CHAPTER TWO.

TRANSLATING IDIOMS

This chapter will deal with …… It will discuss…………….

1.32.1 Idioms and fixed expressions

In the majority of languages, idioms are a significant component of every language and can
be found in a large amountlarge numbers in each of them. As long as the explanation of the
combination of words formed when two or more words are often used together in a way
that sound correct is not able to be perceived from the superficial meanings of the single
words constituting them, then several difficulties appear in the process of understanding
and translating the idioms. In various languages, entirely different expressions are used by
people so as to transmit an identical message. Occasionally, the peoplespeakers of a
particular language who take part in a conversation might experience an expression that is
not complicated or difficult to understand, whereas the same group of words and or
expressions might be seen as unclear and unfavourable, and even in certain circumstances
can have no meaning to by the speakers of other languages. This is caused by the fact that
in every language there are some culture-specific elements that are absolutely dissimilar
from the equivalent elements in some other language. In addition, there are some
differences in factors such as the belief and worship of a god or gods, geographical places,
non-identical system of ideas that forms the basis of economic or political theory and
policy, social classes of languages and communities, that make it difficult the course ofto
perceiveing the intended meaning and to translateing idiomatic pairs from one language to
another. As Andreas Langlotz (YEAR) states in his book called “Idiomatic creativity”,
even phraseologists have taken into consideration, that without depending on a set of
various statements of the meaning of the words, the expression of the linguistic analysis is
not able to occur.

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Langlotz (2006:3) defines idioms based on features pertaining to three distinct aspects:
grammatical status, form, and meaning. ENUMERATI TRASATURILE SI SCOATETI
TABELUL DIN TEXT. The structure of idioms may be explained as compound signs with
clearly defined meaning of words and phrases, structure elements and sociolinguistic
features. It also deals with practical results as opposed to theory. As listed below, the table
gives a brief statement of the main points of determined characteristics and shapes the
semiotic dimensions of grammatical status, form and meaning:

Table 1.1 Parameters for the definition of idioms (Langlotz 2006:3)

As idioms are a part of grammar and the study of grammar of a specific group of people
who share a set of principles and anticipations with reference to the use of language, they
are linguistic structures that have experienced a sociolinguistic course of
conventionalisation. Langlotz (2006:3) believes that idioms The termare institutionalized
language ation is because they used to reproduce exactly an idiom’s social deixis, that
conveys a high degree of mutual support between the speaker and addressee inside a group
of people who speak a certain language, even if they reside in many different places
throughout the world.

Compositeness Another feature of idioms, according to the same author (2006:PAGE), is

compositeness, which refers to the fact explains in terms of a general cause, that idioms
deal with words which share a characteristic structure, but which might vary from the
constitution of the sense of its component. For example, ‘grasp the nettle’ is made up of the
elements ‘grasp’ and ‘nettle’. In general, ‘nettle’ is utilized with a determiner called ‘the’,
that points out particularity of reference. In typical circumstances idioms are made up of
distinct parts of expressions or a construction of secondary predication, also referred to as

2
semi-clause. Moreover, compounds that might be very dissimilar in meaning from the
matching free phrase, such as ‘blackbird’, ‘chatterbox’, phrasal verbs like ‘stand by’, ‘see
through’, ‘come across’ and sayings as ‘Birds of a feather flock together’, are as well made
up of distinct parts of expressions (Langlotz, 2006:PAGE).

The conception of frozenness is embraced in the form of a general linguistic form to take
hold ofpoints to lexicogrammatical constraints active in the idiom. The lack of consistency
of the lexical components and the correspondence between the form of a verb and its
subject, might be affected by frozenness. For instance, ‘trip the light fantastic’ is found as
frozen, because . It indicatesof syntactic and morphosyntactic constraints since which
make it impossible to it can not be converted it into athe passive form. As a further matter,
in thise example the meaning of an individual word is restricted, because the components
can not take the place of lexical elements, such as in ‘trip the heavy fantastic’, ‘walk the
light fantastic’. Beside being frozen, this idiom is distinctive too, the same as. Therefore,
‘blow the gaff’ is also a distinctive structure, because it has the wordof the lexical element
‘gaff’ which is a lexical element (Langlotz, 2006:PAGE).

