英语论文网

妻子从没被吻过的地方吻她。” This ad contains double meanings: A: After you get married, kiss the parts of your wife where she’s never been kissed before. B: After you get married, go to the places where your wife has never been to and kiss her there. Here “places” is literally converted into “地方”, which is exactly the Chinese equivalent of “places”. The translation successfully conveys “地方” into two meanings “a place to go” and “somewhere of one’s body”, which enables the readers of the Chinese version to learn the intention of this advertisement without difficulty just as the English readers do. The advertiser uses this homographic pun tactfully so as to attract the new couple. In the translated version, the persuasive effect is retained. Another example: (45) In Honghu day is going to break. [26] 洪湖就要天亮了。 Here “day is going to break” means “first light that appears just when the sun is about to rise above the horizon; daybreak”. This sentence hides another meaning, “The Revolution is going to accomplish”. Both in English and Chinese version, this sentence contain two levels of meanings. However, the readers can immediately read out the double meanings. (46) Call me a bad doctor if you like. Call me what you will. But don’t call me at a half past three on a December morning for an ear-ache that you have had for two weeks. 叫我坏医生吧，你爱叫就叫吧。但是，千万不要在12月份凌晨3点半叫我去看你已经疼了两周的耳疾。 In this example, this first two “call” means “describe or address sb\sth as, name”, the third “call” means “ask sb to come by telephoning. By using the literal translation, the original meaning appears again in the translation of English pun. 5.2.2 Free translation Sometimes, for social and cultural difference between English and Chinese, the translators are unable to use literal translation but to use free translation. However, using free translation only can render the general meaning of the original version. The humor, wit, satire or even complicated feelings that are expressed uniquely by the use of puns may not be fully conveyed. For example; (47) A: His words are as plain as ABC B: But I’m DEF (deaf) A: 他的话说得很清楚 B: 可惜我听觉失灵 “DEF” are the letters that come after “ABC”. “DEF” and “deaf” is a pair of homophones. Here “deaf” means “unable to hear at all or to hear well”. In the short dialogue, the implication meaning is “I don’t want to hear you no matter how clear you have told”, so we can see that the translated version is also a perfect one. (48) Spoil yourself and not your figure. 尽心地吃吧，别担心体重 The phrase “spoil oneself” means “enjoy oneself to heart’s content”, while “spoil one’s figure” means “make a damage on one’s figure”. In this ad, the punny word is “spoil”, the advertiser employs the homographic pun to persuade the Ice-Cream lover to eat to their heart content without worrying about their weight. It achieves a good effect. 5.2.3 Annotated translation Pun translation has its limitations; it is no doubt that a translator will meet obstacles, more or less, in both language and culture in translating. In such cases, if he cannot make them clear, a translator may resort to other translation techniques, such as, annotation. Annotation in translation makes the punny sense of the original easy to see and easy to understand. And it offers a chance for the reader to appreciate the beauty of the source language. However, adopting annotation in translation is always the last choice, for the humor in the original version may