UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA

CAMPUS: HUYE
COLLEGE: ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
SCHOOL: ARTS AND LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT: MODERN LANGUAGES
OPTION: LINGUISTICS LINGUISTICS
COMPONENT: COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS.

GROUP MEMBERS: REG NO:

GIRAMAHIRWE Jean Claude 221003440

BYUKUSENGE Adeline. 221002483
IMFURAYASE Theogene 221010900
MICOMYIZA Kareb 221008228
BAYIZERE Colette. 221025388

Lecturer: Dr. Amini Jean De Dieu NGABONZIZA

On 06th September 2023

Generally, translation as well as interpretation is an artistic work of changing a written
or spoken message from one language (source language) to another (target language).
An idiom is a phrase that is common in a language or culture that means something
different from how it literally sounds. Under this sector, translators or interpreters
likely to face with lack of equivalent idioms of Kinyarwanda to English while using
machine which led to the lack of intended message. Our research takes account to find
out answers of the problems encountered by computer while translating uncommon
expressions especially idioms. Even though it is impossible to translate idioms into
another language with the same perception as the ones in the source language, but
there are equivalent idioms that carry the similar message. In this study we are going
to deal with kinyarwanda idioms and their equivalents in English to eradicate the
problem stated above.

1. Kugenda nk’abagesera: to take a French leave

2. Gutereta iyo: to throw caution to the wind
3. Guca ibiti n’amabuye: raining cats and dog
4. Kuzima buke: to cat a piece of cake
5. Kubyina mbere y’umuziki: to count a chicken before they match
6. Kuvanga amasaka n’amarakaramentu: comparing apples to orange
7. Kuruhira ubusa: to bit a died horse / run around in circle

8. Guca urwa mbehe: brame one’s tools

9. Guta umutwe: to off rocker

10. Guca mu mayange: get wind of something

11. Kuryumaho:Pull yourself together

12. Gutera ubuse: Pull someone’s left

13. Kuvunira ibiti mu matwi: Turn a deaf ear

14. Guca ikibungo : turn around the bush

15. Kwisibira amayira: burn breeze

16. Gukomeza umutsi: hang in there

17. kuvoma hafi: up in arm

18. Kwisumbukuruza: bite off more than you can chew

19. Guha umuntu agahenge: give someone their head

20. Gukubita inzu ibipfunsi: Bang your head against a brick wall

21. Gukoma Urusyo n’ingasire: to present two sides of the coin

22. Gukoza agati mu ntozi: add insult to injury

23. Gushakira uruhu ku nkanda: needle in a haystack

24. Gushinyirira: bite the bullet

25. Guhangara umuntu: bite someone’s head off

26. Imbonekarimwe: once in a blue moon

27. Kuba ku isonga: be at the top of the heap

28. Kuba maso: be all eye

29. Kwereka uko uruhu rw’intama rwambarwa: show which way the wind blows

30. Kurenza ingohe: give a cold shoulder

31. Kurya nk’uwicariye umwobo: eat like a pig

32. Gukina umuntu ku mubyimba: dancing on someone’s grave

To conclude, we translate message not literally (word by word). By using

machine translation, we likely to get word to word translated document. Once
these Kinyarwanda- English idioms entered in computer will help translating
as well as interpreting system to be much accurate as much as possible. To
recommend, as long as machine are not human being to examine the context
or find out the equivalent idiom, linguists and computer engineers have to
work together so that they can feed translating applications a lot of equivalent
idioms as much as possible. Indeed, this will be better once it will not only
reflecting to Kinyarwanda-English idioms but also in all languages because of
idioms are found in all languages.