Untranslatable Words

[Patricia]

Plates of meat=feet.
I have a friend from south London who always promises to call people 'on the dog.' Dog and bone=phone.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Yes we do but we're only less than 2 percent of MR readership. Those who can't get along simply choose to stay away. So, can we be certain that we all get along?

We do...

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by igorsk

Funny thing is that in Russian community the Rocket Ebook aka REB is often called "рыба" (ryba), which means... "fish"

Wow.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Patricia

Plates of meat=feet.
I have a friend from south London who always promises to call people 'on the dog.' Dog and bone=phone.

yes, see, that's where it gets complicated...

i do like that though. how hilariously nonsensical would it be if i tried to translate cockney rhyming slang into french ? not using french rhymes, just the original english ones. so from now on instead of saying "je te passe un coup de fil," or, if i'm feeling slangy already "je te passe un coup de bigo[phone]," i'll say "je te passe un coup de chien."

hehe hehe...

[RickyMaveety]

Did a search for people using dogs to make phone calls and found this from "One Foot in the Grave" (British TV show ... very funny.)

[zelda_pinwheel]

My French vs English wordlist (on-going)

or, a french / english list of words with no good equivalents in the other language. nice.

i'd have to agree with most of them, as well.

NB : the comments on the original blog are worth reading as well.

I love the French and English languages. They are an endless source of pleasure.

[Disclaimer: all these definitions and opinions are my own and cannot be considered authoritative. I realize that you can eventually explain any notion in any language--but not equally easily.]

French words with no real English equivalent

les acquis sociaux [means "the things that we have fought for: the 35-hour week, etc." ]

cadre [someone who is not an ordinary employee, part of the elite; but it's fuzzy]

chômer, chômeur [to be unemployed, an unemployed person: but in French, it's somehow active]

dépaysement [the sensation of being in another country]

déroulement [unfolding, how things happen]

doux [means so many things at once: sweet, tender, soft, gentle]

douleur [means so many things at once: pain, sorrow, sadness, ache, heartache]

encadrer [to be surrounded and taken care of]

la fête [we need a word like this in English. "Party" or "feast" are not the same.]

incontournable [something you can’t escape from or get around; inevitable]

le patronat [the class of bosses, as if they're separate from normal people; I find this concept very French]

retrouvailles [meeting again after a long time, the happiness]

That sinister word social

sortable [adjective for someone you can take places without being embarrassed]

spectacle [a show of any kind]

surenchère [one-upmanship, upping the ante, increasing your bid]

English words with no true French equivalent

block [as in "Go two blocks"-- the French word is pâté de maisons, but the French never use it. Instead they say "two streets."]

float [as in a parade]

friend [Of course, the French have friends too. But a French ami/amie always has to have a sex, whereas we find it's often so convenient not to have to say.]

gentleman [in French, seems to be more of a fashion statement than a personal quality.]

kick [you have to say: "donner un coup de pied" which I find a bit long]

kind [the French have to say “gentille” or “généreux”; the nuance of this being a deep character trait is missing]

mind [all senses, from "I don't mind" to "have in mind" to "a beautiful mind"]

miss [as in "missing someone"; you have to say "Tu me manques" which means "You are lacking to me."]

remember [you have to say je me souviens or je me rappelle, "I recall to myself"]

ride [as in an amusement park; you have to say "attraction"]

neighborly

rude ["mal poli" does not translate the American sense: aggressively, deliberately impolite.]

tailgating [as in a car. This is curious because almost all French drivers tailgate. Maybe it's like our not noticing gravity until Isaac Newton pointed it out.]

thorough [you have to say profond or à fond]

wonder [in French you have to say, "I ask myself" to translate "I wonder," but it's not the same thing]

wrong [you have to say "faux" or "mauvais" as in "the bad direction" instead of "the wrong way"; a nuance of wrongness is missing]

French expressions I find strange

je n’y suis pour rien [literally "I am not there for nothing": "it’s not my fault"]

passer un savon à quelqu’un [literally "pass a soap to someone": scold someone]

tirer les vers du nez [literally "pull the worms out of the nose": used as in English, "getting him to talk was like pulling teeth"; people actually say this]

French words I like/think sound funny

coup de barre

galipette

gueule

polisson

racaille, pagaille, canaille, gouaille, grisaille; chatouille, rouille, bouille

zozoter [the French have a word for lisp even though en principe they don't have a "th" sound!]

tentative d’attentat [attempted terrorist attack; say it out loud!]

trois

Vive le roi! [Try to say “roi ” and see if it sounds like a king!]


Common French expressions whose equivalent you don't hear much in English

en principe ["in theory"; actually means "but in reality, probably not"]

mais puisque je vous le dis ["but because I'm saying it to you"-- someone who often seems untrustworthy says this when you doubt what they are saying. ]

faut pas vous énerver! ["(you) must not get annoyed!" Always said by annoying people when you object to their cutting in line/queue-barging]

Common English words and expressions whose equivalent you don't hear much in French

Sorry, but I didn't make the rules!

I don't buy that!

wasting time

[Xenophon]

cadre [someone who is not an ordinary employee, part of the elite; but it's fuzzy]

But, but, but... That French word has a perfectly good English equivalent. We use...



wait for it...


"Cadre" to express that very meaning!!!

Xenophon

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

But, but, but... That French word has a perfectly good English equivalent. We use...



wait for it...


"Cadre" to express that very meaning!!!

Xenophon

really ??? i didn't know that.

[pshrynk]

That would, technically, make it untranslatable, then.

[nekokami]

What was that quote about English not merely borrowing words from other languages but chasing them down alleys... etc.?

[slayda]

One of my most interesting words (actual usage is mostly a "Southernism" which itself is an untranslatable word) is "reckon" as in giving permission.

Child: "Mama, can I go to the store with you."
Mother: "Yeah, I reckon."

I tried to explain this to a Spanish speaking person once. I only managed to do so because he was brilliant.

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by nekokami

What was that quote about English not merely borrowing words from other languages but chasing them down alleys... etc.?

Here's one quote:https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ork#post184472

[BookishDreamer]

Originally Posted by slayda

One of my most interesting words (actual usage is mostly a "Southernism" which itself is an untranslatable word) is "reckon" as in giving permission.

Child: "Mama, can I go to the store with you."
Mother: "Yeah, I reckon."

I tried to explain this to a Spanish speaking person once. I only managed to do so because he was brilliant.

"Fixing to" (or "fixin' ta" in true Southern drawl) is the one that gets me.

"Have you finished yet?"
"Fixin' to."

I've never understood how you can be "fixing" to do anything! And I've lived in the South my entire life.

Dreamer

[pshrynk]

"Might could"

"Are you intending to get my car fixed anytime in this reality?"
"I might could get to it next Tuesday..."

[zelda_pinwheel]

you mean this one ?

Originally Posted by Nate the great

It's not Booker T Washington. You first heard it from me, on this forum. I was quoting James D. Nicoll:

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow
words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways
to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."

edit : my stars, all those replies in the 2 minutes since i opened this tab... i was replying to nekokami, all the way up there.