An Analysis of the Strategies Used in Translating Tonga Idioms and Culturally-Bound Expressions in Choma District, Zambia.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the strategies used in translating idioms and culturally-bound expressions from Chitonga to English in Choma District of Southern Province in Zambia. The study had two objectives which were, to establish the existing strategies used in the translation of idioms and culturally-bound expressions and, investigate their relevance in the translation of idioms and culturally-bound expressions. The study used qualitative research method which employed a case study design that clearly analyzed the effects of the translation strategies in Chitonga to English language. Further, data collection was done from twenty (20) participants using purposeful and convenient samplings. Five idiomatic expressions were used and data was analyzed by processing into common themes to establish the conclusions of the study.  The study revealed that the main translation strategies used were paraphrase, literal and pragmatic. It was also noted that a combination of literal can be used. However, it works well with the combination of two or more translation strategies to get the intended meaning of the expression.

With these findings, the study recommends the utilization of the effective strategies of local languages and studies on the impact of the effects of translation should be done to understand the damage caused by lack of utilization of the appropriate translation strategies of idiomatic expressions particularly in Chitonga.