femuse

Another idea, kind of similar, so maybe can be posted in this forum:

are you interested in tracing how far an expression has traveled, from language to language, staying unchanged?

What I mean is someting like:

_ quand le chat n'est pas la, les souries dancent
_ when the cat is away, the mice come out to play

There must be a lot of expressions that can be translated nearly word for word in several languages.

I am curious to find out how far they can travel, and mostly the reasons why: is it because they are recent (movies, songs, ...), or really ancient (latin, greek origin ?)

Some may not "travel" at all: we talked not long ago about "raining cats & dogs". I don't think it translates in French.
Does it translate in other parts of the world where tornadoes & hurricanes are commun ? (Asia ?)

Can anybody give examples of unchanged expressions, maybe in 3 languages? in 4?

michelangelo

sorry lady femuse, in french dance = danse!

hop fait encore un petit effort, sinon je vais un peut te taquiné, avec des jeux de mots!

and one chat = miaou = gros-minet = the right name is "sylvestre in france"not chat we are using to discussion!

and souries = speedy gonzales, also one mouse, ne pas confondre avec la sourie de l'ordinateur!

and so i can play with Sylvestre, Speedy gonzales, and you we are Titi!
;-)))))
ok good bye

Joe Gold

Well, you can say in French that it is "raining ropes" (il pleut des cordes). Another, more "familiar" way to say it is "raining like cows who..." ("Il pleut comme vache qui...")

Joe Gold

I forgot, there should be an English expression that didn't travel into French. "Scaring the living daylights out of someone." That is why the James Bond movie "The living daylights" has a totally different title. (In the movie, the sentence: "we scared the living daylights out of her" was translated by "tuer n'est pas jouer", so this sentence became the French title.)

elahub

bonsoir tout le monde
Hello femuse

good idea!!

Pour les souris .... en allemand nous disons:

Wenn die Katze nicht da ist, tanzen die Mäuse auf dem Tisch.

Exactement la même chose!!


Pour la pluie ... en allemand nous disons:

Es regnet Bindfäden (des cordes!!)
ou aussi Es regnet kleine Hunde (dogs uniquement, des petits en plus

schlaft gut!!

Daniela

femuse

je sais que je suis tres mauvaise en francais ecrit, je n'etait jamais bonne avec les conjugaisons .... est-ce que je perd la tete avec l'age? est ce correct?
[by the way, did you know this very recent quaint expression "Having a senior moment" ? I will be there someday too - faster than most of you]

that makes it three.
Did that make it further away? England-France-Germany, that's a start.

I was thinking that "blind as a bat" = myope comme une taupe. So, it's not good.

Talking about animals: what about "I don't give a rat's ass". That's a cute one :D

michelangelo

Es ce que il existe une expression du même genre chez vous!

expression: C'est pas Byzance

definition: Contraire de luxe et de raffinements. Ce dit d'une situation crasseuse ou de la pauvreté.
Byzance, capitale de l'Empire d'Orient, connue dans l'imagerie légendaire, pour sa condition de vie inimitable, son luxe et ses plaisirs.

Opposite of luxury and refinements. This known as grimy situation or of poverty. Byzance, capital of Orient Empire, known in legendary imagery, for its inimitable living condition, its luxury and its pleasures.