Translating English proverbs into Chinese from a rhetorical perspective
Abstract

The English proverbs have inherited so far since English language was used, so the English proverbs are the treasures of English culture. There are many advantages of inheriting English proverbs, the proverbs are easy to understand and appreciate for English-speaking people. The proverbs always contain profound connotative meaning, and the forms of proverbs are full of aesthetics. On the contrary, these advantages increase the difficulty of translation. The process of translation involves two steps, one is comprehension, and the other one is expression. As the various rhetorical devices are used in proverbs, the Chinese can’t totally understand the real meaning. Besides, the translations in Chinese always have lost the artistic quality shown in the source proverbs. What can we do to solve this problem?
This thesis studies the translation of English proverbs from rhetorical perspective. Firstly, the thesis finds out some problems during the translation through analyzing some translation examples. Secondly, the thesis summarizes the various rhetoric applied in English proverbs to get more accurate comprehension of proverbs, which is prepared for a better expression of translation. Thirdly, the thesis proposes some specific translation strategies on the basis of dynamic equivalence theory and functional equivalence theory.
This thesis not only emphasizes the function of rhetoric in appreciating English proverbs, but also emphasizes the importance of rhetoric in translating expression. The rhetorical equivalence is ideal state for English proverbs translation, which we would spend more time to explore.
Keywords: rhetoric, English proverbs, dynamic theory, translation strategies

摘        要
英语谚语的历史非常悠久，早在人类语言文字诞生之初便开始使用，一直传承至今。所以，英语谚语是英语语言文化的结晶。而英语谚语的生动形象，富有艺术感，内涵意义深厚，即成为了它的优点，有成了汉译的难点。翻译的过程包括理解和表达两个方面，英语谚语理解起来有难度，那是因为其中包含了丰富的修辞格，英语谚语汉译的表达有难度，那是因为两种语言文化的差异使谚语不能原汁原味的翻译出来，总会留有遗憾。如何减少这些遗憾呢？
本论文从修辞格的角度出发，通过实际谚语翻译例子分析英谚汉译出现的具体问题。然后从翻译过程中的理解入手，分析各种修辞手法在谚语中的运用，帮助正确理解英语谚语，为进一步的表达做准备。最后以动态对等和功能翻译理论为基础，指出英语谚语的翻译既要表达出丰富的寓意与原来的思想内容，更要符合译语读者的语言阅读习惯，并提出了具体的翻译策略，在不同的情况下，使用如直译，借译，意译，加注释等翻译手法。
本文不仅强调修辞在谚语理解中的作用，也强调了修辞在翻译表达中的作用，修辞等值原则是英语谚语翻译的一种理想状态。我们要尽可能在翻译时做到既翻译出谚语的深层含义，又能在形式上得到对等，使英语谚语中的修辞手法在汉语中也能有所体现，这样才能表现英语谚语的艺术性和趣味性。

关键字：修辞格，英语谚语，动态对等，翻译策略