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Linguistics, Culture & Education, 2014, 2014:3

ISSN 2050-7453

A SNAPSHOT AT SOME ENGLISH IDIOMS & THEIR COLLOQUIAL

ARABIC EQUIVALENTS: SIMILARITIES, DISSIMILARITIES AND
RELEVANT TRANSLATION PROBLEMS
DR AHMED ABDEL AZIM ELSHIEKH1,*, DR ALA EDDIN SADEQ2, DR JAMAL AZMI2
1
Zarqa University, Jordan-(On Secondment from Alexandria University, Egypt)
2
Zarqa University, Jordan
Copyright © 2014 A. Elshiekh et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract: This research aims at exploring the similarities and dissimilarities between some English idioms and
their traditionally accepted Arabic translations and/or natural equivalents. The researchers adopt a
comparative/contrastive approach in order to identify the similarities and dissimilarities between the idioms
under study in the two languages as well as cast some light on the cultural differences reflected by them. For
practical purposes, the scope of the present research is confined to idioms that relate to the parts of the body and
the five senses, with particular reference to the spoken variety.

Keywords: Colloquial Arabic, idiomatic expressions, Egyptian Arabic, communicative translation.

1. Introduction
Any language is not merely confined to lexemes and grammar rules. There are, indeed,
some linguistic phenomena that can hardly be interpreted by merely looking at the dictionary
meaning of lexical items and/or the formal features of syntax and grammatical structures. A
case in point is idioms and idiomatic expressions; they often cause problems in cross-cultural
communication in general and in translation in particular. On the one hand, an idiom, by
definition, is "an expression established in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself
either in grammatical construction (as no, it wasn't me) or in having a meaning that cannot be
derived as a whole from the conjoined meanings of its elements" (Webster's Third New
International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-
webster.com (11 Jan. 2013). On the other hand, idioms are quite often culturally bound. Both

__________________

*
Corresponding author
Received March 31, 2013
1
2 A. ELSHIEKH, A. EDDIN SADEQ, J. AZMI

aspects contribute to their problematic nature in communication and translation as well as

provide reasonable justification for the researchers' choice of the topic of this paper. In fact,
idioms may help understand the way people in various communities think and/or behave.
Therefore, we should always be aware of the specific nature of the language of a given idiom
while attempting to translate it.

1.1. Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this research is to explore the similarities and dissimilarities
between some English idioms on the one hand and their traditionally accepted Arabic
translations and/or natural equivalents, with particular reference to spoken English and
colloquial Egyptian Arabic. The researchers aspire to examine whether they are fully
equivalent or only partially so, as well as point out the similarities and dissimilarities. In other
words, the present research is an attempt at comparing and contrasting some English idioms
and their Arabic equivalents.

1.2. Method of Research

The researchers adopt a comparative and contrastive approach in this study in order to
identify the similarities and dissimilarities between the idioms under study in the two
languages and to cast some light on the cultural differences reflected by them. For practical
purposes, the scope of the present research is confined to idioms that relate to the parts of
the body and the five senses, with particular reference to the spoken variety. English was the
starting point and the choice of the English idioms within the above mentioned scope was
basically based on McMordie, W. and Seidle Jennifer's (1988) English Idioms.

2. Review of the Literature

The definition of translation is by nature a controversial issue. The most popular one
among non-specialists is that "translation is the mere replacement of words in one language
with equivalent words in another language" (ElShiekh, 1991: 15). However, even among
specialists there are still several definitions of translation and different points of view.
2.1. Translation: Definitions, types and approaches
Halliday (Halliday et al, 1965) describes translation as the establishment of textual rather
than lexical or grammatical equivalents. Halliday's statement means that translation is not a
matter of translating word- for -word but rather the translation of the whole text into another
language. Catford also maintains that translation is "the replacement of textual material in
 A SNAPSHOT AT SOME ENGLISH IDIOMS 3

