Impact of Translation on Universal Values and Cultural Nexus in Yoruba, English and French Proverbs and Idioms

Abstract

 Fixed expressions or expressionsfigees in French (idioms and proverbs) incarnate sayings, real life situations and universal moral values; therefore bequeathing words of wisdom and morality to generations. These expressions or sayings represent autochthonous cultural emblem attributable to a particular distinct linguistic community. However, there exist some natural and universal cultural affinities which are globally shared with the aid of written and oral literature. The translation constraints of these fixed expressions are associated with establishing equivalent cultural euphoria of wisdom or morality in these proverbs or idioms, putting into account different languages. This article attempts to highlight the universality of fixed expressions in (Yoruba-English-French) languages, their overt/covert translations and the commentaries/analysis of cultural nuances that may play out during the translation process. Eugene Nida's Approach of Formal Equivalence and Dynamic Equivalence have been adopted to analyse cultural/contextual nuances and literal translations identified in the article.