On the other hand, in her book entitled In Other Words (1992), Mona Baker (1992)who is a
professor of translation studies defines idioms as frozen patterns language, also referred to
as static register. She adds that idioms Ffrequently, it holds significance that is unable to be
subtracted on the basis of their particular constituents and gives permission to a small
amount or no change in form (Baker, 1992:PAGE). By expressing clearly this statement,
Mona BakerThe author (1992:PAGE) identified takes into account five criteria for
delimiting idioms as mentioned below. The first criterion refers to the fact that the
sequence of words 1. In in an idiom cannot be modified: it is not possible to make a
modification in the sequence of words. Tthe words are joined and arranged in a certain
spotsequence, . In this method, they are incapable to modify their particular position. Ffor
instance, it is not correct to say ‘go to ruin and rack’, because the . The right form is ‘go to
rack and ruin’. The second criterion postulates that Iit is prohibited in an idiom to leave out
words, of a specific component. Ffor example, in the idiom ‘shed crocodile tears’, if we
exclude the word ‘crocodile’, separately ‘shed tears’ will not have the same meaning. In an
idiom it is not allowed to attach additional words is the third criterion. Baker (1992:PAGE)
provides the example of Such as in ‘have a narrow escape’, where . Tthere is no need to
add another word, like ‘have a narrow quick escape’, because as in the second criteria the
idiomit will lose its significance. According to the fourth criterion, Iit is forbidden in an

3
idiom to take the placereplace of already existing words with different ones, for example
change . As an illustration, there is the idiom ‘out of sight, out of mind’ into . Changing
this idiom into, ‘out of sight, out of heart’., will be incorrect and will not achieve the
desired outcome. The last criterion states that the structure of an idiom cannot be
transformed: An idiom’s grammatical structure is incapable to make a transformation. Tthe
idiom ‘ring the bell’ exists and it is used, whereas ‘the bell was ringed’ is an inaccurate
version.

Alternatively stated, taking everything into account, the expressions that are natural and
grammatically correct to the users of the language, undergo a series of actions in which one
or more semantic senses within the same or another conceptual field are attached. A pattern
of figuration is considered to be among an idiom’s general significance. As it was uttered at
the beginning of this chapter, idioms are used to reproduce exactly an idiom’s social deixis,
that conveys a high degree of mutual support between the speaker and addressee.
Considering this statement, their extended meaning turned into the vocabulary of a person,
language, or branch of knowledge of a specific group of people sharing a set of linguistic
standards and strong beliefs concerning the use of language. Therefore,

According to Langlotz (2006:4), two levels of meaning need to be determined in

interpreting an idiom: the literal meaning (the sum of the meaning of the constituents) and
the idiomatic meaning (the lexicalised extended meaning of the construction). In addition,
in a structure, the more compatibility and similarity there is among between the literal and
the idiomatic significance, the more it is harder it is to be understoodunderstand or
explained the idiom. Idioms may are able to provide various verbal aims, includingconvey
different kinds of contents or ideas expressed in an utterance, the effect a speaker’s action
has on a particular listener and the language which provides related information to itself
and holds within both given and new information.

Prototypical idioms, which are verb phrases made up of idiom-prone words, mainly basic
verbs and body part nouns render an ideational function (SOURCE). For example, the
idiom ‘grasp the nettle’, refers to dealings with a complicated problem that will probably
be very difficult, and may also cause other problems. However, ‘good morning’, which is a
polite greeting, is part of the grammatical alternatives that allows the speaker to put into
practice their complex and various interpersonal relation, while ‘in a nutshell’ is used for

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saying that you are going to express something in a simple direct way, and is mostly used
to sustain the organization of the information within a written text.

