藏龍臥虎”,“如虎添翼”,“虎將”,etc.ButinEnglish“tiger”symbolizescruelty.Thewesternregards“l(fā)ion”asthekingofanimals.Webster’sThirdNewInternationalDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguageinterprets“apersonfelttobelikealionespeciallyincourage,ferocity,dignityordominance(一個象是獅子的人，特別指勇氣、兇猛、威嚴(yán)或權(quán)勢方面)”.Weuse“asboldasalion”todescribeabraveperson.Thelionenjoyshighprestige.Inaddition,EnglishpeopleregardlionasthenationalemblemofGreatBritain.“Aliterarylion”isreferredtoafamouspersoninthefieldofliterature.[14]

“Snake”and“中山狼”sharethesamefigurativemeaninginEnglishandChinese,whicharebothlikenedtoapersonwhoreturnshateforlove.TheonlydifferenceisthatChineselanguageuses“中山狼”asassociationvehicle,butEnglishlanguageuses“snake”asassociationvehicle.

Forgenerationthefableof“中山狼”hascirculatedamongthepeople.Thestoryisthat:ZhaoJianzishotatawolfinthewood.ThewolfescapedandaskedmasterDongguoforhelp.Mr.DongguowassoftheartedandhidthewoundedwolfinhisbagtokeepitfrombeingcaughtbyZhaoJianzi.Butthewolfwantedtoeathim.Sothefigurativemeaning“恩將仇報(bào)”of“中山狼”iscreated.“Snake”isreferredtoapersonrequitingkindnesswithenmity,whichisoriginatedfromAesop’sFables,thatis,asnakewasfrozenstiffatthevergeofdeath.Apedestriansawitandwarmeditinhisbosom.Afterawhile,thesnakecameroundandbititsbenefactortodeath.Soitcausesthefigurativemeaning.[15]

Differentanimalassociationvehicleswithsimilarfigurativemeaningscanbealsoseenfromsuchexpressions:“astimidasarabbit,chicken-heartedorpigeon-hearted(膽小如鼠)”;“l(fā)ikeacatonhotbricks(熱鍋上的螞蟻)”;“asstubbornasamule(犟得像頭牛)”;“wetasadrownedrat(落湯雞)”;“gooseflesh(雞皮疙瘩)”;etc.

2.4Semanticgaps

Specificculturesandregionaldiscrepanciesexertastronginfluenceonlanguage.Andanimalwordsasassociationvehiclesaretheproductsunderthespecificculturalbackgrounds.Thentheseanimalassociationvehicleshavetheirrespectiveculturalconnotationswhichareknowntodifferentnationsorwhicharecompletelystrangetopeople.

2.4.1ThesameanimalwordswithrichfigurativemeaningsinEnglish,butwithnofigurativemeaningsinChinese

“Ostrich(鴕鳥)”isakindoflargebirdlivingintheareaofAfricandeserts,withalongneckandlonglegsandthatcannotflybutcanrunveryfast.InEnglishandAmericancultures,“ostrich”hassuchfigurativemeanings,e.g.“stupid,evadingandhavingagoodappetite”.Itsfigurativemeaningwouldbewellreflectedinthefollowingexpressions:“Ostrichbelief(鴕鳥信念)”isreferredtodeceptiveidea.“Toburyone’sheadostrich-likeinthesand”islikenedtoapersonwhopreferstoignoreproblemsratherthantryanddealwiththem.Inaddition,thereexistssuchfigurativeexpression“havethedigestionofanostrich(胃口好如鴕鳥)”.However,tomostChinesepeople,anostrichisonlyakindofanimalwithoutanyfigurativemeanings.TheChineseareonlyfamiliarwith“ostrichpolicy(鴕鳥政策)”borrowedfromEnglish.[16]

InWesternculture,whatimpressespeoplemostmaybegoat,for“goat(山羊)”isgenerallythoughttoberelatedwithevilsandthedevil.Thelegendhasthatthedevilcreatedthegoat,whichisdescribedasthephantomofthedevilandthegoattypicallystandsforthosewhoarefondofwomenandlooseinmorals.Andwhat’sabouttheEnglishidiom“separatethesheepfromthegoats”?TheBible,Matthewtellsusthat“sheep”refersto“people”.WecanseetheoriginalpassagefromtheBible,Matthew(25:31-33):“WhenthesonofMancomesinhisglory,andalltheangelswithhim,thenhewillsitonthethroneofhisglory.Allthenationswillbegatheredbeforehim,andhewillseparatepeopleonefromanotherasashepherdseparatesthesheepfromthegoats,andhewillputthesheepathisrighthandthegoatsattheleft.”[17]AndthustheEnglishidiomcanbetranslatedinto“分清好人與壞人”.ButtoChinesepeople,thegoatisonlyacommonanimal.

