动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译

　　动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译
　　〔Abstract〕Asweknow，animalsaregoodfriendsofhumanbeings。Inthelongprogressofhumansociety，animalscontributemuchtoman’sliving。Therefore，animalwordscometohumanlanguageandplayaveryimportantroleinhumancommunication。Languageisaculturalcarrier。TherearealotofanimalwordsinbothEnglishandChinesebutthetwocountrieshavegreatdifferencesinculturalbackgroundsandthinkingmodes。Thesedifferencesbetweenthetwoculturesleadtodifferentfigurativemeaningsofanimalwords。ThisessaywilltrytocomparethefigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsbothinEnglishandChinesefromthefollowingaspects：sameanimalassociationvehicleswiththesimilaranddifferentfigurativemeanings，thedifferentanimalassociationvehicleswiththesimilarfigurativemeaningsandthesemanticgaps。Withcomparison，wecanclearlyseethatthesefigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsgreatlyinfluencetheinterculturalcommunication。Asanimportantmeansofcrossculturalcommunication，translationisalsocloselyconnectedwithculture。Forthepurposeofoureffectivecommunication，weshouldusedifferentkindsofmethodstodotheequivalenttranslationbetweenthetwolanguagesandbuildabridgeforthelinguisticculturalexchange。
　　〔KeyWords〕animalwords；figurativemeaning；associationvehicle；EnglishandChinesecultures；interculturalcommunication；translation
　　【摘要】众所周知，动物是人类的朋友。在人类社会漫长的发展过程中，动物为人类的生存提供物质基础。而语言作为文化的载体，记录着人类社会文明发展的进程；人类的语言中必然存在着大量的反映动物名称的词汇。但由于汉英两个民族各自的社会文化背景和思维方式不同，在动物词的喻义的表现上也不尽相同。本文拟从英汉两种文化中动物词的联想喻体与喻义之间的对应关系着手，主要表现为：同一联想喻体，喻义却有同有异；不同联想喻体，喻义却相同以及一方语义空缺等来进行比较分析，从中得知汉英两个民族在以动物为比喻的应用上存在着差异，而这种差异给跨文化交际带来障碍。因此在跨文化交际中，我们必须正确理解这些动物联想喻体所负载的文化信息，采取不同的方法进行英汉两种语言的等值翻译，以便减少交际障碍，为两种语言文化的交流搭建一座沟通的桥梁。
　　【关键词】动物词；喻义；联想喻体；汉英文化；跨文化交际；翻译
　　1。Introduction
　　1。1Closerelationshipbetweenanimalsandhumanbeings
　　Humanbeingsandanimalsareboththeproductsofnaturalevolution，andfactuallymanhadevolvedfromanimals。Butsincehumanbeingscreatedlanguage，therehaveexistedsomegreatdifferencesbetweenmanandanimals。Language，theresultofhumanlaborandsocialactivities，ishumanspecific，whichisthemajorfactorthatdistinguisheshumanbeingsfromanimals。Inthelongprogressofhumansociety，animals，whichprovidefoodandlaborforceforhuman，havebeencloselyboundupwithhumanexistenceanddevelopment。Theirfurswerealsogooddressmaterialsforancienthumantokeepoutwindandcold。Inacertainstageofprimitivesociety，manonceconsideredanimalsasGodstoworship。Sofaranimalsarestillclosefriendsofhumanbeings。Nowthatanimalsplayanimportantroleinhumanlives，theanimalwordsinhumanlanguageswillbearthedeepsocioculturalimprintsinthecourseofbeingusedlongbythehumanbeings。Languageisthecarrierandcontainerofculturalinformation。Humanbeingshavebeeninteractingwiththeworldandaccumulatedtheirexperienceandknowledgeabouttheworld，whicharerepresentedinlanguage。Asaresult，wecanfindinlanguageallhumanknowledgeandexperiencewhichareinterpretedasculturalinformation。〔1〕Soinhumanlanguagethereexistaplentyofanimalwordsthatareoftenusedaskindsofassociationvehicles。Humanbeingsoftenassociatetheirfeelingsandemotionswithvariousanimalsaccordingtoanimals’featuressuchastheirappearances，habitsandcharacteristicssothatthenamesorimagesofanimalspossessspecificculturalconnotations。EnglishandChinesearerichinanimalwordsasassociationvehicles，sointhispapertheauthormainlycomparesfigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsinEnglishandChinesecultureandindicatestranslationtechniques。
