PROBLEMS OF TRANSLATING THE FIXED PHRASES

Abstract

Fixed expressions can be taken as part of the language used in our daily routine. They are an essential part of language though they can be a problem when it comes to handling them. The fact that not all idioms have a direct equivalent in another language is because these expressions are typical for a certain language and explicit to a single culture. It is very difficult to point out any specific approach in the translation process as many idioms are culture-based, hence the pragmatic meaning should be more valued than the literal meaning. If fixed phrases are to be translated word for word, they can cause a lot of confusion. This study aims at investigating the various obstacles that are encountered in the process of interpreting and translating fixed expressions from a language into another. It presents the definition of fixed phrases, highlights the various difficulties in translating them and finally proposes various theoretical strategies to counter such problems. This study also tries to provide guidelines to both readers and translators of fixed phrases in the translation process. Practical examples of Arabic, Persian, English and Turkish collocations will be used during the course of the study. First, the obstacles in the process of understanding the fixed phrasal meanings will be examined then probable ways of solving these problems will be suggested.