Overall, to examine, analyse and give a detailed account in words of the idiomatic essence,
these frameworks or the systematic categorization of types that have components or
characteristics in common may be utilized in any structure. Regarding to how many of
these fundamental traits are chosen or valued, diverse explanations and categories of
idioms are possible to be distinctive. Looking into the process of analyzing the idioms, the
difficulties of interpretation and categorization turn to be more comprehensible as soon as
it is established that not any of these differential characteristics is easy to be perceived.

Fixed expressions and proverbs allowlet a slightly or no change in form (SOURCE). For
instance, fixed expressions, such as, ‘having said that’, ‘as a matter of fact’, ‘Ladies and
Gentlemen’, ‘all the best’, and proverbs like ‘practise what you preach’ and ‘waste not
want not’. On one hand, they are similar to idioms, because they act just like them. On the
other hand, contrary to idioms, fixed expressions and idioms are easier to understand. If we
take for example the fixed expression ‘as a matter of fact’, the significance is able to be
readily brought to an end out of the meanings of the words which form it. It is clearly
different from the significance of an idiom like ‘pull a fast one’ or ‘footfill the bill’.
Although, in most cases the fixed expressions or proverbs are not hard at all to be
comprehended, their significance of them is kind of more than the sum of the senses of the
words which they containtotal sense of its words.

To determine the message, the significant phrase needs to be used as one element. When a
reader or listener is faced with fixed expressions, the framing of each of them involves
every particular feature of the events that are related with the ordinary circumstances in
which the fixed expression is applied. Within any language, this characteristic is the real
reason that is at the back of the largely distributed use of fixed and semi-fixed expressions.
Inside the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking or writing, they express the
essential features of every widely held, but fixed and oversimplified idea of experience. As
a result, they reach a state where there are no longer any major changes or problems.
‘Many happy returns’, ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘Further to your letter of’ and ‘Yours sincerely’
are all official register techniques. These examples reveal that

In time, in the process of stabilization, they idioms become unlikely to change, e.g. ‘Many
happy returns’, ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘Further to your letter of’ and ‘Yours sincerely’. At the

5
same time, in communication they have a distinctive position that a fixed expression is
able to undertake. (Baker, 1992:PAGE).

In spite of the fact that the majority of idioms do not makecannot suffer a change in form,
several are more able to be easilyeasier to modifyied compared to others (SOURCE). For
instance, on one occasion a BBC radio journalist quoted a meeting speaker, who said that
‘There was too much buck passing’ (Baker and McCarthy, 1988), where. ‘pPass the buck’
is the general structure of the idiom, which refers to. It means to the transfer of the
responsibility for something to someone else. That being said, the significance of ‘There
was too much way giving for give way’ which is to let somebody to do something you have
or express an unfavourable opinion of, is not something that anyone anticipates to hear.
The ability of a person who uses successfully and efficiently the idioms and fixed
expressions inof a foreign language, is almost never the same than that of a person who has
spoken the language in question from earliest childhood. Most translators who are working
into a foreign language can not expect to have the identical and impressive delicacy and
skill like someone who has learnt a particular language from the time that they began to
speak. In translationshort, users face two problems relating to there are two principal fields
that idiomatic and fixed expressions: have to face. One, is the capacity to identify and
translate an idiom in an appropriate way, whereas the second are the problems engaged in
and providing the different kinds of features of meaning that an idiom or a fixed expression
transfers into the target language (SOURCE). These problems are less marked iIn the case
of fixed expressions, these problems or not very noticeable or marked. They are and more
obvious in the case of idioms.

NU ESTE DISCUTATE NICIO CLASIFICARE A EXPRESIILOR IDIOMATICE, DESI

EXISTE MAI MULTE ASTFEL DE CLASIFICARI IN LITERATURA DE
SPECIALITATE. COMPLETATI CU CEL PUTIN DOUA CLASIFICARI BAZATE PE
CRITERII DIFERITE.

