Why idioms and slang are tricky
An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning is not the sum of its words. English speakers say that someone “kicked the bucket” or that a plan is “a piece of cake,” and nobody thinks about buckets or cake. Slang is informal vocabulary tied to a group, place or time, such as the speech of teenagers in a particular city. Both are part of how people really talk, so dialogue is full of them, and both are risky to translate because the words give the wrong clue about the meaning.
A literal rendering can fail in three ways. It can be nonsense in the target language, it can accidentally mean something else, or it can sound oddly formal for a casual character. Subtitles add one more pressure: the translation must be short enough to read, so a long explanation is seldom possible.
The main options
Translators usually choose among a few approaches. Each has its place.
1. Translate literally. Sometimes an image works in both languages, or is clear enough from context that keeping it is charming. A literal rendering keeps the flavor of the source and can be the right choice when the picture is easy to grasp. It is a poor choice when it produces an unnatural sentence or an unintended meaning.
2. Adapt the expression. The translator keeps the idea but changes the details so that it sounds natural in the target language. For example, an expression about an animal in one language might become one about a different animal in another, because the second language has a similar fixed phrase. This keeps the color and the register, and it is a common way to preserve tone.
3. Replace with plain meaning. The idiom is dropped and the underlying meaning is stated in ordinary words. “He kicked the bucket” becomes “he died,” perhaps with a casual word if the speaker is blunt. This is safe and short, but some color is lost.
4. Replace with a different idiom. The translator uses a target-language expression that fits the situation, even if the image is unrelated. When it works, it reads smoothly and keeps the spoken feel.
5. Omit. If an expression adds little and space is tight, it can be left out, especially when the picture or the next line already makes the point.
There is no ranking. A good translator weighs the importance of the expression, the character who speaks it and the available space.
Questions that guide the choice
- What does the speaker actually mean in this scene? Not what the words say, but what they do.
- How formal or casual is the character? A slangy line in standard language will sound off.
- Is the expression part of the story, such as a running joke or a signature phrase? If so, it needs consistent treatment.
- Is there a target-language expression with the same meaning, tone and level of politeness?
- Will the audience understand the image without help?
- How much space and time does the cue have?
Slang has an age and a place
Slang changes quickly. A term that is current for one group may sound dated or unknown to another, and a word may be harmless in one region and offensive in another. This leads to some principles:
- Use slang in the translation only when it suits the character and the period of the story. A period drama in the target language should not have modern terms that would be out of place.
- Be cautious when picking slang for the target audience. If the translator is not sure of a term’s current feel, a neutral informal word is safer than an uncertain slang term.
- Remember that overuse looks forced. A few well-chosen informal words suggest a casual character without turning the subtitles into a pastiche.
- Regional slang overlaps with the question of regional dialects, which has its own treatment.
Strong language and taboo words need extra thought. Their strength differs across languages: a word that is mild in one may be much harsher in another. The translator should aim to match the force of the original in the target language, not just the dictionary meaning. Platforms and broadcasters may have rules on such language, so follow the project’s guidance, and ask the client when unsure.
Register and politeness
Slang generally goes with informal speech, which links to formal and informal address. If a character uses casual forms of address and slang, the translation should match both. Mixing a formal construction with a street term gives an inconsistent voice. When the relationship between characters is the focus of the scene, consistent register is part of the story.
Jokes and idioms
Many idioms are used in jokes, and puns often play on the literal and figurative meanings at once. In those cases the choice is no longer only about the idiom, and the approaches in wordplay translation come into play. A translator may need to keep the figurative meaning and build a new joke from it.
Cultural background
Idioms often carry cultural associations, such as references to food, sport, religion or history. The translator should check that a replacement does not import an unwanted association. This is part of the wider cultural considerations in translation. If the culture-specific image is central, keeping it and letting the context clarify may be better than replacing it.
Machine output
Automated translation tends to handle common, well-documented idioms reasonably but may translate unusual or new expressions literally. It also has trouble knowing whether an expression is meant figuratively. The draft needs human review, particularly for dialogue-heavy material. Review is easier when the reviewer can hear the original and compare it to the subtitle. Native speakers of the target language are best placed to judge whether a line sounds natural, which is one reason human reviewers remain important.
A practical routine
- Mark each idiom or slang term while reading the script or listening to the audio.
- Write down what it means in the scene, in plain words.
- Try a few options and read them aloud in the target language.
- Pick the one that matches meaning, tone and length.
- Record repeated choices in a term glossary.
- Ask a second reader to check that nothing sounds forced or odd.
The aim is a subtitle that a viewer reads without noticing it is a translation. That depends on judgment, and reasonable translators may reach different answers for the same line.