FIXED EXPRESSIONS AND IDIOMS IN TRANSLATION

FIXED EXPRESSIONS

a general term used to refer to various phraseological units: Fixed expression is a very general but convenient term [...] used to cover several kinds of phrasal lexeme, phraseological unit, or multi-word lexical item: that is, holistic units of two or more words. These include frozen collocations, grammatically ill-formed collocations, proverbs, routine formulae, sayings, similes. Fixed expression also subsumes idioms [...] Fixed expression, like idiom is unsatisfactory as a term since [...] many fixed expressions of these types are not actually fixed... (Moon 1998: 2)

FIXED EXPRESSIONS
include different types of word combinations (Fiedler 2007, Cowie 1998, Moon 1998, Glser 1998) FROM bilexemic combinations (e.g. blue joke) TO plurilexemic expressions rendered by:

simple sentences (e.g.The coat does not make the gentleman) complex sentences (e.g. Make hay while the sun shines, Do as you would be done by) microtexts (e.g. the famous quotation from Shaw He who can does. He who cannot, teaches). are first and foremost characterized by fixedness at the grammatical and semantic levels, which is their key property (Moon 1998: 120).

HALLIDAY S MODEL OF TEXT COMPONENTS

IDEATIONAL Experiential Logical Interactional Personal communication of ideas connections between ideas interrelationship between speaker and hearer mood illocution modality attitude thematization and thematic patterning given/new distinction cohesive structure

INTERPERSONAL

TEXTUAL

Theme Information Cohesion

FUNCTIONS OF FEIs:

INFORMATIONAL to state propositions and convey information: e.g. in the long run EVALUATIVE to convey the speakers evaluation and attitude: e.g. another pair of shoes SITUATIONAL to relate to the extralinguistic context, to respond to a certain situation: e.g. tell it to the

Marines

MODALIZING to convey truth values, advice, requests, etc.: e.g. to all intents and purposes ORGANIZATIONAL organizing text: e.g. by way of

illustration

(Moon 1998: 217-218)

FUNCTIONS OF PROVERBS

GENERALIZING to convey general truths of a proverbial nature, coming from other peoples experiences: e.g. Out of sight, out of mind.

Old birds are not to be caught with chaff. No smoke without fire. Make hay while the sun shines.

SITUATIONAL when they are responses to or occasioned by the extralinguistic context: e.g. It is the last straw that breaks the camels back. EVALUATIVE when they express the speakers attitude towards a situation and evaluation on some reality, event or happening: e.g. Blood is thicker than water. MODALIZING when proverbs are used as or with modalizers, most often epistemic: e.g. Every could has a silver lining.

A stitch in time saves nine

PROVERBS AND SYNONYMY

MISLEADING SYNONYMY:

e.g. a) Truth and oil are ever above. b) It takes many shovelfuls of earth to bury the

truth.

a) Adevrul iese ntotdeauna la suprafa. b) Adevrul iese deasupra ca untdelemnul. c) Adevrul i undelemnul ies ntotdeauna deasupra. d) Dreptatea ntotdeauna ca untedelemnul plutete

deasupra apei. e) Dreptatea iese ca untdelemnul deasupra apei.

PROVERBS AND SYNONYMY

MISINTERPRETATIONS e.g. a) He makes a rod for his own back. b) He that mischief hatcheth, mischief catcheth. c) Who spits against the wind, reap the

whirlwind.

a) Cine sap groapa altuia, cade n ea. b) Cine scuip n sus, i vine/cade scuipatul pe obraz. c) Dac scuipi n sus, i vine n ochi. d) Cine seamn vnt culege furtun.

PROVERBS AND SYNONYMY

SEMANTIC CONTAMINATION e.g. a) The dogs bark, but the caravan goes

on.

a) Cinii latr, caravana trece. b) Cinii latr, vntul bate. c) Cinii latr, ursul merge. d) Cinii latr, bivolul pate. e) Apa trece, pietrele rmn.

SYNTACTIC ASPECTS

NO SYNTACTIC PARALLELISM e.g. a) Good finds good. a) Bine faci, bine gseti. b) Dac faci bine, (bine) gseti (bine). c) Bine faci, prin (ca) urmare/ aadar/ deci

bine gseti.

SYNTACTIC ASPECTS

PARTIAL SYNTACTIC PARALLELISM e.g. a) Do well and have well. REDUCTION VS. EXTENSION OF PROVERBS e.g. a) Good finds good.

