Pecularities of translation into Ukrainian of English phraseological units in the texts of literary discourse

Translation by Choosing Genuine Idiomatic Analogies

An overwhelming majority of English idiomatic expressions have similar in sense units in Ukrainian. These idiomatic expressions, naturally, are in most cases easily given corresponding analogies in the target language.

Any common or similar traits of idiomatic expressions are the main proof of their being genuine analogies. The latter in each of the two languages comprise also proverbs and sayings as well as the so-called standardized and stable collocations: he that mischief hatches mischief catches – хто іншим лиха бажає, сам лихо має/хто іншим яму копає, сам у неї потрапляє; to have the ready tongue – за словом у кишеню не лізти. 

Many of such and the like idiomatic expressions may often have twoand more analogous by sense variants in the target language. The choice of an analogy rests then with the translator and is predetermined by the style of the text: nor for love or money – ні за що в світі/ні за які скарби в світі; don’t teach your grandmother to suck eggs – не вчи вченого; не вчи рибу плавати; яйця курку не вчать, etc.; a crooked stick throws a crooked shadow – який Сава, така й слава/який батько, такий син, яка хата, такий тин.

Translating Idioms by Choosing Approximate Analogies

Some source language idiomatic and stable expressions may have a peculiar nature of their componental parts or a peculiar combination of them and thus form nationally peculiar expressiveness and picturesqueness of componental images. The latter constitute some hidden meaning, which is mostly not quite explicit and comprehensible, not transient enough for the foreigner to catch it.

As a result, there exist no genuine phraseological analogies for the units in the target language. Since it is so, their lexical meaning can be expressed by means of only approximate analogies or through explication, i.e., in a descriptive way: kind words butter no parsnips – годувати байками солов’я; to make a cat’s paw of something – чужими руками жар вигрібати; the sow loves bran better than roses – кому що, а курці просо; more power to your elbow – ні пуху, ні луски!; it is six and half a dozen – не вмер Данило, так болячка задавила, etc.

Descriptive Translating of Idiomatic and Set Expressions

The meaning of a considerable number of idiomatic as well as stable/ set expressions can be rendered through explication only, i.e., in a descriptive way. Depending on the complexity of meaning contained in the sourcelanguage idiom, it can be expressed in the target language in some ways: 

1)by a single word: out of a clear blue of the sky – раптом, зненацька; poor fish – йолоп, бевзь, нікчема; to sell smoke – піддурювати, підманювати; to set a limit to smth. – обмежувати, стримувати; to go aloft – померти;

2)with the help of free combinations of words (the most frequent): to run amock – нападати зненацька на першу-ліпшу людину; to sell someone short – недооцінювати когось; to sham Abraham – удавати з себе хворого (прикидатися хворим); short odds – майже рівні шанси; to sit above the salt – сидіти на почесному місці; a stitch in time – своєчасний захід/вчинок, своєчасна дія;

3)when the lexical meaning of an original idiomatic expression is condensed or when it is based on a nationally specific notion/structural form alien to the target language, the idiomatic expression may be conveyed by a sentence or a longer explanation: white elephant – подарунок, якого важко позбутися (те, що приносить більше турбот, ніж користі); yes man – людина, що з усіма згоджується, тільки підтакує (підтакувач), etc. 

The ways and methods of translating the nationally colored words are as follows:

–Transcription – a sort of phonetic imitation of the original word by means of target language sounds and a number of phonemes do not coincide and are assimilated.

–Practical transcription(adaptive transcoding) ‒ is an interlinguistic operation as it deals with two languages: the sounds of the source language word are rendered by the letters of the target language: Anchorage – Анкоридж, Oakland – Окленд; bourgeois – буржуа; apathy – апатія; domain–домен; aggression – агресія.

–Transliteration – a letter-for-letter rendering of the words whichever the pronunciation: don't teach fishes to swim – не вчи раб плавати;

–Loaned translation – власне переклад: extremes meet – протилежності сходяться;

–Semi-translation: e.g. first lady, gentlemen argument, state duma, central rada;

–Generalization: e.g. temple – церква, мечеть, костьол; spirit – горілка,