Classification of methods of idiom translation

 

In order to speak about methods of translation of phraseological units theoretically we need to arrange discursively all phraseological units of this language into groups, and we will see which method repeats more often. A lot of authors take as a source linguistic classifications, which were constructed on criteria of indivisibility of phraseological units, continuity of its components, reason for meaning, metaphoricalness. V.V. Vinogradov divided all Russian phraseological units into four groups: phraseological fusion, phraseological unity, phraseological combinations, and phraseological expression. This classification was used into the work of theory and practice of translation of L.V. Phedorov. He said that some phraseological units would present some difficulties for interpreters and translations as all Russian phraseological expressions have different degrees of motivation and national specification. Ya.I. Retsker also holds this classification, but he divided Russian phraseological units into two groups: phraseological unity, phraseological fusion. He thinks that phraseological units would have non-ordinary methods of translation: «the translation of phraseological unit must be figurative and imaginative», and «the translation of phraseological fusion must be fully translated».

We must not think that this classification of methods of idiom translation is incorrect. However, theorists of translation include new additional division of phraseological expressions into imaginative and non-imaginative units.

Literally translation of full value depends on correlation of original language and target language:

1. Phraseological expression has the complete analogue in target language;

2. Phraseological expression has some differences in target language, which is translated by analogue method;

3. Phraseological expression in target language does not have equivalents, analogues and which is untranslatable in word order.

In interpreter’s point of view, we could divide phraseological units into two groups: phraseological units, which have the equivalence in transferable language, and phraseological units with no direct equivalents in other languages.

We should note here that phraseological expressions are translated in phraseological translation, if there are the equivalences or the analogues for phraseological expressions, or in non-phraseological translation, if there is a lack of equivalences and analogues.

These methods of translation show us the problem of translation of phraseological units, but also broaden and simplify the choice of the most suitable and appropriate method of translation. 

 

Phraseological method

 

It is well known that phraseological method consists of equivalence and analogue. In this part we would like to give examples of full phraseological equivalents and partial phraseological equivalents and analogues in the English, Russian and Italian languages. Doubtless, only a great knowledge of language and dictionaries could help us to translate phraseological units correctly.

To begin with, phraseological equivalent is a phraseological unit on transferable language, which is equal in all performances to transferable unit. As a rule, it must have the same denotative and connotative meanings, no matter from the context. It means there must not have any differences in point of semantic content, stylistic nuance, metaphoricalness, emotional-expressive nuance between these correlative phraseological units. They must have approximately the same component structure; have the same lexico-grammatical signs: combinative power, belonging to the same grammatical category, connection with context words etc., but also there must be the absence of national color.

First of all, let us try to understand which equivalents belong to full and partial phraseological equivalents. Full phraseological equivalents are equivalents, which coincide with English (or other language) phraseological units in their meaning, lexical structure, figurativeness, stylistic orientation and grammatical structure. For example the English phraseological expression take the bull by the horns – взять быка за рога, belongs to full phraseological units. Into the Italian language it is translated as prendere il toro per le corna and would also belong to full phraseological units, as they have the same structure and the same sense. Or for example, the phraseological unit « валять дурака» is translated into English as play (or act) the fool and into the Italian language as fare lo stupido also would belong to full phraseological units.

We should, however, not forget that partial phraseological units are equivalents, which do not coincide with English (or other language) phraseological units in lexical structure, and grammatical structure, but coincide in their meaning.

We would like to give some examples of full phraseological units in both languages: a drop in the ocean – капля в море – una goccia nel mare;

Be in the seventh heaven – быть на седьмом небе – essere al settimo cielo;

Be on the tip of one’s tongue – вертеться на языке – ce l’ho sulla punta della lingua;

He would not hurt a fly – мухи не обидит – non farebbe malea una mosca;

Keep a snake in one’s bosom – пригреть змею на груди – scaldare la serpe in seno;

Sharp tongue – острый язык – lingua mordace;

To play with fire – играть с огнем – scherzare con il fuoco;

To sit on the phone – висеть на телефоне – incollarsi al telefono;

To take oneself in hand – взять себя в руки – aver qd in pugno;

Waste money – выброшенные деньги – soldi buttati via.

    The examples we have presented would indicate that all these phraseological expressions are literally translated into both languages. There is no problem to translate full phraseological units into the English or Italian languages.

But we could have some difficulties in translation of partial phraseological units.    As we have mentioned before partial phraseological units coincide in their meaning, but have some lexical or grammatical differences. For example, the English phraseological expression to hang by a thread – висеть на волоске, belongs to partial phraseological units. It is translated into the Italian language as è appesa a un filo and would also belong to full phraseological units, as they have the same sense, but these variants a little differ from the Russian variant. The words «thread» and «filo» are translated into the Russian language as «нитка».

