Abstract

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 Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory emphasizes on the content and form as well as target reader’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 Nida’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

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

Chapter 1 Introduction-1

1.1 Research Background-1

1.2 Significance of the Research-2

1.3 Organization of the Paper-3

Chapter 2 Literature Review-3

2.1 Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory-3

2.1.1 Introduction of Functional Equivalence Theory-3

2.1.2 Related studies on Functional Equivalence Theory abroad and at home-4

2.2 Related Studies on the Translation of Color Idioms-5

Chapter 3 An Overview of Chinese Color Idioms-6

3.1 Definitions of Chinese Idioms-6

3.2 Classification of Color Idioms-7

3.3 The Origin of Chinese Idioms-9

Chapter 4 A Study on Color Idioms Translation from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory-11

4.1 General Connotations of Color Terms-11

4.1.1 Reasons for Multilevel Connotations of Color Terms-11

4.1.2 Development of Cultural Connotations Color Terms-12

4.1.3 Cultural Connotations of Color Terms-13

4.2 Strategies of Chinese Color Idioms Translation-15

Chapter 5 Conclusion-19

References-20