Title understanding idioms and the proce

About Us | Editorial Board |Submission Guidelines |Call for Paper Paper Submission | FAQ |Terms & Condition | More…… IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 38 Dr Elgilani Khalil Osman Elfaki Assistant Professor (Translation & English Language) College of Sciences and Humanities –Hawtat Sudair Majmaah University Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mobile phone: 00966504295684 gilanijazu@gmail.com Title: Understanding Idioms and the Process of Translating them from English into Arabic Abstract: Idioms are set of words that produce indirect meaning They have significance in any language They constitute an important ratio in any language's lexical component Translation of idioms into and from any language causes a lot of difficulties to translators in general and foreign language learners in particular The burden of translating idioms into accurate and correspondent equivalents in target languages is demanding and worrying Actually, several factors play roles in facilitating or complicating understanding and subsequently transferring the meaning of idioms into other parallel language(s) Doubtless, culture is a pivotal element in evolution of idioms Nearly all idioms are derived from cultural backgrounds Certainly, almost all languages lexical stores contain diverse types of idioms In order to decode the meaning of idioms and idiomatic expressions, foreign language learners in general, and translators in particular should possess profound linguistic and cultural knowledge in both source and target languages As idioms have indirect meanings, they are graded in their degree of difficulties Translating English idioms into Arabic and vice versa is daunting task English and Arabic languages are of different linguistic backgrounds; English is Indo –European, IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 39 Germanic language of Christian descent English as a flexible language has a history of word borrowing from different languages as a result of colonization (Indian peninsula, some African and Asian countries) and conquests and invasions (Roman, Danish, Norman), whereas Arabic is a Semitic language of Afro –Asiatic language family with Islamic (Quran and Prophet Mohammed's traditions) background Few English idioms have identical or direct meaning in Arabic and vice versa Conversely, remaining majority of English and Arabic idioms not have identical or direct meaning or equivalents As a result, difficulties arise when foreign language learners attempt to translate from or into these languages As idioms are universal; exist in any language, they are classified into different categories So as to transfer their meanings into other languages, several strategies (methods and procedures) are applied in translating them Key Words: Idioms, Classification of Idioms, Culture and Idioms, Translation, Strategies, Understanding of Idioms Introduction: Idioms are the most gleaming and dazzling part of languages They transmit language message of communication with the employment of few vocabulary Idioms in any language have great importance We cannot imagine any language without the use of idioms in speech or writing, in formal or informal contexts, among young or adult speakers Idioms are considered as flavor and identity of any language According to a study conducted by Lazar et.al (1989) '' Approximately 6.7% of the sentences in third –to eight grade reading materials used idioms '' Bulut (2004) adds that '' Idiomatic expressions arise every 3-4 minutes in conversation '' Qualls et.al (2003) report that: '' Idioms account for 18% -20% of the figurative language in contemporary American literature '' Slangs and colloquial expressions are linguistically classified as informal types of speech IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 40 When translating idioms singly or in contexts, foreign language learners generally and English learners in particular come across several difficulties which are hard to overcome These difficulties are due to: 1-Non –equivalence on the idiom level from source language into target language and vice versa As Mona Baker (1992:68) asserts '' different languages express meanings using different linguistic means such as fixed expressions, idioms, words, etc and it is very hard to find an equivalent of the same meaning and form in the target language'' 2-Compared to other English vocabulary particles, idioms constitute the most difficult part due to the unpredictable nature of their meaning Foreign language learners strive and usually fail to provide precise idiomatic equivalence when translating from source to target languages 3-Most idioms are culture –bound 4-Learners' inability to distinguish between idiomatic and non –idiomatic expressions The basic characteristic of idioms is their non –literal metaphorical sense Idioms are fixed expressions; an idiom like ''a piece of cake'', the words sequences cannot be substituted and singular words cannot either be transformed into plural forms Idioms: Definition, Explanation and Meaning: The lack of predictability of the meanings of idioms makes them particularly difficult for non-native speakers