one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another (TL)." (Catford, 1965: 20). The
term "textual material" is used by Catford to indicate that translation is not a mere
replacement of the words of the SL text with words in the TL text, but it is the replacement of
a whole text with an equivalent text. As for Widdowson (1978), he suggests that translation
should neither operate on the word level nor even on the sentence level. In other words, a
translator has to search for equivalents on the communicative level, rather than on the lexical
or grammatical level.
In more recent writings on translation, Basil Hatem and Jeremy Munday (2004) also
examine the theory and practice of translation from a variety of linguistic and cultural angles,
including semantics, functional linguistics, corpus and cognitive linguistics, discourse
analysis, gender studies and even post-colonialism. Yet, whether early in the sixties of last
century or much more recently in the first decade of the third millennium, most scholars
suggest that there are two or three basic types of or approaches to translation. For instance,
Catford distinguishes between three ranks of translation namely: word-for-word, literal and
free translation. He also explains what he means by these three ranks as follows: "A free
translation is always unbounded-equivalences shunt up and down rank scale, but tends to be
at the higher ranks- sometimes between larger units than the sentence". He adds that word-
for-word translation generally means what it says: i.e. essentially rank-bound at word-bound.
"Literal translation lies between these two extremes; it may start from a word-for-word
translation but make changes in conformity with TL, grammar" (Catford, 1965: 25). As for
Newmark, he distinguishes between two major approaches to translation, i.e. the semantic
and the communicative. He defines these two approaches of translation by saying:
"communicative translation attempts to produce on its readers an effect as close as possible to
that obtained on the readers of the original. Semantic translation attempts to render, as closely
as the semantic and syntactic structures of the second language allow, the exact contextual
meaning of the original" (Newmark, 1981: 39). In his attempts to elaborate on the subject,
Newmark states that "the communicative must emphasize the "force" rather than the content
of the message", whereas the "semantic translation remains within the original culture and
assists the reader only in its connotations" (Newmark, 1981: 39).
As for Larson, he distinguishes between two main kinds of translation (Larson, 1984), i.e.
from based and meaning based. Within these two basic classifications, Larson makes another
subdivision in the form of a continuum which contains seven kinds of translation starting
from the” very literal” translation to the "unduly free". He states that the "unduly free"
translations are not considered acceptable translations for most purposes. Unduly free
4 A. ELSHIEKH, A. EDDIN SADEQ, J. AZMI

translations are those that actually add extra information not found in the source text, and/or
if they significantly alter the meaning of the source language text (Larson, 1984: 17).
Moreover, Larson defines idiomatic translation as the translation that reproduces the meaning
of the source language in the natural form of the receptor language. Consequently, the three
scholars adopt one way in their translations. Although, they use different terms to refer to the
different kinds of translation they include in their explanations, the different terms are used
closely to refer to more or less the same concept. In addition, to prove that there are no real
differences between what each scholar proposes, we shall apply them to translate the same
example. If we translate the English idiom "It is raining cats and dogs" according to the
different types of translations supported by Catford, Newmark and Larson, we will reach the
same results in all cases.

Catford Newmark Larson Translation

Word-for-word --------- Literal ‫هو يكون يمطر قطط وكالب‬
Literal Semantic Modified literal ‫إنها تمطر قططا و كالبا‬
Free Communicative Idiomatic ‫إنها تمطر بغزارة‬

By giving this example, we may support the argument that the three scholars`
classifications differ only at the formal level whereas, at the conceptual level, they are similar
to a great extent. They adopted the same approaches while classifying types of translation, i.e.
they all discuss translation on the lexical and grammatical level versus the communicative
and functional level.
It is worth mentioning in this respect that "the communicative approach to language stems
from the general approach to language which is based upon the idea that for the
understanding of any linguistic discourse, one has to take into account the various linguistic
as well as non linguistic factors related to the given discourse, rather than just the semantic
components of the lexical items and their syntactic relation to each other" (ElShiekh, 1991:
22).
In fact, this approach is the most appropriate one to the translating of idioms. This is
because when we translate idioms we have to be aware of the linguistic and non-linguistic
features of the idiom not only the semantic or the syntactic components of this idiom.
"Translation, with its double allegiance to the foreign text and the domestic culture, is a
reminder that no act of interpretation can be definitive for every cultural constituency, that
 A SNAPSHOT AT SOME ENGLISH IDIOMS 5

