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7.2 Idioms and Fixed Expressions

So far, in this lesson we’ve been examining collocation between words, how words have a tendency to be used with other words in a given language. Generally, this usage is fairly flexible in form. For the collocation to “pay a bill” we can create such phrases as “will pay the bill”, “the bill has been paid”, “the payment of the bill”, “bill pay”, etc. and still maintain the meaning. At this point we will turn our attention to idioms and fixed expressions, both of which are generally characterized by rigidity in patterning. In other words, the parts of speech cannot be changed (from verb to noun for example) and the word order must remain the same.

An idiom is an expression with at least two words which cannot be understood literally, and for which the meaning is based on the whole rather than on the individual words in it. Some examples of idioms in Spanish and English are dar por sentado which means to take for granted and estar al tanto which means to be up to date. Spanish and English both have idioms to express many of the same messages, though this is not always the case. Idiomatic expressions are strongly cultural and have different meanings derived from the cultures they come from. In translation, it is essential to identify idioms in the source language and to transfer the meaning into the target language, either by using an equivalent idiom or by paraphrasing the meaning.

Fixed expressions, as the name indicates, are also usually fixed and not flexible in patterning. They are however, unlike idioms, generally transparent in meaning. Some examples of fixed expressions are de hecho - in fact/ as a matter of fact, a pesar de - in spite of, and a quien corresponda - to whom it may concern.

In order to translate idioms and fixed and expressions well, the translator first needs to be able to recognize them in the source language, then decipher the meaning (if it is an unfamiliar expression), and finally to identify a similar idiom or fixed expression in the target language. In these cases, it is especially important to abandon any attempt to translate literally word-for-word from source text and rather to focus on translating the message in a way that is natural in the TL.  For example:

Example 7.3

Source Text

Le he dicho a él una y otra vez que tarde o temprano, las cosas van a cambiar.

Literal Translation

I’ve told him one and another time that late or early, the things are going to change.

Translation which compensates for fixed expressions

I’ve told him again and again that sooner or later, things are going to change.

Following are some examples of idioms and fixed expressions in Spanish that might be used frequently at DCS and their translations to English:

Resource List 7.5

Spanish
English
a cargo de in charge of, responsible for
a estas alturas at this point, in this situation
a la vez at the same time
al revés backwards
a propósito on purpose, deliberately/ speaking of which
al fin y al cabo in the end
con anticipación in advance, ahead of time
dar a luz to give birth
darse cuenta de to realize, become aware
darse por vencido to give up, to give in
de costumbre as usual, normally
estar de acuerdo to agree, to be in agreement
estar al tanto to be up to date
estar conforme a/con to be in accordance/ to be in agreement with
estar de vuelta to be back, to have returned
estar harto de to be fed up with, to be sick and tired of
estar mal de dinero to have money problems
hacer caso a to pay attention to
hacer frente to confront
hacerse cargo de to take charge of, take responsibility for
llegar a un acuerdo to come to an agreement, reach an agreement
llevarse bien con to get along well with
mientras tanto meanwhile
no tener caso to be pointless
pasar a buscar to pick up
pasar seguido to happen often
querer decir to mean to say
salir adelante to get ahead, move forward
tener suerte to be lucky
tomar/tener en cuenta to bear in mind, keep in mind
valer la pena to be worth/ worthwhile

If we try to translate these expressions literally, without taking into account their idiomatic nature, it’s possible to distort the message. Consider the following example:

Example 7.4

Source Text

He intentado hablar con él, pero no tiene caso.

Literal Translation

I’ve tried to talk to him, but he doesn’t have a case.

Improved Target Text

I’ve tried to talk to him, but it’s pointless.

In other cases, while the message might remain more or less intact, we will be unable to achieve natural expression unless we translate the idiomatic expression well.

Example 7.5

Source Text

Estamos mal de dinero - quiero decir que no puedo pagar.

Literal Translation

We are in a bad way with money - I want to say that I cannot pay.

Improved Target Text

We have money problems - I mean to say that I cannot pay.
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