Literal translation as a cultural vehicle

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

Hello All

I would like to share with you some expressions said in Arabic. The idea is that look how literal translation can best work to transfer the cultures of people.

1-God give you health. (Thank you)

2-Always. (This is said after you eat/drink soemthing served to you by your host)

3-That who laughs last will luagh a lot. (I think it is the same in Arabic)

4-In my age; in my life, I heard nothing like this. (I have never heard of such a thing before)

5-He went to his aunt's house. (He was sent to jail)

6-He is not on the piece of iron. (He is bankrupt)

7-I will go out tomorrow before the she begger and her daughter. (Said when you emphasise that you want to leave very early in pursunace of something urgent)

8-His hand is long (He is a thief)

9-Her tongue is long. (She is rude enough to shout at people)

10-Is the street your father's property! (Such an expression is said when you shout at another driver who is driving in the wrong way)

11-He is treating us as if this company is the property of his father. (This complaint is said against a person who is very bad with the employees though he is a mere manager or whatsoever. Emphasis is on the idea that the treatment they receive from him is very bad)

12-Don't complain to me or else I cry for you. (You are complaining of something that I am equally suffering from)

I will come back inshallah with other expressions.

Hope they were useful.

Mar

 

[Clare James]

I like 'He went to his aunt's house.'! Is there any reason why the expression talks about his aunt's house?
These are very interesting and do reveal interesting cultural differences and values.
Thanks!

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

Thank you Clare

As for the "his aunt" expression, I do not really know the origin. It is used in Syrian, Jordan and Palestine as well. More precisely, it is in Arabic:" He went to his mother's sister"

This reminds me of another expression:

Come in! Your mother in law is loving you.

This is said by you when you are having a meal and at a sudden a frind appears. You welcome him/her and ask them to join. No matter if the invitee were single or married, the expression is still vaild.

 

[Tdol]

Even translated literally, the cultural background to some is not so obvious- the bankruptcy one, for instance has a frame of reference that completely escapes me. ;-)

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

Tdol

It is very simple. In Arabic, if you want to say that someone has lost all his money you can say:

He is now on the piece of iron

As for the second example, imagine you are at home about to begin having your lunch. Sombody is knocking at the door. You open the door and find a dear friend. You are happy yo invite him to lunch. Probably, you can say to him for instance something like: "You have come in the right time. Join me in having the lunch, which has just been served".

In the latter example, you simply say in Arabic: Your mother in law is loving you.

I understand it is so strange for what kind of connection would be between the piece of iron and bankruptcy, and your mother in law and the lunch? At any rate, it goes like this in Arabic.

 

[Clare James]

An Arabic speaking student of mine told me an expression, but I'm not sure if I remember it correctly - not an idiom, but a proverb. It was something like,
'Better a free lemon than honey you pay for.' Is this correct?

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

This is the first time I heard of such an expression. What country does he/she come from? Not all Arab countires share the same proverbs.

I googled it but did not find an Arabic match. Interestingly I found the following Arabic saying:

"The tar of your homeland is better than the honey of other nations"

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

Arab countries differ in dialect, but they also differ in culture.

Interestingly, you can say in Arabic "God give you health" in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine to mean "Thank you". But when you say to a person from Morocco "God give you health", you are in big trouble: it means there "I pray to God that He may let you go to Hell Fire" O)

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

From the Syrian dialect.

A mother when showing love and affection to her child would say:

"May you bury my bones"
"May you bury me"

The Syrian intonation when uttering the Arabic counterparts of such expression must be very affectionate accompanied with a feeling of joy out of something made or uttered by the loved child.

The above expression in fact means that the mother wishes her child a long lived life and that the child would live longer than the mother would.

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

How do you ask "Why"?

Suppose someone told you he was going to do something very odd to you. How would you ask abou the reason?

Obviously, you would say: "Why?"

In the Idlibi dialect (A city located north west Syria), one who wants to ask you a qustion about something that you did/will do/ will happen to you/will happen to anyone etc. would start his question not with the Arabic equivalent of "Why" but with that of "Surprise"

Example:

A: Today, I will not go to work.
B: Surprise
(B means: Why? I am surprised.)

Another Example:

A to B asking: "Surprise your father is not here today?"
Meaning: I wonder why your father is not here today.

 

[Anglika]

Your mother in law is loving you.

I understand it is so strange for what kind of connection would be between the piece of iron and bankruptcy, and your mother in law and the lunch?

That one is easy - You are not eating the food that your mother-in-law would prefer to give to her own family :-D

Fascinating how mothers-in-law have a bad name internationally!

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

Fascinating how mothers-in-law have a bad name internationally!

Indeed!

This would also bring us to another expression in Arabic. When there is a fierece ongoing quarel between two people, one can comment on that fierece quarel saying:

Like the daugther in law and the mother in law.

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

"Go and butt the wall with your head"
"Go and pave (the floor of) the sea"

Both of the above expressions are used in Arabic to say: "I will not give you/make you what you have asked for no matter what you do. I will not yield to your threats"

A more aggressive expression to be said by an angry person:

"The highest of your horses go and ride"

The latter expression is meant to counter a threat. Perhaps to make it cleaer, the expression might be close in meaning to an English sentence that says: "I will not do what you want. I do not care of what you do. Go to hell!"

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

"Lengthen your mind"

It means "Calm down!"

People in Jordan used to make fun of this expression. In the late 1990s, people used to say in jest "Lengthen your trousers" as the word "mind" and "trousers" are (somehow) phonetically similar.

When someone is in trouble. He is at a mess. People would say to him: "Sit down. The matter needs a lengthening of one's mind".

Again, in jest, pepole would say: "The matter needs lengthening of one's trousers"

The "lengthening of trousers" humurous expression however seems to have started to fade by the year 2000.

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

What about your own languages?

Can you use literal translation to convey your cultures?

Am very eager to see how language is used in other langauges to express cultural needs.

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

To say that it is very cold:

Aleppo dialect only: It is "A Suleimani cold". This means that it is very cold.

To say that someone went outdoors in a cold weather:
"He went ouy in the glory of religion of cold"

To say that it is extremely hot:
"It is the fire of hell"