It seems like a lot of languages have words or phrases that are horribly, intolerably insulting, yet sound inoffensive or funny when translated into English.
I've heard that "Schweinhund," which means "Pig-Dog" in German, is terribly offensive.
Likewise, the phrase "Syrat Majmuni" is something that should never be said in Albanian polite society. In English, it means "monkey face."
Any foreign language speakers know of other words or phrases like this? Any English insults that sound funny translated into other languages?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
There's a phrase in Plaut Deutsch that is never said among polite Mennonite society. Mennonites behind very fundamentalist Christians. The phrase is... Well, let me tell you a story.
My parents refused to teach us kids Plaut Deutsch, despite our begging and pleading. They did, however, teach us a few words and phrases.
One summer, when I was 16 and visiting the grandparents, there was a family dinner. About 22 or 24 of us around the dining room table (yep, table's that big), and about three quarters of the people were 30 or over (and very very strong in their Mennonite beliefs) and the rest were, well, younger. Everyone there except me and one uncle (married into the family) learned Plaut Deutsch as children. So someone asks me didn't my parents teach us any Low German at all? I said, "Well, not really. Except for a few words and phrases. Like *insert phrase here*"
Those over 30 started choking and turned red. Those under 30 started choking and laughing and choking and laughing. Those over 30 were not at all amused. Those under 30 were highly amused. No one spoke for, oh, minutes.
I finally asked my aunt later what the phrase really meant, since my mother told me it meant "Go jump in the lake." It really meant, "Go scratch yourself." Do you really need me to explain what, exactly, it is that you're supposed to go scratch that a fundamentalist Christian would be that offended by? Posted by suminonA (Member # 8757) on :
Well, there is this phrase in Romanian: "porc ordinar" which translates to "ordinary pig". The emphasis is strong on the adjective. See, being called a pig is bad enough, but an "ordinary" one? (I suppose it might be offensive in English too, because it sure is very offensive in Romanian.) Personally I find it funny, because, as an insult, I think: Why is this so bad, one is just an ordinary pig, as opposed to ... an extraordinary one?
A.
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
Maybe an ordinary pig is the opposite of "Some Pig." Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
In Taiwan there are several ways to deliver veiled insults to girls. Much like in Utah a polite, (though now cliche and therefore unpolite) way to say a girl is unattractive is to say, "She has a sweet spirit."
In Taiwan if you say, "that girl is very patriotic." (Ta 1 hen2 ai4 guo2) It is pretty much the same thing. Or else you could say, "she has a very safe upbringing." (Ta 1 zhang3 de hen2 an1 quan2)
If something is a bald face lie you call it a "dog fart" (gou2 pi2) or else "trash words" (fei 1 hua 4) the latter is usually rendered "bull s***" in American subtitles.
Finally, if you are trying to tell somebody to go away in a semi rude fashion you say, "go away" (zou2 kai1) if you are being very rude you say "roll away" (gun3 kai). The latter is usually rendered "F*** Off" in English subtitles.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
My brother has told me about a French phrase about someone who is an anal perfectionist/nit-picker: trans> "one who screws gnats in the a** ." I don't know the French translation.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
In Korean "Eat taffy" is equivalent to the F*bomb in English.
"Yut Mok-u-la!"
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
I like taffy. I wish American insults were that pleasant and tasty.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
French has another one too... "Melange-toi tes oignons!" (Mix your own onions!)
It translates to "Mind your own business!"
The Hebrew ones that I know aren't that funny in English.
Posted by happysmiley (Member # 9703) on :
In some cultures, saying 'may you have an interesting life' is a curse.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Cantonese includes at least some of the last two lines that BlackBlade mentioned (fei hua) "trash talk", (fei chai) "trash (stuff?)", (gou si) "dog shi*", and (lok zhou) "roll away".
Other common ones would include more thorough versions of English insults (sik si a le) "go eat shi*", (sai bak po) "deathly old bitc*" and ones that are more rooted in the Chinese reverence for ancestors/family (diu lei lo mo) "fu** your mother", (hum ga chan) "let your whole family shatter").
