Funny loan translations!

Have you heard about loan translations or calques? Sometimes we transalte an expression existing in our mother tongue (=język ojczysty) into a foreign language literally (=dosłownie), hoping that the phrase will work...Idiomatic expressions, yet, are very often unique features (=wyjątkowe cechy) of a language. Our loan translations will not be understood by a native speaker and may raise a broad smile (=wywołać szeroki uśmiech) on their face :)

Here are a few examples of calques made by Polish learners of English:

paradise feet....- rajstopy ;)

thank you from the mountain - dzięki z góry

behind-eyes student - student zaoczny

don't make a village - 'nie rób wioski' ;)

room with you - pokój z tobą

brain tyres fire - zapalenie opon mózgowych

a dumb blonde - ciemna blondynka

don't turn back my guitar - nie zawracaj mi gitary

I'll animal to you - zwierzę ci się

go out on people - wyjść na ludzi

it's after birds - już po ptakach

heritage of prices - spadek cen

rail on you! - kolej na ciebie!

an undertowel - podręcznik

don't boat yourself - nie łódź się

he divided their lottery ticket - podzielił ich los

a fugitive of circumstances - zbieg okoliczności

I went out begind husband - wyszłam za mąż

without a little garden - bez ogródek

without pictures - bez obrazy

immediate castle - zamek błyskawiczny

these aren't cannons - to nie działa

to break down the first ice-creams - przełamywać pierwsze lody

to take one's legs behind the belt - brać nogi za pas

Have you ever made a funny
language gaffe?

As an English teacher in France and France inhabitant, I have heard a lot of funny French-English-Polish calques, too, for instance:

that's the first time- c'est le premiere temps 

weźmiesz autobus... - tu vas prendre un bus...

we are arrived! - nous sommes arrives!

how does it go? - comment ca va? 

it's raining like a cow which is pissing - il pleut comme vache qui pisse (informal!)

that's too good! - c'est trop bien!

I'm giving you a renezvous at 5! - je vous donne rendez-vous a 5 heures!

How to avoid (=unikać) using incorrect expressions? Check! You can look up (=sprawdzić) your mother-tongue idiom in an idiom dictionary. It is also good to check collocations (verify what adjectives, nouns, verbs our word goes with). 

Can you think of any other loan translations? Let me know in the comments part!

Vocabulary

mother tongue - język ojczysty

loan translation, calque - kalka językowa

(positive/negative) language transfer - (pozytywny/negatywny) transfer językowy (wpływ jednego języka na drugi podczas wypowiedzi)

literally - dosłownie

idiom - idiom

idiomatic expression - wyrażenie idiomatyczne

collocation - kolokacja 

translate - tłumaczyć

translation - tłumaczenie

translator - tłumacz (języka pisanego)

interpreter - tłumacz (żywego słowa)

 simultaneous translator - tłumacz symultaniczny

to speak through an interpreter - rozmawiać przez tłumacza 

Source of the photos : pixabay.com, publicdomainpictures.net

It's Friday 13th!

Friday 13th is considered as an unlucky day in many Western countries. The superstition exists in such European countries as Poland, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Austria, but also in Philippines, Brazil and Canada. What's interesting in Greece, Spain and Romania it is Tuesday 13th that is believed to be a bad luck day. The Italians consider Friday 17th an unlucky day. The origines of this superstition are not clear, nonetheless they  mostly have religious background (e.g. Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper, Jusus was crucified on Friday). A fear of Friday 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia.

A few other British superstitions:

meeting a black cat brings ....luck (!)

Black cats are featured on good luck greetings cards and birthday cards.

Black cat brings luck!

We touch or knock on wood to make sth come true.

It is lucky to find a four-leaved clover.

White heather is lucky.

A horseshoe over the door brings good luck.

To catch falling leaves in Autumn will bring you luck.

It is unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.

Breaking a mirror will bring you seven years of bad luck.

It is considered unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract the bad luck.

It is unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.

Passing someone on the stairs brings bad luck.

It is considered unlucky to have the feathers of a peacock at home.

Peacock feathers

If you drop a knife, expect a male visitor; if you drop a fork, a female visitor.

superstition  - przesąd

superstitious - przesądny

lucky - mający/przynoszący szczęście (antonym - unlucky)

luck - szczęście

bad luck - nieszczęście

to try one's luck - spróbować szczęścia

bad luck! - co za pech!

just my luck - takie to już moje szczęście

to be down on one's luck - mieć złą passę

good luck! - powodzenia!

it's the luck of the draw - to kwestia szczęścia

my luck's in! - dzisiaj mam szczęście!