of a language to master them The correct knowledge, understanding and choice of idioms are indications of native or native –like mastery of English language In Oxford Advanced Dictionary –A S Hornby – sixth edition (2000:643) defines an idiom as ''a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words: 'let the cat out of the bag' is an idiom meaning to tell a secret by mistake '' Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms (1998:1) points out that: ''they are (idioms) more colorful and forceful in meaning than non-idiomatic phrases '' For example, the idiomatic expression '' look dagger at someone '' is much more vivid and emphatic in meaning than look angrily at someone Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 6th Edition defines an idiom as '' A group of words that has a special meaning that is different from the ordinary meaning of each separate word For IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 41 example, 'under the weather' is an idiom meaning 'ill' '' As idioms are linguistic expressions which are typical for a language and which often cannot be translated literally into a different language, they pose challenges to translators and students James R Hurtford et al (1983:77) indicate: ''Idiomatic expressions(idioms) are multi-word phrases whose overall meanings are idiosyncratic and largely unpredictable, reflecting speaker meanings that are not derivable by combining the literal senses of the individual words in each phrase according to regular semantic rules of the language '' Few idioms abide by their literal constituents meaning Thus, meaning which is intended usually depends on the context in which the expression is used Any speaker of English knows, for example, ''let the cat out of the bag '' is usually used to mean something like 'reveal a secrete ' though it also has possible, though rarely intended literal compositional meaning something like 'release a small feline animal from a sack ' Michael J Wallace (1981:5) defines idioms as ''Expressions whose meanings cannot be easily worked out from the words they contain '' These expressions sometimes cause complexity and difficulties to understand English The difficulty of understanding the meaning of idioms is simply due to its nature: an idiom is an assembly of different unrelated words Ghazala (2003:128) defines an idiomatic expression as '' A fixed phrase whose form is usually unchangeable, and whose meaning is always the same, inflexible, metaphorical and indirect '' These fixedness, in- changeability, and sameness idioms' meaning are the main causes that drive non –native or foreign language learners to commit mistakes of understanding and then translating idioms IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 42 Idioms are usually special to one language and cannot be translated word for word: in this sense we can quote Baker, (1992:11) ''An idiom may have no equivalent in the target language, one language may express a given meaning by means of a single word, another may express it by means of transparent fixed expression, a third may express it by means of an idiom and so on'' Howarth (1998:28) defines a pure idiom as '' a unitary meaning that cannot be derived from the meaning of its components '' J Seidl Mc Mordiew (1983 :4) explains: '' we can say that an idiom is a number of words which, taken together, Mean something different from the individual words of the idiom when they Standalone '' Mona Baker, (1992:63) considers idioms as: '' Frozen patterns of language which allow little or no variation in form and often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components '' Rosamund Moon (1998: 3) tackles idioms as: '' An ambiguous term, used in conflicting ways'' Ambiguity of these terms always confuse foreign language learners, since they are new and peculiar in their composition Irujo (1984:38) defines an idiom as '' an idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be derived from its constituent parts'' According to Irujo, (1984:42) ''idioms have conventionalized meanings, agreed upon by speakers of the language, which usually cannot be figured out if they are not known '' For example, the knowledge of the meaning of words: 'nuts and bolts ' does not carry any indication at all to the idiomatic meaning '' the practical details'' Idioms appear to constitute obstacles for a lot of foreign language learners due to their special meaning and specific use in any language IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 43 McCarthy and O'Dell (2005:6)state : ''idioms are group of words in a fixed order that have a meaning that cannot be guessed by knowing the meaning of the individual words'' For example, ''black sheep'' means a person who brings dishonor on his family or friends Idioms are acquired or learned in normal native language environment, whereas foreign language learners possess mastery of idioms either through learning and teaching process or when they have chances to live in native language environment Therefore, foreign language learners are always recommended and urged to learn idioms intensively and extensively Due to complex nature and indirect meaning of idioms, native language