interpretation is always local and contingent" (Venuti, 1998: 27). This, indeed, applies to the
translation of idioms, where both culture and linguistics form part and parcel of each other.
Finally, language varieties and registers are of great importance for the translation of
idioms too. This is because the translation of any English idiom differs according to the
register it belongs to. For instance, when idioms are identified with the spoken variety of
language, they are ruled by suprasegmental elements and accompanied by paralinguistic acts.
These suprasegmental elements, such as stress, intonation, juncture, tempo, sound, and
volume can change the meaning of an idiom and accordingly its equivalent in the target
language (El Batal, 2000). As for the paralinguistic acts, they are non-linguistic elements in
conversation. They occur in spoken language, interact with it, and produce together with it a
total system of communication. Paralinguistic acts are either visible (bodily and facial
expressions) or audible (interjections not following the phonological system of the language).
The difficulty of translating a text with paralinguistic acts lies in their being culture-specific.
A given paralinguistic act can be used in one language to indicate something which is
interpreted differently in another language. For instance, a hiss expresses disapproval in the
English culture, where as in Egyptian culture, it is used to ask for silence.
Thus, it is important for the translator to be aware of the linguistic and non-linguistic
elements in translating in general and in translating idioms in particular. "The translation
strategy is key in the process of translation, as it may greatly influence the finished product.
There are many strategies for a translator to choose from depending on what is required by
the client and the translation brief" (Lacroix, 2009: 109). In the case of the translation of
idioms, the best option available seems to lie in a strategy that ensures performing the same
function of the original as well as reproducing its communicative effect regardless of formal
considerations on the syntactic and/or lexical levels.

2.2. Idioms: Definition and main characteristics:

In Webster’s (fifth edition), the term "idiom" is defined as an expression established in
the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in grammatical construction (as no, it
wasn’t me) or in having a meaning that can not be derived as a whole from the conjoined
meaning of its elements. In other words, an idiom is an expression whose meaning is not
simply the total sum of the meanings of its individual elements. Expression such as `it is
raining cats and dogs', `storm in a teacup' and 'jump down someone's throat' are cases in
point. However, when the idiom is not of this nature, it is harder to recognize, and translators
6 A. ELSHIEKH, A. EDDIN SADEQ, J. AZMI

may just think of it as an ordinary expression, with the consequence of either losing its tone
or losing its meaning.
We also have to be aware of the linguistic and non-linguistic features of the idioms rather
than its semantic components.
The presence of idioms or idiomatic expressions is an important linguistic phenomenon.
This is because English is said to be no heavily idiomatic (Dictionary of American Idioms).
The most probable reason is that as new concepts are developed, new expressions for them
are needed, but instead of creating a brand new word, we use already existent words and put
them together in a new sense (Dictionary of American Idioms).
In the introduction to his dictionary, M. El Batal says that there is an agreement on the
common features shared by the main bulk of idioms. These characteristics are:-
1-Compositeness: idioms are commonly accepted as a type of multiword expressions.
2-Institutionalization: idioms are conventionalized expressions.
3- Semantic opacity: the meaning of an idiom is not the sum of its constituents.
In other words, an idiom is often non-literal (El Batal, 2002: x).
By using these three main characteristics of idioms, we can distinguish between idioms
and any other linguistic phenomena, for instance, collocations. Weinreich (1969)
distinguishes between idioms and collocations. His argument is that collocations and idioms
both show some sort of word co-occurrence, but that the co-occurrence of words in an idiom
results in a special relationship not observed in the former.
In his attempt to elaborate what he states, he maintains that the essence of this
relationship can be seen in the idiom "by heart" where heart "memory" has no semantic
component with heart the "blood pumping organ" and where the idiomatic meaning "from
memory" is achieved only as the result of a fixed co-occurrence relationship between by and
heart. Only when these two words occur together does the expression have this idiomatic
meaning. This leads Weinreich to put his definition of an idiom as follows:-
"A phraseological unit involving at least two polysemous constituents, and in which
there is a reciprocal contextual selection of substances will be called an idiom" (Weinreich,
1969: 42).
In his book English Idioms (1988), Mc Mordie states that idioms are not confined to
colloquial expressions as is commonly believed. Idioms appear in formal styles too; they are
used in poetry and even in Shakespearean and Biblical English (Mc Mordie, 1988). He adds
that an idiom can be defined as a number of words which, when taken together, have different
meanings of each word. He also tries to identify different kinds of idioms on the syntactic
 A SNAPSHOT AT SOME ENGLISH IDIOMS 7

