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Phrasal Units as a Problem of Translation




Phrasal units or idioms which we considered above, play an important role in human communication. They produce a considerable expressive effect for, besides conveying information, they appeal to the reader’s emotions, his aesthetic perception, his literary and cultural associations. Whenever the author of the source text uses an idiom, it is the translator’s duty to try and reproduce it with the utmost fidelity.

Now an idiom’s semantics are a complex entity and there are five aspects of its meaning that will influence the translator’s choice of an equivalent in the target language. They are the idiom’s figurative meaning, its literal sense, its emotive character, stylistic register and national coloring. The figurative meaning is the basic element of the idiom’s semantics. Thus “red tape” means bureaucracy, “to kick the bucket” means to die, and “to wash dirty linen in public” means to disclose one’s family troubles to outsiders. The figurative meaning is inferred from the literal sense. “Red tape”, “to kick the bucket”, and “to wash dirty linen in public” also refer, respectively, to a colored tape, an upset pail and a kind of laundering, though in most cases this aspect is subordinate and serves as a basis for the metaphorical use.

Idioms can be positive, negative or neutral. It is clear that “to kill two birds with one stone” is good, “to find a mare’s nest” is a ludicrous mistake while “Rome was not built in a day” is a neutral statement of fact. They can also differ in their stylistic usage: they may be bookish (to show one’s true colors) or colloquial (to be a pain in the neck). Besides, an idiom can be nationally colored, that is include some words which mark it as the product of a certain nation. For instance, “to set the Thames on fire” and “to carry coals to Newcastle” are unmistakably British.

The complex character of the idiom’s semantics makes its translation no easy matter. But there are some additional factors which complicate the task of adequate identification, understanding and translation of idioms. First, an idiom can be mistaken for a free word combination, especially if its literal sense is not “exotic” (to have butterflies in one’s stomach) but rather trivial (to measure one’s length, to let one’s hair down). Second, a SL idiom may be identical in form to a TL idiom but have a different figurative meaning. Thus, the English “to lead smb. by the nose” implies a total domination of one person by the other (cf. the Ukrainian „робити з когось дурня, водити за носа“) and “to stretch one’s legs” means to take a stroll (cf. the Ukrainian „витягнути ноги “). Third, a SL idiom can be wrongly interpreted due to its association with a similar, if not identical TL unit. For instance, “to pull the devil by the tail”, that is to be in trouble, may be misunderstood by the translator under the influence of the Ukrainian idioms „тримати бога за бороду“ or „спіймати жар-птицю за хвоста “. Fourth, a wrong interpretation of a SL idiom may be caused by another SL idiom similar in form and different in meaning. Cf. “to make good time” and “to have a good time”. Fifth, a SL idiom may have a broader range of application than its TL counterpart apparently identical in form and meaning. For instance, the English “to get out of hand” is equivalent to the Ukrainian „відбитись від рук“ and the latter is often used to translate it:

The children got out of hand while their parents were away.

У відсутність батьків діти геть відбились від рук.

But the English idiom can be used whenever somebody or something gets out of control while the Ukrainian idiom has a more restricted usage:

What caused the meeting to get out of hand? Чому збори пройшли так неорганізовано?

The possibility of misinterpreting an idiom in the source text calls for a great deal of vigilance on the part of the translator.

There are four typical methods to handle a SL idiom in the translating process. First, the translator can make use of a TL idiom which is identical to the SL idiom in all five aspects of its semantics, e.g. “to pull chestnuts out of the fire for smb. витягати каштани з вогню для когось.

Second, the SL idiom can be translated by a TL idiom which has the same figurative meaning, preserves the same emotive and stylistic characteristics but is based on a different image, that is, has a different literal meaning, e.g. “make hay while the sun shines”коваль клепле, поки тепле.

Third, the SL idiom can be translated by reproducing its form word-for-word in TL, e.g. “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”Люди, які живуть у скляних будинках, не повинні кидати каміння.

Fourth, instead of translating the SL idiom, the translator may try to explicate its figurative meaning, so as to preserve at least the main element of its semantics.

Selecting the appropriate method of translation the translator should take into account the following considerations:

1. Translating the SL idiom by an identical TL idiom is, obviously, the best way out. However, the list of such direct equivalents is rather limited. The translator has a good chance of finding the appropriate TL idiom if the SL idiom, is, so to speak, international, that is, if it originated in some other language, say Latin or Greek, and was later borrowed by both SL and TL. Cf. the English “Achilles’ heel” and the Ukrainian „ахіллесова п’ята“. Equivalent idioms may be borrowed in more recent periods, too, e.g. “the game is not worth the candle ” — гра не варта свічок (both borrowed from French). Even if the translator has managed to find an equivalent idiom in TL he may not be able to use it in his translation because of a difference in connotation. For example, the English “to save one’s skin” can be replaced with the Ukrainian „рятувати свою шкуру“ when its meaning is negative. But it may also have a positive connotation, which its Ukrainian counterpart has not and then the translator will have to look for another way:

Betty saved Tim’s skin by typing his report for him. Бетті допомогла Тіму, надрукувавши за нього доповідь.

2. Whenever the translator fails to find an identical TL idiom he should start looking for an expression with the same figurative meaning but a different literal meaning. Cf. “to get out of bed on the wrong side”встати з лівої ноги. Here the change in the literal meaning of the idiom does not detract much from its effect. Two additional factors, however, should be taken into consideration. First, here again the translator should take care to preserve the original emotional or stylistic characteristics. So, the English “Jack of all trades” and the Ukrainian „майстер на всі руки“ both refer to a person who may turn his hand to anything. However, the Ukrainian idiom should not be used to translate the English one, as they are quite different emotionally. In English “Jack of all trades” is derogatory, for he is “master of none”, while the Ukrainian saying implies that the man can do many different things well. Similarly, the English “can the leopard change his spots”, which is a literary idiom, should not be translated by the Ukrainian „горбатого могила виправить“ which is highly colloquial, verging on the vulgar. Second, this method of translation should not be used if the TL idiom is distinctly nationally marked. As a rule the translation is presumed to represent what has been said by the foreign author of ST and he is not expected to use definitely Ukrainian idioms such as, for instance, „їздити в Тулу зі своїм самоваром“.

3. A word-for-word translation of the SL idiom is not possible unless the Ukrainian reader will be able to deduce its figurative meaning. Therefore a calque of the English idiom “a skeleton in the cupboard” will be counterproductive, while “to put the cart before the horse” can be well rendered as „ставити воза поперед коня “.

4. Obviously an explication cannot reproduce the semantics of the SL idiom in a satisfactory way and should be used only in the absence of a better alternative. Cf. “to cut off with a shilling” and „позбавити спадщини“ or “to dine with Duke Humphrey” and „залишитись без обіду“.

LECTURE 24: Stylistic Aspects of translation






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