speakers prefer to use simple and idioms –free language when conversing with non –native speakers in order to facilitate communication process Foreign language learners should always have the experience of learning and using idioms Idioms are widely used in magazines, newspapers, on radio and television programs Long (1981:35) indicates ''input without interaction is not sufficient for language acquisition'' Thus, learning idioms without using them hinders final stages of acquisition of a language as: fluency and mastery Classifications of Idioms: Idioms categorizations vary from writer to another, but these classifications share common characteristics and similarities According to Elewa (2015: 220) '' Idioms vary as to how transparent their meaning is They can be classified into five types '' 1-Transparent or literal Idioms: put the blame on 2-Semi –transparent Idioms: skate on thin ice, pull strings 3-Semi –opaque Idioms: break the ice, keep one's guard 4-Opaque Idioms: kick the bucket, chew the fat, face the music bad blood, carry the day, cloak –and –dagger, hen party, and kangaroo court 5-Misleading Idioms: bend someone's ear, war chest An accurate analysis of idioms provides us with appropriate tools to identify lexical components of an idiom Idioms are therefore could be classified into the following types: IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 44 Fernando (1996 :35,36) suggests the following as classes of idioms: 1-Pure Idioms: a type of normal or ordinary figurative or metaphorical expression For example ''pure as the driven snow and red neck'' 2-Semi –Idioms: have extra literal particles, but no sense or effect of literality Examples ''fish out of water and walking on eggs'' 3-Literal Idioms: They are either invariable or allow little variation They are clear and obvious, and easily understood based on their parts Examples, of course, in any case, for certain The meanings of the individual words cannot be summoned to produce the meaning of the 'idiomatic' expression as a whole Then idioms involve the non-literal use of language and they can be classified as follows: 1-Alternative comparison: Examples: Dead as a door nail or as dead as a dodo 2-Noun phrases: Example: rainy day 3-Verb +Noun phrase: Example: jump the queue 4-Preposition phrases: Example: in for a penny, in for proud 5-Verb+Adverb: Example: give the shirt off your back 6-Verb +preposition phrase: Example: be between a rock and a hard place Palmer (1976 :98 -99) divisions: Phrasal verbs and partial idioms 1-Phrasal Verbs: Palmer (1976:98) points to them as idioms '' A very common type of idiom in English is what is usually called the ' phrasal verb ', the combination of verb plus adverb, of the kind make –up, give in, put down'' The composition of these words makes it impossible to understand the meaning instantly 2-Partial Idioms: One of the words has its usual meaning, meanwhile other words meaning is strange to customary formation of sentence Examples: red hair, make a bed, raining cats and dogs IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 45 Ghazala, (2003:128-130) divide the idioms into: ''direct idioms, indirect idioms, and phrasal verbs '' Thus, for further information emphasis and explanations examples can be as follows: A- Direct Idioms: Here students of translation may meet slight challenge, because upon exerting any efforts they can find the equivalents from their native language 1-War of nerves: ‫حرب اعصاب‬ 2-Needle in a haystack: ‫إبرة في كومة قش‬ 3-Put / set the cart before the horse: ‫يضع العربة امام الحصان‬ 4-False alarm: ‫إنذار كاذب‬ 5-Pave the way: ‫يمهد الطريق‬ 6-Ivory tower: ‫برج عاجي‬ When translating such idioms, learners almost face no problems, because the learners own language contains such identical or equivalent idioms B-Indirect Idioms : Are idioms which have no equivalents in native language Here learners attempt to translate idioms are encountered by absence of direct equivalents, grave mistakes usually occur when translating this class of idioms Examples include: 1-Wild goose chase ‫ ال طائل منه‬/ ‫محاولة عقيمة‬ 2-Separate/ tell the sheep from the goats ‫يميز الغث من الثمين‬ 3-With a heart of gold 4-kick the bucket 5-Rob Peter to pay Paul ‫ رقيق‬/‫عطوف جدا‬/ ‫رحيم‬ ‫يموت‬ ‫ يسدد دين بدين‬-1 Students problems here are increasing due to: IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 46 1-No direct equivalents in their native language 2-Direct translation will be clumsy and off point 3-Some of these idioms are culture –based: Peter and Paul Thus, as a solution, students must: 1-expose themselves to more direct and indirect idioms 2-distinguish between different kinds of idioms 3-use and consult idioms and advanced dictionaries C-Phrasal Verbs: Put on, argue back, carry out They are characteristics of modern English It is normal to put adverbs or prepositions after specific verbs in order to get different meanings of a word to diversify the language usage Examples: 1-Take off : ) ‫يخلع (الثياب‬-) ‫تقلع (الطائرة‬ 2-Blow out: ) ‫يطفئ (شمعة‬ 3-Break out:‫يحطم سجن ويهرب‬-)‫حريق‬+ ‫يندلع(حرب‬-)‫يتفشى (مرض‬ 4-Look after: ‫يعتني ب‬ 5-Look for : ‫يبحث عن‬ 6-Put on :)‫الراديو‬+ ‫الغاز‬+ ‫يفتح او يشغل (االضاءة‬-)‫يؤدي (مسرحية‬-)‫يرتدي(مالبس‬ Problems of Phrasal Verbs Translation from English into Arabic: 1-One phrasal verb may have more than one meaning; polysemy, direct or indirect meaning 2-Learners need to learn whether a certain phrasal verb combination is transitive (requires an object) or intransitive (cannot have an object) 3-English foreign learners in general, Arab learners in particular find them unfamiliar, since there are no equivalent forms in their language 4-Some polysemous nature of these phrasal verbs lead to confusion IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 54 Apple Idioms: i-bad apple/rotten apple: a bad person ii- polish the apple: to flatter someone iii-apple –pie order: very neat and tidy conditions Banana Idioms: i-banana republic: an insulting term for a weak and poor country that relies on financial assistance from other country ii-go bananas: behave in a crazy way, become highly excited Cherry Idioms: i-as red as a cherry: bright red 10-Legal Idioms: i-cross –examine: to question a suspect or witness in a trial ii-grain of truth: the smallest amount of truth iii-send (someone) up the river: to send someone to prison iv-null and void: worthless, cancelled 11-Love and Relationship Idioms: i-break (someone's) heart: to cause someone emotional pain, to make someone feel very sad or disappointed ii-find Mr Right: to find the right person or the perfect person to marry iii-head over heels in love with (someone): to be very much in love with someone, to be completely in love with someone 12-Medicine –based Idioms: i-clean bill of health: a report or certificate that a person or animal is healthy ii-throw up: to vomit IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 55 iii-up and about: healthy and moving around, not sick in bed 13-Negotiation Idioms: i-breakthrough: a success that comes after overcoming a difficulty ii-come to terms: to reach an agreement iii-close a deal: to end a negotiation successfully 14-Number Idiom: i-all in one piece: safely, without damage ii-two bricks shy of a load: very smart or clever iii-as phony as a three –dollar bill: phony, not genuine iv-take five: to take one brief (about minutes) rest period v-at sixes and sevens: in a state of confusion vi-a stich in time saves nine: any damage or mistake should be corrected immediately in order to prevent it from becoming worse vii-ten to one: very quickly viii-at the eleventh hour: at the last possible moment ix-catch forty winks: to take a nap, to get some sleep xi-divide (something) fifty –fifty: to divide something into two equal parts xii-a/one hundred percent: completely/ok./ fine/ completely well xiii-million and one: very many xvi-a thousand and one: very many 15-Sports Idioms: i-ball is in(someone's) court: it is up this person to make the next move ii-blow the whistle on (someone): to reveal information about someone IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 56 iii-get the ball rolling: to begin something 16-Vegetables Idioms: Bean Idioms: i-spill the beans: to reveal a secret to a person who is not supposed to know about it ii-know how many beans make five: be clever, sensible iii-full of beans: in high spirits, feeling energetic Carrot Idioms: i-carrot and stick: reward and punishment Cucumber Idioms: i-as cool as cucumber: calm, not excited, upset or nervous Pea Idioms: i-pea –brained: foolish, silly or stupid: I wish you would stop asking pea –brained questions ii-for peanuts: for very little money, for almost nothing iii-like two peas in a pod: very similar, close, intimate or like each other Potato Idioms: i-couch potato: a person who spends much of his time on a couch /chair/sofa watching television ii-hot potato: a thorny or difficult problem or situation that people avoid, because any decision may anger other parties Culture and Understanding of English Idioms: Culture is a set of various mental and material activities produced by certain human group In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2010) culture is defined as: ''1-The customs and beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular country or group 2-Art, music, literature, etc thought of as a group 3-The beliefs and attitudes IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 57 about something that people in a particular group or organization share'' Culture meanings are divided over the concepts of visible culture and invisible one These visible cultural items comprise of physical items as: food, style of cooking, traditions and way of behavior in a society, clothes, costumes, movies, and plays On the other hand, invisible cultural features include: religious and community values and beliefs John Lyons, (1981:302) defines culture as '' socially acquired knowledge '' Such knowledge include: religious, mythological, and science knowledge Whenever and wherever language and languages varieties exist, bilingualism, multilingualism and cultural variations and diversification develop and prosper George Yule, (1996 :246) states: ''In the study of the world's cultures, it has become clear that different groups not only have different languages, they have different world views which are reflected in their languages '' Connotations of words in certain cultures add to the distinction within each language; for example, universal words such as: ice, summer, moon, red, white and black have equivalents in almost any language, but have connotations in their languages as red color is ceremonial and a symbol of happiness in Chinese culture, whereas this color is frightening and linked to cruelty in English culture, while in Arab and Arabic culture it is an indication to revolutions and violence In English culture and most Arabic speaking countries, mourning is connected to black color, but in Chinese culture it is in white The sun is lovely and interesting in English and western cultures, but is not in Arab and Arabic cultures There are numerous culturally –bound words; they are connected with certain cultures and consequently they have no equivalents in other languages as: Haggis (Scotland), Imam, Falafel in Arabic cultures Hymes (1996) emphasizes in (Marianne Celce –Murcia 2000) '' The learning of culture is an integral part of language learning and education because it crucially influences the values of the community, everyday interaction, the norms of speaking and behaving, and the sociocultural expectations of an individual's roles '' Languages reflect cultures, languages and cultures are interrelated some linguists and social scientists indicate this close ties as culture is impossible without language; culture is the mirror of language and language is the mirror of culture as well IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 58 Brown, (1994:165) confirms ''A language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language; the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture " The absence or insufficient knowledge of English culture could complicate and confuse mastery of English idioms by foreign language learners Thus, understanding English culture is very essential and vital in comprehension and recognition of idioms Hajjaj and Kharma (1989 :73) discover that: ''Arab learners encounter difficulty in using English idioms because the great majority of the idioms are cultural specificity, for example, put the cart before the horse'' Thus, it would be of great help to provide English as foreign language learners with a useful description and interesting explanations of the historical and cultural backgrounds of the given idioms to enable them to acquire these idioms effectively Wenying Jiang (2000:328) illustrates the relation between language and culture: ''Understanding of language and culture is conveyed through the following three new metaphor; from a philosophical view: language+ culture=a living organism (….)Without culture , language would be dead ; without language , culture would have no shape '' Thus, learning idioms should not ignore culture role in identification and understanding of idioms Awwad (1990: 58-59) asserts that: ''cultural differences among learners constitute a great difficulty for translators and interpreters with regard to both traditional and innovating idioms'' For instance, in English language and culture when a person passes away, they declare that he/she has ''bitten the dust'' which is funny expression to non –native speakers, whereas in Arabic they announce he/she has ''moved to Almighty God'' or ''his soul moved to supreme skies This is according to Muslims visions on death English language non –native speakers are always urged to be in continuous contact with idioms This include among others systematic contact in syllabuses and media outlets IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 59 Foreign language learners need to be familiar with series of idioms and also be able to use them in their real context It is always true that foreign language learners who distance themselves from use of idioms in every day practice find they are strange English language speakers The acquisition of idioms has thus far been a neglected variable in the English foreign learning environment Learners' poor competence of English idioms can be traced back to negligence of studying idioms Idioms are usually not included in most English as foreign language syllabuses compared to other linguistic elements as syntax and phonetics Overlooking the teaching of English idioms has resulted in students' lack of comprehension and in improper use of these idioms by both intermediate and advanced English foreign learners The problem appears clearly in translation; when some translators try to use non-idiomatic expressions because of their poor repertoire of these idioms and transfer from their own language Thus, this research is interested in exploring knowledge and mastery of English idioms particularly by non –native students specializing in English Since foreign language idioms are not easy and challenging to understand, because majority of them are non –literal and indirect In addition, these difficulties of idioms can be attributed to the following: 1-Idioms are frequently omitted in the speech addressed to foreign language learners; English -native speakers deliver their speech and correspondences to foreign counterparts via simple and everyday use English 2-Idioms range in scale of a language; they vary from