In German we don’t ask “What’s the matter ?” or “What’s on your mind ?” when we are casually talking to somone who is in a bad mood, we say “Wo drückt der Schuh ? [voː dʀʏkt deːɐ̯ ˈʃuː]” which roughly translates to “Where does the shoe pinch ?” and I think that’s beautiful.
But essentially you’re asking the ‘same’ question, both questions “What’s on your mind” and “What’s your pain” serve the same purpose - asking someone about their feelings when they are in a bad mood. It doesn’t matter whether or not I ask people the one or the other question because their answers would be the same.
In Sylheti Bengali, there’s a sweet dish called “ফিদা (phida)” and it sounds like the word for “punch/hit” which is also “ফিদা (fida)”. So as a joke, cousins and siblings would ask “ফিদা খাইটা নি ? (Fidā khā'iṭā ni ?)” which means “Do you want ‘fida’ ?” and if you say yes they might punch you playfully because after all you agreed to a punch (fida), not a sweet dish (phida).
We had a similar joke in Brazil. The word “bolacha” can mean cookie or a hit/smack depending on what region of the country you’re in. So one kid would ask “quer uma bolacha?” which the other kid interpreted as “do you want a cookie?” and would answer yes, and then would be given a slap, because they did agree to taking a hit/“bolacha”
In Sylheti Bengali, there’s a sweet dish called “ফিদা (phida)” and it sounds like the word for “punch/hit” which is also “ফিদা (fida)”. So as a joke, cousins and siblings would ask “ফিদা খাইটা নি ? (Fidā khā'iṭā ni ?)” which means “Do you want ‘fida’ ?” and if you say yes they might punch you playfully because after all you agreed to a punch (fida), not a sweet dish (phida).
Yes, it does sound like salmon snake to a modern speaker, but etymologically it’s something completely different: it’s an old loan from Old Swedish, floghdrake, that means a flying snake. Finns couldn’t pronounce the many consonants at the beginning of the word, so it changed in their mouths into lohi that sounds quite similar and happens to mean salmon. Käärme is a direct translation of the word drake, snake.
I’ve made a couple of posts about this, and will continue to do so as long as I see these translations going around. This is why language is so interesting.
In Mandarin Chinese we say “再见 (zài jiàn)” as “goodbye” or “farewell”, which roughly translates to “see (见) you again (再)” and I think that’s beautiful, because that means there is no true goodbye in the Mandarin Chinese language, and we only ever part ways for the time being.
In Danish, when the wind is really strong we can say “Det stormer/blæser en halv pelikan”, it directly translates to “It’s storming/blowing half a pelican” and I have absolutely zero idea why. It is an older saying though, so not everyone will know it.
In Czech we don’t say “You’re annoying” or “You’re irritating me”, we say “sereš mě (seresh me)”, which literally means “You’re shitting (on) me” and this is just perfect way to describe the feeling.
In German we don’t say “Happy New Year” we say “Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr” which roughly translates to “A good slide into the new year" and may all your wishes come true.
In German we don’t say “killing time”, we say “Zeit totschlagen ” which literally means “beating the time up to death” and I think that’s beautiful
I didn’t tell you the whole truth: The verb “totschlagen” belongs to the noun “Totschlag”. “Totschlag” and “Mord” (murder) are two types of crime where someone committed homicide. “Mord” on the one hand was a mostly planned or at least intendet murder yand is more severe than “Totschlag” - killing someone in the heat of the moment, out of a sudden urge or emotion.
“umgangssprachlich; Der Begriff ”Zeitvertreib" ist erst eine Erfindung des 18. Jahrhunderts, aber den Reichen und Adligen war Sport, Spiel und Unterhaltung auch vorher natürlich nicht unbekannt. Das redensartliche Bild meint, dass man die "Person Zeit“ vertreiben oder gar töten kann, damit sie einen nicht länger durch ihre Anwesenheit belästigt.”
“colloquial; The term “Zeitvertreib” has only been invented in the 18th century, although prior, sports, games and entertainment (as a pastime) weren’t unfamiliar to the rich and nobles. The idiomatic picture indicates that one dispels or even ‘murders’ (see above explanation) the personified “time” so it would no longer disturb oneself through its presence.“
In German we don’t say “killing time”, we say “Zeit totschlagen ” which literally means “beating the time up to death” and I think that’s beautiful
I didn’t tell you the whole truth: The verb “totschlagen” belongs to the noun “Totschlag”. “Totschlag” and “Mord” (murder) are two types of crime where someone committed homicide. “Mord” on the one hand was a mostly planned or at least intendet murder yand is more severe than “Totschlag” - killing someone in the heat of the moment, out of a sudden urge or emotion.
“umgangssprachlich; Der Begriff ”Zeitvertreib" ist erst eine Erfindung des 18. Jahrhunderts, aber den Reichen und Adligen war Sport, Spiel und Unterhaltung auch vorher natürlich nicht unbekannt. Das redensartliche Bild meint, dass man die "Person Zeit“ vertreiben oder gar töten kann, damit sie einen nicht länger durch ihre Anwesenheit belästigt.”
“colloquial; The term "Zeitvertreib” has only been invented in the 18th century, although prior, sports, games and entertainment (as a pastime) weren’t unfamiliar to the rich and nobles. The idiomatic picture indicates that one dispels or even ‘murders’ (see above explanation) the personified “time” so it would no longer disturb oneself through its presence.“
In Irish, “December” is “Mí na Nollag” which is literally “The Month of Christmas” so I feel completely culturally justified in treating today like the beginning of one long holiday, honestly.
In scottish gaelic its ‘an Dubhlachd’ which effectively means the blackness and i feel like this is one of the fundamental differences between irish and scottish gaelic.
Translation: In Germany, we don’t say “Hello, could you turn down the music ?”, we say “Yes, hello, Code Enforcement/Department of Order ? The neighbour still has loud music turned on at 10:01 pm*.
Yes, with emergency vehicle lighting*, please.”
*According to German law, a curfew is applied past 10 o’clock pm. (a law loved and appreciated by Germans :))
*lit. “blue light” - any sort of emergency/operational vehicle uses blue light to signal the urgency of the situation; here we would talk about the municipal-level law enforcement agency
Translation: “IN GERMANY, THE OBLIGATION TO DRIVE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD PREVAILS ! You idiot* with your (Opel) Corsa better scoot off the left lane now !”
*lit. “evolutionary brake” - meaning somebody who represents an obstacle to evolution (very colloquial use)
In German we don’t say “Happy New Year” we say “Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr” which roughly translates to “A good slide into the new year" and may all your wishes come true.
In Brazilian Portuguese, we don’t say someone “does crazy and weird things”, we say they are “porra louca*” which literally translates to “crazy semen” and I love those weird quirks in languages.
![IN [LANGUAGE] WE DON'T SAY ...](https://64.media.tumblr.com/avatar_84ac7e4b41dc_30.png){kind=avatar}