level. He suggests that an idiom can have a regular structure, an irregular one or even a non-
grammatical structural (Mc Mordie, 1988).
1- Form regular, meaning clear, as in do someone proud, do the dirty on someone.
2- Form regular, meaning unclear, as in cut no ice, bring the house down.
3- Form irregular, meaning unclear, as in be at large, go great guns.
According to Linli Chen (2009), idioms are usually culture-loaded expressions. He asserts
that "Thus idioms can be regarded as linguistic products of cultures, and they are either
restricted by or unique to a particular culture" (Linli Chen, 2009: 44). Therefore, translating
idioms does not only involve linguistic problems but also cultural ones.
Finally, we may elaborate that the term "idiom" is used to describe the special phrases or
special expressions that are an essential part of a language. Idioms may be special in different
ways. For instance, the idiom "Kick the bucket" follows the normal rules of grammar and we
cannot say "Kick a bucket" or "Kick the buckets". Idioms are usually culture-loaded
expressions.
However, phrases like "all right", "some here" which are used in everyday language are
special because they are a main part of that language; a part that, clearly, does not follow the
normal rules of grammar.

3. An exploration of some English & Arabic idioms

The researchers take the English language and culture as their starting point. The choice of
functionally and communicatively equivalent Arabic idioms is partly intuitional and partly
dependent on the description of the function of these English idioms as stated by monolingual
English dictionaries as well as some bilingual specialized dictionaries. It is to be noted, in this
respect, that the historical origin and etymological nature of the Arabic and English idioms
under study are of no significance to the present research, since they are still commonly used by
native speakers of both cultural and linguistic communities in question.
Finally, it has to be emphasized that the findings of this paper are meant to be tentative
reflections of a general nature rather than arbitrary overgeneralizations disguised as academic
conclusions.

4. Discussion & Findings

Looking at the two groups of idioms cited in the appendix at the end of the research, one
might notice the following:
4.1. Parts of the body idioms
8 A. ELSHIEKH, A. EDDIN SADEQ, J. AZMI

I. The Arabic idioms tend to use terms of emotions and feelings where the English refer
to mental and rational concepts. So the Heart or ‫ القلب‬replaces the mind. The replacement
seems to be systematic. Even when it is not a clearly emotional term in Arabic, it is at least
sensory rather than rational. The use of Sight or ‫ نظبر‬in Arabic instead of Mind in English is a
case in point. Another example of what seems to be a systematic relation is the use of Hand
in English where ‫ صوابع\صوبع‬is used in Arabic, and vice versa.
2- Some idioms are almost identical, especially those that deal with the Back and ‫الضبهر‬
(colloquial Egyptian for ‫ ) الظهبر‬or those that deal with Blood and ‫ البم‬though, in one case at
least, it was replaced with ‫ أعصباب‬instead, as in ‫ بببرو أعصباب‬versus the English in Cold
Blood.
3- In some other cases, the differences seem to be random ones. There can hardly be any
possible generalizations. Indeed, idioms number 12 and 13 serve as good examples of this
(13- As plain as the nose on your face ‫واضببز ا السببم‬ and 14- Pull the wool over
someone's eyes. ‫فالن العمة‬ ‫لب‬
4.2. Colour idioms:
1- The Arabic idioms tend to use the term White where the English ones use Green to
indicate inexperience and naivety. The replacement seems to be systematic.
2- Some idioms are almost identical, especially in those that resort to colour terms to refer
to moral and/or immoral qualities. White Lies and ‫ كمببة بضضبا‬on the one hand, and Black
Magic and ‫ سحر إسو‬on the other hand, are cases in point.
3- In some other cases, the differences seem to be random ones. There can hardly be any
possible generalizations. Indeed, idiom number 2 serves as a good example of this (As white
as a sheet ‫) أصفر ا اللمونه \ الكركو‬.
All the Arabic idioms in the sample provide idiomatic translation equivalents of their English
counterparts. Eleven of them are identical equivalents (3, 4, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26 and
27), seven are functional equivalents with systematic differences (1, 6, 7, 10, 15, 23 and 24),
whereas six represent functional equivalents with random differences (2, 8, 9, 11, 16 and 27).
Out of the 28 idioms discussed, only four of them (4, 13, 14 and 17) do not belong to the
semantic fields of the English ones (i.e., parts of the body and/or colours), even though they
are idiomatic and perfectly functional equivalents of the English idioms in question. The
similarities are striking. Such a finding, indeed, stimulates further research in the area of
linguistic universals and casts some doubts on the validity of Whorf's theory of Linguistic
Relativity, especially that the two languages concerned here, viz., Arabic and English are far
 A SNAPSHOT AT SOME ENGLISH IDIOMS 9

