As an English to French translator, you find lots of things which give you a headache. And the question of idioms is certainly one of them.
Idioms are groups of words which form part of normal speech in a particular language, but can’t be literally translated into another language. It can be difficult to identify the idioms in your own language – they are just part of the normal way you speak or write. You only realise they are idioms when you try to translate them, or when the speaker of another language asks you about them.
An idiomatic translation is usually considered the best kind of translation as, if done properly, it comes across as the way a native speaker would talk or write. However, it is very difficult for an English to French translator to achieve a translation with the same level of idiom as the source language. It is very seldom that an idiom in one language, e.g. English, can be appropriately translated by an equivalent idiom in another language, e.g. French
.
How do we deal with idioms?
For the English to French translator there are three possible approaches to idioms:
-
Translate the idiom word for word into the target language. Obviously this is not something a professional translator would do, as it usually becomes completely meaningless in the target language, though you might well find it in a machine translation. So the expression “kick the bucket” might become donner un coup de pied au seau, which would make no sense to a French reader in the original context.
-
Identify the meaning and use a French phrase that translates the meaning, but isn’t an idiom. So “kick the bucket” would be translated as mourir, “die”. In most cases this is the most feasible solution, although it usually results in a less forceful translation.
-
Find an equivalent idiom in French. This is sometimes possible but not often. In the case of “he has kicked the bucket”, it might be possible to use il a cassé sa pipe (literally “he has broken his pipe”). However, it is also necessary to be aware of language level, cultural implications etc. In English the expression “kick the bucket” is slang and would be highly inappropriate in many contexts. In choosing an idiom it is necessary to make sure it is equivalent at every level.
Types of idioms
It is important for the English to French translator to note that not all idioms are slang, colloquialisms or metaphors, and the term “idiom” must not be confused with any of these. Idioms can occur at any language level from very formal downwards. The following examples help to illustrate this point:
- For instance, you sometimes hear it said in Parliament: “I think the honourable gentleman should consider his position”. Any English speaker – or at least any speaker of British English – would understand this as “resign” or “offer to resign”. But how would the English to French translator put this into French? The nearest you might get would be envisager de démissioner, “consider resigning”, but this lacks the ambiguity of the original expression in English.
- Again, the expression “he gave me to understand that…” is certainly not slang or colloquial, but rather a relatively formal idiomatic expression which cannot be translated literally. The nearest French equivalent might be il m’a laissé entendre que… “he let me hear that…” i.e. he implied or suggested it, but this does not mirror the pattern of the original English phrase.
- A lot of idioms depend on collocation – ordinary words that are naturally placed together in normal usage. For instance the English say “on foot”, and never “upon foot” “with foot” or “at foot”. It is easy to find the French equivalent idiom à pied, “at foot”, but neither language exactly translates the other. The phrase “fast asleep” provides a further example. For the English to French translator the nearest expression in French would be profondément endormi “deeply asleep”. In French this is not really an idiom (and can be translated into English as “deeply asleep”), but this would not sound nearly as natural in English. This stresses the importance of having a native translate idioms as they alone can opt for the most natural phrase in the target language and eschew clumsy phrasing.
- Verbs can often cause particular problems with regard to idioms: for example the verb “to drop” in English can appear in diverse expressions such as “drop [me] a line”, “drop a hint”, “drop a word in [someone’s] ear” etc. In French the word “drop” is normally translated as lacher, “let go of”, or laisser tomber, “allow to fall”. The English to French translator can’t simply translate these expressions literally [particularly as in the first example “line” translated as ligne, or ligne d’ecriture, would literally mean just a single line!]. So “drop me a line” has to be simply écrivez a moi, “write to me”, or something similar. “Drop a word in [his] ear” would be [lui] faire part [d’une chose] à privé. “let [him] know [about something] privately”, and “drop a hint” could be faire une suggestion. All of these expressions demonstrate how the translation of idiomatic expression can often end in bland expressions in the target language if not undertaken by an expert.
- Finally it is important to note that some idioms can even change their meaning depending on context, so the usual translation from English into French might not be applicable. For instance, “you are beating about the bush” can be translated by the expression vous tournez autour du pot. However if being used negatively “let’s not beat about the bush”, it is easier just to say entrons directement dans le vif du sujet. (Vif really means lively, but here it would be taken to mean the heart of the matter – in itself another idiom!). This all goes to show that even if you succeed in locating a very similar expression in the other language, it may be inappropriate given the context. This can be extremely frustrating for the English to French translator.
Both French and English are rich in idiom, but of course the majority of speakers of either language are often unaware when they are using idioms. There are a few parallel idioms in the two languages, but not many, so the majority have to be translated by the phrase that simply conveys the meaning. This requires a lot of skill on the part of the English to French translator.
Beware
There is no doubt that an idiomatic translation if well done is the ideal type of translation. But there are two major things translators are wary of:
-
They never try to translate idioms into a language that is not their own.
-
If they are translating idioms into their own language – into French if they are an English to French translator – they must still be vigilant. Even if they locate an idiom they must be certain that it exactly fits the requisite context and generates the necessary connotations and associations. Often, in the end, it may be best to avoid the idiom – better safe than sorry!
|
