| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4 5] > | Off topic: How do the Dutch say \'double Dutch\'? Or the Russians \'Russian Roulette\'? More... Thread poster: Libero_Lang_Lab
|
|---|
Ever wondered how the Dutch say Double Dutch in their native tongue?
Thanks to colleagues on the Dutch forum board I now know the answer to this one.
In similar vein, how do you say Russian Roulette in Russian?
or Chinese whispers in Chinese?
And what do the Danish dunk in their coffee?
The French for \"to take French leave\" is, if I remember rightly, \"filer a l\'anglaise\" (!), just as \"a French let... See more Ever wondered how the Dutch say Double Dutch in their native tongue?
Thanks to colleagues on the Dutch forum board I now know the answer to this one.
In similar vein, how do you say Russian Roulette in Russian?
or Chinese whispers in Chinese?
And what do the Danish dunk in their coffee?
The French for \"to take French leave\" is, if I remember rightly, \"filer a l\'anglaise\" (!), just as \"a French letter\" is une capote anglaise.
I know that it\'s a faux pas to ask for Turkish Delight in Athens, where, presumably, the expression \"It\'s all Greek to me\" would be, well, nonsensical...
Are their any other such examples out there...?
[ This Message was edited by: The Tautologist on 2003-03-26 12:29] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jack Doughty 
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:00
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam | "Ich bin ein Berliner" | Mar 26, 2003 |
When JFK said “Ich bin ein Berliner”, it is said that he was saying “I am a Berlin doughnut”. The German for Berlin doughnut is Berliner Krapfen - http://www.gramss.de/tk/e_krapf.htm - and though Krapfen is no doubt a perfectly respectable word in German, it doesn’t sound very appetizing in English.
However, this is a matter of dispute. Some think that what he said was quite correct.
... See more When JFK said “Ich bin ein Berliner”, it is said that he was saying “I am a Berlin doughnut”. The German for Berlin doughnut is Berliner Krapfen - http://www.gramss.de/tk/e_krapf.htm - and though Krapfen is no doubt a perfectly respectable word in German, it doesn’t sound very appetizing in English.
However, this is a matter of dispute. Some think that what he said was quite correct.
See http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/jfkberl.htm on this. Maybe a native German speaker would like to comment on this.
Closer to home, I don\'t think the Scots would mind the expression \"Scotch mist\"
(meaning something illusory or non-existent), but I\'m sure they don\'t \"welsh on a deal\" in Wales. \"Le vice anglais\" would probably be considered a politically incorrect expression nowadays (but would the French care about that?)
Does a dentist in the Southern USA \"yank\" a tooth?
Is Russian salad \"russky salat\" in Russian or do they call it something else?
What do the Spanish call \"Spanish practices\"
(a now rather obsolete English expression meaning time-wasting and costly customs insisted on by trade unions)?
You certainly can think them up, Dan! 
[ This Message was edited by: jdoughty on 2003-03-26 09:35] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Double Dutch = koeterwaals | Mar 26, 2003 |
And the \"waals\" in \"koeterwaals\" means \"Walloon\", which refers to the French-speaking part of Belgium (the second language in Belgium, next to Dutch).
| | | | Pernille Chapman
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:00
Member (2004)
English to Danish
+ ...
| Another one for your collection... | Mar 26, 2003 |
Along the lines of the Dutch contribution, the Danish term for \"Double Dutch\" is \"kaudervælsk\". My dictionary offers the following explanation:
\"1st element originally the name of the Swiss town of Chur [kawer]; possibly influenced by German \"kaudern\", to babble; 2nd element originally used about Rhaeto-Romanic, a language spoken in the Rhine Valley. Meaning \"broken language\", esp. about a mixture of several languages\".
So, it appears that a g... See more Along the lines of the Dutch contribution, the Danish term for \"Double Dutch\" is \"kaudervælsk\". My dictionary offers the following explanation:
\"1st element originally the name of the Swiss town of Chur [kawer]; possibly influenced by German \"kaudern\", to babble; 2nd element originally used about Rhaeto-Romanic, a language spoken in the Rhine Valley. Meaning \"broken language\", esp. about a mixture of several languages\".
So, it appears that a great number of people are guilty of \"speaking funny\", depending on where your starting point is...
