How to Translate Idioms

By Hagen Weiss

Translating idioms can be difficult due to the cultural and contextual factors attached to them. A direct translation from one language to another can change the meaning significantly. That’s why special care and attention must occur when translating idioms. A translator not only must know the language but also understand the context that surrounds the idiom.

Avoid Using an Online Translator

Before jumping into what you should do, let's first discuss what you shouldn't do.

Never rely on an online translator (i.e., Google Translate) to translate idioms. While becoming increasingly more sophisticated, online translators may not be able to pick up on the cultural and contextual meaning of an idiom. More often than not, an online translator may give you a literal translation, which disregards the idiom's fundamental meaning.

Determining the Meaning of an Idiom

Before you start translating, the first crucial step is to figure out the actual meaning of the idiom. This is important because idioms often convey a different message or meaning than what they would normally infer.

For example: “Up in the air” means “undecided” - a meaning that is completely different from its normal usage. Once you’ve determined the meaning, then you are in a position to accurately translate the phrase.

Try to Find an Equivalent Idiom With the Same Words and Meaning

This is probably the ideal solution, but also the most challenging. If there is a parallel idiom in the target language that utilizes the same words, structures, and meaning, then you could use this idiom as the new translation.?

However, this solution is not always feasible. Finding a phrase in another language that matches exactly the words and meaning could be challenging. This is especially true since idioms convey a much different meaning than what it would with a literal translation.

Try to Find an Equivalent Idiom With the Same Meaning

If you can’t keep the same words and structure, you can try to find an equivalent idiom with different words but the same meaning. This method gives you more flexibility since you are not constrained to the words, only the meaning.

An example of this would be the Italian phrase, un colpo basso (i.e. “low blow”). In English, you could translate this as “cheap shot” or a “sucker punch,” which gives you an equivalent English meaning with different words being translated.

Simply Convey the Meaning

In cases where there are no equivalent meanings at all, it’s best to just express the meaning of the idiom in the target translation. While you won’t get the benefit of using colloquial language in your translation, at least your target audience will understand what you’re talking about.

For example, the German idiom, Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof, literally translates to, “I only understand the train station” in English. What it actually means is, “I have no clue what you’re talking about.” In this case, it’s best to just convey the meaning rather than attempting to find an equivalent English idiom.

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