如何翻譯英語成語

　　英語翻譯要求結合目標語言對原文進行精準、得體的翻譯與表達。但是由於英語國家與中國文化背景、風俗習慣、思維習慣的不同,會導致語言表達句式、表達習慣方面的差異。這就需要我們掌握有效的翻譯方法,使翻譯符合目標語言的表達句式及表達習慣,使文字翻譯在忠於原文的基礎上,更加精準與流暢。本文結合這一要求,列舉了一些英語翻譯常用的方法。希望能給對英語翻譯提供有效的參考與借鑑。

　　1fish in troubled waters 混水摸魚，乘人之危。

　　He's always been good at fishing in troubled waters; he made a lot of money by buying houses that were bombed in the war.他總是善於乘人之危大撈一把，他靠購買在戰爭中遭過轟炸的房屋而賺了大量的錢財。

　　2crocodile tears 鱷魚的眼淚，假慈悲。

　　Don't weep crocodile tears with his misfortune. I know you have always detested him and are only too happy to see him get into trouble.別假惺惺地為他的不幸難過了，我知道你一直討厭他，看到他倒黴，心裡可高興哩!

　　3cry wolf 呼喊“狼來了”，發假情報。

　　That politician cries wolf in every speech he makes.那個政治家在他的每篇演說中都發假警報。

　　4that iseasier said than done說起來容易做起來難。

　　Easier said than done,let's pay more attention to practice.說起來容易做起來難，讓我們多注意些實踐吧!

　　5bad egg 壞蛋，歹徒。

　　Trust him nothing;he is a bad egg.別信他，他是個壞蛋。

　　6fish out of water 離水之魚，不得其所。

　　She felt like a fish of water at the evening party because she knew no one.她在晚會上感到很侷促，因為她一個人也不認識。

　　7gives someone an inch and he will take an ell 得寸進尺。

　　If you give those people an inch,they'll take an ell;we told them they might use our side path to reach their garden,now they have fenced in the path so that we cannot use it ourselves.那些人就是得寸進尺;我們對他們說，他們可以經過我們的小道進他們的花園，現在他們已在小道上修起了籬笆，以致我們自己也無法走這條小路過去了。

　　8go west 上西天，死，失敗。

　　Poor John was one of those who went west in the explosion.可憐的約翰是在這次爆炸中魂歸西天的人物之一。

　　9in a word 一句話，簡而言之

　　I have no time to tell you the whole story, in a word, they become hostile to each other.我沒時間把全部經過告訴你，一句話，他們相互成了仇敵。

　　10lose face 丟臉;失面子。

　　Certain country often loses face in regard to its relations with small weak countries on account of its dirty tricks. 某個國家在與弱小國家交往中因其使用卑鄙手段而總是丟臉。

　　11odds and ends 零零碎碎。

　　What shall we do with all those odds and ends? 我們用那些殘餘的東西可做什麼呢?

　　12play with fire 玩火，作無謂而危險的事。

　　He who plays with fire gets burned. 玩火者必自焚。

　　13strike while the iron is hot 趁熱打鐵。

　　Father is in a good mood at the moment.Strike while the iron is hot and ask him to let you go to the circus. 這時父親的情緒很好，乘此機會求他讓你去看馬戲。