TerpTopics: IDIOMS and PUNS: Introduction to ASL and Sign Language Interpreting

No doubt about it, puns and idioms can present some of the more challenging (and sometimes awkward) interpreting opportunities. Why? Because they will make no sense if directly translated into a second (target) language. Or, worse, they will "make sense" but not at all in the way intended when they were uttered in the original (source) language.

Because puns and idioms are woven into a source (original) language and culture, their meaning and usefulness typically starts and ends among people who share the same language and cultural background.

Many native users of English know what a grandmother means when she tells her grandchild to "go sell your papers" (go tell someone else, who will presumably care more than I do; you're bothering me right now), or what an older sister means when she tells a younger brother to "take a hike" (go away; you're bothering me right now).

On the other hand, what are the literal meanings of go sell your papers and take a hike? Suppose the grandchild has no papers to go and sell? Suppose the younger brother has no hiking shoes or other adequate rigging? Imagine their confusion that a loved one would command them to perform such an unexpected activity and for no apparent reason.

While it may at first seem funny that anyone would take such remarks literally, that's exactly what happens when non-native users are confronted by what they at best perceive as silly or meaningless utterances and at worst perceive as rude, crude, insulting, or otherwise inappropriate behavior.

With the dangers of such misunderstandings in mind, it is clear just how important is the work of the interpreter practitioner, who literally holds in his or her own hands the responsibility of conveying intended meaning.

Puns are intimately bound up with the culture of a language, reflecting particular values, tastes, and lifestyles: Good reasons for using puns in advertising, to attract a reader's attention and maintain his or her interest.

An idiom is a multi-word unit whose meaning cannot be generally inferred from the meaning of the individual words.

Idioms that are difficult to recognize are those that have both a literal and idiomatic meaning, such as:

Let's take a look at some simple and quite common American English idioms, what they mean, and how a practitioner might render their meaning in sign language. But, before we do that, we need to say a little something about situation and setting:

The examples shown in the table that follows are most appropriate for general and casual adult conversation. Interpreters must always consider situation and setting before rendering an interpretation, and make decisions accordingly. Practitioners in, for example, an educational or other technical setting, may find that the exact and literal English idiom or pun, as well as its interpreted meaning, are appropriately conveyed.

In the table that follows are some common American English idioms, meanings, and possible ASL renderings. Readers are reminded to bear in mind that, just as there are several ways to convey an idea or message in English, there may be more than one way to interpret into ASL an English idiom.

TerpTopics does not claim to have the market cornered when it comes to the best or the smartest or any of those other superlatives; rather, we humbly offer examples in the hope that they may support novice signers or interpreter students in developing a sense, or deeper understanding, of the topic.

Certainly, reasonable and experienced signers and interpreters may feel that a better rendering might have been chosen. TerpTopics welcomes and incorporates thoughtful feedback from visitors. Please feel free to contact us.

This page was edited: 09/15/2009
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