Chapter 5 of 10All chapters
Chapter 5 of 10
Across languages
Why idioms defeat translation.
No word-for-word
Every language has its own set. German says to have tomatoes on your eyes for failing to see something obvious; the words translate and the meaning does not.
- Machine translation still handles idioms unevenly.
- Equivalent idioms often exist with entirely different images.
Writing for a global reader
In documentation, contracts and international email, prefer literal phrasing. Idioms are a pleasure in conversation and a hazard in anything that must be understood exactly.