Bine faci, bine gseti. b) Do well and have well. Binele cu bine se rspltete.

MODALIZATION OF PROVERBS

e.g. If there should be a slip

between the cup and the lip, he was to take sides with Jack.

TEXT SAMPLES

i adevrat este, cci aa am scpat i eu de cnii lui Trsnea, atunci cnd am dat peste pcat cu ei i ei cu mine. Noroc din ceriu pn-n pmnt c nu m-a prins melianul i haramninul de Trsnea, care avea mare ciud pe mine, de cnd m zpsise n grdina lui la furat mere domneti i pere sntilieti, cci m-ar fi snopit n btaie. -apoi numai asta mi-ar fi mai trebuit acum, ct eram de procopsit!

And that's a fact, for that is how I got rid of Trsnea's dogs on this occasion when they were after me. It was amazing that I was not caught by that great hulking villain Trsnea, who had borne me a grudge ever since the time when he had caught me stealing his best apples and summer pears in his garden, for he'd have beaten the life out of me, and that would have been the last straw, considering the plight I was in!

n sfrit, dup ce m-au lsat cnii lui Trsnea n pace, cum vam spus, am srit n rspintenele unui drum; de acolo, n grdin la noi, i atunci mi s-a prut c m aflu n snul lui Dumnezeu. i merg eu acum fr psare prin ppuoi, pn n dreptul ogrzii, i m uit pintre gard i vd pe mama cum se da de vnt dup trebi, cnd n cas, cnd afar; i-mi era mai mare mila de dnsa,dar i de pntecele meu cel stocit de ap nc mi era mil.

At last when Trsnea's dogs gave up, as I've told you, I jumped into a crossroads and thence into our own garden, and then I felt as if I were safe in Abraham's bosom. I walked without a care in the world across the maize patch till I reached the yard, I peeped through the palings and caught a glimpse of Mother working with a will, both indoors and out, and my heart bled for her; and it bled too, for my own belly, exhausted with swimming as was.

Vorba ceea: Mil-mi e de tine, dar de mine mi se rupe inima de mil ce-mi este". i nemaiputnd suferi foamea, ncep a mrni ugilit pintre gard:

As the old saw says: "I'm sorry enough for you, but sorrow for myself quite breaks my heart." Unable to bear the pangs of hunger any longer I began to whine dejectedly behind the palings:

Mmuci, iact-m-s!" -odat i sar n ograd, m nfoez dinaintea mamei, aa chipos cum eram, i apuc mna cu sila, o srut i zic, scncind: Mam, bate-m, ucide-m, spnzur-m, f ce tii cu mine; numai d-mi ceva de mncare, c mor de foame!"

"Mother, I've come home." And all of a sudden, I dashed into the yard, stood before Mother in my birthday suit, caught hold of her unwilling hand and kissed it, saying to her, whining all this while: "Mother, you may beat me, kill me, hang me or do whatever you will with me; only give me something to eat, for I'm nearly done for!"

Vorba ceea: Goltatea ncunjur, iar foamea d de-a dreptul". Ea atunci, cum e mama cu buntate, se uit gali la mine i zice oftnd: - Bine-i ede, cocogeme coblizan, s umbli lela pe drumuri n halul acesta i m lai tocmai la vremea asta fr leac de ajutor! Hai de mnnc, dar s tii c mi te-ai lehmetit de la inim; doar s te pori de-acum tare bine, s mai fu ceea ce- am fost pentru tine; dar nu tiu, zu!

As they say: "Nakedness goes round about; hunger hits the nail on the head." At which she, with a mother's kindness, looked tenderly upon me and said with a sigh: "A fine thing for such a great big, idle fellow to walk the country in such a state and leave me right now with no help at all! Come and have something to ear but, mind, I've had more than enough of you. Maybe if you behave yourself from now on, I might feel towards you as before, but I can't honestly make any promises."

i scurt vorb, vznd c m-am pus ru cu mama, i giuruiesc eu c ce-am fcut noiu mai face. Apoi umblu tot cu bineorul pe lng dnsa i nu ies din cuvntul ei afar nici cu fapta, nici cu vorba, cci: Vorba dulce mult aduce"; la trebi-s hrnicu ct se poate: dereticam i mturam prin cas ca o fat mare, de navea mama grij cnd se ducea undeva.