Thanks a bunch for bringing this up - I\'ve certainly learned something useful today. Great to be allowed into a politically incorrect area in the name of research  ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| Ich bin ein Berliner | Mar 26, 2003 |
In the middle and north of West-Germany it is called \"Berliner\", in Berlin it is called \"Pfannkuchen\" (pancake) which is quite another thing in West-Germany, (I still have not found out how they call West-German Pfannkuchen in Berlin) but they all taste very good
In the provi... See more In the middle and north of West-Germany it is called \"Berliner\", in Berlin it is called \"Pfannkuchen\" (pancake) which is quite another thing in West-Germany, (I still have not found out how they call West-German Pfannkuchen in Berlin) but they all taste very good
In the provided link
http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/jfkberl.htm
the underlying grammar is thoroughly discussed (in English)
In short, it makes a big difference whether \"Ich bin ein Berliner\" is said by the President of the United States or by the President of a Comedian Club 
[ This Message was edited by: Harry_B on 2003-03-26 09:27] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
... as in France (\"filer à l\'anglaise), we say \"andarsene all\'inglese\" for \"French leave\". And we call \"chiave inglese\" a spanner (I don\'t know why).
| | | | Giles Watson
Italy
Local time: 10:00
Italian to English
In memoriam | What's this? Scotch mist? | Mar 26, 2003 |
Hi Jack,
I\'ve never heard your meaning for \"Scotch mist\" before.
AFAIK, the expression is used to point out something obvious. The original idea is that what would be considered heavy rain in England is only \"mist\" in Scotland.
http://www.holoweb.net/~liam/dict/S/SCOTCH-Mist.html
\"Scotch mist\" is also a name ... See more Hi Jack,
I\'ve never heard your meaning for \"Scotch mist\" before.
AFAIK, the expression is used to point out something obvious. The original idea is that what would be considered heavy rain in England is only \"mist\" in Scotland.
http://www.holoweb.net/~liam/dict/S/SCOTCH-Mist.html
\"Scotch mist\" is also a name for whisky poured over crushed ice.
http://drinks.glowport.com/i035.html
And finally, it is also a rhyming slang variant of \"Brahms and Liszt\" (pissed = drunk).
Slàinte,
Giles ▲ Collapse
| | | | xima
Local time: 10:00
English to Catalan
+ ...
| Another example | Mar 26, 2003 |
How do Swedish say what in Spain is \"Hacerse el sueco\"? (Act Swedish.- act as if you weren\'t aware of something although you are)?
No time for more now. But there\'s lots and it\'s amusing!
Cheers!
Xima.
| | |
|
|
|
Yelena.
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:00
English to Russian
+ ...
Russian Roulette in Russian is ðóññêàÿ ðóëåòêà... stays the same...
\"To take French leave\" in Russian is óõîäèòü ïî-àíãëèéñêè, no french connection here!
I guess the Dutch would not like the expression Dutch courage!
| | | | | Turkey in Turkey? | Mar 26, 2003 |
In Turkish, the traditional Thanksgiving bird is known as a \"hindi.\" I wonder what they call it in India?
| | | | NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 04:00
Member (2002)
French to English
+ ...
Moderator of this forum | Turkey in Canada | Mar 26, 2003 |
Imagine my dismay (and shame) when at the college where I teach French as a Second Language, I noticed that the special of the day was Sandwich à la Turquie. This sounds interesting, I thought, until I read the English side of the board: plain old turkey sandwich.
I kid you not!
| | | | langnet
Italy
Local time: 10:00
Italian to German
+ ...
| Cannibalism worldwide... | Mar 26, 2003 |
In Germany, we don\'t eat only \"Berliner\" but also \"Amerikaner\" (a small flat iced cake), and don\'t Americans also love eating \"Hamburgers\"?
Still, there are some people left in Hamburg that haven\'t been eaten yet
| | |
|
|
|
[Edited at 2005-10-02 17:57]
| | | | | btw, just a joke... | Mar 26, 2003 |
... about turkeys (from Johnny Hart\'s BC)
\"We had a large turkey for breakfast\"
\"How was it?\"
\"Hungry\"
(A turkey with a tablecloth around his neck appears and burps)
| | | | Juan Jacob
Mexico
Local time: 02:00
French to Spanish
+ ...
| Están en chino... | Mar 26, 2003 |
...acá, en México, está en chino: incomprensible. Pero, por otro lado, una persona que tenga el pelo chino es aquella que lo tiene completamente lacio. Y una \"china\" poblana es una habitante del Estado de Puebla, ataviada con traje típico.
En cuanto a nacionalidades y sexo, hacer un \"francés\" quiere decir: tailler une pipe !
(D\'ailleurs, la vitesse maximum pour faire l\'amour, c\'est 68... parce qu\'à 69, on se retourne !)
... See more ...acá, en México, está en chino: incomprensible. Pero, por otro lado, una persona que tenga el pelo chino es aquella que lo tiene completamente lacio. Y una \"china\" poblana es una habitante del Estado de Puebla, ataviada con traje típico.
En cuanto a nacionalidades y sexo, hacer un \"francés\" quiere decir: tailler une pipe !
(D\'ailleurs, la vitesse maximum pour faire l\'amour, c\'est 68... parce qu\'à 69, on se retourne !)
Bon, courage...
Juan Jacob. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4 5] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » How do the Dutch say \'double Dutch\'? Or the Russians \'Russian Roulette\'? More... | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
