Language is one of the best ways to experience another culture. As these idioms - and their surprising translations - show, it's the similarities and differences between us that make exploring the world such a wonderful thing. These phrases were compiled for Lonely Planet magazine by guest expert Adam Jacot de Boinod, author of The Meaning of Tingo: and other Extraordinary Words from Around the World.
It's raining cats and dogs
Afrikaans: Ou vrouens met knopkieries reen
It’s raining old women with clubs
Dutch: Het regent pijpenstelen
It’s raining pipestems
Persian: Baron mesleh dobeh asb mirized
It’s raining like the tail of the horse
Greek: Brékhei kareklopódara
It’s raining chair legs
German: Es regnet schusterbuben
It’s raining young cobblers
Taking coals to Newcastle/Selling ice to the eskimos
Russian: Yezdit’ b Tulu s svoim samovarom
He’s going to Tula, taking his own samovar
German: Eulen nach Athen tragen
Taking owls to Athens
Hungarian: Vizet hord a Dunába
He's taking water to the Danube
Spanish: Es como llevar naranjas a Valencia
It’s like taking oranges to Valencia
A sledgehammer to crack a nut
Thai: Kee chang jahb thak-a-thaen
Ride an elephant to catch a grasshopper
Mandarin: Tuo kuzi fang pi
To take your trousers offto break wind
Turkish: Pire icin yorgan yakmak
To burn the duvet becauseof one flea
When pigs might fly
Croatian: Kad na vrbi rodi grožde
When willows bear grapes
Hungarian: Majd ha piros hó esik
When it’s snowing red snowflakes
Uzbek: Tuyaning dumi yerga tekkanda
When the camel’s tail reaches the ground
Russian: Kag-da rak svist-nyet
When the crayfish whistles
Like father like son
Portuguese: Filho de peixe sabe nadar
A fish’s child knows howto swim
Hausa, Nigeria: Barewa tayi gudu danta ya yi rarrafe
How can a gazelle’s offspring crawl when its mother is a fast runner?
Arabic: Ibn al bat’awwam
The son of a duck is a floater
Out of the frying pan, into the fire
Czech: Dostat se z bláta do louıe
Out of the mud, into the puddle
Hindi: Aasmaan se gire khajoor mein atke
Down from the skies, into the date tree
Indonesian: Takut akan lumpur lari ke duri
Afraid of mud, escape to thorns
Once bitten, twice shy
Russian: Puganaya vorona kusta
A spooked crow is afraid of a bush
Swahili: Mtafunwa na nyoka akiona unyasi hushtuka
One who has been bitten by a snake startles at a reed
Portuguese: Cão picado por cobra, tem medo de linguiça
A dog bitten by a snake fears sausages
To beat about the bush
Finnish: Kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa
To pace around hot porridgelike a cat
Italian: Menare il can per l’aia
To lead the dog around the yard
Spanish: Emborrachar la perdiz
To get the partridge drunk
Further reading:
- 5 embarrassing language mistakes
- How to speak like a New Zealander
- Tips for learning a second language
- Travel etiquette 101: body language
- The language of travel photography
