The translation of idioms and equivoques as a challenge for the translators and their decisions (based on examples from episode 1 and 5 of the first season of the British series Mind Your Language)

The translation of idioms and equivoques as a challenge for the translators and their decisions (based on examples from episode 1 and 5 of the first season of the British series Mind Your Language)

The article dwells on translation strategies for the translation of idioms, proverbs and equivoques, focusing on one of the most successful British sitcoms, Mind Your Language from 1977. The article studies how humor is preserved and how persistent phrases are translated when there is no equivalent expression in the target language. The work introduces some of the solutions of the Bulgarian translator of the film. In times when the translator cannot find the appropriate idiom this could alter the initial idea of the text and change the translation to a non-idiomatic expression. A literal translation, however, in most cases, brings confusion to the reader and may lead to a misrepresentation of idioms and misunderstanding of the final product. The article follows the idea that in translation the expression should not lose its cultural meaning, but be paraphrased so as to preserve the impact of the idiom.

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  • Baker, M. (1992). In Other Words: A Course Book on Translation. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Larson, M.L. (1984) Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross-Language Equivalence. University Press of America, Lanham, MD.
  • Longman Dictionary of Idioms. (1998). UK: Longman.
  • Линк към епизод 1 сезон 1 на сериала „Внимавай какво говориш“ https://www.videoclip.bg/watch/1548421_vnimavaj-kakvo-govorish-sezon-1-epizod-1-bulgarsko-audio
  • Линк към епизод 5 на „Внимавай какво говориш“ - https://www.videoclip.bg/watch/1549623_vnimavaj-kakvo-govorish-sezon-1-epizod-5-bulgarsko-audio