Source of the photos: the Internet

Pępek świata!

I don't remember how I have hit on this idea (=wpadłam na pomysł) for a post... 

Do you know how we say 'pępek' (French : nombril) in English? In formal English it is called 

'a navel'...The colloquial words are : 'belly button' and 'tummy button'.

navel - the small hollow part (=wgłębienie) or lump (=wybrzuszenie) in the stomach where the umbilical cord (=pępowina) was cut at birth (=podczas narodzin).

A belly button with a piercing

The navel, also known in medical English as the umbilicus, is, in fact, a scar (=blizna) on the abdomen. 

Although navels vary in terms of (=różnią się pod względem) size, shape, depth and length, there are two principal kinds of belly buttons 

- an innie navel (the navel scar appears as a depression = wglębienie) and an outie navel (the scar is a protrusion = wypukłość) :

innie navel

outie navel

What's interesting around 90% of humans have innies. 

Here are some expressions and idioms connected with belly buttons :

Your belly button is bigger than your stomach! (American English) 

= you take on too many responsibilities; bierzesz na siebie za dużo obowiązków

Your belly button isn't even dry yet!

= you are too young to do something; jesteś za młody by coś robić; masz mleko pod nosem

pępek świata (miasto, kraj) - the hub of the universe

uważa się za pępek świata - he thinks that the whole world revolves around him

widzieć tylko własny pępek - to contemplate one's navel

Can you think of any other expressions related to navels?

The photos come from : http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=7395&picture=belly-dancers-body, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Human_navel,_female.jpg; Creative Commons; Stinkie Pinkie, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Female_Outie_2.jpg; Creative Commons; Kyriaki

Idioms - letter A - Part 2 - Answers

Here are the answers :)   :

1. Feel … at ease…..! It’s just an exam! You can always resit it!

2. My grandmother was … at death’s door …… when the operation failed.

3. The au pair was …… at fault …… as she didn’t take care of the baby.

4. ....at first glance….the defect was minor, but later 
we found out it was huge.

5. I don’t have my diary …… at hand…… at the moment. I’ll call you back.

6. You should wash your hands … at least... three times a day!

7. The school is finished …… at last ……….! We can enjoy the summer holidays!

8. When I call me children for dinner they come … at once.

9. I've chosen the presents …… at random ……… as anyway I was not sure which gift the children would prefer.

10. He was very stressed as his reputation was … at stake .

11. I have his name … on the tip of my tongue .. I am sure I’ve already heard it!

12. Please hurry up! We will never get to the airport on time …at this rate… !

13. …… at times ……. I would prefer to be an only child…sometimes it’s hard to share things with our siblings.

Idioms - letter A - Part 2

Idioms – A Part 2

at fault    at ease      at this rate       at last         at once     at first glance        at death’s door          at times      at stake       at hand         at random       on the tip of one’s tongue      at least

1. Feel ……………………..! It’s just an exam! You can always resit it!

2. My grandmother was ……………………… when the operation failed.

3. The au pair was ……………………… as she didn't take care of the baby.

4. …………………….. the defect was minor, but later we                                   found out it was huge.

5. I don’t have my diary ……………………… at the moment. I’ll call you back.

6. You should wash your hands …………………….. three times a day!

7. The school is finished …………………….! We can enjoy the summer holidays!

8. When I call me children for dinner they come ……………………..

9. I've chosen the presents ………………… as anyway I was not sure which gift the children would prefer.

10. He was very stressed as his reputation was …………………

11. I have his name …………………….. I am sure I've already heard  it!

12. Please hurry up! We will never get to the airport on time …………………… !

13. ……………….………. I would prefer to be an only child...sometimes it's hard to share things with our siblings.

You'll find the answers in the next post!

Idioms - letter A - answers

Here are the answers concerning the exercise :

The lawyer’s .…ace in the hole …..  was a secret witness who saw the robbery.

We were ……about to………when it started snowing.

It’s …………about time ………….. you stopped complaining and got down to work!

Fluffy always ……acts up………. when the postman comes to the door.

By commenting on her outfit, Tom just ………add fuel to the flame …………

It was a race against the time.. when the doctor tried to save the injured woman.

I knew ……all along……… that he was bluffing!

……all of a sudden……. we heard a sharp noise and the building collapsed.

Go ahead with your story! I am ………all ears …………….

