What is it about?
Due to their opaque nature, idioms are difficult to understand by their constituent units, making translation challenging as the meaning may be incomprehensible. If there is an equivalent idiom in the target language, we use that equivalent. If there is none, it must be paraphrased in a way that preserves its transparent and figurative meaning. Baker’s strategies will be the basis for the translation of English and Arabic idioms. We argue that the conceptual functions of the body part allude to the intended meaning, allowing for an exploration of idioms’ translatability and comprehension.
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Why is it important?
This article is a comprehensive guide to the understanding and translation of idiomatic expressions in Arabic and English and provides insights into how conceptual metaphor theory can aid in the understanding and translation of idiomatic expressions in Arabic and English.
Perspectives
This article sheds light on a very important field of study that hasn't received much interest, that of idiomaticity, especially in Arabic. The exploration of conceptual metaphor and its impact in the activation and understanding of English and Arabic idioms can help in their understanding. I hope that readers will find what they are looking for in understanding how idioms are shaped and fabricated, and how conceptual mechanisms help to decipher what they mean.
Abdelaaziz EL YAMANI
Universite Cadi Ayyad
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Navigating body-part idioms, FORUM Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation, March 2025, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/forum.24008.ely.
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