　　2。Animalwordsasassociationvehicles
　　ItiswellknownthattherearemanyfigurativeexpressionsinEnglishandChinese，especiallyanimalmetaphors。However，becauseofdifferenthistories，socialbackgroundsandcultures，theconnotationsofanimalwordsaredifferent。IfChinesepeopleandEnglishpeoplewanttousethefigurativewaytoexpressthesametenor，theywouldusethesameordifferentassociationvehicles，sothecorrespondingrelationshipsbetweenassociationvehiclesandfigurativemeaningsarealsodifferent。
　　2。1Sameanimalassociationvehiclesandsimilarfigurativemeanings
　　Asallhumanbeingsliveinthesimilarenvironment，theChinesepeopleandEnglishpeoplenearlyhavethesameknowledgeofanimals。Therefore，theyhavethesameorsimilarfigurativemeaningstoanimalwords。Forexample，Englishpeoplewouldsay，Heisafox。Similarly，ChinesepeoplecanunderstandthemeaningofthesentenceHeisafox。inChinese他是一只狐狸。ThisexampleshowsthatinEnglishfoxcanbeusedtodescribesomebodywhoiscunninganddishonest。Thisexampleindicatesthatdifferentlanguagesandculturesendowfox’’thesamefigurativemeanings。
　　ThefollowinganimalwordshavethesimilarfigurativemeaningsbothinEnglishandChinese。Sheep（羊）orlamb（羔羊）canbeconsideredasakindofanimalwithasweetandtametemper。Asaresult，thesheep（羊）orlamb（羔羊）isusedtoshowthecharacterwithasweetandtametemperbothinEnglishandChinese，forexample：aslovelyasalittlesheep（像小羊羔一样可爱）。
　　Wolf（狼）isakindofgreedy，savageandcruelbeast，soinChinesethereexistsuchexpressions：狼心狗肺，豺狼当道，如狼似虎，狼吞虎咽，狼狈为奸，狼子野心。Similarly，thegreedy，sinister，dishonestcharacterofwolfalsodisplaysvividlyandincisivelyinwesternculture，e。g。：awolfinasheep’sclothingorawolfinlamb’sskin（披着羊皮的狼）；wakeasleepingwolf（自找麻烦）；holdawolfbytheears（骑虎难下，进退两难）；keepthewolffromthedoor（勉强度日）。〔3〕
　　Inaddition，whenwolfisusedtorefertoaperson，itmeansamanwhocharmswomensoastousethemforhisownpleasure’’。Therefore，inEnglishthereisanidiomawolfwhistle（挑逗口哨）。InChinese，thereisalsosuchanexpression色狼。
　　Ass（驴）inEnglishandChinesehasthesameconnotationandfigurativemeaningfoolish，stupid。InChinesetheexpression笨驴isusedtoindicateafooloranidiot。InEnglish，mostofthesetphrases，idiomsandproverbsincludingthewordass’’allimplythemeaningoffoolish，e。g。assingrain（十足的大傻瓜）；anassinalion’sskin（fromAesop’sFables，冒充聪明人的傻瓜）；allasseswagtheirears（谚语：驴子摇耳朵，傻瓜装聪明）；asses’bridge（笨人难过的桥）；acttheass（做糊涂事）；makeanassofoneself（做蠢事）；sellyouass（口语：不要这样呆头呆脑）。〔4〕
　　TheworddoveinChineseandEnglishsharesthesamemeaning，andsymbolizesforpeace。Weregardthedoveaspeacedove。Insomegrandcelebrations，weoftenseethesceneoftakingthedovesaway，standingforcherisheddesireforpeaceworldofallofus。〔5〕
　　Thefollowingaresomeotherfamiliarexamples：asfreeasabird（像鸟儿一样自由）；asuglyasatoad（像癞蛤蟆一样丑）；asbusyasabee（像蜜蜂一样忙碌）；asslowasanail（像蜗牛一样慢）。
　　Thiskindoftermswithsameorsimilarfigurativemeaningsshowthatindifferentculturestheredoesexistsomethingincommon，whichreflectsthecommonnessofdifferentnationalcultures。
　　2。2Sameanimalassociationvehiclesanddifferentfigurativemeanings
　　Differentlivingconditionshavecausedvariedstatesofmindandwaysofthinking，soChineseandEnglishpeoplehavedifferentideasandattitudestosomeanimalssuchasdragon，dogs，etc。Andtheirfigurativemeaningsinbothlanguagesandculturesdiffergreatly。
　　2。2。1SomeanimalwordswithcommendatoryfigurativemeaninginChinese，butwithderogatoryfigurativemeaninginEnglish