formal, colloquial and slang Methods of Translating Idioms: Idioms translation in general, and indirect idioms ones in particular constitute a more daunting and difficult assignment for second and foreign language learners Languages of common ancestral origins and with shared cultural history and identity such as Germanic or Romance languages their learners not encounter difficulties in transfer, understanding and then translating idioms In case of translation from English into Arabic and vice versa, it is natural for Arabic speaking learners to find such a job as challenging; since English and Arabic languages are of different linguistic and cultural IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 60 backgrounds English derived its idiomatic stock from Christian teachings i.e The Bible, Greek, Latin and Germanic myths, legends and philosophies, English people own heritage, expressions of its great literary writers as William Shakespeare, and surrounding environment Conversely, Arabic idioms are taken from Islamic culture such as Quran, Prophet Mohammed's traditions, and from Arab culture, myths and ancient Arab literature throughout different literary ages Linguistically, English language is of Indo –European family association; Germanic branch, whereas, Arabic is of Afro –Asiatic family, Semitic ancestors Difficulties of Translating Idioms: Mollanazar, (2004 :52) indicates " the first step in translating idioms is to recognize them The pitfall for the translators is to translate idioms literally A word-for-word translation of idioms is often nonsense or even sometimes amusing'' Davies (2004: 193), on the other hand attributes problems may face students in translating idioms and fixed expressions to: - Recognition - No equivalent in the target language According to Newmark (1988 :28) “in translating idiomatic into idiomatic language, it is particularly difficult to match equivalence of meaning with equivalence of frequency" He insists that the main problems, a translator faces, are not grammatical but lexical, i.e words, collocations, and fixed phrases or idioms (Newmark, 1988) Whereas Nolan (2005 :67) justifies " The most common pitfall to be avoided is not recognizing figurative or idiomatic language and translating it literally" Baker (1992:65) explains " the main problems that idiomatic and fixed expressions pose in translation relate to two main areas: the ability to recognize and interpret an idiom correctly and the difficulties in rendering various aspects of meaning'' Learners are encountered by intricate composition of words which is hard to absorb and promptly translate into their own native language Baker (1992 :69) reiterates " An idiom or fixed expression may have a similar counterpart in the TL, but its context of use may be different; the two expressions may have different connotations, for instance, or they may not be pragmatically transferable" Before translating idioms, learners should: recognize and identify them Then they choose the precise meaning Several researchers as: (Awwad ,1987), (Baker 1992), (Kharma 1997), and (Abu Saydeh 2004, 2006) have conducted and initiated some studies on idioms translation strategies IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 61 There are some views concerning translation of idioms as suggested by Gottlieb (1997:319): 1-SL idioms matched by TL idioms: i-Congruence (identical at word level) ii-Equivalence (differing at word level) 2-SL idioms matched by other TL lexemes: i-Single –word matches ii-Formula (non –metaphorical multi –word matches) iii-Free form (encyclopedic renderings) On the other hand, Mona Baker (1992:72-77) mentions these strategies for translating idiomatic expressions: 1-Using an idiom with the same meaning and form, 2-Using an idiom with the similar meaning but different form, 3- Translation by paraphrase, 4-Translation by omission The main and most famous strategies for translating idioms include: (1) A source language idiom is replaced with an exact or similar target language idiom Foreign language learners not come across difficulties via this direct method of translation The problem is there are rare identical idioms among languages, especially when both source and target languages are of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds as the case of English and Arabic languages Examples are: (i)gain ground: ‫يكسب ارضية‬ (ii)kill two birds with one stone: ‫يقتل عصفورين بحجر‬ (iii)swim against the current/ stream/ tide: ‫يسبح ضد التيار‬ IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 62 (iv)the ABC of something: ‫ابجديات كذا و كذا‬ (2)Translating an SL idiom by an equivalent TL idiom that uses different words and structure Diamonds cut diamonds ‫ال يفل الحديد اال الحديد‬ It is suitable, but less welcomed as the previous one However, acceptable as long as it conveys the message being delivered Examples are: (i)by virtue of: ‫بموجب‬ (ii)tit for tat: ‫ العين بالعين‬/‫الشيء بالشيء‬/‫واحدة بواحدة‬ (iii)Achilles' heel: ‫نقطة ضعف‬/‫كعب اخيل‬ (3)Paraphrase Paraphrasing as a strategy in translation is the easiest and most suitable method, especially when identical or correspondent idioms in target language are not found A paraphrase