If every single thing in every single language of the world were to be translated word for word, the world of literature would be one funny place to explore. So why not have some fun with words, the proverbially wisdomic idioms to be precise, by having a hilarious letter for letter translation of some idioms in different languages the world over? Read on to roll with laughter at these interpretations!
Swedish
#1 Tagga ner
Source: deejayfrancis.com
Literal: Take your spikes down.
Actual: Cool down.
#2 Der er ingen ko på isen
Source: twitter.com
Literal: There’s no cow on the ice.
Actual: There is nothing to worry about.
#3 Lägg ägg!
Literal: Lay eggs!
Actual: No way!
#4 Finns det hjärterum så finns det stjärterum
Source: Barntavlor.se
Literal: If there’s room in the heart, there’s room for the ass.
Actual: Basically, there’s room for everyone if you so intend.
French
#5 Avoir le cafard
Literal: to have the cockroach
Actual: to have the blues.
#6 Avaler des couleuvres
Source: LE DIX VINS BLOG
Literal : To swallow grass snakes.
Actual: Being insulted so much that you can’t retaliate.
#7 Avoir un chat dans la gorge
Source: l’info mioche
Literal: to have a cat in the throat
Actual: the need to clear a dry throat
#8 Les carottes sont cuites!
Source: Merci facteur
Literal: The carrots are cooked.
Actual: Nothing can be done to change the situation.
#9 Chanter la Pomme
Source: iStock
Literal: To sing the apple
Actual: To flirt with someone
#10 Casser les pieds à quelqu’un
Source: What The French?!
Literal: To break someone’s feet.
Actual: To annoy someone.
#11 Poser un lapin à quelqu’un
Source: Twitter
Literal: To put a rabbit to someone.
Actual: To ditch someone on a date.
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#12 Tomber dans les pommes
Source: L’Internaute
Literally: To fall in the apples
Meaning: To faint.
Russian
#13 Кот наплакал [kot naplakal]
Source: olgashavrina.com
Literal: Cat wept
Actual: Something very little
#14 Галопом по Европам (Galopom po Yevropam)
Source: klubok.com
Literal: Galloping across Europe
Actual: To do something hastily or haphazardly.
#15 Любовь зла, полюбишь и козла
Source: School musician
Literal: Love is mean, you could fall in love with a goat.
Actual: You don’t decide who you fall in love with.
#16 В шоколаде [v shekalade]
Source: My-shop.ru
Literal: Everything is in chocolate.
Actual: To have a life without hardships.
Polish
#17 Z choinki się urwałaś?
Source: My Beautiful Adventures
Literal: Did you fall from a Christmas tree?
Actual: Being visibly ignorant about something.
#18 Dostać kota
Source: Koty.pl
Literal: To get a cat
Actual: Being driven crazy
#19 Mieć muchy w nosie
Source: Azimo Blog
Literal: To have flies up your nose
Actual: To be irritated and sulky
#20 Zrobić kogoś w konia
Source: FreakWeek
Literal: To turn someone into a horse
Actual: To mislead someone deliberately
German
#21 Schwein haben
Source: The small craft workshop
Literal: to have a pig
Actual: to have a stroke of luck
#22 Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen
Literal: You can take poison on that.
Actual: You can bet your life on that.
#23 Tomaten auf den Augen haben
Source: omglord
Literal: You have tomatoes on your eyes.
Actual: To ignore what’s obvious
#24 Da steppt der Bär
Source: Postkarten Online-Shop
Literal: The bear dances there
Actual: It will be a good party
#25 Eggehen wie warme Semmeln
Source: society6
Literal: to go like warm rolls
Actual: to sell like hot cakes
Thai
#26 เอาหูไปนา เอาตาไปไร่
Source: SEAsite
Literal: Take ears to the field, take eyes to the farm.
Actual: Don’t pay attention.
Portuguese
#27 Quem não tem cão caça com gato
Source: Facebook
Literal : He who doesn’t have a dog hunts with a cat.
Actual: To make do with whatever one has.
#28 Empurrar com a barriga
Source: Petição Inicial
Literal: To push something with your belly.
Actual: To postpone something important
#29 Pagar o pato
Source: Língua portuguesa
Literal: Pay the duck.
Actual: Accepting blame for someone else’s deeds.
Japanese
#30 猫の手も借りたい
Source: Cooking classroom is a man
Literal: Willing to borrow a cat’s paws.
Actual: Willing to take help from anyone.
#31 猫舌
Literal: Cat tongue.
Actual: Having to wait for hot food to get cold enough to eat.
Hindi
#32 Aasman se Gira, Khajur mai Atka
Source: MangoBaaz
Literal: Fell From Sky and stuck in the Date Palm.
Actual: Get out of a tricky situation only to land in another.
#33 Ulta chor kotwaal ko daante
Source: WhyKol
Literal: Upside down thief scolds policeman.
Actual: Doing a thing wrong and putting the blame on the accuser
Chinese
#34 落汤鸡 (Luòtāngjī)
Source: Canned Chicken Chicken Can
Literal: A Chicken falls in soup
Actual: A person who made a mistake.null
#35 對牛彈琴
Source: YouTube
Literal: Playing piano to a cow.
Actual: Doing things for someone who isn’t appreciative.
Spanish
#36 Buscarle la quinta pata al gato
Literal: To look for the fifth leg of the cat
Actual: To purposefully search for hidden meaning of things even when there might not be one
#37 Comiendo moscas
Source: Pixabay
Literal: Eating flies.
Actual: Speaking aimlessly, beating around the bush.
#38 Dame pan y dime tonto
Source: Todocolección
Literal: Give me bread and call me stupid.
Actual: I get what I want and no one can stop me.