　　Wemustbeveryfamiliarwiththeworddragon（龙），whichiscompletelyoppositeinChineseandEnglish。Dragon（龙）isnotarealanimalbutanimaginaryone。InChina，dragonisthesymboloftheChinesenation，especiallyintheancienttime，peopleworshipeddragontobegforrain。AndtheChinesefeudalemperorswereoftenreferredtoassonsofdragons（龙子），wearingclotheswithdesignsofdragons（龙袍）。AndalsotheChineseallcallthemselvesdescendentsofthedragon（龙的传人）andareveryproud动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译ofbeingthedescendentsofthedragon。However，inWesternpeople’sminds，thedragonissomeevilmonsterwithalargetailwithwingsandclaws，breathingoutfireandsmoke。Itsymbolizesevil。
　　Monkey（猴子）hasdifferentfigurativemeaninginChineseandEnglishlanguages。InChinese，monkeyisoftenlikenedtoasmartandagileperson，withcommendatorysense。TheChinesepeopleoftenjokinglycallcleverandcutechildrenlittlemonkey。But，ifyoupraiseawesternchildYouarelikealittlemonkey。，hewillbeangry，thinkingthatyoucursehim。BecauseinEnglish，littlemonkey，meansatroublesomeplayfulchild。Andmonkeyisoftenlikenedtoapersonwithawholebagoftricks，e。g。Themanisastrickyasamonkey。（那人诡计多端，极为狡猾。）Therefore，inEnglish，expressionswithmonkeyhavederogatorymeanings，e。g。monkeybusiness（捣鬼，骗人的勾当）；monkeyaround（闲荡，瞎弄）；monkeymeat（美俚：劣等牛肉）；suckthemonkey（英俚：酗酒）。〔6〕
　　Let’stakealookatthewordpetrel（海燕）。InEnglishthepetrelisconsideredasanomenofdisaster。TheLongmanDictionaryofEnglishChineseoffersustheexplanations：Astormypetrelisapersonwhosepresenceexcitesdiscontentment，quarrelling，etc。inasocialgroup。Thereasonforsuchadislikeisthattheythinkpetrelisthesymbolfordisaster。However，inChinathewordpetrelisassociatedwithbravinghardshipandadversity，advancingwithperseveranceandcourage。ThespiritiswellreflectedinthepoempetrelwrittenbyGorky，afamousRussianwriter。
　　ToEnglishpeople，ifamagpie（喜鹊）fliesnearawindow，itisasymbolofbadluck。TherearetwoexplanationsinTheOxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglishChineseDictionary：（a）personwhocollectsorhoardsthings（爱收藏或贮藏东西的人），（b）personwhochattersalot（爱饶舌的人）。Alltheseexplanationsarefigurativewithderogatorymeanings。Onthecontrary，amagpieisasymbolofgoodluckinChina。Ifamagpiesingsinatreenearhouses，peoplewouldthinksomehappythingswouldhappen。SoChinesepeopleoftensay，Magpiesings，happythingcomes。
　　What’sabouttheanimalwordfish？fishand鱼hasquitedifferentculturalfigurativemeaningsinEnglishandChinese。InEnglishfishhasderogatorymeaningthatreferstobadthingsandpersons，e。g。：apoorfish（可怜虫）；aloosefish（生活放荡的女人）；fishintheair（水中捞月）。InChinesetheletter鱼and余arehomophones。Therefore，intheimportantfestivalssuchasSpringFestival，Chinesepeoplewouldliketousefishasanindispensabledishtosymbolizeabundance。〔7〕
　　InChina，elephant（象）isamascot。ManyplacesinChinaarenamedfortheletter象suchas象山inZhejiangprovince，象州，象鼻山inGuangxiprovince，象河inTibet，etc。Elephantalsosymbolizesstatus。Forexample，inremoteantiquity，thenobleladiesworeclotheswithdesignsofelephants（象服）；Theemperorsrodeonelephants。TheelephantisdotedbyChinesepeoplebecauseoftheBuddhistlegends。ItissaidthattheBuddhistpatriarchwasthereincarnationofwhiteelephant。Onthecontrary，inEnglishwhiteelephant（白象）islikenedtothingsthatareuselessandoftenexpensive。TheallusionisoriginatedfromafolkstorythatinSiam（nowThailand），thekingwouldgiveawhiteelephantasapresenttoasubjectthathedidnotlike。Thesubjectwouldhavetospendallhismoneyonlookingaftertherareanimal。Therefore，thereexistsuchexpressionsinEnglish，elephantine（笨拙），elephanthumor（蹩脚的幽默），elephanttask（累赘的活儿）。〔8〕
　　2。2。2SomeanimalwordswithcommendatoryfigurativemeaninginEnglish，butwithderogatoryfigurativemeaninginChinese
