Translating euphemism expressions

The present study is an attempt to investigate the translation of euphemism expressions. euphemism is figurative expression in which there is substitution of one word for another or one expression for another. It is used to avoid an offensive expression, or one that is socially unacceptable, or one that is unpleasant. Their usage is normally governed by the social, cultural, and religious norms of given community during given period. When it comes to their translation, like the other figurative languages, word for word method of translation does not always guarantee to transfer the intended sense of theses expression into the target language. In fact, euphemism expressions contain meanings which are not readily shown. These meanings have to be decoded by the translator. This leads to an important aspect of translating euphemisms, i.e. recognising them. It is recommended that translators, in particular amateurs, decipher the nature of euphemism expressions in the target language and then translate them with true and acceptable equivalent of the target language whether euphemistic or direct

Keywords:

euphemism , culture , word for word translation