Arabic Translation of ‘The Murder on the Links’: Replacing Idioms with Idioms

Abstract

The translation of idioms is an essential part of human interaction and involves not only words but also ideas and actions. This study examined the English idioms used by Agatha Christie in her novel, 'The Murder on the Links' , and how they were translated into Arabic as idioms by Elbaradei. The main objective of the study was to reveal the strategies adopted by the translator to overcome the problem of lack of equivalence, specifically when translating idioms into the target language. A qualitative analysis technique was used to identify Elbaradei's strategies and analyze the impact of using these strategies when deducing the meanings of idioms translated into Arabic. The analysis employed Baker's strategies for translating idioms that consist of the use of an idiom with a similar meaning but different form, the use of an idiom with similar meaning and form, paraphrasing, and omission. The two methods discussed in this paper are: (1) using an idiom with another idiom that has a similar meaning but dissimilar form, and (2) using an idiom with another idiom that has a similar meaning and form. This study discovered that using another idiom with the same meaning but in a different form is the most popular method of translating English idioms into Arabic, although previous research has shown that paraphrasing is the most popular method. Moreover, the results showed that most idioms are clearly rendered when translated into Arabic, making it easier to infer their meanings. Keywords: idiom, translation, strategies, Arabic, novel. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.60.67