　　Let’stakeourfamiliaranimalworddogforexample。Thedogisveryinterestingandcloselyrelatedwithpeople。MostofthedogexpressionspossessacommendatorysenseoratleastaneutersenseinEnglish。Itisallrighttorefertocertainpeopleasbigdog（重要人物），topdog（优胜者），luckydog（幸运儿），etc。inEnglish。Tohelpalamedogoverthestilemeanstohelpsomeoneindifficulty。Toletsleepingdogsliemeanstomakenotroubleornottodisturbpeople。Everydoghasitsday，meanseverypersonwillsomedaysucceedorbecomefortunate。Suchusagedoesnotcontainderogatorymeaning。ButfiguresofspeechlikethesearenotproperinChineseastheword狗inmostChinesephrasesisassociatedwithsomederogatorymeanings，asisreflectedinsayingslike狗胆包天、狗急跳墙、狗头军师、狗腿子、狗血喷头、狼心狗肺、狗眼看人低、丧家之犬、狗嘴吐不出象牙，etc。，eventhoughmostChinesenowthinkthedogisman’sfaithfulfriend。〔9〕
　　However，insomecasestheworddogmayhavederogatorysenseinEnglish，asisshowninthefollowingexamples：yellowdog（卑鄙之人），dirtydog（龌龊之人），slydog（阴险之人），deaddog（无用的人），andsomevulgarlanguages动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译：sonofbitch（狗杂种），youdog（狗东西），thatcur（小杂种狗），etc。〔10〕
　　Owl（猫头鹰）isverypopularwiththewestern。TheGreeksuseowltostandforAthens，whichisfamousforitsmanyowls。Andit’ssaidthatAthena，thewomanpatronsaintwasgivenanowlsashermark。Itsymbolizeswisdom，calmness，gravityandsteadiness。Indisputeamongbirdsandbeats，itistheowlthattheygotoforadvice，andwecanseesuchidiomaswiseasanowl。Ifweuseowlishtodescribesomebody，wewanttosayheiscleverorserious，e。g。Patrickpeeredowlishlyatusthroughhisglasses。（帕特里克透过他的眼镜严肃而机智地审视着我们。）ButinChinese，thefigurativemeaningofthewordowlisquitedifferent。Owlisdescribedasthedevil，illomenandevil。Peopleareafraidofseeinganowl，especiallyseeingitsenteringthehouse，sothereareproverbswhichgolikethese：夜猫子进宅，无事不来；夜猫子抖擞翅，大小有点事儿。Themeresightofanowlorthesoundofitshootingmightcausepeopletodrawbackinfear。〔11〕
　　ToChinesepeopleandEnglishpeople，bearhasquitedifferentfigurativemeanings。ToChinesepeoplebearmeanscowardlyandtimidorstupid，suchas笨熊，瞧那熊样，etc。However，inEnglish，peopleusebeartorefertothosepersonshavingspecialability，forinstance，Heisabearatmusic。（他是音乐天才。）
　　Anotherexampleisaninsectcricket（蟋蟀），which，however，meanstotallydifferenttoboththeChineseandtheEnglish。InChineseculture，cricketreferstoasmall，brown，jumpinginsectwhichmakesashrillsoundbyrubbingitsfrontwingstogether。Itisoftenusedtoexpressgriefanddesolation，whichisreflectedinthefollowingexample独申旦而不寐兮，哀蟋蟀之宵征writtenbySongYuinthebookof《九辩》。ButinEnglish，sinceShakespeareusedasmerryascricketsinHenryIV，theEnglishandAmericanpeoplehaveusedcrickettosymbolizejoyallthetime。Forexample，C。KingleyoncewroteinhisTwoYearsAgothatIhavenothadalltheluckIexpected，butamasmerryasacricket。（虽然我没有得到想要的一切好运，但我却很高兴。）〔12〕
　　2。3Differentanimalassociationvehiclesandsimilarfigurativemeanings
　　DifferentanimalwordshavesimilarculturalconnotationsinEnglishandChineselanguagesandpeopleusedifferentanimalwordstoexpresssimilarmeanings。Eventhoughtheanimalassociationvehiclesaredifferent，theyhavesimilarfigurativemeanings。
　　Forinstance，agricultureisthefoundationofChina’seconomicdevelopment，sothecattle（牛）playagreatroleinChineseculture。Therearesomanyexpressionswhichusecattleasassociationvehicles，suchas壮实如牛，牛气冲天，象老黄牛一样辛勤工作，过着牛马不如的生活。However，intheMiddleAges，horsewasnotonlytheinseparablepartofKnights’lives，butalsotheanimalkeptandusedbytheimperialfamilies。SoEnglishpeoplegivehorsemanygoodfigurativemeaningssuchasasstrongasahorse，toworklikeahorse，getonone’shighhorse。Similarly，GreatBritainisanislandcountry，sofisheryisimportant。Therefore，thereexistssuchfigurativeexpressiontodrinklikeafish（牛饮）。〔13〕
