I Dont Think Im Ever Going to Have Eyes for a Another Again in Spainsh

What does it mean to "have tomatoes on your eyes?" Notice out below…

It'south a piece of cake. You can't put lipstick on a pig. Why add fuel to the fire? Idioms are those phrases that mean more than the sum of their words. As our TED Translator volunteers translate TED Talks into 116 languages (and counting), they're oft challenged to translate English idioms into their language. Which made united states of america wonder: what are their favorite idioms in their ain tongue?

Below, we asked translators to share their favorite idioms and how they would translate literally. The results are express joy-out-loud funny.

From German language translator Johanna Pichler :

The idiom: Tomaten auf den Augen haben.
Literal translation: "You lot have tomatoes on your optics."
What it means: "You are non seeing what everyone else tin see. Information technology refers to real objects, though — not abstruse meanings."

The idiom: Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof.
Literal translation: "I merely sympathise the train station."
What it means: "I don't understand a affair well-nigh what that person is proverb.'"

The idiom: Dice Katze im Sack kaufen.
Literal translation: "To purchase a cat in a sack."
What it means: That a buyer purchased something without inspecting it showtime.
Other languages this idiom exists in: We hear from translators that this is an idiom in Swedish, Polish, Latvian and Norwegian. In English, the phrase is "buying a sus scrofa in poke," but English speakers do also  "allow the cat out of the bag," which means to reveal something that'southward supposed to exist underground.

From Swedish translator Matti Jääro :

The idiom: Det är ingen ko på isen
Literal translation: "At that place's no cow on the ice."
What it ways: "There's no demand to worry. We also use 'Det är ingen fara på taket,' or 'At that place's no danger on the roof,' to hateful the aforementioned matter."

The idiom: Att glida in på en räkmacka
Literal translation: "To slide in on a shrimp sandwich."
What it ways: "It refers to somebody who didn't take to work to get where they are."

The idiom: Det föll mellan stolarna
Literal translation: "It fell betwixt chairs."
What information technology means: "Information technology's an excuse you use when two people were supposed to exercise it, only nobody did. It has evolved into the slightly ironic phrase, 'It cruel between the chair,' which you use when you want to say,'Yep, I know I was supposed to do information technology but I forgot.'"

From Thai translator Kelwalin Dhanasarnsombut :

The idiom: เอาหูไปนา เอาตาไปไร่
Literal translation: "Take ears to the field, take eyes to the farm."
What it means: "It ways 'don't pay any attention.' Almost like 'don't bring your eyes and ears with you.' If that were possible."

The idiom: ไก่เห็นตีนงู งูเห็นนมไก่
Literal translation: "The hen sees the snake's feet and the serpent sees the hen's boobs."
What it means: "Information technology means two people know each other's secrets."

The idiom: ชาติหน้าตอนบ่าย ๆ
Literal translation: "One afternoon in your next reincarnation."
What it means: "Information technology's never gonna happen."
Other languages this idiom exists in: A phrase that ways a similar thing in English: "When pigs fly." In French, the aforementioned idea is conveyed by the phrase, "when hens have teeth (quand les poules auront des dents)." In Russian, it's the intriguing phrase, "When a lobster whistles on top of a mountain (Когда рак на горе свистнет)." And in Dutch, it'southward "When the cows are dancing on the ice (Als de koeien op het ijs dansen)."

From Latvian translator Ilze Garda and Kristaps Kadiķis :

The idiom: Pūst pīlītes.
Literal translation: "To accident piffling ducks."
What it means: "It means to talk nonsense or to prevarication."
Other language connections: In Croation, when someone is obviously lying to someone, you say that they are "throwing cream into their eyes (bacati kajmak u oči)."

The idiom: Ej bekot.
Literal translation: "'Get option mushrooms,' or, more specifically, 'Get selection boletes!'"
What it means: "Get away and/or go out me lone."

From French translator Patrick Brault :

The idiom: Avaler des couleuvres.
Literal translation: "To swallow grass snakes."
What it ways: "Information technology means being and so insulted that you lot're non able to reply."

The idiom: Sauter du coq à fifty'âne.
Literal translation: "To spring from the cock to the donkey."
What it means: "Information technology means to keep changing topics without logic in a conversation."

The idiom: Se regarder en chiens de faïence.
Literal translation: "To look at each other similar earthenware dogs."
What it ways: "Basically, to wait at each other coldly, with distrust."

The idiom: Les carottes sont cuites!
Literal translation: "The carrots are cooked!"
What it means: "The state of affairs can't be changed."
Other linguistic communication connections: It's fleck like the phrase, "Information technology's no utilize crying over spilt milk," in English.

From Russian translator Aliaksandr Autayeu :

The idiom: Галопом по Европам
Literal translation: "Galloping across Europe."
What it means: "To do something hastily, haphazardly."

The idiom: На воре и шапка горит
Literal translation: "The thief has a burning hat."
What it ways: "He has an uneasy conscience that betrays itself."

The idiom: Хоть кол на голове теши
Literal translation: "You can sharpen with an ax on top of this head."
What it means: "He's a very stubborn person."

