Peculiarities of Idiom Translation

Idiom translation is one of the predicaments of any translation process. Most translators and linguists spend a lot of time thinking and examining what would be the accurate translation of that particular piece of text into the target language directly.In any language, idioms are always something special and thus, it is always difficult to grasp the real meaning, and a literal translation will just not do in converting the text to another language. In addition, idioms actually reflect the culture and tradition or the image of the country. Idioms appear in every language, and thus these are not separate parts of a particular language. Idioms are unique expressions of a given language and cannot be simply understood by their literal meaning. Thus, the real meaning is hidden.In order to learn a language, it is necessary to learn the idioms of that language. However, finding out the literal meaning of the idioms is not a good idea; it will just make you baffled. Thus, it is entirely worthless.In business speech and writings, idioms can be perilous and sometimes their meaning is not obvious to all, and changes from time to time. They often rely on somebody to be a native speaker of the language and / or a person who has experience in dealing with and understanding these idioms. One example of the dangers of the use of idioms is during a business meeting with a person whose language is obviously not the same as yours. It is somehow peculiar and can be embarrassing if your potential business partner or client said something in idioms that you did not actually catch or absorb. Moreover, it will be distracting to the other person if you ask him every time you do not understand what he is saying.Literature from different countries has idioms as well. Hence, in translating these masterpieces into other languages does not require a literal translation but an equivalent translation. Nowadays, some dictionaries include some of the idioms of a language and provide an equivalent translation that translates their meaning. This type of dictionary often covers metaphors, similes, proverbs and colloquial expressions.Most idioms, when translated literally, make no sense at all. Thus, a person who is encouraged to translate a foreign idiom faces a quasi-heroic task. Like any other forms of translation, idiom translation is not as simple as you think. It involves critical thinking in order to get the right meaning.However, if you are just in a plain conversation with your friend who lives in another country, it is plainly okay and simpler to ask him what he means, when he uses some idioms. On the other hand, for serious discussions such as business meetings or even translating some literary masterpieces that are full of idioms, a proper translation is significant. Otherwise, you might just get caught and be lost in translation.