　　InEnglish，therearemanyfigurativeexpressionsusingthewordhorseasassociationvehicles，e。g。changehorse（换马）islikenedtochangegroupsorleaders（换班子或领导人）；fromthehorse’smouth（第一手的）；talkhorse（吹牛），etc。
　　ToChinesepeople，tigerisreferredtoasthekingofanimalsandstandsforpower，vigorandbravery。Sotherearemanyexpressionswiththeletter虎：英雄虎胆，龙争虎斗，藏龙卧虎，如虎添翼，虎将，etc。ButinEnglishtigersymbolizescruelty。Thewesternregardslionasthekingofanimals。Webster’sThirdNewInternationalDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguageinterpretsapersonfelttobelikealionespeciallyincourage，ferocity，dignityordominance（一个象是狮子的人，特别指勇气、凶猛、威严或权势方面）。Weuseasboldasaliontodescribeabraveperson。Thelionenjoyshighprestige。Inaddition，EnglishpeopleregardlionasthenationalemblemofGreatBritain。Aliterarylionisreferredtoafamouspersoninthefieldofliterature。〔14〕
　　Snakeand中山狼sharethesamefigurativemeaninginEnglishandChinese，whicharebothlikenedtoapersonwhoreturnshateforlove。TheonlydifferenceisthatChineselanguageuses中山狼asassociationvehicle，butEnglishlanguageusessnakeasassociationvehicle。
　　Forgenerationthefableof中山狼hascirculatedamongthepeople。Thestoryisthat：ZhaoJianzishotatawolfinthewood。ThewolfescapedandaskedmasterDongguoforhelp。Mr。DongguowassoftheartedandhidthewoundedwolfinhisbagtokeepitfrombeingcaughtbyZhaoJianzi。Butthewolfwantedtoeathim。Sothefigurativemeaning恩将仇报of中山狼isc动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译reated。
　　Snakeisreferredtoapersonrequitingkindnesswithenmity，whichisoriginatedfromAesop’sFables，thatis，asnakewasfrozenstiffatthevergeofdeath。Apedestriansawitandwarmeditinhisbosom。Afterawhile，thesnakecameroundandbititsbenefactortodeath。Soitcausesthefigurativemeaning。〔15〕
　　Differentanimalassociationvehicleswithsimilarfigurativemeaningscanbealsoseenfromsuchexpressions：astimidasarabbit，chickenheartedorpigeonhearted（胆小如鼠）；likeacatonhotbricks（热锅上的蚂蚁）；asstubbornasamule（犟得像头牛）；wetasadrownedrat（落汤鸡）；gooseflesh（鸡皮疙瘩）；etc。
　　2。4Semanticgaps
　　Specificculturesandregionaldiscrepanciesexertastronginfluenceonlanguage。Andanimalwordsasassociationvehiclesaretheproductsunderthespecificculturalbackgrounds。Thentheseanimalassociationvehicleshavetheirrespectiveculturalconnotationswhichareknowntodifferentnationsorwhicharecompletelystrangetopeople。
　　2。4。1ThesameanimalwordswithrichfigurativemeaningsinEnglish，butwithnofigurativemeaningsinChinese
　　Ostrich（鸵鸟）isakindoflargebirdlivingintheareaofAfricandeserts，withalongneckandlonglegsandthatcannotflybutcanrunveryfast。InEnglishandAmericancultures，ostrichhassuchfigurativemeanings，e。g。stupid，evadingandhavingagoodappetite。Itsfigurativemeaningwouldbewellreflectedinthefollowingexpressions：Ostrichbelief（鸵鸟信念）isreferredtodeceptiveidea。Toburyone’sheadostrichlikeinthesandislikenedtoapersonwhopreferstoignoreproblemsratherthantryanddealwiththem。Inaddition，thereexistssuchfigurativeexpressionhavethedigestionofanostrich（胃口好如鸵鸟）。However，tomostChinesepeople，anostrichisonlyakindofanimalwithoutanyfigurativemeanings。TheChineseareonlyfamiliarwithostrichpolicy（鸵鸟政策）borrowedfromEnglish。〔16〕
　　InWesternculture，whatimpressespeoplemostmaybegoat，forgoat（山羊）isgenerallythoughttoberelatedwithevilsandthedevil。Thelegendhasthatthedevilcreatedthegoat，whichisdescribedasthephantomofthedevilandthegoattypicallystandsforthosewhoarefondofwomenandlooseinmorals。Andwhat’sabouttheEnglishidiomseparatethesheepfromthegoats？TheBible，Matthewtellsusthatsheepreferstopeople。WecanseetheoriginalpassagefromtheBible，Matthew（25：31