from similar whether with regard to their linguistic origin (Semite and Indo-European) or
their syntactic and grammatical characteristic features.
No generalization is to be made on the nature of English and/or Arabic idioms or cultures
as a whole. The idiomatic store of any language is bound to include many different types,
some of which may, sometimes, contradict each other. It would certainly be an
overgeneralization to impose arbitrary judgments on the idiomatic nature of a whole
language, let alone two, and all overgeneralizations are necessarily invalid, including even
this last one, perhaps.
Finally, we may as well remind the reader that the present research is no more than an
ambitious snapshot that aspires to cast some light on quite an interesting area of academic
studies. The researchers could only hope that it may stimulate other researchers to present us
with more accurate and revealing research on the topic in question.

REFERENCES
[1] Adam Makkai. Common Used American Idioms (Second edn). Baron`s Educational Series Inc. (1991).
[2] Baker, Mona. In Other Words: A Coursebook on Translation, London: Routledge. (1992).
[3] Catford, J.C. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. Oxford University Press. (1965).
[4] Chen, Linli. "On Translatability of English Idioms". Asian Social Science. Vol. 5. No. 2. Canadian Center
of Science and Education. (2009).
[5] Corder, P. Introducing Applied Linguistics. Penguin, U.K. (1973).
[6] El-Batal, Mohamed. A Dictionary of Idioms. Longman. (2000).
[7] ElShiekh, Ahmed. A Study of Two Major Translations of the Holy Koran, (PhD thesis-Unpublished)
Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University. (1991).
[8] Halliday, M.A.K, Macintosh, A., and Strevens, P. The Linguistic Sciences and Language Teaching.
London, Longman, U.K. (1965).
[9] Hatim, Basil A and Munday, Jeremy. Translation: An Advanced Resource Book. Taylor & Francis. (2004).
[10] Lacroix, Fanny. "The domesticated Absurd". TD: The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern
Africa, Vol. 5 no. 1, July 2009, (2009). pp. 105-122.
[11] Larson, M. Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide To Cross Language Equivalence. University Press of
America, Inc., U.S.A. (1984).
[12] Machali, Rochayah. "Translating English Idioms and Collocations". Journal.Teflin. Vol 15, No 2. (2004).
Available on: http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/teflin/article/viewFile/84/185. Retrieved 20 Feb. 2012.
[13] McMordie, W. and Seidle Jennifer. English Idioms. Oxford University Press. (1988).
[14] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. (11th edn). Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. The World
Publishing Company, New York. (2009).
[15] Newmark, P. Approaches to Translation, Prentice Hall. UK. (1981).
[16] Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G.N., and Svartvik, J. A Grammar of Contemporary English. Longman,
London. (1972).
10 A. ELSHIEKH, A. EDDIN SADEQ, J. AZMI

[17] Venuti, Lawrence. The Scandals of Translation. Routledge. (1998).