To cut a long story short, seeing that I was in Mother's bad books, I swore to her that I'd never behave like that again. Then I was as good as gold with her, never doing or saying anything to upset her, for a kind word will do a great deal. I did the household chores as industriously as could be, I tidied up and cleaned the house as well as any capable girl, so that Mother had no need to worry when she went out.

i-ntr-o zi o vd c m srut i-mi zice cu blnde:

And one day she gave me a kiss and said with great tenderness: - Dumnezeu s te nzileasc, "May God grant you Ionic, dragul mamei, i s-i happy days, Ionic, my deie toate darurile sale cele darling, and may He bogate dac te-ai purta cum shower upon you His vd c te pori de-o bucat de most precious gifts, if you vreme ncoace! keep on as you've been doing recently!"

i printele m i la dragoste, i Smrndia ncepe din cnd n cnd a m fura cu ochiul, i bdia Vasile m pune s ascult pe alii, i alt fin se mcina acum la moar.

The priest put me down in his good books and little Smaranda flashed a glance at me now and then; Master Vasile entrusted the coaching of other boys to me, and, as the saying goes, a different kind of flour was now being ground in the old mill.

Aa ne nvase o bab s facem ca s ne treac de rie. V putei nchipui ce vra s zic a te sclda n Bistria, la Broteni, de dou ori pe zi, tocmai n postul cel mare! i nici tu junghiu, nici tu friguri, nici alt boal nu s-a lipit de noi, dar nici de rie n-am scpat. Vorba ceea: Se ine ca ria de om.

An old woman had taught us this as a means of getting rid of the scab. You can imagine what it meant to bathe twice a day in the Bistria at Broteni, before Easter. Neither shooting pains, nor ague, nor any other sickness did we get, nor did we get rid of the scab, for that matter. As the saying goes: It clings to a man like the scab.

- Ei, mi biei, ia amu tragei la aghioase, zise un plie, scprnd i dnd foc unui brad. - Ce i-i scris n frunte i-i pus; chef i voie bun, zise cellalt scond o hrinc ngheat din desagi, prplind-o pe jratic i dndu-ne i nou cte-o harchin.

"Now boys, let us lie down and sleep it off," one of the men said, getting to work with his flint and tinder and setting a fir tree alight. "Whatever is ordained Stands written upon a man's brow; make merry and be of good cheer", the other one said, taking a large piece of cold mmlig out of his saddlebag, toasting it lightly upon the cinders and giving us a piece each.

i iaca aa cu cireele; s-a mplinit vorba mamei, srmana, iute i degrab: C Dumnezeu n-ajut celui care umbl cu furtuag". ns ce i-i bun pocina dup moarte? D-apoi ruinea mea, unde o pui? Mai pas de d ochi cu mtua Mrioara, cu mo Vasile, cu vrul Ion i chiar cu bieii i fetele din sat

And that's how it was with the cherries; Mother's word, poor dear, had come true full-soon: that God will not help him who steals. Yet what good is compunction after death? And my own shame to boot! Just try to face Aunt Marioara if you please, Uncle Vasile, Cousin Ion, or even the boys and girls of the village for that matter

ns ce-i de fcut?... S-a trece ea i asta; obraz de scoar, i las-o moart-n ppuoi, ca multe altele ce mi s-au ntmplat n via, nu aa ntr-un an, doi i deodat, ci n mai muli ani i pe rnd, ca la moar.

But what can you do?... It too will pass off in time; nothing for it but to grow a thick skin, and let sleeping dogs lie. It's been the same with many another trial that I've been through in life, not just matters of a year or two with a definite beginning and end, but recurrent troubles lasting several years, as one's turn comes round for grinding at the mill.

i doar m i feream eu, ntr-o prere, s nu mai dau peste vro pacoste, dar parc naiba m mpingea, de le fceam atunci cu chiuita.

And after all, I did look out in a kind of way, lest I walk into some sort of trap; but a very devil seemed to prompt me and I would stir up trouble in plenty.

i orict oiu fi mers cu de tare, vreme trecuse la mijloc doar, ct am umblat horhind cine tie pe unde i ct am bojbit i mocoit prin teiu, s prind pupza, i lingurarilor, nici mai rmne cuvnt, li se lungise urechile de foame ateptnd. -apoi, vorba ceea: iganului, cnd i-e foame, cnt; boierul se primbl cu mnile dinapoi, iar ranul nostru i arde luleaua i mocnete ntr-nsul".

