II . Distinguish the Commendatory Term from the Derogatory Term

This is also an important rule. Abiding by this rule we cannot be far wrong in interpreting, nor would we commit the mistake of reversal of sense. Moreover, having made this distinction we would be aware where to lay the emphasis in the light of the context. For instance,“威武不屈”is decidedly a commendatory term, which can be translated into "not to be subdued by force". However, essentially this idiom is said of the good, commendable quality of being unyielding. Knowing this, we can safely interpret the sentence“埃及人民威武不屈、团结一致，捍卫了独立和主权”into：“Unyielding and united as one, the Egyptian people have safeguarded their independence and sovereignty."

On the other hand,“忘乎所以”is a derogatory term, which can be rendered into "forgetting oneself" or "getting swollen-headed", etc., depending on the context.

Another case is by no means uncommon. We may sometimes be at a loss as to the exact wording to use to render an idiom into English for example the idiom“绚丽多彩”. In such a case, an interpreter must remain calm and poised; he must make the distinction (between the commendatory and derogatory),then he can supply such versions as "bright and colourful",or "gorgeous", etc.

Similarly, one may not be able to supply a very good Chinese equivalent of the idiom "sell sb. down the river" when one hears this sentence - "That superpower's record is by no means commendable. I need not draw the attention of this august body to the fact that in order to benefit itself, it sold many of its old friends down the river."However,one can judge from the context that it is a derogatory term. Consequently one cannot be wrong in interpreting the sentence into：“那个超级大国的历史纪录，并不是殊堪嘉许的。我用不着提请这个庄严的组织注意这样一个事实，就是，该超级大国为了一己之利，出卖了许多老朋友。”

Ⅲ. Do not Misuse Foreign Idioms in Interpreting

In doing interpretation (either C– E or E – C), if one can use an idiom or a proverb (of the target language) that corresponds exactly to that in the "source language" in meaning, so much the better. For expressions familiar to the audience makes one's rendition more readily understood. However, we must not misuse idioms, proverbs or colloquial expressions in the target language. We must not use them unless they correspond exactly to the original. We would rather sound flat than elegant but erroneous. As a matter of principle, to go after using foreign idioms at the expense of faithfulness is taboo!

To cite one amusing example here. The Chinese idiomatic expression“拖后腿”normally means to hinder or impede somebody, or to be a drag on somebody, or to hold somebody back, depending on the context. However, someone who tends to misuse idioms and colloquial expressions in both translation and interpretation has rendered the sentence“你的儿子要去边疆工作，你可别拖后腿呀”into："Your son wants to go and work in the frontier region, you shouldn' t pull his leg!"Grammatically, this English sentence is of course not wrong, but its meaning is erroneous. Consequently the above rendition is rejected as being incorrect.

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