　　3hr3）：WhenthesonofMancomesinhisglory，andalltheangelswithhim，thenhewillsitonthethroneofhisglory。Allthenationswillbegatheredbeforehim，andhewillseparatepeopleonefromanotherasashepherdseparatesthesheepfromthegoats，andhewillputthesheepathisrighthandthegoatsattheleft。〔17〕AndthustheEnglishidiomcanbetranslatedinto分清好人与坏人。ButtoChinesepeople，thegoatisonlyacommonanimal。
　　LetusseemoreanimalwordsonlyhavingfigurativemeaningsinEnglish：nightingale（夜莺：告密者，坐探），albatross（信天翁：沉重的负担，无法摆脱的烦恼障碍），cock（公鸡：头头），beaver（河狸：卖力工作的人），cat（猫：心地恶毒的女人，胆小鬼），etc。〔18〕
　　2。4。2ThesameanimalwordswithrichfigurativemeaningsinChinese，butwithnofigurativemeaningsinEnglish
　　ForChinesepeople，wemustbeveryfamiliarwiththewordcrane（鹤），asymbolforlongevityinChineseculture。Therefore，someChineseparentsliketonametheirchildrenas鹤年，鹤龄withthehopethattheirchildrenlivealonglife。Thecraneisoftenlinkedwiththepinetree，whichisasymbolforsturdinessandlonglife。Thetwooftenappeartogetherwiththemeaning松鹤延年。InChina，itisagoodwayforpeopletosendgiftswithsuchdesignsofcraneandpinetreetotheoldergenerations，especiallyontheirbirthdaycelebratingoccasions。ButinEnglishculture，thecraneisonlyanordinaryanimalwithnofigurativemeanings。
　　龟（tortoise）containstwofigurativemeaningsinChinese。Oneislongevitybecauseofitsphysicalfeatures。Stonetortoisessymbolicofvenerableoldagescanbeseeninfrontofancienthalls，templesandpalaces。Theotheristhesymbolforthecuckold。Tocallapersonatortoise王八ishighlyinsulting。However，totheEnglish，thetortoiseisjustaslowmovingcreaturewithnosuchfigurativemeanings。〔19〕
　　OtheranimalwordsindicatethatonlyChineselanguagehasthefigurativemeanings。Forexample，蚕（silkworm）：奉献精神，鹗（osprey）：有才能的人，鸿雁（Chinesewildgoose）：喻指信使，鸳鸯（mandarinduck）：夫妻，黄雀（siskin）：得志小人。〔20〕
　　3。Influencesoffigurativemeaningsofanimalwordsoninterculturalcommunication
　　Interculturalcommunicationisconcernedwithcommunicationamongpeoplefromdifferentcu动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译lturalbackgrounds。Withtherapiddevelopmentofscienceandtechnology，especiallycommunications，theworldisbecomingsmallerandsmaller。Anditisnecessarytocommunicatewithpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds。However，differentculturesmayfavordifferentvaluesystemsandworldviews。Moreover，thebelief，customsandhabitsofthepeoplefromdifferentcountriesmaybedifferent。Therefore，interculturalcommunicationprovidesguidanceforthosepeopleengagedininterculturalcommunication。
　　Inthehumancommunication，aplentyofanimalwordsarewidelyusedtoenrichthelanguageandculture。Thevividimagesofanimalsenhanceexpressiveabilityoflanguagebyassociatingwiththeirfeaturesshowedfromoutsideappearancesorinpidualtemperaments。Astheabovecomparisonsrepresent，animalwordshavemanysameordifferentfigurativemeanings。Ifwedonotknowtheculturalinformationandonlyunderstandtheinformationaccordingtoournationalculturalbackgrounds，wewouldcausethedeviationfrominformationtransmissionandmisunderstandingininterculturalcommunicationtoleadtothefailureofcommunication。Onceaforeignersaid，TheJonesfamilylivelikefightingcockseversincehegotthatnewwellpaidjobattheministry。Thestructureisverysimplebutmanypeoplemakeawrongunderstanding。Theproblemliesinthephrasefightingcocks。ToChinesefightingcocks（打斗的公鸡）isusuallyusedtodescribetwopeoplelivinganunpeacefullife。InancientChina，thepalacesorthefolkslikedgamecocktomakeapleasure，whichbroughtouttheassociation。ButinEnglish，livelikefightingcocksmeanstoenjoythebestpossiblefoodorlife。Sothecorrectunderstandingofthissentenceisthat自从琼斯在部里找到一个薪水丰厚的新职位后，他家过得很舒服。〔21〕Therefore，weshouldpayattentiontothefigurativemeaningsofanimalwordstomakecrossculturalcommunicationsuccessful。
