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Yes, word-by-word translations can be baffling. I'm reminded of one of those post-WW2 PoW reminscence books (about Colditz?) in which one PoW learning German would literally translate English idioms into German, to the bewilderment of the guards: eg (and this is the only example I can remember after all this time) "gebraunt weg". From the English "browned off."
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