Different peoples have their own cultures and the culture differences could affect the translation. Especially when we come across the idioms translation, culture will play an important role in the translating. This text aims to showing the different ways adopted during the translation.

Usually, there are 3 methods to handle this kind of translation. They are: Equivalent translation, Literal-supplement translation and Liberal-transfer translation.

(一) Equivalent translation

Equivalent translation means the similar translation because English and Chinese cultures have something in common. So we can take this method to get the meaning. For examples:

1．Man proposes, God disposes.— 谋事在人，成事在天

2．A good conscience is a soft pillow. — 不做亏心事，不怕鬼敲门。

3．An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. — 一日之计在于晨。

4．Do as you would be done by. — 己所不欲，勿施于人。

5．Good for good is natural, good for evil is manly. — 以德报德是常理，以德报怨是大丈夫。

6．False friends are worse than bitter enemies. — 明抢易躲，暗箭难防。

7．Practice makes perfect. — 孰能生巧。

Read Also: Brief Introduction to Translation Tool

(二) Literal-supplement translation

Literal-supplement translation means we should supple some words or phrases to let the translation more accurate. For examples:

1. A candle lights others and consumes itself. — 蜡烛照亮别人毁灭了自己。

2. A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. — 吃一堑，长一智。

3. A rolling stone gathers no moss. — 滚石不生苔，转业不聚财。

4. Bad news has wings. — 好事不出门，坏事传千里。

5. Barking dogs seldom bite. — 吠犬不咬人。

6. Choose an author as you choose a friend. — 择书如择友。

7. Confidence in yourself is the first step on the road to success. — 自信是走向成功的第一步。

(三) Liberal-transfer translation

Some idioms still could not be translated accurately when there are only equivalent and literal-supplement translation methods involved. Like this sentence “A switch in time saves nine”: this sentence will be like this “及时一针省九针” if we only take equivalent and literal-supplement methods，while it is obviously that the translation is not so accurate. If we change the Chinese into “小洞不补，大洞吃苦”，it will be much better. More examples:

1. A liar is not believed when he speaks the truth. —说谎者即使讲真话也没人相信。

2. Birds of a feather flock together. — 物以类聚，人以群分。

3. Books and friends should be few but good. — 读书如交友，应求少而精。

4. A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds. — 光说空话不做事，犹如花园光长刺。

5. Children are what the mothers are. — 耳濡目染，身教言传。

6. Penny wise, pound foolish. — 贪小便宜吃大亏。

7. Rome is not built in a day. — 冰冻三尺，非一日之寒。

In a word, to get high quality idioms translation, it requires continuous process like learning, which needs constant accumulation. A penny saved is a penny earned