　　4。Translationofanimalmetaphors
　　4。1Importanceoftranslation
　　Translationisadialogicprocess。Itisnotonlyaninterlingualactivitybutalsoacrossculturalcommunicationevent。Thepurposeoftranslationistotransferthesourcelanguageintothetargetlanguagetoobtainthemaximalequivalence。Sotranslatorsplayanimportantroleintheprocessoftranslation。Theyshouldconsiderhowtodealwiththeimagesofthewordsandhowtoexpressthefigurativemeaningscorrectlyandproperly。Meantime，theyshouldthinkovernotonlythelanguagestructuresandnationalfeaturesinsourcelanguagebutalsotheculturalbackgroundsandtheexpressionsintargetlanguage。
　　Animalwordscontainmanyculturalmeanings。Intheprocessoftranslatinganimalwords，thebigproblemishowtogetthesameornearlythesameeffectculturallyinthetargetlanguageasthatofthesourcelanguage。
　　4。2Methodsoftranslation
　　4。2。1Keepingimageofanimalassociationvehicles
　　EnglishcultureandChineseculturehavemuchincommon，sotheEnglishandtheChinesesharethesameorsimilarfeelingsorattitudestosomeanimalwords。Andtheyusethesameanimalimagestoexpressthesimilarfigurativemeanings。Therefore，wecanadoptliteraltranslationtokeeptheoriginalassociationvehicles。Toacertainextent，thismethodhelpstokeepthesourcenationalsenseandmakesthetargetlanguagereaderstounderstandthesourcelanguageculture。Forexample：
　　（1）俗话说得好，叫做杀鸡吓猴，拿鸡子宰了，那猴儿自然害怕。（李宝嘉：《官场现形记》）
　　Thesayinghasitwell，killthechickeninordertofrightenthemonkey。Ifthechickeniskilledthemonkeyiscertainlyscared。〔22〕
　　（2）楚兵罢食尽，此天亡楚之时也，不如因其机而遂取之。今释弗击，此所谓养虎遗患也。（司马迁：《史记。项羽本纪》）
　　ThetroopsofChuareshortoffood，whichshowsthegodswanttowipethemoutandtakeupthestate。Ifwedon’tlaunchanattackuponthemandletthemgo，whatweshalldoistonourishatigertobeasourceofthetroubleinthefuture。〔23〕
　　（3）Adviceandcorrectionrolloffhimlikewateroffaduck’sback。
　　劝导对他好像水过鸭背似的不起作用。〔24〕
　　（4）Youstupidass！Howcouldyoudoathinglikethat？
　　你这头蠢驴！怎么会干出那种事儿来？〔25〕
　　Let’shavealookatsomeotherexamples：darkhorse（黑马），papertiger（纸老虎），lambduck（跛脚鸭子），aspureasaswan（像天鹅一样圣洁），etc。
　　Keepingimageofassociationvehiclescanmakelanguagevividandvigorousandpreservetheoriginalstyle。AdoptingthismethodnotonlyreproducesthesourcelanguagemeaningandcharmbutalsobenefitstheculturalexchangebetweenChineseandEnglish。
　　4。2。2Changingimageofanimalassociationvehicles
　　EnglishlanguageandChineselanguage动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译havesomeculturaldiscrepancies。Ifsomeoriginalassociationvehiclesarekeptintheprocessoftranslation，thetargetlanguagereadersmaynotunderstandthem。Indeed，thereareoccasionswherecertainculturalaspectsoforiginalcannotbedirectlytransferredintothetargetlanguageculture。Thus，intheprocessofinterculturalcommunication，wemayreplacetheoriginalimagewithadifferentonethatretainsthemeaningoftheoriginalmessageandwellfitsinwiththetargetlanguage。Forexample：
　　ToChinesepeople，ifsomeonetalkstoomuchanddon’twanttostop，wewilluse叽叽喳喳，像只麻雀todescribehim。InChineseculture，peoplealwaysassociatesparrowwithsomeonetalkative。ThiscoincideswiththeassociativemeaningofmagpieintheEnglishculture（seesection2。2。
　　1）。Therefore，thereplacementofsparrowwithmagpieisquitenecessaryforthesakeofEnglishreader’sacceptability。
　　（5）郭彩娣见徐义德装出一副笑面虎的神情，越发使她生气。（周而复：《上海的早晨》）
