Using an Idiom of Simiar Meaning but Dissimilar Form
47
on purpose.
This idiom means not by accident or deliberately. The translation of this idiom is
disengaja
which is the meaning of
on purpose
in the TL.
Table 4.7 Form and Meaning: Paraphrase
SL Idiom TL Idiom
Idiom
on purpose Disengaja
Form idiomatic expression
non-idiomatic expression different lexical items
Meaning not by accident
not by accident According to Table 4.7, the SL idiom undergoes changes in the TL form.
In the SL, the idiom is in the form of a preposition
on
and a noun
purpose
. Meanwhile, in the TL, it is changed into a passive verb and it becomes non-
idiomatic expression. The form adjustment does not remove the meaning of the SL idiom. Moreover, it makes the translation clearer and more natural.
The second example of idiom which employs paraphrase strategy is
counting on
A91
.
This idiom means to trust somebody to do something. This idiom appeared when Jules told her interns that she had sent a wrong email and
needed to fix it. She wanted to ask for help of the interns. The idiom is paraphrased into
memperhitungkan
.
Memperhitungkan
is the meaning of counting, but it is less accurate in this context.
Memperhitungkan
yields a meaning to consider what actions should be taken and its risks. The possible
translation of
counting on
in this context is
mengandalkan
which is more accurate, clear, and natural.
The third example of idiom which is translated using paraphrase is
call some of the shots
A126
.
This idiom appeared when Jules explained to Matt about her decision to point out someone as the CEO of About The Fit.
Call some
48
of the shots
means to be the person who controls a situation. The person who was going to control the situation was the new CEO, not Jules anymore. The idiom is
paraphrased into
memanggil beberapa pimpinan.
This idiom is not successfully transferred into the TL because it changes the meaning. Jules was not calling the
company chiefs but looking for someone who can become the CEO. The accurate, clear, and natural translation of the idiom is
memperbaiki situasi.