10 Tips for better English translations

THE BEST OF THE “WURST” ☺☺☺
10 TIPS FOR BETTER ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS
Attempts to translate idioms from German into English are a notorious source of humor for anyone who
understands a bit of both languages! We have listed some of the funniest incorrect translations below. In
addition, we have provided some tips on how to translate these idioms on the following pages of this
pamphlet.
Attempt 1:
“Tell me nothing from the horse!” (Erzähl‘ mir nichts vom Pferd!)
Attempt 2:
“Tonight we let the female pig out!” (Heute Nacht lassen wir die Sau raus!)
Attempt 3:
“This is under all pig!” (Das ist unter aller Sau!)
Attempt 4:
“It is me sausage!” (Es ist mir Wurst!)
Attempt 5:
“Now everything is for the cat!” (Nun ist alles für die Katz‘!)
Attempt 6:
“Now we have the salad!” (Nun haben wir den Salat!)
Attempt 7:
“There laugh yes the chickens!” (Da lachen ja die Hühner!)
Attempt 8:
“With him is not good cherry-eating!” (Mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen!)
Attempt 9:
“This is me too stupid!” (Das ist mir zu doof!)
Attempt 10:
“Pi times thumb!” (Pi mal Daumen!)
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Copyright © inlingua 2015. All rights reserved.
HERE IS HOW TO CORRECTLY TRANSLATE THESE GERMAN IDIOMS (SEE SOLUTIONS BELOW):
Attempt 1:
“Tell me nothing from the horse!” (Erzähl‘ mir nichts vom Pferd!)
Solution: This German saying goes back to ancient Greece and the story of the Trojan horse. It
implies that someone is either badly misinformed or trying to be tricky. So the best English
translation would be either “Don’t make me laugh!” or “Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes!”
Attempt 2:
“Tonight we let the female pig out!” (Heute Nacht lassen wir die Sau raus!)
Solution: According to German folklore, letting the pigs out was a favorite trick played by
students in Heidelberg in the Middle Ages. The town was undoubtedly quite a mess after that.
In English, we would say “Tonight, we’re going to go hog wild!” or “Tonight, we’re going to paint
the town red!”
Attempt 3:
“This is under all pig!” (Das ist unter aller Sau!)
Solution: This is a version of the Jiddish saying “under all seo,” in which the word “seo” actually
means “norm” or “standard.” If an English speaker’s opinion of something is very negative, then
she could translate this as “That’s beneath contempt!” If an English speaker wants to put it a bit
milder, she could say “That’s not even worthy of consideration!”
Attempt 4:
“It is me sausage!” (Es ist mir Wurst!)
Solution: One sausage is pretty much as good (or bad) as any other. And, when making
sausages, it doesn’t really matter which parts of the animal you use. That is probably how this
German expression came to mean “I don’t give a damn!” (for extreme situations) or “It’s all the
same to me!” or “I couldn’t care less!” in English.
Attempt 5:
“Now everything is for the cat!” (Nun ist alles für die Katz‘!)
Solution: If you try to cook a nice meal but end up ruining it, then you might simply throw the
tasteless food to the cat. That may be the origin of this German saying, but in English we use a
different animal: “Now everything is for the birds!” If you are allergic to feathers, then “That was
all for nothing!” or “That was just a waste of time!” work just as well in English.
Attempt 6:
“Now we have the salad!” (Jetzt haben wir den Salat!)
Solution: As tasty as a mixed salad can be, it is also a chaotic mess. No one would ever try to
re-sort a salad into its separate ingredients. That would be virtually impossible, which is exactly
what German speakers who use this idiom are trying to say. In English, our choice of words is
more graphic: “Now the fat’s in the fire!” or “Now the shit has hit the fan!” (for extreme
situations).
Attempt 7:
“There laugh yes the chickens!” (Da lachen ja die Hühner!)
Solution: Most chickens are not very intelligent. In fact, they rarely understand a thing we
humans say. This German idiom is used whenever someone says something so stupid that
even the chickens notice and start laughing. In English, we have one ancient saying which
implies something similar: “That gives one a horse laugh.” A younger English speaker would
probably say “I can only laugh!” or “Don’t make me laugh!”
Page 2 / 3
inlingua Würzburg
Röntgenring 4
97070 Würzburg
+49 (0)931 4525858
inlingua Schweinfurt
Fischerrain 7
97421 Schweinfurt
+49 (0)9721 3880811
inlingua Tauberbischofsheim
Hauptstraße 2
97941 Tauberbischofsheim
+ 49 (0)9341 8953816
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Copyright © inlingua 2015. All rights reserved.
Attempt 8:
“With him is not good cherry-eating!” (Mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen!)
Solution: This German idiom also goes back to the Middle Ages when the rich and powerful
routinely mistreated the poor. Apparently, the rudeness of the ruling class included spitting
cherry-pits in the faces of their servants. In English, this phrase should be translated as “It is
best not to tangle with him!” or “He’s not an easy man to deal with!”
Attempt 9:
“This is me too stupid!” (Das ist mir zu doof!)
Solution: As German sayings go, this one is relatively straightforward. It just means that
something is so absurd that it is unacceptable. For example, if an English speaker wants to
complain about an organization’s senseless rules, she might say “These rules are too stupid for
me. I can only laugh!” or “I am fed up with these stupid rules!”
Attempt 10:
“Pi times thumb!” (Pi mal Daumen!)
Solution: In Medieval Germany, the top portion one’s thumb was a standard unit of measure
equal to about one inch (“Zoll” in German). The mathematical constant “π” or “pi” was also well
known. This German idiom combines these two measures to indicate that the speaker has
simply estimated or guessed the number in question. Note: This is not the same as an English
“rule of thumb.” Therefore, best English translations would be “approximately” or “about” or “(He
came) up with the figure off the top of his head!”
If you are interested in further improving your English skills with your own native-speaker trainer and the inlingua
“learning by speaking” Method please do not hesitate to contact us using the information below:
Page 3 / 3
inlingua Würzburg
Röntgenring 4
97070 Würzburg
+49 (0)931 4525858
inlingua Schweinfurt
Fischerrain 7
97421 Schweinfurt
+49 (0)9721 3880811
inlingua Tauberbischofsheim
Hauptstraße 2
97941 Tauberbischofsheim
+ 49 (0)9341 8953816
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Copyright © inlingua 2015. All rights reserved.