Friday 1 April 2011

Slang- Culturally Untranslateable or Universally Relevant

Here's a great link to slang phrases in various languages - many of them very rude but also containing some gems of streetwise wisdom. Some are a little hard to translate, as in "Gacche kathal gophe tel" from Bangladesh, which means "Oiling your moustache in anticipation of the jackfruit tree bearing fruit." (we say "counting your chickens before they are hatched" - not nearly as evocative.)

My favourite is perhaps "A vos te chifla el moño" - Your bow tie is whistling. (You're crazy).

2 comments:

  1. I like "owls in the moss" for "something untoward is afoot" in Norwegian. Don't know why, I just like the image it brings up in my head.

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  2. Bizzare. Can't find where to leave comments on yur other blogs.

    ReplyDelete

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