Application of Compensatory Translation Approach to English Idioms

Abstract

Idioms, the gems of a language, best reflect the national characteristics embodied in a language and always have rich national flavor and cultural connotation. It is not easy to translate idioms since not all English idioms have equivalents in Chinese idioms mainly due to cultural differences. There are six translation approaches in translating English idioms into Chinese: compensatory translation, literal translation, free translation, borrowing, integrated approach, explanational translation. This paper aims to propose the compensatory translation approach, one of the important and indispensable tactics to Chinese translation of English idioms based on Eugene A. Nida’s equivalence view. It is worth discussing on compensatory translation approach to English idioms from cultural perspective so as to better understand the application of this tactic, hoping to cast some enlightenment on further research in this area.