Abstract and Key Words

Abstract：Animal images are much more popular in idioms which are full of cultural connotations. Culture exerts an important influence on animal idioms, such as geographical culture, historical culture, customary culture, religious culture, literary works, myth, legends, and fables. On the basis of a brief introduction of the cultural connotation of English animal idioms, this paper explores how to treat cultural features in the translation of idioms from the perspective of techniques of translation. In the procedure of the translation of animal idioms, great importance should be attached to their cultural connotations. Based on this awareness, translators should employ translation methods suitably to transfer properly both the form and the meaning.

Key words：animal idioms; cultural connotation; translation methods

摘要： 动物形象越来越普遍地存在于富含文化内涵的动物习语中。文化对动物习语有着重要的影响力，如地理、历史、习俗、宗教、文学作品、神话，传说以及寓言等。本文简要地介绍了英语动物习语的文化内涵，并从翻译技巧的角度，对如何处理动物习语翻译中的文化特色进行探讨。在翻译过程中，译者应当运用合适的翻译方法来实现形式和意义的恰当传递。

关键词：动物习语；文化内涵；翻译方法

1. Introduction
 Language is a component of culture and plays an important role in it, and language is influenced and reflected by culture. Idioms, which belong to vocabulary, are part of language. Animal idioms which are full of animal images constitute a great portion in idioms, and they are widely used in our everyday life. Making use of idioms is a method of expressing oneself more quickly and concisely than in any other way. People are carrying on the research on how to overcome the cultural obstacles evoked by cultural differences.
Idioms are the fruit of wisdom and wit produced by working people in the course of recognizing the world and changing it. An idiom is usually compared to the salt of language, for it can make discourse more interesting, colorful and natural. The use of idioms is probably found in all languages, but the same image of an idiom in a different language may have different cultural connotation. Whenever we learn an English idiom, we must note its connotative or symbolic meaning. In other words, there are often cultural differences between English and Chinese idioms. Natural environments, customs and religious beliefs are the leading causes resulting in those differences.