歇后語名稱的翻譯

目前，對“歇后語”一詞的翻譯難以統一。有人翻譯為Chinese enigmatic folk similes，這一譯法的缺點是歇后語中不全是比喻，也有諧音或雙關式歇后語。有人翻譯為quiz-cracks(隱語或謎語)，同樣也不全面。于是有人提議直接翻譯為xiehouyu in Chinese，這倒是有一定的可借鑒性。因為歇后語是中華民族的獨特文化，正如二胡(erhu)、中國功夫(Chinese gongfu)等。但是，追根溯源，歇后語最早是文人之間的一種文字游戲，最早叫做“俏皮話”，因此，有人據此大膽翻譯為Chinese folk wisecracks。

比喻性歇后語的翻譯方法

直譯法： 對大多數喻義歇后語，由于比喻部分生動形象，喻義部分邏輯推理合乎情理，不包含一詞兩義的雙關或諧音，通常采用直譯法，既傳達源語的內容，又維持源語的形象，便于讀者閱讀和欣賞。例如：

瞎子點燈--白費蠟。 It is as useless as a blind man lighting a candle.

黃鼠狼給雞拜年--不懷好意。 A weasel wishing Happy New Year to a chicken-harboring no good intention.

肉包子打狗--有去無回。 Chasing a dog by throwing meat dumplings at it-gone, never to return.

竹籃打水--一場空。 Like ladling water with a wicker basket-all is empty (nothing).

八仙過海--各顯其能。 (Like) the Eight Immortals crossing the sea-each showing his or her special prowess. ( Each of them shows their true worth.)

隔著門縫看人--把人瞧扁了。 If you peer at a person through a crack-he looks flat.

兔子尾巴長不了。 The tail of a rabbit-cannot be long; won't last long.

諧音或雙關式歇后語的翻譯方法

解釋法：解釋法是一種行之有效的翻譯方法，也是揭示源語文化內涵的重要途徑，它是指在譯文里保留原來的文化色彩，并加上簡要的解釋說明以突出其形象性。解釋法可以細分為解釋性替代和解釋性增補兩種類型。

解釋性替代

解釋性替代是指當詞語在源語和譯語中的內涵意義相同，但聯想意義不同時，不能按照字面翻譯，而應該用解釋性替代的方法翻譯原文。漢語中的成語即諺語翻譯一般用解釋性替代的方法來進行翻譯，例如: 揮金如土 spend money like water

解釋性增補

解釋性增補是指當源語中詞語的內涵意義在譯語中出現詞匯空缺,其聯想意義也出現空白時,譯者必須保留源語的詞語形象,而將其深層含義以解釋的形式翻譯出來,揭示出源語的文化特性或文化背景。漢語中特有的歇后語在譯成英語時,可以保留原語形象,再用解釋性增補以表現其喻意。

利用漢語的諧音

牛角抹油——又尖（奸）又滑（猾） Spreading oil on an ox horn——to make it sharper and more slippery or cunning and treacherous.

李雙雙見到丈夫——有喜旺（希望）

Li Shuangshuang sees her husband——she has Xiwang now; like Li Shuangshuang meeting her husband Xiwang, a homophone for the Chinese word xiwang meaning hope, there is hope now.

利用雙關語義

井底雕花——深刻 Carving a flower design on the bottom of a well——carving deeply or get to the essence of something.

搟面杖吹火———一竅不通?A rolling pin used as a bellows —no good at all.

王小二過年——一年不如一年

Wang Xiao'er spending the New Year——one year is worse than another; like Wang Xiao’er's life, one year is worse than another.?

飛機上跳傘——一落千丈

Bale out from a flying plane——drop down a thousand zhang or suffer a drastic decline; like jumping from a flying plane, they decline drastically.

利用典故

英漢兩種語言中存有大量由歷史典故形成的習語，如，“東施效顰”、“名落孫山”、“葉公好龍”等等。英語典故習語多來自《圣經》和希臘羅馬神話，如Achilles'heel（唯一致命弱點）、meet one's Waterloo（一敗涂地）、Penelope's web（永遠完不成的工作）、a Pandora's box（潘多拉之盒，代表災難、麻煩、禍害的根源）等。

有關典故的這些習語結構簡單，意義深遠，往往是不能單從字面意義去理解和翻譯的。在翻譯利用典故的歇后語時，如果僅僅使用解釋性增補方法是遠遠不夠的，我們還應該對譯文加以注釋，從而從文化上和歷史上更準確地傳達漢語歇后語所包含的民族和文化特色。

八仙聚會——又說又笑?

A gathering of Eight Immortals——speaking and laughing; like the Eight Immortals at a gathering, they are talking and laughing merrily.

Note: The Eight Immortals refer to the eight Taoists in a Chinese legend, namely, Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, Lü Dongbin, Tieguai Li, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu.

王羲之寫字——橫豎都好

A?character out of Wang Xizhi’s hand——vertical strokes are as good as horizontal ones; like Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, it is good in every way.

Note: Wang Xizhi was a famous Chinese calligrapher and a Chinese character is usually composed of strokes, of which the vertical and horizontal ones are the most commonly used. Hengshu here has two interpretations: 1) the horizontal and vertical strokes; 2) horizontally or vertically, that is, in any way.

灶王爺扔石頭——砸鍋

The Kitchen God throwing stones——to break the pot or ruin the matter.

Note: The literal meaning of zaguo is to break a pot but it is usually used to mean ruining the matter.

秦叔寶賣馬——窮途末路

Qin Shubao selling his horse——the last resort to overcome his difficulty; like Qin Shubao selling his horse, they are driven into a dead end

Note: Qin Qiong, styled Shubao, was a famous general in the Tang Dynasty. Before becoming a general, he was once penniless and had no way out but to sell his own horse.

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（來源：中國翻譯網，英語點津編輯）