LetusseemoreanimalwordsonlyhavingfigurativemeaningsinEnglish:“nightingale(夜鶯：告密者，坐探)”,“albatross(信天翁：沉重的負(fù)擔(dān)，無法擺脫的煩惱障礙)”,“cock(公雞：頭頭)”,“beaver(河貍：賣力工作的人)”,“cat(貓：心地惡毒的女人，膽小鬼)”,etc.[18]

2.4.2ThesameanimalwordswithrichfigurativemeaningsinChinese,butwithnofigurativemeaningsinEnglish

ForChinesepeople,wemustbeveryfamiliarwiththeword“crane(鶴)”,asymbolforlongevityinChineseculture.Therefore,someChineseparentsliketonametheirchildrenas“鶴年”,“鶴齡”withthehopethattheirchildrenlivealonglife.Thecraneisoftenlinkedwiththepinetree,whichisasymbolforsturdinessandlonglife.Thetwooftenappeartogetherwiththemeaning“松鶴延年”.InChina,itisagoodwayforpeopletosendgiftswithsuchdesignsofcraneandpinetreetotheoldergenerations,especiallyontheirbirthdaycelebratingoccasions.ButinEnglishculture,thecraneisonlyanordinaryanimalwithnofigurativemeanings.

“龜(tortoise)”containstwofigurativemeaningsinChinese.Oneislongevitybecauseofitsphysicalfeatures.Stonetortoisessymbolicofvenerableoldagescanbeseeninfrontofancienthalls,templesandpalaces.Theotheristhesymbolforthecuckold.Tocallapersonatortoise“王八”ishighlyinsulting.However,totheEnglish,thetortoiseisjustaslow-movingcreaturewithnosuchfigurativemeanings.[19]

OtheranimalwordsindicatethatonlyChineselanguagehasthefigurativemeanings.Forexample,“蠶(silkworm)：奉獻(xiàn)精神”,“鶚(osprey)：有才能的人”,“鴻雁(Chinesewildgoose)：喻指信使”,“鴛鴦(mandarinduck)：夫妻”,“黃雀(siskin)：得志小人”.[20]

3.Influencesoffigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsoninterculturalcommunication

Interculturalcommunicationisconcernedwithcommunicationamongpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Withtherapiddevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,especiallycommunications,theworldisbecomingsmallerandsmaller.Anditisnecessarytocommunicatewithpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds.However,differentculturesmayfavordifferentvaluesystemsandworldviews.Moreover,thebelief,customsandhabitsofthepeoplefromdifferentcountriesmaybedifferent.Therefore,interculturalcommunicationprovidesguidanceforthosepeopleengagedininterculturalcommunication.

Inthehumancommunication,aplentyofanimalwordsarewidelyusedtoenrichthelanguageandculture.Thevividimagesofanimalsenhanceexpressiveabilityoflanguagebyassociatingwiththeirfeaturesshowedfromoutsideappearancesorindividualtemperaments.Astheabovecomparisonsrepresent,animalwordshavemanysameordifferentfigurativemeanings.Ifwedonotknowtheculturalinformationandonlyunderstandtheinformationaccordingtoournationalculturalbackgrounds,wewouldcausethedeviationfrominformationtransmissionandmisunderstandingininterculturalcommunicationtoleadtothefailureofcommunication.Onceaforeignersaid,“TheJonesfamilylivelikefightingcockseversincehegotthatnewwellpaidjobattheministry.”Thestructureisverysimplebutmanypeoplemakeawrongunderstanding.Theproblemliesinthephrase“fightingcocks”.ToChinese“fightingcocks(打斗的公雞)”isusuallyusedtodescribetwopeoplelivinganunpeacefullife.

InancientChina,thepalacesorthefolkslikedgamecocktomakeapleasure,whichbroughtouttheassociation.ButinEnglish,“l(fā)ivelikefightingcocks”means“toenjoythebestpossiblefoodorlife”.Sothecorrectunderstandingofthissentenceisthat“自從瓊斯在部里找到一個薪水豐厚的新職位后，他家過得很舒服。”[21]Therefore,weshouldpayattentiontothefigurativemeaningsofanimalwordstomakecross-culturalcommunicationsuccessful.

4.Translationofanimalmetaphors

4.1Importanceoftranslation

Translationisadialogicprocess.Itisnotonlyaninter-lingualactivitybutalsoacross-culturalcommunicationevent.Thepurposeoftranslationistotransferthesourcelanguageintothetargetlanguagetoobtainthemaximalequivalence.Sotranslatorsplayanimportantroleintheprocessoftranslation.Theyshouldconsiderhowtodealwiththeimagesofthewordsandhowtoexpressthefigurativemeaningscorrectlyandproperly.Meantime,theyshouldthinkovernotonlythelanguagestructuresandnationalfeaturesinsourcelanguagebutalsotheculturalbackgroundsandtheexpressionsintargetlanguage.

Animalwordscontainmanyculturalmeanings.Intheprocessoftranslatinganimalwords,thebigproblemishowtogetthesameornearlythesameeffectculturallyinthetargetlanguageasthatofthesourcelanguage.

4.2Methodsoftranslation

4.2.1Keepingimageofanimalassociationvehicles

EnglishcultureandChineseculturehavemuchincommon,sotheEnglishandtheChinesesharethesameorsimilarfeelingsorattitudestosomeanimalwords.Andtheyusethesameanimalimagestoexpressthesimilarfigurativemeanings.Therefore,wecanadoptliteraltranslationtokeeptheoriginalassociationvehicles.Toacertainextent,thismethodhelpstokeepthesourcenationalsenseandmakesthetargetlanguagereaderstounderstandthesourcelanguageculture.Forexample:

(1)俗話說得好，叫做“殺雞嚇猴”，拿雞子宰了，那猴兒自然害怕。（李寶嘉：《官場現(xiàn)形記