【正文】 ....................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements............................................................................................................ v Chapter One Introduction............................................................................................. 1 Chapter Two Analysis of English Idioms and Chinese Idioms .................................. 3 Definition of Idiom ................................................................................................ 3 Similarities between English Idioms and Chinese Idioms ..................................... 3 Basic Moral Concepts and Value Viewpoint................................................ 4 The Same Origins......................................................................................... 5 The Same Features ....................................................................................... 5 The Same Classifications ............................................................................. 5 Differences between English Idioms and Chinese Idioms..................................... 6 Difference in Metaphor ................................................................................ 6 Difference in Customs ................................................................................. 6 Difference in Environment........................................................................... 7 Chapter Three Thranslation of English Idioms from the Perspective of Skopos Theory ................................................................................................................................ 8 Skopos Theory ....................................................................................................... 8 Methods of English Idiom Translation From the Perspective of Skopos Theory .. 9 Literal Translation ........................................................................................ 9 Literal Translation with Notes.....................................................................11 Liberal Translation ..................................................................................... 12 Liberal Translation with Notes................................................................... 13 Literal Translation plus Liberal Translation ............................................... 14 Chapter Four Conclusion ............................................................................................ 15 Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 17 v Acknowledgements I would like to deliver my gratitude to all those who gave me help during my writing of the thesis. First I?m particularly indebted to my supervisor Yuan LingJie , whose illuminating instruction and constructive suggestions have helped me a lot of shaping the idea and the framework. Without her insightful direction and constant encouragement, the pletion of the present thesis would have been impossible. Then my profound gratitude and appreciation goes to all the teachers of my college courses, whose excellent teaching laid a solid foundation for this thesis. Among them, my special thanks must be paid to Professor Wang Lanying, Professor Zhang Ruijun, and Li Ge teacher. Last but not least, I owe a great deal of my parents and classmates for their profound love and care, constant encouragement and support. 1 Chapter One Introduction In our study and daily life, we may often mention or use English idioms with which we are familiar. An English idiom is a group of words with a special meaning different from the meanings of its constituent words. Idioms are usually semantically opaque, that is, metaphorical rather than literal. For this reason, it is hard to determine the meaning of an idiom from the literal meaning of the individual word, for example, to kick the bucket or to bite the dust means to die. The English language is noted for its wealth of idioms .Besides semantic opaqueness, another important characteristic of English idioms is that they are structurally fixed or invariable .Most of these idiomatic expressions are phrases of two or more words that function as a unit of meaning and must be learned as a whole. To sum up, an idiom may be defined as a bination of two or more words, which are usually structurally fixed and semantically opaque, and function as a single unit of meaning. It is an established form that has been accepted by traditional usage and forms an essential part of the general vocabulary Translation is a bilingual art, which is the cultural bridge and media between two languages. It is not an easy job, especially the translation of English idioms, which are independent, irregular and fixed part of language. For the purpose of keeping the flavor of English idioms and catering the versions of English idioms for all the Chinese readers, not only to the readers who master English but also to those who do not know or know a little, translation skills must be employed in the process of translation. In the paper, the author will present several kinds of skills for English idioms translation from the perspective of Skopos Theory. Skopos Theory, which developed from German functionalism, holds that translation is a form of translational action based on a source text and the prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose (Skopos) of the overall translational 2 action. It allows the possibility of the same text being translated in different ways according to the purpose of the TT and the mission which is given to the translator. Skopos theory provides a new and effective perspective for the study of English idioms translation.