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Idiomatic Translation Services

Idioms

Idioms are intricate, culture- base expressions with very metaphorical meaning. Usually, the origin of the phrase is literal, but it can be used in other situations as the meaning has evolved over time. There are hundreds of idiomatic expression in every language. While they are fun to say and use, one should know their exact meaning before using them. Dissecting an idiom by word will not give you the meaning of the given expression at all.

Idiomatic Translations

Idiomatic translation services is especially challenging because the meaning of the expressions are hidden, sometimes even symbolic. They are rooted in a nation’s customs, history, religion, and geography. Their literal translation often not make sense. Here is an example of how NOT to do idiomatic translation services:

In English, we use the phrase “once in a blue moon” to describe an even that rarely happens. If you try to literally translate the idiom to Polish, this will most likely be the result:

once in – raz na / blue – niebieski / moon – księżyc

If you try saying “raz na niebieski księżyc” to a Polish speaker, they would not understand what you are trying to say.

The task at hand for the translator is to get the figurative meaning of the expression and find a parallel or similar colloquialism or expression in the target language. What will be more efficient is to find an existing expression in the Polish language that is closes to the meaning of the English idiom.

The equivalent Polish expression to “once in a blue moon” is “raz na ruski rok”. It literally translates to “once in a Russian year”. Just the same, if you use this idiom to an English speaker, they would not understand what you’re saying.

Here’s another example of idiomatic translation services:

The English expression that means “it’s raining very hard” is “it’s raining cats and dogs”. Here are the proper idiomatic translation services for this phrase in other languages:

Spanish – “llueve a cántaros” (it’s raining pitchers)

Welsh – it rains “hen wragedd a ffyn” (old ladies and sticks)

Afrikaans – it rains “ou vrouens met knopkieries” (old women with clubs)

Greek – “Βρέχει καρεκλοπόδαρα” (it’s raining chair legs)

Dutch – “det regner trollkjerringer” (it’s raining she-trolls)

French – “comme vache qui pisse” (like a peeing cow)

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