Comparative Study of Idioms in Romance and Germanic Languages: Translation Nuances and Challenges

BACKGROUND Idioms form unique narratives within a speech community and define its linguistic identity. Translating idioms in Germanic and Romance languages poses significant challenges due to their figurative meanings and lack of direct correspondence with literal expressions. The study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of idioms in Germanic and Romance languages and to explore the specifics of their translation into Ukrainian. MATERIALS AND METHODS The research material consisted of 120 idioms selected from English (a Germanic language) and Spanish (a Romance language). Structural, grammatical, lexical, and semantic analyses were applied to identify similarities and differences in form, meaning, and translation adaptability. Quantitative analysis was employed to assess the frequency and efficiency of different translation strategies. RESULTS The structural and grammatical analysis revealed that idioms of comparison in English, Spanish, and Ukrainian exhibit a similar syntactic structure but differ in adaptability during practical use. English and Spanish maintain relatively fixed grammatical forms, whereas Ukrainian demonstrates greater flexibility in grammatical transformations. Lexical and semantic analysis identified both universal and culture-specific features of the studied idioms. Universal associations were generally translated without loss of meaning, while culturally bound images required additional adaptation to preserve stylistic and semantic authenticity. Quantitatively, 66% of idioms were translated through direct equivalence, 24% through semantic adaptation, and 10% through lexical replacement. CONCLUSION Idioms with comparative structures constitute an integral part of linguistic development, reflecting both universal cognitive patterns and distinctive cultural imagery. Effective translation of such idioms requires balancing equivalence and cultural adaptation to maintain the original style and meaning across languages.