as defined by Mundey (2009:214) as: ''expanded target text version of a source text lexical unit written in the translator's own words in order to reproduce the source text author's meaning as closely as possible '' It should be noted that paraphrasing as a strategy for translating idioms means restating, decoding, or rewording a certain text in the source language for the sake of giving clear meaning in the target language, examples: (i)rains cats and dogs ''rains heavily'' ‫تمطر بغزارة‬ (ii)add insult to injury ''to receive/get misfortune or bad luck for at least twice'' ‫يزيد الطين بلة‬ (iii)a hard nut to crack ''difficult to overcome/beat/defeat'' (vi)wet behind the ears ‫عويصة‬/ ‫مشكلة عسيرة‬ ''inexperienced'' ‫عديم خبرة‬ (4)Calque: A calque is a loan translation of a foreign term from source language into target language New mark's (1988) define calque as '' a loan translation'' IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 63 Shuttle Worth and Cowie (1999: 18) define calque as ''translation strategy where by the individual elements of an SL item are translated literally to produce a TL equivalent'' Calque as translation strategy amounts to word –for –word, but the meaning of new term is always intact contrary to word –for –word method English as an international language of science, politics, economy, and other fields of knowledge, has left its finger print on several world languages Arabic language is not an exception has been greatly impacted by English language Through direct contact or media outlets, Arabic owe English numerous words by the process of borrowing The loan words or borrowed expressions belong to different fields of knowledge especially terms related to technology, scientific discoveries and modern games and sports V Abdul –Rahim (2008) listed several loan translation from English into Arabic such as: Skyscraper ‫ناطحة سحاب‬, stumbling block ‫حجرة عثرة‬, airlines ‫خطوط جوية‬ Wage ceiling ‫سقف االجور‬, fifth column ‫الطابور الخامس‬, bottle neck ‫عنق الزجاجة‬, news coverage ‫تغطية اخبارية‬, friendly fire ‫نيران صديقة‬, film star ‫نجم سينمائي‬ For example, the Arabic idiom " ‫ ''الكرة في ملعب فالن‬is a direct borrowing from English means '' ball is in one's court'' is mentioned in both Al—Mujam Alwajeez (2007);an Arabic monolingual dictionary published by the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo and bilingual English –Arabic dictionary Al Mawrid Modern English –Arabic dictionary (2000) More examples include: (i) The Iron Curtain ‫الستار الحديدي‬ (ii)The Cold War ‫الحرب الباردة‬ (iii) back to square one ‫العودة للمربع االول‬ (vi) naked truth ‫الحقيقة المجردة‬ (5)Literal Translation: Is a word –for –word translation However, meaning extracted direct from dictionaries, word order and target language structure is respected Newmark (1998: 73) affirms ''idioms cannot be translated literally …unless they have a perfect literal equivalent in the TL'' As idioms have special fixed meanings, most idioms not have equivalents in other languages Therefore, literal translation of idioms is always an area of problems for foreign language learners Mundey (2007:171) states ''literal translation reflects the attempts made by individual translators to produce IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 64 what they would perceive as correct renditions of the SL idioms'' The problems appear when most students consider literal translation is applicable to any language element As an strategy of translating English idioms into Arabic and vice versa, Abu Saydeh (2004: 125) notes ''only in a few cases literal translation may fit snugly in the idiomatic system of Arabic'' Thus, in order to translate an idiom literally, it should meet minimal figurative language features as in this example: vote of thanks "‫"صوت شكر‬ It should be noted that adopting certain idiom translation strategy must be subject to: type of text, context, and target language readership Conclusion: As idioms are words or phrases in which almost all their meanings are uneasy and tiresome to foreign language learners to understand The Oxford Companion to English Language (1992:495) affirms ''an idiom's figurative meaning is different from literal meaning'' Non –native language learners encounter several challenges in understanding and then translating idioms These challenges include: comprehending source language idioms i.e English is more idiomatic than Arabic, and precise choice of equivalent idioms in the target language To facilitate understanding of idioms, they have been categorized into organized and systematic types; also miscellaneous translation strategies have been initiated Almost all idioms are off spring of culture and surrounding local environment Foreign language learners should be encouraged and urged to indulge themselves in learning source language culture for adaptation with mechanism of creation of idioms Since idioms are fixed set (s) of inconsistent words or phrases, but odd meaning Gates, (1972: 72) states an idiom is '' a fixed expression with peculiarity of meaning'' The idiomatic composition of any language reflects cultural backgrounds of source languages; English and Arabic are not an exception Most foreign