The problem of translating russian proverbs into chinese (оn the example of classical works)

Abstract

The article deals with the problems of translating Russian Proverbs into Chinese. The main features of Proverbs that cause certain difficulties in finding an analog in translation are revealed (common knowledge, imagery, rhyme, etc.). Each nation has its own cultural traditions, values and way of thinking, which are reflected in Proverbs. The interpretation of Proverbs in dictionaries is limited by their semantics, it only conveys the General meaning in distraction from the typical situations of their use. When translating, it is important to analyze the pragmatic properties of Proverbs, determine their functions and role in discourse, especially in Dialogic speech. The purpose of the article is to try to identify the best ways to convey the meaning and discursive functions of Proverbs and preserve their imagery in the translation process. The article discusses and analyzes V. S. Vinogradov’s five ways of translating Proverbs: full equivalent, partial equivalent, calculus, pseudo-correspondence, and descriptive translation. Russian Proverbs ‘ Chinese analogues and specific translation solutions are based on the analysis of dialogical fragments from Russian classical works of art. The study concludes that there is no universal way to translate Proverbs. Adequate translation requires not only transmitting the meaning of the proverb, but also preserving its pragmatic characteristics. An optimal translation of a proverb is considered to be a proverb with the same meaning and preservation of imagery, but in the absence of exact analogues in the translation language, one or another pragmatic characteristic has to be sacrificed. As a result, we came to the conclusion that the most unreliable method of translation is literal translation. When searching for a suitable analog, it is necessary to consider all the parameters of Proverbs, take into account the semantic, cultural and pragmatic features of such culturally and phraseologically determined language units.