Translation 180 Handout 1:
The use of Dictionaries
Exercise: Translate the following into Arabic.
1. Mona and Layla are upset because the meeting was a dog-eat-dog affair two days
ago.
ً
a. What dictionary do you consult to translate the phrase underlined above?
( a bilingual dictionary : English /Arabic
or Arabic/English)
( a monolingual dictionary: Arabic/Arabic or English/English)
The answer is ' a situation of fierce competition in which people are willing to harm
each other in order to succeed.'
Crowther. Jonathan ed .Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1995, p.343. This dictionary is given the abbreviation 'OXLD'
2. Mazan and Ahmad , my two brothers, may look soft, but underneath they are
rock-hard.
Rock-hard is an 'adjective ,extremely hard, strong or tough.' (OXLD, p.1017)
3.
May has followed the instructions her psychiatrist gave her yesterday to the
letter.
This noun phrase means 'paying attention to every detail: keep to the letter of
agreement.' (OXLD, p..677)
4.a.
The students (feminine, plural) say that the third chapter of
Mohamad's book contains the meat of his argument.
'Meat'(U) means ' the chief or important part of something'(OXLD, p..677).
4.b. The police landed some meaty blows.
'Meaty' , adj (-ier,-iest),means 'having a strong, full o rich ; quality
SUBSTANIAL (1) : meaty arms, a meaty book/ discussion The champion
landed some meaty blows.' (OXLD, p.727)
5. John said to Anna,' Please ask me whatever question you have about
mathematics because it is my cup of tea.'
6. Charlotte has lost her chance to have a scholarship from the University
of London because she got a 'B+' in physics, whereas her girlfriend,
Susan,( her boyfriend, Ronny) has won the scholarship because she got
an 'A' in physics, a situation which shows one man's meat another man's
poison.
7. After a promising start, Ahmad 's and Maha's project soon fizzled out.
This verb phrase means 'to end or fail in a weak or disappointing way
.'(OXLD, p.442)
8. Issa and his wife, Fatema, have a tidy little nest egg of $ 5.000.
This noun phrase means 'a sum of money saved for the future use.' (OXLD, p. 779)
9. a. The cold war between the USA and the Soviet Union lasts for decades and ends
with the collapse of the latter in the last decade of the twentieth century.
9.b. The civil war in Lebanon lasts for about fourteen years.
10. The prisoners were forbidden to approach the fence under pain of death.
This noun phrase means' with the threat of punishment if one does not obey.' (OXLD,
p.834)
11. When chatting with her husband, Jane lets the cat out of the bag.
. ‫تكشف جين السر عن غير قصد خالل حديثها مع زوجها‬
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Collocations
Translate English Collocations (a regular combination of words) into
Arabic; see the different collocational patterns in English and Arabic.
1. The Professor delivers a speech.
2. She delivers her baby.
3. The champion delivers a blow.
4. The broadcaster delivers news.
5. The magistrate delivers a verdict.
6. While eating their rich food, Susan and Ann had weak coffee and
strong tea respectively.
7.Mona gives a party to her friends on Christmas .
8. Because Mari is a heavy smoker , she suffers from health problems.
9.'Resounding victory' and 'crying shame' are English collocations.
10.'Weak' collocates with 'tea' in English.