If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!

_ Copyright  Rudyard kipling 

THE WORLD OF IDIOMS

The headache of translators while working with idioms is to find the right  counterparts in the target language . In this line false friends are numerous .

An illustration is  the French idiom “ se répandre comme une traînée de poudre “. From the first look translating this expression into English  may yield an awkward phrase, that is :«  spreading out like gunpowder” . Sure an English reader is likely to puzzle about the meaning of such statement .

Whereas when the translator  reminds himself that the adjacent idea of the French idiom refers to how fast something can reach out both people  and places , then he would recall an English idiom that can match up  with the source phrase though the image that is referred to  may be quite different . We think of the idiom  “ to spread out like wildfire”.

Noteworthy is the fact that the noun “ wildfire “ is not a synonymous to “traînée de poudre” yet the idioms are equal to each other . They convey the same message of fastness and danger

Another example is the English phrase  :” circumstances beyond our control” . its French counterpart is “ circonstances indépendantes de notre volonté”. It can be noted that etymologically the word “ beyond “is an English adverb and does not match with the adjective “ indépendantes” . Plus “ control “ does  not have the same meaning with the French “ volonté” .Nonetheless the above phrases are equivalent to each other . Should a translator have used the French “contrôle” ,in a word-by-word translation , the phrase would turn to be baffling indeed .

Here under are listed some other  double-crossing  phrases and idioms

English	False French friend	Right French friend
The ins and outs of To be a matter of dispute To chase rainbows To be the chef in the kitchen	Les intérieurs et les extérieurs de être l’objet de dispute Poursuivre les arcs-en-ciel être le chef -cuisinier	Les rouages de.. Etre un sujet à caution Chercher les poux sur les bouteille être le seul maitre à bord

Still , not all the idioms and phrases in a language have a counterpart in the others for languages vary in their historical background and their lexicons.

In such a situation the skillful translator is bound to explain the meaning of the source idiom . The point is to help foreign readers understand what the speaker has in his or her mind .Example : given the French idiom “ on n’ y va pas la fleur au fusil” . It means a work should not be taken as a play . It can be noticed that the phase” on n’y va pas “ is the negative form of a phrase that basically alludes to a movement like the action of  leaving a place to another one . But since it related to an idiom it takes up a figurative resonance and then refers to an initiative that is going to be undertaken  or a project or a work that are going to be carried out with eagerness .

The world of idioms is breath-taking.

TRANSLATION AND ITS TEACHING SESSIONS

Accuracy is a focal point in the translation work . Then for accuracy purposes  every thorough translators should  fan out some informative details that help foreign readers grasp the spirit of the author. Accuracy is two-folded : first  it entails putting the right counterparts side by side. And secondly it involves informing the readers about some details that they might ignore . For example the translation of geographical texts as well as that of historical  material

Historical documents often harbours names of high personalities . Usually in the source texts , personalities are called  without any mention of their titles or their rank  for the writer assumes the readers well know whom he or she is portraying

Yet foreign readers may not know them . Hence the compulsion  of the translator  to bring in his or her work more details that are going to  enhance a better understanding of the reading material .

Given the translation of French names : Henri II ,and  Louis XIV. The English results are : king Henry II and king  Louis XIV for English –speaking people might not know the rank of these folks.

Similarly geographical entities should be located with accuracy . For instance given a source text with the address : “ Pennsylvania , N.Y.city ”. The French translation will give more details by featuring the country that is , ‘ Pennsylvanie, New York , Etats-Unis “.  By mentioning the country in the target text the translator ensures that any French reader is going to figure out the spatial framework of the text .

In this regards translation is also an explanatory  task.

TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION : the clear-cut boundary

In the mind of the layman , careers related to languages are  all but the same . He views the job  of translation as a synonymous to the task of interpretation . But in fact where is the boundary  between these two careers ?

            The fact is , translation involves a merge of  many people ‘s minds . Otherwise said the work of translation enhances oneness of spirit between the folk that are interested by the topic. Translation enables them to  think to  the same matter in the same way . Therefore they can react or behave in the same mood.

The translator abides by the shape and the content of the source text. The target text should display a high degree  of fidelity to the source text . During the translation effort the linguist upholds the cultural background of the readers and that of the text’s author . Most of the time a word-by-word translation is less accurate and it does not speak to the heart of the targeted audience. For instance , given the French phrase: “N’en déplaise à .. :” ,a word-by-word  English translation yields the non-sense meaning :”it does not please to ”or “no offense” which does not fit with the spirit of the source text. Then the careful translator should look for an English counterpart that expresses the same feeling that is induced in these word, the feeling of  indifference, of sufficiency .

            On the other hand Interpretation enhances the oneness of spirit in a conversation or in a public talk between the speaker and his or her audience. As regards  calls or public talks or conferences the interpreter  is expected to read  the text of the speaker well ahead the opening of the event . In such a situation the job of interpretation is similar to the work of translation for it’s text –based.

            However interpreting a conversation is a quite different story . It requires swiftness _ the interpreter is expected to talk as soon a s the speakers shut up their mouths .

The interpreter should also be alert about grasping the words as well as the way the speakers  voice them so as to glean the real intentions and feelings of the speaker that might lie beneath.

            The  interpreter should be tactful for it can happen that one to the speakers uses  abusive speech against the other or he or she might be sarcastic to the other or even one of the speakers might be illiterate and then displays a low level of speech . It is not the job of the interpreter to  fire fights and quarrels . He should rather be tactful and  identify the underlying  feelings  . Then he or she can word them in a more convenient way .

For instance let us assume a discussion where one of the speakers insults the other .The interpreter is going to inform the other person about the anger of his or her counterpart without translating the” dirty” word he has earlier uttered.

Sometimes the interpreter is expected to summarize the speech of a talkative person . An illustration of this is the case of a tourist that marvels about a countryside . He might be going to notice every detail of the scenery . The skillful interpreter is not expected to go along all those lyrics . It is adviceable that he summarizes the tourist’s words  into a  positive feeling and says for example that  tourist  is very fond of the place .

It is obvious the interpreter enjoys a high degree of freedonm than the translator . At the same time their work is more binding than the translator’s own . In the translation process there are many pairs of eyes that care about the accuracy of the final text whereas the interpreter is the sole person who is responsible of the quality of his services and their ensuing impacts be them positive or be them negative.

Therefore   is the boundary between the above fields  so clear ? Were it on a map , where could we  locate it ? Going through these processes is the best way to grasp the meaningful truth.