Difficulties in Translating Idiomatic Expressions in the French as a Foreign Language Classroom: Fourth-Year Students in the Department of French Language at the University of Mosul, Iraq, as a Case Study

محمود, إحسان شكر

doi:10.25130/Lang.9.4.P2.25

	Difficulties in Translating Idiomatic Expressions in the French as a Foreign Language Classroom: Fourth-Year Students in the Department of French Language at the University of Mosul, Iraq, as a Case Study
Journal of Language Studies
Volume 9, Issue 4, Part 2, December 2025, Pages 546-566 PDF (654.9 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.25130/Lang.9.4.P2.25
Author
إحسان شكر محمود
قسم اللغة الفرنسية, كلية الآداب, جامعة الموصل
Abstract
In the teaching and learning of French as a foreign language, both students and teachers face numerous challenges, including understanding and translating idiomatic expressions from French into Arabic and vice versa. These expressions are deeply rooted in the culture, traditions, history, and way of thinking of a particular people or country. They carry figurative and metaphorical meanings associated with a specific context, which makes their literal translation difficult. Consequently, the ambiguity of meaning, which is often figurative and indirect, hinders students from understanding the precise meaning of these expressions. In addition, the lack of knowledge of their equivalents in the mother tongue constitutes an additional obstacle. From this perspective, the teacher should develop a specific strategy for teaching these expressions, while providing supportive tools that enhance students’ understanding of them first and then enable them to translate them accurately and acceptably.
Keywords
Idiomatic Expressions; Translation; Difficulties; Teaching; Learning

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