I’ve looked ………all over……… for my keys! They have disappeared!

Teachers ……answer for………. their students’ safety during school trips.

If you think I am well-off you are ………all wet………….!

If you want to buy an apartment in Warsaw, you will pay ……an arm and a leg …… !

The soldiers were ………armed to the teeth………. ! They looked scary!

The warehouse operates ……around the clock….. You don’t need to hurry.

Patrick is determined to succeed in his new job ………at all costs………. He’s already enrolled in three training courses! 

Idioms - letter A

Idioms (letter A)

1. complete the sentences with the words in the box.

Remember about grammatical correctness of your sentences! Good luck J !

against the time       about time        ace in the hole                                     add fuel to the flame       all ears              all of a sudden       about to       an arm and a leg                                    around the clock        act up                all along       all over     at all costs     answer for                                       armed to the teeth       all wet

The lawyer’s ………………………………………..  was a secret witness who saw the robbery.

We were ………………………………… ………… when it started snowing.

It’s …………………………………………….. you stopped complaining and got down to work!

Fluffy always ………………………………………. when the postman comes to the door.

By commenting on her outfit, Tom just …………………………………………………………

It was a race ……………………………….. when the doctor tried to save the injured woman.

I knew ……………………………………………… that he was bluffing!

…………………………………………. we heard a sharp noise and the building collapsed.

Go ahead with your story! I am ……………………………………………….

I’ve looked …………………………………………… for my keys! They have disappeared!

Teachers ……………………………………. their students’ safety during school trips.

If you think I am well-off you are …………………………………………….!

If you want to buy an apartment in Warsaw, you will pay ……………………………………… !

The soldiers were ………………………………………………. ! They looked scary!

The warehouse operates ……………………………….. You don’t need to hurry.

Patrick is determined to succeed in his new job ……………………………. He’s already enrolled in three training courses! 


The answers will be given in my next post!

IDIOMS - COLOURS - Part1

Colour idiomatic expressions are very poplar in English. Let's take a look at some of them :

red as a beetroot/lobster = his face has turned very, very red...

to see sth through pink-coloured spectacles = to see things in a positive way

black sheep, e.g. the black sheep of the family = a person in a family who behaves badly

out of the blue = unexpectedly, without warning

green with envy = very jealous

black and blue = beaten and bruised

to black out = to faint 

black and white = very clear, straightforward

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth = born into a rich family

to catch sb red handed = to catch sb in the act of doing something wrong or illegal

IDIOMS - ANIMALS - Part 2

Hello, today the second part of animal idioms. Try to learn at least one or two of them!

to act as a guinea pig = I am not sure which one is funnier...the English idiom or its Polish equivalent..;) (to be an experimental rabbit )

(to have) ants in one's pants = not to be able to remain calm out of nervousness

(to have) a cat nap = a short sleep

cat's got one's tongue = said about someone who doesn't speak (usually because of shyness)

to chicken out  = not to do something out of fear

a copy cat = a person who does the same things as someone else

dog days = very hot days

to drop like flies = to die/give up quickly

fishy = suspicious

to have a cow = to become very angry (usually about something minor)

IDIOMS - ANIMALS - Part 1

Hello!

Do you know what idioms are? These are fixed expressions, often of metaphorical meaning. They convey a message, teach us something or simply enable us to express ourselves quickly and precisely.

Idioms concern almost every sphere of life...Today some animal idioms!

It's raining cats and dogs! = It's raining a lot!

Curiosity killed the cat = Don't be too nosy!
Birds of a feather flock together = We keep together with people who resemble us...
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush = it's better to be satisfied with one little thing
than try in vain to get something more
To think one is the cat's whiskers = to think you are the most important
To play cat and dog with sb = to play with someone like the cat plays with mice
When the cat's away, the mice will play = when a person in charge is away,  their subordinate people
won't do their duties and have fun
as strong as an ox = very strong
Every dog has its day = everyone has a moment of glory in their life
I could eat a horse! = ...you'd better not... ;)
That's a horse of a different colour = that's something totally different
to go to the dogs = not to work/study diligently, not to apply oneself to your work
Love me, love my dog = when you love somebody you must also respect the things around them
He buries his head in the sand = We are not saying it in the eye..but I think everyone knows which animal we are talking about here...

It's raining cats and dogs!

The picture comes from the book I bought in France 'It's raining cats and dogs et autres expressions idiomatiques anglaises'. The cartoon was designed by Mr. Marion Montaigne.