Approaches to the idiomatic translation in the Biblical texts

Figures of speech as well as the subcategory idiom add something to a language that could really be said no other way to get that color and depth. The idiom of “a land flowing with milk and honey” is so descriptive that even the most zealous dynamic equivalent translations dare not alter it:

3"O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. [a fertile land, a land of plenty] [14, Deuteronomy 6:3].

The above NASB leaves the Hebrew idiom “teeth are set on edge” (викликати відразу, діяти на нерви); this means an irritating or upsetting experience. In the days just before the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon, this was a common saying, in which the sons were saying the father’s wickedness put them in this predicament, ‘ setting their teeth on edge.’ In this, they were trying to shift the blame to the fathers [22, p. 253-55].The dynamic equivalent translations attempted to modernize the idiom in the receptor language translation, English in this case, and substitute it in place of the Hebrew idiom. This process is one option, but one can see that even with the use of more modern terms, the meaning is still the same, though perhaps easier for some readers to understand. With this in mind, one can see how this option can be helpful, yet still leave opening the possibility of distorting the meaning of the idiom. Another option is to simply interpret the idiom and place that interpretation in place of the idiom as depicted in the following example:

“... they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb”(literal) [19, Isaiah 13:18].

“... [they] have no pity on little children (interpreted) [15, Isaiah 13:18].

Either of these two options should be used as a last resort, and only if a misunderstanding is the end result. The Bible is meant to be studied by the student. It is best to stay with what was written as the translator may alter the meaning of God’s Word by choosing to replace ancient idioms with modern-day language. One must realize that languages aside from the original can distort the idiom intact. For example, [15, Luke 2:51] “... his mother kept all these things in her heart.” In Nigeria’s Kilba language, this would be understood as “to bear a grudge about something” (мати зуб на когось). Thus, for them, it has been rendered: “his mother went on thinking about these things.” [15, p. 19].

As to Bible translation, every effort should be made to maintain the literal wording of idioms, unless it will adversely affect the understanding of the message for the modern-day reader. If so, it can either be rendered by the interpretation (adding any alternative possibilities in a footnote), or it can be rendered by the use of a modern-day idiom that carries a similar meaning such as in the example of equivalents used earlier, “between the Devil and the deep blue sea” між (між двома вогнями) and “between a rock and a hard place”(в безвихідному становищі, між молотом та ковадлом).

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16