{"id":35026,"date":"2017-02-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-02-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smglanguages.com\/blog-it\/uncategorized\/proverbs-and-idiomatic-expressions"},"modified":"2025-05-12T15:29:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T15:29:03","slug":"proverbs-and-idiomatic-expressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smglanguages.com\/en\/proverbs-and-idiomatic-expressions\/","title":{"rendered":"Proverbs and idiomatic expressions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Translating is transposing a concept<\/strong>, a message, a symbolic idea into another language. It is therefore important to be aware of how different cultures convey the general ideas. This month, our blog features an article on the translation of proverbs and idiomatic phrases and the importance of entrusting this exercise to native-speaking translators.<\/p>\n

Proverbs and idiomatic structures are referred to as \u2018concrete sayings\u2019 which means well-formed structures that depend largely on the culture of the country in question and of metalinguistic criteria.<\/p>\n

When are they used? These language structures particularly appear in literature and poetry<\/strong> due to their metaphorical function, providing the idea expressed by the narrator with a pictorial style<\/strong>. However, that\u2019s not all, they also crop up in advertising because they have a significant effect on the public, the market that an enterprise wishes to conquer: brochures, presentation catalogues for products, slogans\u2026<\/p>\n

This transposition exercise from one language to another is no small affair and requires skills that only native-speaking translators have.<\/p>\n

The first indispensable skill is undoubtedly thorough knowledge of the source language<\/strong> in order to identify the proverb or idiomatic expression. This stage is essential for avoiding literal translations, often referred to as word-for-word. For example, in order to translate the expression \u2018a friend in need is a friend indeed\u2019, the meaning risks being lost if the translator is not aware of the message hiding behind this phrase.<\/p>\n

Once the problem is identified, the person performing the translation should be able to identify the concept<\/strong> transmitted in order to be aware of the equivalent used in the target language. Let\u2019s take an example of the notion of \u2018never\u2019 of something that does not exist: where English expresses this idea with \u2018when the moon turns green cheese\u2019 or \u2018when hell freezes over\u2019, a time concept is used in French \u2018dans la semaine de quatre jeudis\u2019 (when there are four Thursdays in a week\u2019).<\/p>\n

Below are a few examples of proverbs and idiomatic structures in French<\/a>, Italian and English which clearly highlight the expression by conveying the message:<\/p>\n