1.3.12.2 Difficulties in translating idioms

As regard to idioms, the first issue a translator encounters is the ability to identify that
he/she is dealing has to do with an idiomatic expression (SOURCE). Not at all times is this
fact so evident. Since there are many different categories of idioms, several might be

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distinguished without effort, . Ffor example, ‘It's raining cats and dogs’, ‘throw caution to
the winds’, ‘storm in a tea cup’, ‘jump down someone's throat’, and ‘food for thought’, are
all idioms that can be easily identified and also contain expressions that do not necessarily
reproduce present reality. They are nothing more than the conditions under which the
statement would be true. Expressions that do not agreeare not agreeing with the
grammatical principles of the language, also called ill-formed expressions, such as ‘trip the
light fantastic’, ‘blow someone to kingdom come’, ‘put paid to’, ‘the powers that be’, ‘by
and large’, and ‘the world and his friend’ are as well part of this process. In some cases,
expressions which begin with ‘like’ or have ‘as’, are simile constructions, i.e. . It is a figure
of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things.
They are likely to indicate that they shall not be translated in a literal sense. These also
contain idioms such as ‘like a bat out of hell’ and ‘like water off a duck's back’. Taking
everything into consideration, the more complicated it is to perceive the intended meaning
of an expression and the less significant it is in certain parts of a discourse that surrounds a
word or passage, the more it is possibleeasier it is for a translator to acknowledge it as an
idiom.

There are two particular situations in which an idiom may be is able to be misunderstood,
according to SOURCE. :In the first situation, Sseveral idioms can give a wrong idea or
impression of theirits meanings: . Tthey appear to be easy to perceive, due to the fact that
they provide an appropriate explanation of the words that are in their usual or most basic
sense without metaphors or exaggerations, and the significances of the expressions are not
inevitably indicated in a particular text. In English and in every other language, there is a
vast number of idioms that have both a literal and an idiomatic significancemeaning. For
instance, ‘go out with’, can mean to go on a date with someone or to leave one’s home, and
to ‘take someone for a ride’ can be interpreted as tricking, cheating, or lying to a person.
This kind of idioms can without any difficulty influence without any difficulty the speakers
and writers who on certain occasions will work on both their literal and idiomatic
significancesmeanings. In this present case, a translator who does not recognize the
importance of the specific idiom that is referred to, might readily agree to receive the literal
explanation and fail to understand the intended meaning of an idiom.

In the second situation, SOURCE claims that In the language that is being translated from,
also called thea source language, an idiom might have an equivalent in the target language
into which it is translated. It can which appears to be identical on the surface, although it

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has a completely or slightly distinctive significancemeaning. For example, in English the
idiomatic question ‘Has the cat had/lgot your tongue?’ is used to pressure someone to
speak, say something, or give a response when in normal circumstances they are not so
quiet. It is frequently said by adults to children. On the surface, this idiom has a close
resemblance to ‘Megette a macska a nyelvedet?’ which is used in Hungarian idiolects, and
it is something you say to someone who remains silent when they are expected to speak.
By saying ‘tTo pull someone’s leg’, this idiom makes the person who we are talking to
believe something that is untrue so as to strongly impress them by something unexpected.
The purpose of this idiom is to divert the people when they eventually discover that it was
a joke. A corresponding expression is used in Romanian with an entirely different sense: ‘A
trage (cu) piciorul’, which means that a successful action, a favorable situation is imitated
to repercussion on others. A person with good luck, who is doing well, is asked to ‘crawl’
to leave a good omen for the one or those who would trample on the same place, who will
come after him. Examples of idioms that are exactly alike or have a resemblance in
structure, but their meaning is dissimilar in the source and target languages that is being
translated from and the language into which it is translated, have little hard become tricky
tasks for a translator that is not cautious of possible difficulties. Most of the time, the
translator does not recognize the source-language idiom. For this reason, he/she might have
an urge to apply straightforwardly on it a target language explanation.

