e. Style and clarity. The translator should not change the style of the
original. But if the text is sloppily written, or full of tedious repetitions, the
translator may, for the reader’s sake, correct the defects.
f. Idiom. Idiomatic expressions are notoriously untranslatable. These
include similes, metaphors, proverbs and sayings (as good as gold),
jargon, slang, and colloquialisms (user - friendly, the Big Apple, yuppie,
etc.), and phrasal verbs. If the expressions cannot be directly translated,
try any of the following:
-
retain the original word, in inverted commas: “yuppie”
- retain the original expression, with a literal explanation in
brackets: Indian summer (dry, hazy weather in late autumn)
- use a close equivalent: talk of the devil = vuk na vratima
(liter
ally, “the wolf at the door”)
- use a non - idiomatic or plain prose translation: a bit over the
top = un peu excessif.
The golden rule is: if the idiom does not work in the L1, do not force it
into the translation.
From Translation by Alan Duff, 1990.
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