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The idioms defining in different cultures

Learning Idioms: The Basics of Translation

Idiom

One of the hardest parts of learning a new language is getting used to all the different idioms that other cultures use. These are often expressions that have a firm grounding in the culture from which they originated, so learning and translating them requires a strong cultural understanding of the new language. Below we’ll look more in-depth at idioms, how they transfer across different languages, and how language learners can bridge the cultural divide when studying idioms.

Meaning 1

Merriam-Webster defines an idiom as “an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for “undecided”) or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way).”

Meaning

The definition shows why language learners may have a particularly hard time learning idioms in a different language. If the meaning cannot be figured out from the conjoined elements by translating them, or is grammatically atypical, that makes it hard for learners to understand the phrase outside of its original culture.

Example 2

Idioms between cultures

How Idioms Might Translate Between Cultures

All of these can be hard for language learners to parse because translating the literal meaning would not get the point across. Someone not native in English might not know what a grapevine has to do with hearing gossip, for instance.

Understanding idioms can get more complicated when idioms throw cultural backgrounds into the mix. For instance, devil’s advocate could be hard to grasp for language learners who don’t come from an area where the cultural background is predominantly Christian.

To get an idea of how idioms may not transfer between cultures well, below are some examples of how idioms look in other language

German phrase: Tomaten auf den Augen haben.

Literal translation: “You have tomatoes on your eyes.”

It means when someone is not seeing what other people can see, but it’s in a literal object-based sense. There is nothing abstract about this phrase like there might be in the English language

French phrase: Les carottes sont cuites!

Literal translation: “The carrots are cooked!”

This phrase means that the situation cannot be changed, like “no use crying over split milk.” But without knowing that, an English speaker may be left wondering what carrots could have to do with anything.

All of these phrases show how it might feel to attempt to translate English language idioms if you’re from another culture

How idioms are created?

There are several sources for idioms, but the big contributor is figurative language, especially metaphors. When a metaphor is first used, it's fresh and vivid—and people have to think through the image to appreciate what it conveys

How idioms are created?

“Turn a blind eye”

Meaning: To refuse to acknowledge a known truth

Origins

Turning a blind eye comes from a comment made by British Admiral Horatio Nelson. In 1801 he led the attack alongside Admiral Sir Hyde Parker in the Battle of Copenhagen. Nelson was blind in one eye. Parker communicated to Nelson at one point, via flags, that he needed to retreat and disengage. Nelson, however, was convinced that he could prevail if they pushed onward. Nelson then, holding the telescope to his blind eye, pretended not to see the signal—making a sly comment to a fellow officer about reserving the right to use his blind eye every now and again.

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“Spill the beans”

Origins 2

Meaning: To leak a secret

This is most likely derived from an ancient Greek voting process, which involved beans. People would vote by placing one of two colored beans in a vase, white typically meaning yes and black or brown meaning no. This meant that should someone spill the beans, the secret results of the election would be revealed before intended. Hence, spilling the beans is related to revealing secret information.

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“Feeling under the weather”

Origins 3

Meaning: To feel ill

This idiom is believed to be nautical in nature. When a sailor was feeling ill, he would go beneath the bow, which is the front part of the boat. This would hopefully protect him from adverse conditions, as he was literally under the bad weather that could further sicken him. Therefore, a sailor who was sick could be described as being “under the weather.”

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Beating a dead horse: rehashing something that is completed

Bite the bullet: get something unpleasant out of the way

Cutting corners: taking shortcuts to save time or money

Devil’s advocate: taking the opposing side of an argument

Fit as a fiddle: having good health

Heard it on the grapevine: heard it through word-of-mouth

On the ball: doing a good job or being quick on the uptake

Once in a blue moon: something that occurs rarely

Common idioms

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Thank you!

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