Idioms in ASL??

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rct2008

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I was thinking about this today... While signing can you use idiomatic expressions? Things like "for petes sake..." or "lets cross that bridge when we come to it..."

I hope this doesn't seem like a dumb question. I'm just curious to know so that I'm not signing with someone and throw one out there and completely derail the conversation.
 
I think "train go sorry" is an ASL idiom (like saying "you missed the boat" in English).

Yes, there are idioms in ASL; however, I'm not sure if all English idioms translate well into ASL.
 
rct2008 said:
I was thinking about this today... While signing can you use idiomatic expressions? Things like "for petes sake..." or "lets cross that bridge when we come to it..."

I hope this doesn't seem like a dumb question. I'm just curious to know so that I'm not signing with someone and throw one out there and completely derail the conversation.
Click to expand...

if you really want to do English idioms in signing.... then learn SEE
 
What about idioms that mean similar things? I've been wondering about this, too. Not a literal translation, but one that has the same gist.
 
From my experience, both languages have idioms for certain situations but their literal translations are very different. Really basic example ... I am driving my daughter to basketball tryouts and she starts to worry about how she will fit in both basketball and dance classes on her schedule. In english I would say to her, "Don't worry about that right now, 'let's cross that bridge when we come to it'." In ASL I might sign 'hold your pants', focus on basketball right now (hold pants focus basketball today).

But remember I am a hearie, so if any deafies want to correct me on this, feel free. That's how we all learn :).
 
Journey said:
From my experience, both languages have idioms for certain situations but their literal translations are very different. Really basic example ... I am driving my daughter to basketball tryouts and she starts to worry about how she will fit in both basketball and dance classes on her schedule. In english I would say to her, "Don't worry about that right now, 'let's cross that bridge when we come to it'." In ASL I might sign 'hold your pants', focus on basketball right now (hold pants focus basketball today).

But remember I am a hearie, so if any deafies want to correct me on this, feel free. That's how we all learn :).
Click to expand...

Or simply, hold if I'm not mistaken.
 
The general rule is to translate the meaning -- Not the idiom.

The is true in spoken languages as well, even though both languages may have idioms that appear to mean exactly the same thing.

For instance Spanish has an idiom "My aunt plays the guitar" which means about the same as, "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China." I would not substitute one for the other.

One reason is: Not everyone knows every idiom of their own language. Some may be regional and others ephemeral while some are "jargon" (that is used primarily by one group of people, say lawyers, or IT techs).

Most people probably do not know English idioms that were once commonplace.

Cut a rug.

Cat's meow.

Put it in orbit.

And for some the meanings change.

"Get down with it" once meant fight dirty, now it means show off, dance, or ready to join in.

And if you try to translate the idiom directly you should know something more about the idiom than the words. I am told of a person who translated "He is a chip off the old block" as "He (piece, part, some) wood." Which doesn't make sense in any language unless you are talking about Pinocchio.
 
Berry said:
The general rule is to translate the meaning -- Not the idiom.

The is true in spoken languages as well, even though both languages may have idioms that appear to mean exactly the same thing.

For instance Spanish has an idiom "My aunt plays the guitar" which means about the same as, "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China." I would not substitute one for the other.

One reason is: Not everyone knows every idiom of their own language. Some may be regional and others ephemeral while some are "jargon" (that is used primarily by one group of people, say lawyers, or IT techs).

Most people probably do not know English idioms that were once commonplace.

Cut a rug.

Cat's meow.

Put it in orbit.

And for some the meanings change.

"Get down with it" once meant fight dirty, now it means show off, dance, or ready to join in.

And if you try to translate the idiom directly you should know something more about the idiom than the words. I am told of a person who translated "He is a chip off the old block" as "He (piece, part, some) wood." Which doesn't make sense in any language unless you are talking about Pinocchio.
Click to expand...

Cat's meow is the only one that I know.
 
Berry said:
The general rule is to translate the meaning -- Not the idiom.

The is true in spoken languages as well, even though both languages may have idioms that appear to mean exactly the same thing.

For instance Spanish has an idiom "My aunt plays the guitar" which means about the same as, "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China." I would not substitute one for the other.

One reason is: Not everyone knows every idiom of their own language. Some may be regional and others ephemeral while some are "jargon" (that is used primarily by one group of people, say lawyers, or IT techs).

Most people probably do not know English idioms that were once commonplace.

Cut a rug.

Cat's meow.

Put it in orbit.

And for some the meanings change.

"Get down with it" once meant fight dirty, now it means show off, dance, or ready to join in.

And if you try to translate the idiom directly you should know something more about the idiom than the words. I am told of a person who translated "He is a chip off the old block" as "He (piece, part, some) wood." Which doesn't make sense in any language unless you are talking about Pinocchio.
Click to expand...
I have a funny story about a a Russian interpreter and a group of Americans talking to Russians. One of them said I'm tickled to the death. The Russian translation came out as scratch me till I die.
 
Barry my age is showing because I am familiar with all those idioms haha.

Deafskeptic, that is a great example of how some things just cannot be translated hahaha.
 
Cut a rug was to dance so well as to cut a hole into the rug ??
Cats meow, the finest thing to offer?? Synonymous with the bee's knees?
Put in orbit, to be so ecstatic as to float??
 
LDNanna said:
Cut a rug was to dance so well as to cut a hole into the rug ??
Cats meow, the finest thing to offer?? Synonymous with the bee's knees?
Put in orbit, to be so ecstatic as to float??
Click to expand...

You're quite correct about Cat's meow but I'll leave the rest of the idioms for Berry to explain.
 
Berry said:
...I am told of a person who translated "He is a chip off the old block" as "He (piece, part, some) wood." Which doesn't make sense in any language unless you are talking about Pinocchio.
Click to expand...
:lol:
 
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