Idioms can pose particular challenges for translators. Some expressions are more straightforward to translate, as they have an equivalent in the target language. The French saying quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue), for example, literally means ‘when you speak of the wolf (and you see its tail)’, which could be translated into English as speak of the devil (and he will appear).
We especially like the Arabic and Chinese versions of the English saying pot calling the kettle black, which becomes the camel doesn’t see the crookedness of its own neck in Arabic and the turtle makes fun of the other turtle’s short tail in Chinese!
But when the target language doesn’t have an idiom with the same meaning, things get trickier and a translator may have to paraphrase the expression without using idiomatic language – they could then compensate for this by introducing another idiom into the translation somewhere else.
Some of these idioms will look like a fish out of water in English, but we think they’re hilarious!
Language
Animal Idiom
Literal Translation
Meaning
German
Er hat den Bock zum Gärtner gemacht
He’s made the goat the gardener
To let someone do something/ to give someone a job that he/she is absolutely unsuitable for
French
Quand les poules auront des dents
When chickens have teeth
Pigs might fly!
Spanish
Un pez gordo
A fat fish
Big shot
French
Jump from the rooster to the donkey
Jump from one topic to another
Italian
Correre dietro alle farfalle
To run behind the butterflies
Waste time, chase after something unachievable
Polish
Bazgrze jak kura pazurem
Scribbles like a chicken with a claw
Someone has terrible handwriting!
German
Wie die Kuh vorm neuen Tor dastehen
Like a cow standing before a new gate
Someone is very confused!
French
Se faire poser un lapin
To be given a rabbit
To be stood up
Spanish
Pensar en las musarañas
To think about the field mice
To day dream
Polish
Dostał małpiego rozumu
To have monkey brains
Suddenly behave strangely, foolishly or aggressively
Italian
Far vedere I sorci Verdi
To make someone see green rats
To warn someone they’re about to be defeated!
German
Wo sich Hase und Fuchs gute Nacht sagen
Where the hare and the fox say goodnight
In the middle of nowhere!
French
Donner de la confiture aux cochons
To give jam to the pigs
To give someone something refined that they won’t appreciate
Spanish
Buscarle tres pies al gato
To look for three feet of the cat
To be looking for trouble!
Polish
Ma węża w kieszeni
Have a snake in your pocket
To be tight-fisted
German
Ich glaube, mein Schwein pfeift!
I believe my pig is whistling!
Blow me down! I don’t believe it!
These idioms also have equivalent expressions in English – can you guess what they might be?
French: vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué
Literal translation: to sell the bear’s skin before it’s been killed
Spanish: cría cuervos y te sacaran los ojos
Literal translation: breed cows and they will poke out your eyes
Let us know what you think!
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