[18] Weinreich, U. "Problems in the Analysis of Idioms" in puhvel. (ed) The Substance and Structure of
Language, 23-81. Berkely: University of California Press. (1969).
[19] Widdowson, H.G. Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford, Oxford University Press. (1978).
 A SNAPSHOT AT SOME ENGLISH IDIOMS 11

Appendix

No. English Idioms Arabic Meaning Point of Point of

Equivalent Difference Similarity
1 To be green ‫أبضض‬ Be too trusting, naïve and easily Green (English) Use of Colours-
(as green as grass) deceived through lack of experience. versus White Systematic
(Arabic) Difference
2 As white as a sheet ‫أصفر ا اللمونه‬ Very pale due to fear, shock, illness White (English) Use of Colours
‫\ الكركو‬ etc. versus Yellow
(Arabic)
3 White lies ‫كمبة بضضا‬ A lie which does no harm and is Identical
more polite than the truth.
4 Black magic ‫سحر أسو‬ Black magic Identical
5 To have someone ‫أخم فالن في عبه‬ To have someone under control or Another semantic
under one's thumb influence. field
6 To lay/put one's ‫يحط ايمه على‬ Define, identify or discover Fingers (English) Use of hands and
finger on something ‫الحقضقة‬ something. versus Hand fingers-
(Arabic) Systematic
difference
7 To throw one's ‫حط صوابعه‬ To show that one is annoyed and has Fingers (Arabic) Use of hands and
hands/arms ‫العسرة في السق‬ given up hope with someone or versus Hand fingers-
something that causes trouble. (English) Systematic
difference
8 Still wet behind the ‫عضمه طرا‬ Naïve and inexperienced, usually Ear versus Bone
ears because of one's youth, immaturity
or lack of knowledge.
9 To beat someone's ‫يجض مناخضره‬ Win very easily with a clear lead. Hands versus
hands down ‫األرض‬ Nose
10 Out of sight, out of ‫اللي بعضم عن العضن‬ People who are far away, or whom Mind (English) Systematic
mind ‫بعضم عن القل‬ we do not see often, are soon versus Heart difference
forgotten. (Arabic)
11 To my mind ‫في نظرا‬ In my opinion, the way I see it. Mind versus Sight
12 To cross someone's ‫خطر على باله‬ Occurred to someone Almost identical
mind
13 As plain as the nose ‫واضز ا السم‬ Obvious, not to be over looked, easy Another semantic
on your face to guess. field
14 Pull the wool over ‫فالن العمة‬ ‫لب‬ Deceive someone by lying about Another semantic
someone's eyes one's true intentions or motives field
15 To drive someone ‫يخرج فالن عن‬ Make someone very nervous or Mind versus Systematic
out of his mind ‫شعوره‬ angry Feeling difference

16 To cost someone an ‫تخسره الجلم‬ Cost someone a great deal of money. Arm and Leg Arm and Leg
arm and a leg ‫والسقط‬ versus Skin and versus Skin and
 12 A. ELSHIEKH, A. EDDIN SADEQ, J. AZMI

Stomach Stomach

17 To get off one's ‫حل عن سمايا‬ Leave someone in peace Another semantic Another semantic
back field field
18 To have one's back ‫ضهره للحضطه‬ Be in a difficult position where one
to the wall is forced to defend oneself.
19 To see the back of ‫وريني عرض‬ Get rid of someone or something
someone ‫كتافك‬ tiresome, unpleasant etc.
20 Blood is thicker ‫الم مايبقاش مايه‬ Family ties are stronger than ties of
than water friendship in spite of family
quarrels.
21 To get someone's ‫يفور مه‬ Make someone very angry.
blood up
22 To get (back) on ‫يقف على رجلضه‬ Recover after a period of difficulty.
one's feet ‫تاني‬

23 To rack one's brains ‫يقمح نا أفكاره‬ Think hard to find a solution to a

problem or to remember something.
24 One's brain child ‫بنات أفكاره‬ One's own invention or idea for Brain versus Brain versus
which one wishes to claim credit. Thoughts Thoughts

25 To turn a deaf ear ‫يصمر الطرشة‬ To ignore what somebody said. Point of Point of
to someone Difference Difference
26 To pull the carpet ‫يسح البساط من‬ Stop giving one's help or support Brain versus Brain versus
from under ‫تحت رجلضه‬ suddenly. Thoughts Thoughts
someone's feet
27 In cold blood ‫ببرو أعصاب‬ In a calculated and deliberate way.
28 New blood ‫جميم‬ Someone new to an organization, Blood versus Blood versus
job or work etc, who is expected to Nerves Nerves
bring new ideas. Innovations.