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A Study on the Strategies for Translating Four-Character Idioms into English from Cross-Cultural Perspective

Qin Li
Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 152-159, 2024 DOI: 10.54691/0ap7dj28 June 25, 2024
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Abstract.As one of the important representatives of Chinese culture, Chinese literary works are rich in four-character idioms with far-reaching meanings, which should be paid full attention to in the process of translation. Cross-cultural theory is a comparative analysis of attribution and difference of cultural phenomena, aiming at the understanding of cultural differences. Based on a cross-cultural perspective, this paper analyzes the four-character idioms in Qian Zhongshu's work, Besieged City, which translated by Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K.Mao from three aspects: thinking pattens, communication audience and purpose, and translation aesthetics. The conclusion shows that to a certain extent, the translator's selection of specific translation strategies can effectively convey the meaning of Chinese four-character idioms, make the target language fit with the cultural context of the original text, and achieve the purpose of cross-cultural communication.
Keywords. English translation, Chinese idioms, Cross-cultural, Besieged City.
APA Citation Qin Li (2024). A Study on the Strategies for Translating Four-Character Idioms into English from Cross-Cultural Perspective. Frontiers in Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(6), 152-159. https://doi.org/10.54691/0ap7dj28

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