Issues on the Translation of Certain English Collocations into Arabic: From Collocations to Free Constructions in the Target Language

Abstract

The translation of collocations between different languages is not always an easy task, but can at times be a problematic and a challenging practice amongst linguists and translators/interpreters. The present paper argues that the translation of English collocations into Arabic can be a flexible practice if Arabic possesses the equivalent collocation while the literal meaning of the whole English collocation is intended. The translator can still find an appropriate equivalent collocation in Arabic, even if the literal meaning of the first word in the English collocation is not intended. This, however, requires the translator to find a word in Arabic that conveys the intended meaning of the word in English and collocates with the other Arabic word simultaneously. The paper also claims that the translator may resort to make use of a free construction in Arabic to stand for the English collocation concerned. This often takes place if Arabic does not possess an equivalent collocation to the English collocation as the literal meaning of the latter is not the intended meaning, the verbs in the former and the latter differ in terms of type and function and/or the verb in the former can convey the intended meaning of the whole English collocation.