The idiom: брать/взять себя в руки
Literal translation: "To take oneself in one'due south hands."
What it means: "It means 'to pull yourself together.'"
Other languages this idiom exists in: Translators tell u.s.a. that in that location is a German version of this idiom also: "Sich zusammenreißen," which translates literally as "to tear oneself together." And in Polish, the same idea is expressed by the phrase, "we take ourselves into our fist (wziąć się w garść)."

From Portuguese translators Gustavo Rocha and Leonardo Silva :

The idiom: Quem não se comunica se trumbica
Literal translation: "He who doesn't communicate, gets his fingers burnt."
What it ways: "He who doesn't communicate gets into trouble."'

The idiom: Quem não tem cão caça com gato
Literal translation: "He who doesn't have a canis familiaris hunts with a cat."
What information technology means: "You brand the most of what y'all've got." Basically, yous do what you need to practise, with what the resource you accept.

The idiom: Empurrar com a barriga
Literal translation: "To push something with your abdomen."
What it ways: "To keep postponing an of import chore."

The idiom: Pagar o pato
Literal translation: "Pay the duck."
What it means: "To take the arraign for something you lot did not do."

From Polish translator Kinga Skorupska :

The idiom: Słoń nastąpił ci na ucho?
Literal translation: "Did an elephant stomp on your ear?"
What information technology means: "You have no ear for music."
Other languages this idiom exists in : Our translators tell us that in Croatian, in that location's likewise a connection made between elephants and musical ability in the phrase, "You sing like an elephant farted in your ear (Pjevaš kao da ti je slon prdnuo u uho.)." But in the Latvian version, information technology's a carry who stomps on your ear.

The idiom: Bułka z masłem.
Literal translation: "It'due south a roll with butter."
What it ways: "It's really easy."

The idiom: Z choinki się urwałaś?
Literal translation: "Did you fall from a Christmas tree?"
What it ways: "You are non well informed, and it shows."

From Japanese translators Yasushi Aoki and Emi Kamiya :

The idiom: 猫をかぶる
Literal translation: "To habiliment a cat on one'due south head."
What information technology ways: "Y'all're hiding your claws and pretending to be a prissy, harmless person."

The idiom: 猫の手も借りたい
Literal translation: "Willing to borrow a cat's paws."*
What it means: "Y'all're so decorated that you're willing to accept aid from anyone."

The idiom: 猫の額
Literal translation: "Cat's forehead."
What it ways: "A tiny infinite. Often, you employ it when you're speaking humbly nearly land that you own."

The idiom: 猫舌
Literal translation: "True cat natural language."
What it ways: "Needing to expect until hot food cools to eat it."

*Yes, Japanese has quite a few cat idioms.

From Kazakh translator Askhat Yerkimbay:

The idiom: Сенің арқаңда күн көріп жүрмін
Literal translation: "I come across the sun on your back."
What it means: "Thank you for being you. I am live because of your assist."

From Croatian translator Ivan Stamenkovic :

The idiom: Doće maca na vratanca
Literal translation: "The pussy cat will come to the tiny door."
What it means: "Essentially, 'What goes around comes around.'"

The idiom: Da vidimo čija majka crnu vunu prede
Literal translation: "We see whose mother is spinning black wool."
What it means: "It'southward like being the black sheep in the family unit."

The idiom: Muda Labudova
Literal translation: "Balls of a swan."
What it means: "Information technology ways something that's impossible."

The idiom: Mi o vuku
Literal translation: "To talk about the wolf."
What it means: "It's similar to 'speak of the devil.'"
Other language connections: In Smooth, "O wilku mowa" is the equivalent.

From Tamil translator Tharique Azeez :

The idiom: தலை முழுகுதல் (Thalai Muzhuguthal)
Literal translation: "To take a dip or cascade water over someone's head."
What it ways: "To cut off a relationship."

The idiom: தண்ணீர் காட்டுதல் (Thanneer Kaattuthal)
Literal translation: "Showing water to someone."
What information technology means: "Information technology means to exist someone'south nemesis."

From Dutch translator Valerie Churl :

The idiom: Iets met de Franse slag doen
Literal translation: "Doing something with the French whiplash."
What it ways: "This plain comes from riding terminology. It ways doing something hastily."

The idiom: Iets voor een appel en een ei kopen
Literal translation: "Buying something for an apple and an egg."
What it means: "Information technology ways you bought information technology very cheaply."
Other language connections: Castilian translator Camille Martínez points out out that when something is expensive in English language, you lot pay ii body parts for it ("information technology cost me an arm and a leg"), whereas in Spanish y'all merely pay one — either a kidney ("me costó united nations riñón") or an middle ("me costó un ojo de la cara").

From Korean translator Jeong Kinser :

The idiom: 똥 묻은 개가 겨 묻은 개 나무란다
Literal translation: "A dog with feces scolds a canis familiaris with husks of grain."
What it ways: "It'due south a fleck like, 'People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.'"

The idiom: 오십보 백보
Literal translation: "50 steps are similar to 100 steps."
What information technology ways: "I think of it as, 'Six of one, half a dozen of the other.'"

What are your favorite idioms? Share in the comments section.

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Source: https://blog.ted.com/40-idioms-that-cant-be-translated-literally/

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