Author(s)

Linli Chen

Corresponding Author

Linli Chen

Abstract

It is idioms in a language that always have rich cultural connotation and national flavor. Translating idioms is quite hard because only a few English idioms have equivalents in Chinese idioms due to linguistic, especially cultural differences. Research indicates that there are six translation tactics in translating English idioms into Chinese: borrowing, compensatory translation, literal translation, free translation, explanational translation, integrated approach. This paper aims to propose the borrowing translation approach, one of indispensable and important tactics to Chinese translation of English idioms based on Nida’s dynamic equivalence. It is known that a reasonable choice and the quality of translation are decided by the translator’s cultural awareness and creativity. In this paper, borrowing translation approach to English idioms in the perspective of figurative meanings of idioms will be discussed, hoping to cast some enlightenment on further research in this field.

Keywords

Idioms, Borrowing, Translation approach, Figurative meanings