But no matter how fast I walked, time had not stood still while I'd been knocking about goodnessknows-where, fussing and messing about in that lime tree to catch the bird; and the gypsies, it goes without saying, had grown wild with hunger, while they were waiting. There's a saying that goes: "A gypsy, when hungry, will sing; a gentleman will walk up and down with his hand behind his back, while a peasant will smoke his pipe and smoulder within himself."

- Doamne, cumnic-hi, cum se pot nvrjbi oamenii din nimica toat, lundu-se dup gurile cele rle! Ia poftim, soro, mai bine s mncm ceva din ce-a da Dumnezeu, s cinstim cte-un pahar de vin n sntatea gospodarilor notri i: Cele rle s se spele, cele bune s s-adune; vrajba dintre noi s piar, i neghina din ogoare!

"My goodness, sister, how people may fall out for a mere nothing, by lending an ear to evil tongues! Be seated, sister, and let us rather partake of the good things that God has granted us and drink the health of our husbands in a glass of wine, and: May all evil from us go, may the good things ever grow, vanish from us feuds and cares, all our land be free from tares!

Iar eu, mncnd lupete, m faceam smerit si numai rdeam n mine, mierindu-m tot atunci de ghibcia minciunilor ce potrivisem, demi venea mai-mai s le cred i eu singur pe jumtate. Iaca, aa se poate nela omul de multe ori, cnd nici n-a gndit, dac nu tie a judeca bine. ns iar m ntorc i zic: Tot pitu-i priceput!"

Eating like a wolf, I pretended to be humble and laughed up my sleeve, all the while wondering at the skillful lies I had been telling her, so much so, that I half believed them myself. That's how a person may often be taken in when he least suspects, if he can't reason things out; but on the other hand: Experience is the mother of wisdom."

Iar eu intram n pmnt de ruine, i ct pe ce s m nec, de ciud ce-mi era. i din dragostea cea mare de mai dinioarea, mi venea acum s le strng de gt, nu altceva. Dar vorba ceea: Poi opri vntul, apa i gurile oamenilor?

I wished the earth would swallow me and my shame up, and I very nearly drowned myself, I was that upset; and the worship of a while ago had now changed to a desire to strangle them, neither more nor less. But as the saying goes: "You can't stop wind or water, and people will talk!"

-apoi mai aveam i alte bunuri: cnd m lua cineva cu rul, puin treab fcea cu mine; cnd m lua cu bineorul, nici atta; iar cnd m lsa de capul meu, fceam cte-o drgu de trebuoar ca aceea, de nici sfnta Nastasia, izbvitoarea de otrav, nu era n stare a o desface cu tot meteugul ei. Povestea ceea: Un nebun arunc-o peatr n balt, i zece cumini n-o pot scoate".

And that was not the sum of my accomplishments. If I was treated harshly, that didn't work; if I was treated gently, that worked even less; and when I was left to myself, I made such a fine tangle of things that not even St. Nastasia, who can save you from poison, was able to unravel it for all her skill. As the saying goes: "One fool can throw a boulder into a pond, and ten wise men cannot get it out."

Poate c nici crmriei nu-i era tocmai urt a sta ntre noi, de ne cerca aa des. La urma urmelor unde nu-i d Trsnea cel uricios un pupoiu fr veste! Cci la aceste mai tot prostul se pricepe. i atunci crmria cea frumoas curat c s-a mniet. Dar ce s-i facem? Vorba ceea: n care cme s-a mniet, ntr-aceea s-a dezmnie.

Maybe the hostess took no offence whatever at our company, thats why shed try it so often. At long last Trsnea, that unpleasant lout, took her unawares and gave her a smacking kiss. Any ass will soon put its foot in it. And then the lovely hostess was really cross. But what could we do? As the saying has it: Shell doff it with her bodice, for there is no other way out of it.

Noi, atunci, am prlit-o la fug. Iar el, zvrr! cu o scurttur n urma noastr, cci era om hursuz si pcliit popa Olobanu. i, din spaima ceea, am fugit noi mai jumtate de sat napoi, fr s avem cnd i zice popei: Drele pe podele si burei pe prei; cte pene pe cucoi, atia copii burduhoi", cum obicinuiesc a zice plugarii pe la casele ce nu-i primesc.

Thereupon we took to our heels, followed by the priest with a cudgel, hard on us; for Parson Olobanu was an ill-tempered, crusty fellow. We were so scared, we'd run halfway back through the village without having taken the opportunity to wish the priest: "A floor with fungus inches deep, toadstools up the wall that creep, children fat and loathsome too, dozens of them you shall rue", as carol singers will at those houses that won't receive them.

References

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