As soon as an idiom or fixed expression has been acknowledged and their meaning of them
turned out to be accurate, the following phase is to determine in which manner should they
should be translated intotowards the target language (SOURCE). The process of deciding
what the intended meaning of an idiom is encompasses complicated and tough steps that
are completely distinctverse from those that are within itsthe translation of it. In this point,
it is not about whether an idiom can be easy or difficult to understand or it gives the wrong
idea of its meaning. The translation of an uninterpreted textual statement that indicates a
probably empty series of principles when assessed in a context, which is also named as an
opaque expression, might be achieved without great effort than the translation of a
transparent one. The principal problems that are engagedarise in the translation of idioms
and fixed expressions ,were can be summed up as listed below by Monaby Baker
(1992:PAGES).

One problem refers to the fact that Aan idiom or a fixed expression might have no identical
meaning in the target language into which it is translated. It is not possible to estimate what

8
will happen in a period of time with the method through which a language decides to
communicate, or not communicate different meanings. Just in certain situations it
corresponds with the method a further language determines to communicate the identical
meanings. There are cases in which a language might communicate a particular meaning
by using just a word, whereas another might communicate it by applying transparent fixed
expressions where necessary. By utilizing an idiom, an additional language might as well
communicate the intended meaning. Consequently, in the language into which it is
translated, it is impossible to anticipate to come upon similar idioms and fixed expressions.

Idioms and fixed expressions, just as single words might be culture-specific. Examples
such as ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘say when’ have a connection to certain social and religious
cases. The expression ‘say when’ is described by Basnett-McGuire (1980:21) as it is
‘directly linked to English social behavioural patterns’, the author and mentions the idea
that ‘the translator putting the phrase into French or German has to contend with the
problem of the non-existence of a similar convention in either TL culture’. In English,
fixed polite formulas, just like ‘Yours faithfully’ and ‘Yours sincerely’, does not present so
many problems, but fromto a specific point of view they are as well culture-specific as
well. According to Baker (YEAR:PAGE), In languages, such asin Arabic, there is no
corresponding, structure in formal correspondences. As as an alternative, it is frequently
used the expression ‘wa tafadalu biqbuul fa'iq al-ihtiraam’, which literally means 'and be
kind enough to accept [our] highest respects', is frequently used, however, it does not have
any resemblance to ‘Yours faithfully’ or ‘Yours sincerely’. This identical problem also
appears in some other language pairs.

In given situations, culture-specific elements that are within idioms and fixed expressions
are not always incapable of being translated. The meaning that is communicated and its
connection with culture-specific surroundings can make it hard or unable to translate. The
particular elements that an expression has are not part of the difficulty. For instance, ‘to
carry coals to Newcastle’, which is culture-specific in sense, and it means to do or bring
something unnecessary, is at close range in German by ‘Eulen nach Athen tragen’, that
intends to carry owls to Athens (Baker, 1992:PAGE).

Another translation problem may arise when Aan idiom or fixed expression might have an
equivalent in the target language into which it is translated, however the circumstance in
which it is used can be not of the same kindare not the same (Baker, YEAR:PAGE). It is

9
possible that the two expressions might have distinctive nuances or their sensible and
realistic style which is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations, might not
be capable of being moved from one place to another. In English there is the idiom, ‘Tto
sing a different tune’, which means . Its meaning is to change somebody’s opinion,
behavior or attitude, especially suddenly. Although, in Chinese ‘Chang – dui –tai –xi’,
which means to sing different melodies or to sing a duet, it is as well related to opposed
perspectives, itbut features rather a dissimilar usage.

