How do you translate idioms?

I would probably google the statement and ask for a definition. That’s what I do as a native english speaker bc there are still English idioms I’ve never heard before.

Wordreference.com The definitions of single words also include several idiomatic phrases afterward and you can also use the forums there to ask if you can't find it.

By nature, idioms are very often untranslatable, at least literally. You have to try to find an expression in the second language that conveys the same idea.

Thanks for the help, I'll give them a try!

This is something that even professional translators struggle with at times.

Have you tried DeepL.com ? The more info you write, the better the translation is. There's probably even website I'd you search enough.

1. Start with the idiom or expression in your language ("he's living in a movie") 2. Restate it more literally or directly in your language ("a person who has unrealistic expectations") 3. Translate this simpler main idea to English with reverso or a dictionary (try different versions like "unrealistic person" "deluded person" "person with overly high expectations" to see what English results you get) 4. Look for an idiom associated with this idea in English (search: "idioms about out of touch people" "English idioms unrealistic expectations" and other terms you got from the previous step) 5. Pick a matching English idiom ("living in a fantasy world" "head in the clouds")

Idioms don’t always translate directly. One of my favourites that I’ve learnt in Danish is “der er ingen ko på isen”. Which translates as there is no cow on the ice. But what does that mean exactly? Well if there’s no cow on the ice there’s nothing to worry about. Flip it around in English you’d say “you’d make do and mend rather than buying a new….” But when I tried to translate make do and mend to Danish my teacher corrected me and told me it wasn’t a thing in Danish so it didn’t make sense. I know of a Danish idiom dictionary that’s available that sort of gives you examples of how to use the idiom in conversation but it’s still not always the easiest thing to throw into conversation.

Try Reverso Context. It shows actual translations in context.

Most of English's best idioms are *literal* translations from other languages (e.g. "long time no see"). I say just translate it word for word and let it rock, but *be prepared* for the audience to not understand and be ready to explain if they aren't. If you are writing a story, make sure context makes it 100% clear what is meant or even just have the idiom explained in detail.

DeepL is a pretty great translator that does tend to take idioms into account.