One very common one is (pok gai) "trip in the street" which can be translated variously as "fuc*!", "go to hell", or "asshol*" depending what seems to be the subtitler's whim.
One interesting one is (ham sep lo) "salty wet man" which is used as the equivalent of "pervert." (There is also (ham sep peen) for the equivalent of a porno)
There is (gai) "chicken" or (gew gai) "call a chicken" which are used for prostitute and calling upon a prostitute respectively.
Oh! There is also the throughly common and classic (gwai lo) "ghost man" as pseudo-derogatory slang for a white foreigner Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Tofu no kado ni atama wo butsuke shinjimae. Drop dead. But it really says hit your head on a corner of tofu and die in Japanese. That's funny. And there's a lot more like Honekawa Sujio. Mr. Sinewy Bonehide.
Posted by DDDaysh (Member # 9499) on :
Well, if you really look at it, many American curses are pretty funny if you break them down literally.
Think about some of the ones mentioned above...
Bull Sh*t - I mean, seriously, why the excrement of a bull? Why not a cow, or a goat, or a pig? You never hear anyone go, "That's cat poo" now do you?
And what about "f*ck off"... that one doesn't even make SENSE! I mean, seriously... it translates basically to "go plant off".... or if you want bo be a bit more vulgar "go procreate off". Where does the "off" come from? Totally non sensical.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
quote:Originally posted by suminonA: Well, there is this phrase in Romanian: "porc ordinar" which translates to "ordinary pig". The emphasis is strong on the adjective. See, being called a pig is bad enough, but an "ordinary" one? (I suppose it might be offensive in English too, because it sure is very offensive in Romanian.) Personally I find it funny, because, as an insult, I think: Why is this so bad, one is just an ordinary pig, as opposed to ... an extraordinary one?
A.
I suspect it's a usage of ordinary meaning common or vulgar, something below our current usage meaning more or less average or run of the mill.
Posted by 777 (Member # 9506) on :
Belgium. That's right, you heard me.
Oh, and I seem to be having tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Mucus: Well it's common knowledge that the Cantonese sector of China is by far the most vulgar and impolite. Makes sense then that their system of swears and curses would be more vulgar and hurtful. Posted by suminonA (Member # 8757) on :
Uprooted, I think you're right. But see, thinking about it, "common" shouldn't be offensive, just like "average" shouldn't. I mean, not all people can be "above average", statistically speaking . So it should be more offensive to be called "below average", meaning that one at least be "in the middle", or “common”. In a society where everybody is educated and rich, being “common” (i.e. like everyone else there) should be good, right?
Also, the original term “vulgar” (written the same in Romanian) comes from Latin where it refers to common people (commoners?), as opposed to the ruling class (maybe someone with more knowledge about Latin could expand this). In this context, calling a nobleman “vulgar” would be an insult, form their perspective, but two “commoners” using it one for the other sounds like calling themselves (both!) less that worthy because they are like the majority of people. Yet today the term “vulgar” is very offensive in Romanian (much more than “ordinary”), so even bad language is called “vulgar language”, which is a lot worse than just “bad”.
Maybe it all comes from the times where the majority of people were uneducated and poor, so being like the “commoners” was quite “bad”. The question arises: is it today an insult to be like the majority of people? Should we all be “above average” ?
A.
PS: unrelated: maybe a Hispanic resident could explain the case of the insult “he-goat” from Spanish … Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Calling someone a hairy he-goat goes well back into Classical Rome. Not just a he-goat, but a hairy one. As I recall, Catullus uses the insult a few times.
Posted by suminonA (Member # 8757) on :
Now, "peludo cabron" sure sounds funny! I've never heard it in Spain, though...
A.
Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
I've always been fond of the über-rude "prostitute of the brothel" in French.
I suggests that there maybe other types of ladies of negotiable virtue, although "prostitute of the bakery" probably lacks sufficient rudery... Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
suminonA, I worded my post really badly. I was trying to say what you just did -- that I thought that the usage of ordinary/vulgar there was something worse than its original meaning of average.