Also a problem in translation may be the fact that Iin the source text from which
information or ideas are obtained, an idiom can be used both in its literal and idiomatic
meaning (SOURCE). Just in the case whenIf a target-language idiom matches the source-
language idiom both in structure and sense, the accurate effect on of the idiom is not
possiblecannot to be efficiently recreated in the target language into which it is translated.
To strengthen these assertions, I will attach an extract from a passage that is out of the
‘British Translator's Guild Intermediate Examinations for all languages’ (1986):

‘In creating Lord Peter Wiinsey, Dorothy L Sayers demonstrated all the advantages of the
amateur private eye. As a wealthy dilettante he was able to pursue the clues without the
boring necessity of earning a living. His title as the younger son of a duke pandered to
reader snobbery and to the obsessive fascination of some readers with the lifestyle of the
aristocracy, or with what they imagined that lifestyle to be. He had sufficient influence to
be able to poke his nose into the private affairs of others where less aristocratic noses
might have been speedily bloodied.’

The interpretation of the idioms that are within the above extract, can be recreated just in
languages like French or German. These languages have the exact idiom or an equivalent
idiom, that makes mention of involving yourself in a situation when your help is not
wanted and which features in it the corresponding form of ‘nose’.

The last type of problem discussed by Baker (YEAR:PAGE) related to In the languages
that it is being translated from and the one into which it is translated, the implementation of
idioms in written structures in both the SL and the TL, and the circumstances in which they
are able to be put in practice, which might be diverse. In English, in numerous kinds of
texts, the use of the idioms is present. To a certain extent, they feature in newspapers which
provide detailed accounts of world events, however, idioms are often encountered in
English commercials and publicity as well. According to one of Austin Rover's pamphlets,

10
the following extract serves as an example to demonstrate the application of idioms in this
kind of English written discourse. The entire extract includes expressions that are natural to
native speakers. Besides this, it also has a relaxed and unofficial composition. The idioms
will be highlighted in bold, so as to enhance the existence of them:

METRO

‘Your own sense of style is all your own. Brilliant. Colourful. Original. With loads of get
up and go. There's a car after your own heart. The new 1989 Metro. Sporty new models
which look great - and don't hang around. A new range. With vivid new colours and trim.
Full of fresh ideas. Luxurious. And wickedly stylish. Get going in the new Metro GTa.
Where else would you find 73PS performance, alloy wheels and looks like that - at such a
price? Or show what you're made of at the wheel of the new Metro Sport. It's got style.
And a performance engine that says it's a lot more than just a pretty face. Fancy
something really special in the sports luxury department? With a sunroof, central locking,
tinted glass and a lot more, the new Metro 1.3GS is just the ticket. And so is the price.’
(Today's Cars, Austin Rover, 1989)

For the problems she identifies in translating idioms, Baker (1992) also formulates
translation strategies which will be presented in the following section.

12.3.2 Strategies in translating idioms

The method used to translate an idiom or a fixed expression into another language is
determined by a large number of elements. There is a large variety of translation strategies,
although the translator has to decide which strategies are the best to use, so as to provide
the closest sense of the idioms and to make easier the process of understanding for the
target language readers. The translator might have to be aware of the meaning of an idiom
when translating from the source. For instance, there are cases in which an idiom does not
have its identical form in another language. To solve this problem, the translator should not
remove that specific idiom. He/she ought to explain straightforward the meaning of it in
order to help the readers to easily perceive the intended meaning. The following strategies
are intended by Monawere formulated by Baker (1992:PAGE):. The use of them is going

11
to be demonstrated by featuring a few examples of idiomatic expressions in French,
English, German and Arabic.

A. Using an idiom of similar meaning and form:. In this strategy, the translator makes an
attempt to locate an idiom in the language into which it is translated. The aim is to find a
similar meaning in the source language. It is difficult to successfully bring out this strategy,
since languages vary to a great extent with the technique through which they establish a
statement. In spite of this fact, this strategy is considered to be the most suitable when it
comes to the translation of idioms. DATI EXEMPLE PROPRII SAU NU MAI DATI
DELOC.

Example A

‘The Sultan's magnificent income was distributed impulsively at his command. The rain
fell on the just and on the unjust.’ (Source text: ‘A Hero from Zero’, p. 21)

‘Le revenue fabuleux du Sultan etait distribue sur un simple ordre de sa part. La pluie
tombait aussi bien sur les justes que sur les injustes.’ (Target text: French)

Back-translation:

‘The fantastic income of the Sultan was distributed on a simple order on his part. The

rain was falling on the just as well as on the unjust.’

