Idiomatic Expressions in Translation: The Case of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye

Idioms are structurally fixed expressions whose semantic content is both opaque and culture-bound. The culture-specific meanings of idiomatic expressions pose a challenge to translators. In translating idioms, translators need to be familiar with the two languages and cultures, work out the denotative meaning of the idioms and work out their illocutionary force. Adopting Nida's theory of equivalence (1964), this paper explores translation equivalence in an Arabic translation of Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye. In particular, we examine the local procedures used to translate idiomatic expressions in the novel to investigate whether or not the translator maintains the core meaning and conveys the cultural and emotional overtones of the translated expressions. The selected idiomatic expressions have been identified based on Fernando’s theory (1996) and classified following Nida and Taber’s procedures (1969) under Nida’s theory of equivalence (1964). Analysis reveals a preference for functional equivalence over formal equivalence in translating idioms, which has enabled the translator to maintain idiomaticity and reproduce the cultural connotations and pragmatic force of the ST idioms.