Working Minds
1
On Translating Idioms and Proverbs
Heba Alkady
Proverbs and idioms tell much about a people's traditional ways of experiencing reality, about the proper or expected ways of doing things, about values and warnings, and rules and wisdoms the elders want to impress on the minds of their young. The punch line character of proverbs--the shorter the better--makes it easy to commit them to memory for ready recall when the occasion calls for serious or humorous comment or admonition. Created by people in high and low stations, humble folk and great authors, borrowed from ancient or neighboring cultures, proverbs have been accumulating over many centuries. Some are only locally known; many are shared and transmitted around the world through translation.
Linguistically, An idiom is an expression which is unique to a language and cannot be understood simply from the meaning of its individual words. In other words, the actual meaning of an idiom is not the total of the meaning of its individual parts. An idiom is a figure of speech. English has many idioms, such as:
It's raining cats and dogs.
He's the top dog around here.
He spilled his guts.
She had a cow when I got home late last night.
I'm just pulling your leg.
You hit the nail on the head.
He's still wet behind the ears.
Can I chew on your ear?
Language translation is clearly an art. As readers, we all value good translations. As a translator, I've approached the task with a sense of excitement and respect. A translator tries to produce an honest piece of work that captures the spirit of the text. Of course, S/He sometimes make more than my share of errors, from mere typographical to profound. Do not be surprised to learn that s/he has missed the real meaning of some of the proverbs. Nor is s/he sure that s/he has successfully balanced the English rendering of each proverb's translation between the letter and the spirit. An interlinear translation presents each line of the source text with a line directly beneath it giving a word by word literal translation in a target language.
Interpretive cognitive translation refer to a translation which he considers to include "interpretation" of the meaning of the source text, rather than simply the "translation" of that text. But since it is impossible to translate anything without determining its meaning (and such determination is, by definition, what interpretation is), this term is technically a misnomer, but it does take on some true logical meaning if the term itself is interpreted (!) to refer to a degree of interpretation on the part of the translator which the critic considers to be greater than necessary.
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
(to be stuck with two choices that are both undesirable)
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
(to go from a bad to a worse situation)
Might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb
(if you're going to get into the same amount of trouble, you might as well commit the greater offense)
Six of one, half a dozen of the other
(each choice is really the same thing)
Two sides of the same coin
(two aspects of a situation that are connected by necessity)
In for a penny, in for a pound
(if you're going to make a minor commitment you might as well make the entire commitment)
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched
(don't start making plans for something until it is a reality, rather than a pleasant speculation)
Don't cross your bridges before you get to them
(don't worry about future problems before you need to)
A stitch in time saves nine
(if you take care of a problem while it's small you won't have a bigger problem to deal with later)
(or, as Dr. Who likes to say: A stitch in time takes up space)
Time and tide wait for no man
(act in a timely fashion because you can't get back lost chances)
(or, once again as Dr. Who likes to say: Time and tide melts the snowman.)
If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he'll be a mile way - and barefoot.
Going to church doesn't make you a holy person any more than going to a garage makes you a mechanic.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
View the following translated examples also:
The absent party is not faulty
الغائب حجته معه
He is up the wall
يستشيط غضباً
Actions speak louder than words
العبرة بالاعمال لا بالاقوال- متصدقش ودنك
Add fuel to the fire
زاد الطين بلة
Advice is ever in want
لا خاب من استشار
He is the blue-eyed.
هو ابن البطة البيضاء
His wife is up the stick
زوجته حبلى
After black clouds, clear weather
الصبر مفتاح الفرج
Always has been, always will be
من شب على شيء شاب عليه
Do as you would be done
عامل الناس كما تحب أن يعاملوك
I wish you break a leg inshaAllah
أتمنى لكم كل التوفيق ان شاء الله
