Idiomatic Expressions in Translation

Abstract

There is no language without its own collection of idiomatic expressions. They are expressions with a figurative meaning different from its  literal meaning. Idiomatic expressions play a very important role in the establishment of rapport. They are two or more words syntactically related, with a meaning like a single syntactic unit whose meaning is not predictable from its component words. It is said that without a sound knowledge of idioms one's language will remain foreign. Idiomatic expression is a universal feature of language, though different languages may use literally different idiomatic expressions serving the same function. Owing to these complexities, rendering the idiomaticity of expressions from a source into a target language has always been problematic. This study aimes to scrutinize some aspects of the translation of idiomatic expressions. To this end, Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is compared with two versions of its translation into Persian.