　　ItmadeKuoTsaitimorefuriousthanevertoseeHsuYitehputtingonthiswolfinsheep’sclothingmanner。〔26〕
　　（6）Mr。Smithmayserveasagoodsecretary，forheisascloseasanoyster。
　　失密斯先生可以当个好秘书，因为他守口如瓶。〔27〕
　　Inaddition，whenusingotherassociationvehiclestoreplacetheoriginalassociationvehicles，weshouldpayattentiontosometraps。Lookattheexample：
　　（7）Lockthestabledoorafterthehorseisstolenhasbolted。
　　Itisnotpropertoputitinto亡羊补牢。ThisEnglishproverbmeanstotakeprecautiontoolatetobeeffective，whichemphasizeslate，equaltoChineseexpression贼去关门or雨后送伞。However，inChineseproverbitstressesnottoolateanditscompleteexpressionis亡羊补牢，犹为未晚，whichisequaltoanotherEnglishproverbIt’snevertoolatetomined〔sic〕。〔28〕
　　ChineseandEnglishpeopleadoptdifferentanimalimagestoexpressthesimilarfigurativemeanings，sothismethodofchangingimagesisthebestwayandthisconformstothethinkingmodesandexpressionsofthesourceandtargetlanguagereaders。
　　4。2。3Discardingimageofanimalassociationvehicles
　　Someanimalwordscontainoppositefigurativemeaningswithcommendatoryorderogatorysenseandexistsemanticgaps。Iftheseculturallyloadedassociationvehiclescanberepresentedinthetargetlanguageversion，itwouldcausemanymisunderstandingsandlanguagebarriers。Sothebestwayistodiscardtheimagesofanimalassociationvehicles。Forexample：
　　（8）他被新来的经理炒鱿鱼了。
　　炒鱿鱼isadialectintheareaofGuangdongprovince。Itisequaltofiresb。orgetthebackinEnglishlanguage。Ifwetrytoretaintheimage鱿鱼，theEnglishreaderswouldbebaffled。Hereweshouldchoosetotelloutthemeaningofthesentencetomakethetranslationclear。SothetranslatedversionisHewasfiredbythenewlyappointedmanager。
　　（9）Don’tlistentohergossip；Sheisacat。
　　别听她搬弄是非，她是个心地恶毒的女人。
　　（10）Thelionsatherpartyincludedtwofamousauthorsandamusician。
　　她宴请的社会名流包括两名作家和一名音乐家。〔29〕
　　Whenthismethodisusedintranslation，thetargetlanguagereadershavenodifficultyinreadingandtheydonotneedtostoptoguessthemeaningofthefigurativeexpressionsaswell。
　　Alongwiththedevelopmentandclosecontactwiththeforeigncountries，thewesternhavebeenlearningtheChinesecultureallthetime。SodotheChinesepeople。Whentranslating，wecanuseliteraltranslationplusannotationinthebeginning。Afterthetargetlanguagereadershavebeenveryfamiliarwiththeexpressionsandknowntheirmeaningsinthesourcelanguagetexts，wecanomittheannotation。Withthelapseoftime，ChineseandEnglishlanguagewillbeabsorbedeachother。Thiswillbenefitmoretoknowthetwocountries’culturesandcustoms，andthetwocountriescankeeptheirownnationalflavors。
　　5。Conclusion
　　Humanbeingsalwayshaveinseparablerelationswithanimals。Inthelongperiodoftimewhenmanisinharmonywithanimals，hehascometorealizethatallanimals，whethertheyarefriendsorenemies，contributemuchtoman’sliving。Therefore，animalwordscomeintohumancommunicatinglanguage。Itcanbesaidthathumanlanguagereflectshumanideasandacts；soanimalwordsplayaveryimportantroleinhumanlinguisticcommunication。
　　DifferentculturesofChineseandEnglishnationsentrustculturalconnotationstotheanimalwords，whichcausediscrepanciesintheapplicationofanimalassociat动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译动物词在汉英文化中的喻义及其翻译ionvehicles。Thesediscrepanciesbringobstructionofinterculturalcommunication。Asanimportantmeansofcrossculturalcommunication，translationisalsocloselyconnectedwithculture。Forthepurposeofoureffectivecommunication，weshouldunderstandtheseculturallyloadedanimalwordscorrectlyanddotheequivalenttranslationbetweenEnglishlanguageandChineselanguage，andbuildabridgeforthelinguisticculturalexchange。
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