Hey foreigners! What you say?!

[atgcpaul]

It seems like we have some folks here with some international roots. OK, we
all have international roots but some of us are a little fresher off the boat than
others.

I got to thinking there are a lot of words in our native tongue that just don't
translate well into English. So what are some in your native tongue that
don't quote work in English?

I can think of two right now in mine, Burmese.

Marriage. The closest direct translation is "house arrest" which I suppose is
kinda' true but definitely not an indictment on the state of personal affairs in
Burma. Political affairs are a completely different matter.

The other one relates to getting such an incredibly good deal--like a gloat.
Loosely translated, it's like saying, "I got such a good deal, I even let him slap
me in the face--and it was still worth it!"

What's some of yours?

[JR]

"I got such a good deal, I even let him slap
me in the face--and it was still worth it!"

You MUST start working that into Bargain Alerts!

JR

[jackellis]

some of us are a little fresher off the boat than others

Either you're not *that* fresh off the boat or you did really well in your English classes.

My native language is English but my mother and grandmother used to speak Yiddish when we were young. Later on in life, I learned a few literal translations.

Bupkis usually refers to something that's worthless or coming up empty-handed. The literal translation is "goat s**t".

A schmuck is a jerk. Literally, a unique part of the male anatomy. Maybe not that different from English, though calling someone a schmuck in polite company is not quite as bad as calling someone a p**ck in polite company.

A gonif is a troublemaker. Literally, I think it means a thief.

I'm sure there are others, but I can't remember them offhand.

[twistsol]

The only one I can think of is the Scandinavian/Minnesotan "Uff da" which is pretty much an all purpose exclamation. I have no idea what it means in Norwegian, Swedish, or wherever it came from.

[BobSch]

"Uff da" is "oy vey" in Norwegian.

[Richard in Smithville]

Even english to english can get a little confusing. If someone in England wants a wake up call, they might ask you to, " knock me up in the morning"!

[Pappy]

Having some Choctaw blood in me, I was interested in learning about my ancestry. During my research I found out that 'vegetarian' is Choctaw for 'bad hunter'.

[eccentrictinkerer]

The only one I can think of is the Scandinavian/Minnesotan "Uff da" which is pretty much an all purpose exclamation. I have no idea what it means in Norwegian, Swedish, or wherever it came from.

My Norwegian mom said, "If you step over it, say uff da. If you step in it, say ish da".

[leehljp]

I have run into quite a few in Japanese / English and Japanese / English over the years but don't even think about them any more.

Gary - when it is pronounced as though it sounds like the "ge" in "get" - means diarrhea in Japanese. They used to refer to Gary Cooper as Gahry Cooper.

We had a co-worker family here once from the States with the family name of "Bobo". Japanese used to look away when told but I never could get anyone to tell me what that was in Japanese.

One of my good friends once prepared a message/speech in which he spoke of winning the gold medal as in Olympics. But instead of using universal sounding English expression of "Goludo Medalu", he used the Japanese words "Kin" (gold) "Dama" (coin) which actually is the colloquial for the family jewels!


Of course there are plenty of Japlish. One sign on the side of a internet type of cafe near us has perfect English: "Free drinks: ¥300" (It is supposed to mean "all you can drink for 300 yen.)


Not directly related to the thread but interesting when living internationally:

In many countries, there are 4 separate kinds of bilingual dictionaries:
For instance:
1. Japanese to English: For English speaking people. Look up the Japanese word to find the English equivalent.
2. English to Japanese: For English speaking people. Look up the English word to find the Japanese Equivalent.
(OF course there are some dictionaries that will have both J/E and E/J sections in one.

3. Japanese to English: For Japanese reading and speaking people. All explanations are in Japanese Kanji and Kana. Used to look up English word equivalents from a Japanese word.
4. English to Japanese: For Japanese reading and speaking people. All explanations are in Japanese Kanji and Kana. Used to look up Japanese words when the English word is read or heard.

[bmyers]

Germans in English speaking countries are likely amused at seeing "Gift Shops" on their vacations. Gift means poison in German so a "Poison Shop" seems a little odd for them..

Bill

[BobSch]

We had a co-worker family here once from the States with the family name of "Bobo". Japanese used to look away when told but I never could get anyone to tell me what that was in Japanese.

Looks like it's nasty slang in one region of Japan: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...4113715AAwQLSR

[windmill]

Serendipity is a difficult word to translate into other languages. It typically turns into "coincidence", which is not nearly as descriptive.

In Dutch, there is a word "gezellig". Imagine you're hanging out on a Friday night with a group of great friends, having a few beers, talking. That's "gezellig". In English, the bland word "fun" is used to describe such get-togethers.

As for words that have a different meaning in a foreign language - oh boy. Need I remind anyone of the (now bankrupt) Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker?

[leehljp]

Looks like it's nasty slang in one region of Japan: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...4113715AAwQLSR

I figured as much, since no one would tell me. Of course that was back between '89 - '91, before internet information and searches were around.

Strangely, I have had several Japanese ask me about f*** and wonder what the big deal was since it is spoken in US movies so often. I have even seen it on T-shirts and they don't have a clue. I have been into stores playing rap music from the States with the words as clear as a bell, and they don't think a thing about it because it is in English.

I have told some store owners/managers what was being sung. Most of the time, they would get embarrassed and change the music.

[dbhost]

I for one, do not communicate in "English" per se... With the STRONG influences of German, Spanish, French, and the various native American tongues, I can honestly say I speak American. Ask any Englishman and he'll tell you we messed up their language!

For example, I for one, do not use rubbers on paper... And being a long term Texan I can tell you what the difference between y'all, and all y'all is... And there IS a difference...

[Santa Clarita Len]

Specimen is the Italian word for astronauts.