On Integrated Translation Approach of English Idioms

Abstract

Idioms are the gems of a language. Translating idioms is not an easy task because not all 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: literal translation, free translation, compensatory translation, explanational translation, borrowing, integrated approach. This paper aims to propose the integrated translation approach, one indispensable and important tactic to Chinese translation of English idioms based on Nida’s dynamic equivalence. Obviously, a reasonable choice and the quality of translation are decided by the translator’s cultural awareness and creativity.