الفهرس 
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Abstract
Introduction:
The present study explores the strategies applied in translating idioms from Arabic into English through examining Maḥfūẓ’s works: Al-Thulāthīyah, Al-Liṣṣ wa-al-kilāb, and Mīrāmār. The study also examines how effectively the idioms are translated from Arabic into English, and identifies the most suitable strategies for conveying the idioms that the researcher views as inappropriately translated from Arabic into English. To achieve these aims, the current research will examine some idioms extracted randomly from selected novels by the Noble Laureate Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006), and their English translation. The idioms are analyzed in terms of Fernando’s (1969) types of idioms, Baker’s (2011) strategies for translating idioms, and Nida’s (1964) model of equivalence in translation.
Statement of the Problem:
The act of translating idioms is seen as one of the key challenges a translator has to face because, on the one hand, they are language-specific by nature. and since the meanings of idioms cannot be understood from the meanings of their components on the other. In Baker’s point of view, idioms are frozen patterns of language which allow little or no variation in form and often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components. Idioms cannot easily be translated by someone who knows the regular meaning of their constituents only. Language-specific and culture-specific linguistic terms including idioms do exist in nearly all languages. Translators always face some difficulties in translating such terms or expressions. Arabic and English are both rich in idioms. Naturally, there are lexical gaps between the two languages, a case which makes treating such terms as problematic.
Objectives of the Study:
This study aims to:
1. Investigate and analyze the strategies applied in translating the idioms in Maḥfūẓ’s works: Al-Thulāthīyah, Al-Liṣṣ wa-al-kilāb, and Mīrāmār into English.
2. Find out if the idioms in the Arabic source text are effectively translated into English.
3. Identify the suitable strategies for conveying the idioms that have been translated inappropriately from Arabic into English.
Significance of the Study:
Idiomatic expressions are culture-specific terms. It is very useful to examine how professional translators render them. Many linguists think that these items cannot be translated literally and can best be substituted by a similar idiom in the target culture. For Armellino (2003), one of the most challenging tasks for all translators is rendering culture-bound elements. As mentioned in his article, the reasons for this always go to the specific culture context where the ST originates, or with the cultural context it aims to recreate in the TL. Ghaffari (2001) mentioned that “without using idioms, the language becomes harsh and unattractive, so it can be said the words are like a skeleton of the language and the idioms are like its soul. Hence, incorrect translation of idioms may damage the soul of the language (p. 2).
Overview of the Study:
The current study consists of four chapters. The current chapter, Chapter I, offers an introduction, which highlights an overview of Arabic and English languages with a special emphasis on the use of idioms in each language. The chapter also includes a statement of the problem, objectives of the study, rationale, and significance of the study. It also offers an overview of the study, the research design, source of data, background of data, definition of key terms and methodology.
Chapter II displays a theoretical framework which starts with an introduction, followed by the definitions of an idiom as stated by linguists. Moreover, the chapter reviews the types of idioms as introduced by Fernando (1969) and other authors. Strategies used in translating idioms as proposed by Baker (2011) and other theorists are also reviewed in the chapter, in addition to an explanation of how effectively such strategies may render the meaning of idioms when translated from Arabic into English. Chapter II also includes a review of literature. Thus, the researcher attempts to provide the reader with detailed information about the definition, nature, and types and characteristics of idiomatic expressions before examining the strategies applied by the translators, namely, William Maynard Hutchins, Fatma Mousa Mahmoud and Trevor Le Gassick, to translate idioms that appear in the selected novels . The chapter also sheds light on the concept of equivalence in general, and Nida’s (1964) equivalence in particular as a way of maintaining the translated message and preserving the meaning of the idioms during the process of translating from a source into a target language.
Chapter III consists of a detailed analysis of the data. The first step is an analysis of the specification of the types of idioms, and the explanation of their idiomatic meaning. The second step involves an investigation of the strategies of translating the idioms in Al-Thulāthīyah, Al-Liṣṣ wa-al-kilāb, and Mīrāmār into English. This is done in an attempt to find out how far the strategies used in the translation have effectively helped to maintain the equivalent semantics in the TL. The chapter also discusses the findings and attempts to provide answers to the three research questions.
Chapter IV is a conclusion that summarizes the main findings reached by analyzing the data. In addition, the chapter shows the study’s contribution, recommendations, and suggestions for future studies.
Main Findings:
Although Baker argued that the strategy of paraphrase is the most common strategy in translating idioms, this was not the case in the study. The strategy of translating idioms by idioms of similar meaning but dissimilar form constituted the higher percentage with 45%. This has been interpreted as a sign of the translators’ keenness to keep the cultural flavor and at the same time to reflect the figurative language used by Maḥfūẓ in the selected texts.
The results reveal that the translators possess a good cultural background concerning the idiomatic expressions they faced. Their excellent command of both languages enabled them not only to keep the true and complete meaning of the idioms but also to find the equivalent idioms that have similar or the same function of the TL.
It was also found that culture plays a significant role in choosing the best strategy to render an idiom more effectively into the TL, achieving the right equivalence for the ST idiom. It is obvious that a translator should be knowledgeable of both the SL and the TL cultures in order to produce an expression in the target text with an effect similar to that on the source text readership.
In some cases, the translators faced some challenges with some idioms and misused the appropriate technique. The reason may lie in their misunderstanding of the idiomatic expression, using the paraphrasing technique rather than giving the target language equivalent, or an inability to find a target language equivalent.