And you're right, it's interesting how what once indicated average today means really bad in some languages. However, considering that the terms probably originated with the nobility, I guess it's not so hard to understand that they wanted no association with anything below their station, and that the pejorative connotations arose from those attitudes.
It's also interesting that in our striving for a more egalitarian society, the modern American usage of terms like ordinary and common hold no seriously negative connotations (although terms like vulgar/rude have become more negative than what they once were).
Posted by Darth Petra (Member # 11464) on :
Filius de canis. It means son from Dog in Latin.
Or you could just say: Tu Mater is Canis! (your mother is a dog)
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
In English, we say the same thing, "son of a bitch" which is pretty much a translation of filius de canis, no?
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
In Mexico, the term "estupido" has much greater impact than it would in English. It will get you expelled from a sporting event, first offense. Cabron, has been mentioned, big goat. And "Pendejo" literally, pubic hair, puts you right out of polite company.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
It works the other way around, too. In Israel, the noun "f***" (yes, the f word) means a screw-up, or snafu. Most Israelis are shocked to find out that it's such an offensive work to Anglos.
Posted by Foust (Member # 3043) on :
A Romanian friend told me this one - "I empty my balls on the graves of your ancestors."
High five!
Posted by suminonA (Member # 8757) on :
quote:Originally posted by Foust: ... "I empty my balls on the graves of your ancestors."
Do you find that funny? It sounds like it would be offensive in any language.
A.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Pigs are infamous for engaging in coprophagy. eg In European cities and villages before modern sanitation systems were emplaced*, it was quite commonplace for herders to drive pigs through the street to "clean up" the nightsoil thrown out into the gutters by residents of all but the richest neighborhoods. Hence the insult in being compared to the pig ordinarily seen by most city and village dwellers.
Similarly city/village dogs (especially strays) living within a milieu in which most folks could barely afford to feed themselves, let alone a non-working pet.
* And if there weren't a handy stream/etc nearby.
[ February 25, 2008, 08:38 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
BlackBlade: I prefer to think of it as being more expressive Any two-bit language will have your basic feces and sex based swear words (English is amusing in this regard with its most common swear-words being four letter, one syllable curses).
But if you're *really* going to party, you might as well bring as big and creative a selection as possible.
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
The Dutch are pretty logical in their insults. I was told the worst thing you could say to a Dutch person was "Krijg de kanker" (literally get the cancer). The general version "Krijg de _____" is used for all manner of diseases (Here's a listing with Google's not-very-good translation)
Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
Interesting discussion!
...I would not react well if someone told me to get cancer.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
quote:Originally posted by Foust: A Romanian friend told me this one - "I empty my balls on the graves of your ancestors."
We do tend to make up insults probably more than others, and this one isn't common by my knowledge. Neither is it funny or creative in any way, which are the reasons why we usually make them up.
---
As for "porc ordinar", Uprooted said pretty much what I think.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Someone told me that in French when they say someone is putting on airs it translates literally as "He farts higher than his @$$." I thought that was pretty funny. What an image.
When I was in Brazil, our translators would often playfully call each other a name that I'm not sure how to spell, but it sounded like "Picafumu." They urged us not to use it in front of the Seminary leaders, but I don't know how offensive it was supposed to be. They said it translated, more or less, as someone who harvests tobacco? I was never really clear on that one. Several of them called me a cat (gata?) but I think that was meant as a compliment. I could be wrong, but someone told me it was akin to being called a fox in English.
The toughest thing was the gestures. Gestures that are very innocent in America are extremely offensive in Brazil.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
quote:Originally posted by Olivet: Someone told me that in French when they say someone is putting on airs it translates literally as "He farts higher than his @$$." I thought that was pretty funny. What an image.
Huh, I don't know that one, but it is funny. Posted by suminonA (Member # 8757) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
No one spoke for, oh, minutes. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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