Or take for instance the English phraseological unit it is a jawbreaker which also belongs to partial phraseological units and is translated into Russian as «язык сломать можно». The word «jawbreaker» is translated into the Russian language like «сломать челюсть», so these two phraseological expressions have the same meaning, but they differ in lexical structure. If we translate this phraseological unit into the Italian language which would sound as c’è da rompersi la lingua and would fully conform to the Russian phraseological unit – «язык сломать можно». In this case we must label the Italian translation of this phraseological expression belongs to full phraseological units, as it was literally translated.

Or for example the Russian phraseological unit «нем, как рыба» is translated into English as dumb as an oyster, which belongs to partial phraseological units. Because the English word «oyster» is translated as «устрица», so there is a little difference in this phraseological expression. The same expression is translated into the Italian language as muto come un pesce, and we noticed again that this expression was literally translated.

We would like to give a famous example of the English partial equivalent of phraseological unit; it is to be like a squirrel in a cage, which has a little difference in some words with the Russian expression «крутиться как белка в колесе». Into Italian it is translated as girare come una trottola, which is the full equivalent to the Russian phraseological unit. In these three examples we see that they have the common word «squirrel», it is because of a squirrel is a sign of quickness, spryness and tirelessness. Dexterity of a squirrel shows us its slyness, and almost in all countries a squirrel is a sign of persistence.

So we ascertained that the majority of Russian phraseological expressions are literally translated into Italian, it is because the Italian language was very popular and had a great influence on many languages, including Russian, in the Renaissance period. We cannot possibly accept the fact that a lot of words in the Russian language were adopted from Italian, which became our native words nowadays. From this fact, we may conclude that as we use the Italian words in our language, it makes us easier to translate Russian phraseological units into the Italian language.

Furthermore, we should not forget that there is the other way of translation of phraseological units – it is analogue, which offers big problems for interpreters. Analogue is a translation of phraseological expressions from original language to target language in adequate way with the same sense, but in different structural-component composition. There are a lot of phraseological units in the Russian and English languages which have the same sense, but which are differently translated. Take for instance the Russian expression «воздушные замки», which meaning is unrealizable dreams, fancy, imagination, it is translated into English as built castles in Spain. This expression is connected with epos «Chansons de Geste», whose heroes, knights got tenure unconquerable castles in Spain. Into the Italian language the phraseological unit will be translated as costruire castelli in aria, which is translated into Russian literally «строить замки в воздухе». This example shows us that the Russian and Italian languages are similar in sentence building, because the majority of Russian phraseological units are literally translated into Italian.

The other example of analogue is the expression « в каждой бочке затычка », which is differently translated into the English and Italian languages. This expression is very rude and impolite; it describes a person, who shows an initiative in deals which he must not participate. Into English there is the analogue of such expression, it is one who has a finger in every pie, which is literally translated «совать палец в каждый пирог». It is necessary to mention that the first pies appeared in the 12^th century in Great Britain. English people put a finger in a pie for checking if the pie is ready or not. The English analogue is connected with English customs and traditions, that’s why we cannot literally translate it. But there is not any analogue in the Italian language. Italians only call such people like ficcanaso, which meaning is a curious person, i.e. it is not the analogue to the English phraseological unit, but the description of this expression.

Or for example the phraseological unit когда «рак на горе свистнет», which is also differently translated in both languages. The origin of this phraseological unit is connected with Russian popular belief and legendry. In period of the expression appearing about «свистящий рак», the last word was written from capital letter. «Рак» – it was a nickname of famous Odessian thief whose full surname was Rakachinskiy. One day he lost the bet, and was obliged to whistle from the mountain three times if the rain poured too much. But the rain was not often in that place and the expression appeared from this story. In the English language there is the analogue of this expression, which is when the pigs fly and appeared in the period of Middle English when poor English people depended on French rulers. Into the Italian language it is translated as il giorno di San Mai, that is a day which would never exist.

The analogues cannot be literally translated into the Russian language, because they differ from the Russian expressions, as they are connected with customs and traditions. Let us take for instance, the English phraseological unit to draw the wool over someone’s eyes, which offers many difficulties for interpreters. If we translate it literally, i.e. «натянуть шерсть на глаза кому-нибудь», Russian people will not understand the sense of this expression, as there is no similar expression in the Russian language. The correct way for interpreters would be to explain the sense of the expression or to learn it by heart that we could remember it at once. The translation of this translation is «водить кого-либо за нос» which has the full equivalent in the Italian language – that is portare per il naso.

Phraseological analogue offers big problems to interpreters, because it is connected with customs and traditions, which quite differ from each other. If we do not know the traditions of the language we deal with, we could translate phraseological units incorrectly. But we have another way of the translation of phraseological units, it is the descriptive method, which makes the translation easier, naming the sense of the phraseological unit.

 

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