or second language textbooks are poorly supplied with idiomatic contents Jackendoff, (1997) numerates ''It is estimated that there are at least twenty –five thousand idiomatic expressions in the English language'' Foreign language learners should be exposed to source language idioms Source language idioms dictionaries on idioms have to be made available and at disposal of foreign language learners IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 65 IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 66 Bibliography Al –Ba'labki, M (2000) Al- Mawrid: A Modern English –Arabic Dictionary Beirut : Dar El-ilm lil –Malayen Abu Saydeh, Abdul Fattah (2004) Translation of Idioms Babel, 50/2: 114-131 Abu Saydeh, A.F (2005) ''Multi –Word Units in English –Arabic Dictionaries: Status and Equivalence Strategies'' Turjuman, 14: 2, pp 55 -88 Awwad, M (1987) Equivalence and Translatability of English and Arabic Idioms Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics Awwad, M (1990) Equivalence and Translatability of English and Arabic Idioms Papers and Studies in Contrastive Linguistics, 26, pp 57 -67 Baker , M (1992) In Other Words : A course Book on Translation , London and New York : Routledge Brown, M,H (1994) The Reception of Spanish American Fiction in West Germany 1981-91, Tubingen: Niemeyer Bulut , T (2004) '' Idiom Processing in L2 : Through rose colored glasses '' The Reading Matrix , (2) Davies, M.G.(2004) Multiple Voices in the Translation Classroom: Activities, Tasks and Projects Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Elewa, A (2015) Levels of Translation Cairo: Qalam for Translation and Publication Fernando, C (1996) Idioms and Idiomaticity Oxford: Oxford University Press Gates, E (1972 ): ''Idioms: the Wild Creatures of our Talk: Genus and Species'', Indiana English Journal, PP 70 -76 Ghazala, H (2003) Translation as Problems and Solutions Beirut: Dar wa Maktabat Al Hilal George , Y (1996) The Study of Language , Cambridge : Cambridge University Press Gottlieb, H (1997) Quality Revised: The Rendering of English Idioms in Danish Television Subtitles vs Printed Translation In A Trosborg (ed.), Text Typology and Translation (pp 309 -338) Amsterdam: John Benjamins B.V Hajjaj , A and Kharma , N (1989) Errors in English among Arabic Speakers : Analysis and Remedy , London : Longman IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 67 Hornby , A (2000) Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary , Oxford University Press Hornby , A (2010) Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary , Oxford University Press Hurtford, J and Heasley, B Semantics: A Course Book Cambridge University Press Mollanazar H (2004) Principles and Methodology of Translation: The Centre for Studying and Compiling Books in Humanities, Tehran Iran Howarth , P (1998) Phraseology and Second Language Proficiency Journal of Applied Linguistics , 19 (1) Irujo , S (1984) The Effect of Transfer on the Acquisition of Idioms in a Second Language , Boston :Boston University Press Irujo , S (1986) Don't put your Leg in your Mouth , Transfer in the Acquisition of Idioms in a Second Language : TESOL Quarterly , 20 (2) Irujo , S (1986) A Piece of Cake :Learning and Teaching Idioms , ELT Journal , 40 (3) Jackendoff, R (1997) The Architecture of the Language Faculty Cambridge, Mass :MIT Press Jiang, W (2000) ELT Journal, Volume 54, Issue Lazar , R and Warr –Leeper, G (1989) '' Elementary School Teachers Use of Multiple Meaning Expressions '', Journal of Language , Speech , and Hearing Services in Schools , 20 Long , M (1981) Questions in Foreigner Talk Discourse Language Learning , 31 (1) Marianne , C (2000) Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language , USA , Heinle &Heinle Mc Carthy and O'dell (2005) English Idioms in Use: Cambridge University Press Michael , J (1981) Dictionary of English Idioms , Edinburgh : Scottish Centre for Education Overseas , Moray House College of Education Mundey , J (2007) The Routledge Companion to Translation Studies , London and New York : Routledge Newmark , P (1988) A Textbook of Translation , London : Prentice Hall Newmark , P (1998) More Paragraphs on Translation , Clevedon , Philadelphia , Adelaide :Multi Matters Ltd IJELLH Volume V, Issue XII, December 2017 68 Nolan, J (2005) Interpreting Techniques and Exercises Multilingual Matters Ltd., Clevedon Palmer , F (1976) Semantics : A New Outline , 2nd edition , Cambridge : Cambridge University Press Qualls, C et al (2003).'' Contextual Variation , Formality , Academic Literacy and Rural Adolescents' Idiom Knowledge'' ,Journal of Language , Speech , and Hearing Services in Schools , vol.34 No (1) Seidl, J and W.Mc (19883) English Idioms, Oxford: Oxford University Press Shuttle worth, M, and Cowie, M (1999) Dictionary of Translation Studies, Manchester: St Jerome V Abdul –Rahim (2008) Mu'jam Al –dakheel fi Al –Lughah Al –arabiyah Al – Hadeetha Dar Al –Qalam, Damascus Dictionaries: Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms Cambridge University Press (1998) Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 6th Edition for Advanced Learners (2014) The Oxford Companion to English Language Oxford University Press (1992)