Idioms and Humour, the Hardest Words to Translate Well

Every language has phrases that make perfect sense to native speakers and none at all to anyone else. English speakers say it is raining cats and dogs. The French say it is raining ropes. Ukrainians say it is pouring like from a bucket. The image changes, the meaning stays the same, and a translator who renders any of these word for word produces nonsense.

Idioms and humour are where translation stops being a technical exercise and becomes a creative one.

Why literal translation fails

An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words. "Kick the bucket", "spill the beans", "a piece of cake". Translated literally, they become strange images with no connection to the intended message. Machine translation engines have improved at recognising common idioms, but they still stumble on rarer ones, regional sayings and expressions that are twisted for effect.

The translator's job is to recognise the idiom, understand what it means in context and then find a natural way to express the same idea in the target language. Sometimes that is an equivalent idiom. Often it is a plain phrase that carries the meaning without the image.

The special challenge of humour

Humour depends on shared knowledge. A joke about a local politician, a famous advert or a regional accent works only if the audience knows the reference. Wordplay is even harder, because it relies on the sound or double meaning of specific words that rarely have the same properties in another language.

When a British marketing campaign built around a pun needs to reach Ukrainian readers, a direct english to ukrainian translation will almost never work. A skilled translator creates a new joke with a similar tone and purpose, often after proposing several options and explaining the thinking behind each.

Transcreation, the creative cousin of translation

This process is often called transcreation. It combines translation with copywriting. The aim is not to reproduce the words but to reproduce the effect: the smile, the surprise, the emotional reaction. Brands use it for slogans, product names, advertising campaigns and social media content.

Transcreation usually takes more time than standard translation and is priced differently, often by the hour or by project. For a campaign that will be seen by millions, it is money well spent.

Examples across languages

French is rich in food-related idioms. Someone who is stubborn "has a head like a pumpkin". Someone who is overwhelmed "has too much bread on the board". When a French novel or advertising script needs to reach English speakers, professional french translation services find expressions that feel equally colourful in English rather than exotic or confusing.

Russian proverbs pose similar challenges. Many reflect rural life, folklore or Soviet-era experiences that English readers do not share. A good russian translation of literature or speeches keeps the wisdom of the proverb while choosing words that make sense to the new audience, sometimes adding a short explanation when the cultural reference matters.

When to keep the foreign flavour

Not every idiom should be replaced. In literary translation, a certain foreign flavour can be part of the charm. Readers of a translated Ukrainian novel may enjoy encountering an unusual image, as long as its meaning is clear from context. The translator decides, sentence by sentence, whether to domesticate the text for easy reading or keep some strangeness to preserve its origin.

There is no universal rule. The right choice depends on the genre, the audience and the author's intention.

Humour in business communication

Companies often use light humour in newsletters, onboarding materials and social posts. When these texts are translated, jokes can backfire. A playful tone that works in American English may seem unprofessional in German or Japanese business culture. A reference to a sports team may mean nothing abroad.

Before translating, it helps to ask whether the humour is essential. If it is, invest in transcreation. If not, a neutral, friendly tone may serve the message better in every market.

Subtitles and dubbing

Film and television translation adds another constraint: time and space. Subtitles must be short enough to read quickly. Dubbing must match lip movements. A joke that takes two lines in the original may need to be compressed into six words. Subtitlers are masters of this kind of creative compression, and their work often goes unnoticed precisely because it is done so well.

Tips for clients

• Flag idioms, puns and cultural references in the source text.
• Explain the purpose and tone you want to achieve.
• Allow time for creative options and a short review round.
• Test key slogans with native speakers from the target market.
• Accept that the best translation may look quite different from the original.

A test of real skill

Linguists often describe the idiom as one of the clearest tests of true language mastery. Anyone can look up a word. Understanding what a phrase really means, why people laugh at it and how to recreate that reaction in another culture takes years of experience. That is why, for humour and idiomatic language, human translators remain irreplaceable.