B. Using an Iidiom of Ssimilar Mmeaning but Ddissimilar Fform:. Under this strategy,
the sense of the target idiom is identical to the original idiom, although the form is totally
dissimilar.

Example B

‘Feel the force of my fist, frozen fiend!’ (Source text: ‘Masters of the Universe’)

‘Dir werqe ich einheizen, du Scheusal!‘(Target text: German)

Back-translation:

‘I will make things hot for you, monster!’

This utterance is said to an ice monster. ‘Dir werde ich einheizen’, which is a German
expression, it literally implies that 'I will put the heating on to you'.

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C. Translation by paraphrase: In the caseused when it is not possible to find a
resemblance in the target language, or when it appears to be unsuitable to apply idiomatic
language in the target text, this strategy is the most familiar method to use when translating
an idiom. As listed below, the examples are quoted as they are in the original paperwork.
They represent the structure and strategy of paraphrase, instead of describing the sense of
each and every idiom.

Example C

‘Programmes to teach heritage languages to ethnic youngsters in upper elementary or high

school are all quite laudable, but if it is merely a question of trying to reinforce or replant
first language competence already lost for all practical purposes, then this is rather like
shutting the stable door when the horse has bolted.’ (Source text: ‘Language and Society’,
no. 15 (1985), p. 22)

‘Ces cours, qui seraient dispenses dans les dernieres classes de I'elementaire ou au
secondaire constituent certes une initiative louable; mais c'est peut-etre trop peu trop
tard, car dans bien des cas ces jeunes n'ont plus qu'un vague souvenir de leur langue
ancestrale.’ (Target text: French, pp. 22-3)

Back-translation:

‘These courses, which would be given in the last classes of elementary or to the secondary
certainly constitute a laudable initiative; but it is perhaps too little too late, because in a
good many cases these youngsters have no more than a vague memory of their ancestral
language.’

D. Translation by Omission: used Wwhen there is no similarity within the languages, and
in situations when the translator is not able to find any corresponding form, by using this
strategy, the particular idiom will be left out of the target language. There are times, when
even for a translator it is quite tough difficult to find an equivalent. In order to fix this
difficulty, he/she removes the whole or just part of the idiom such as in the following
examples:

It was bitter, but funny, to see that Professor Smith had doubled his own salary before
recommending the offer from Fayed, and added a pre-dated bonus for good measure. (‘A
Hero from Zero’ (p. vi)

13
(Target text: Arabic)

Back Translation:

It was regrettable, even funny, that Professor Smith had been able to double his salary
twice before offering his recommendation to accept Fayed's offer, and that he added to this
a bonus, the date of which had been previously decided on.

In conclusion, I made evident that translation is a modest, but fast-growing industry. At the
same time, is fact-based and deals with ethical veracity. Every translation has to be precise.
They also have to be composed carefully and pleasantly. A semantic translation has to
translate orally or into sign language the words of a person speaking a different language,
whereas a communicative translation has to make clear and easy to understand the given
information. The semantic translation has no more power to act, speak or think as one
wants than the communicative translation.

COMPLETATI CU CEL PUTIN UN ALT AUTOR CARE A PROPUS STRATEGII DE

TRADUCERE A EXPRESIILOR IDIOMATICE.

2.4 IDIOMS IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

DACA AVETI CE SA SCRIETI AICI, PUTETI ADAUGA UN SUBCAPITOL, DACA NU

COMPLETATI IN CAPITOLUL 1.

This chapter dealt with the presentation of When presenting the idioms and fixed
expressions, I defined that the structure of idioms may be explained as compound signs
with clearly defined meaning of words and phrases, structure elements and sociolinguistic
featurestheir features and classification. It also deals with practical results as opposed to
theory. Overall, this chapter casts new light on the concept of translation and the structure
of idioms, the associated problems and available strategies.

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