Things that don't translate as wellnas expected

[Demannu]

We were out last night saying goodbye to our Dutch neighbours, and my wife commented on their 17yo daughters jewellery.
Her father proudly stated that ' her boyfriend gave her that pearl necklace'
Nearly spat my beer out!

[Noggin]

It’s like - do NOT say “I am hot” or “I am cold” as a direct translation to French - doesn’t mean what you think it means

[DefTrap]

It’s like - do NOT say “I am hot” or “I am cold” as a direct translation to French - doesn’t mean what you think it means

I asked a neighbour's daughter (wearing a coat in 30 degree heat) if she was hot. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

[Noggin]

It’s like - do NOT say “I am hot” or “I am cold” as a direct translation to French - doesn’t mean what you think it means

I asked a neighbour's daughter (wearing a coat in 30 degree heat) if she was hot. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

On a first meeting with her French fiance's parents, someone I know responded to how are you with "I am cold" - to her future father in law

I met her in my first season, so learnt VERY early about 'have' temperature, not 'am'!!

[Demannu]

It’s like - do NOT say “I am hot” or “I am cold” as a direct translation to French - doesn’t mean what you think it means

I asked a neighbour's daughter (wearing a coat in 30 degree heat) if she was hot. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Oh yeah! A slip of the tongue eh? Mr Mal Mot

[Ant]

Spas offering 'facials'.....

[DefTrap]

Oh yeah! A slip of the tongue eh? Mr Mal Mot

If there is a hole I can fall into with my spoken french, I will fall in.

Nattering to a french friend, boring each other to death about fixing up our houses ... I wanted to say something along the lines "at my place I have lots of old beams"

Which should have been (and I know this) "Chez moi j'ai plein de vieilles poutres"
But as I was pissed came out as "Chez moi j'ai plein de vieilles putes"

Which is a different thing entirely.

[Noggin]

A colleague had to go to the B&Q type place for some pipe to fix some plumbing. She asked for du pipe. Apparently that does NOT translate and she apparently (again, as the translate app is not showing the same!) asked for some cock (or, might have been a bj, can't remember!)


The absolute best was a girl friend calling a health centre to book a smear test.

She used "un frotte" which is rub!! (Should be "un frottis" which is smear test!) - she said there was a little silence, and then the receptionist said 'I think you must mean frottis madam'

[Noggin]

The other good one was that I worked for a company called SkiBeat for the first few years out here. We had big ski jackets with the name written in huge over the back.

Took a few weeks of sniggering from young french to find out that rather than 'beat' as in music, 'beat' was in fact slang for cock (there are a lot of slang words here!). So there we all were (and they still are) walking around with skicock written on our coats

[Noggin]

Today my young colleague said - Y'a une couille dans le pâté" So I had to ask her to explain (the spelling, pronunciation and meaning!! )


Literally translates as "There's a bollock in the pâté"


Actually means something like there's something wrong with the situation (that was 'sort of' what she was using it for!).

• "Y'a une couille dans le pâté", literally "There's a bollock in the pâté", meaning there's something wrong with the situation. For example : "Louis n'est pas rentré à l'heure prévue ? Y'a une couille dans le pâté." : "Louis didn't come back one time ? There's a bollock in the pâté."


It made me proper laugh with her at work - but I couldn't think of a similarly silly English phrase that means similar? I often use FUBAR but it's not really funny like a ball in the paté, and doesn't really mean the same!!! LOL

Help!!

[Mr Moofo]

It’s like - do NOT say “I am hot” or “I am cold” as a direct translation to French - doesn’t mean what you think it means

Same in German
I was presenting to Germans about UK food culture - and mentioned mushy peas. Mushy is slang for "muff"

Not that this stopped our American Consumer Understanding lady , who was talking about different type of eaters - crunchers, chewers and mushers ...
Snigger

[Count Steer]

It’s like - do NOT say “I am hot” or “I am cold” as a direct translation to French - doesn’t mean what you think it means

Same in German
I was presenting to Germans about UK food culture - and mentioned mushy peas. Mushy is slang for "muff"

Not that this stopped our American Consumer Understanding lady , who was talking about different type of eaters - crunchers, chewers and mushers ...
Snigger

You only hope that Rolls Royce renamed the Silver Mist for sale in Germany too.

[Noggin]

It’s like - do NOT say “I am hot” or “I am cold” as a direct translation to French - doesn’t mean what you think it means

Same in German
I was presenting to Germans about UK food culture - and mentioned mushy peas. Mushy is slang for "muff"

Not that this stopped our American Consumer Understanding lady , who was talking about different type of eaters - crunchers, chewers and mushers ...
Snigger

You only hope that Rolls Royce renamed the Silver Mist for sale in Germany too.

Like the Mazda MR2 ??

[Noggin]

This isn't a funny, but in the summer and again now in the office, sometimes (not loads, but sometimes!) someone has said "tu as le droit"

Took me a while to realise they weren't saying - you have the right. But actually you are right (told you it doesn't happen often!). I always think it should be "tu es droit" - but apparently not.

I still hear "you have the right" - every time!! LOL

[petrolpete]

To be right about something is: avoir raison
To have the right is: avoir droit this can be avoir le droit or avoir droit depending on the sentence. (Eg avoir le droit de sortir: be allowed to go out or avoir droit aux boissons: be entitled to drinks).
Maybe some sayings have altered the grammar but this is the proper way it should be in french.

[petrolpete]

Back to the op. The website www.engrish.com has some pearls on how not to use Google translate.....

[Noggin]

To be right about something is: avoir raison
To have the right is: avoir droit this can be avoir le droit or avoir droit depending on the sentence. (Eg avoir le droit de sortir: be allowed to go out or avoir droit aux boissons: be entitled to drinks).
Maybe some sayings have altered the grammar but this is the proper way it should be in french.

I can't even get that right!! LOL They do say Tu as raison (not droite!)
I knew it was weird (to me) but couldn't remember exactly what it was (my excuse is that it was late!)

I should have waited as I knew something wasn't correct about what I was trying to say!!

So, I always wonder why people say "you have reason" - cos my brain doesn't automatically translate (or remember!) tu as raison as you are right

OMG - I so need ot go back to school!!

TBF, the colleague I worked with late is the pronunciation colleague - I spent about 2 hours having extra lessons on pronunciation so my brain was a bit frazzled!! LOL

[Count Steer]

I like 'tu as raison'. It's like 'your reasoning is sound' ie 'logically I cannot disagree'. It implies you've put some thought into it.

[Pirahna]

In Spanish masculine generally ends in o, femenine ends in a. For example, perro is a dog, perra is a female dog. Gato is cat, gata is a female cat. Pollo is chicken, polla is when you call someone a dick.

[petrolpete]

One I just thought of is the term to introduce oneself when translated into french the verb introduce exists but means to insert something so it does not have the same meaning.
IE in English: let me introduce my friend is not the same as laissez moi introduire mon ami.