The term “Etymology” is the study of the origin of words. The practice of etymology is uncovering the truth by tracing the root of a word and its evolution thereafter. English as a language borrows heavily from other languages. These lexical borrowings or loan words make English a versatile language.
But then, there are some proverbs and idioms in regional languages that can never be translated as well as it should be to English. I remember writing a story where I took in a phrase from Telugu, Naa tho kotha kapuram chestava?
This remarkable phrase cannot be translated to English for in no way can it be evocative enough. At the most, it can loosely be translated as: Will you make/ create a new home with me? It cannot bring in the emotions, the feelings in its entirety or express your love. Similarly, the term red-handed can never replace the Latin phrase, in flagrante delicto,
Today, with the world going berserk with war raging, the gas and fuels burning I am once again reminded of a Tamil Proverb and I feel the present scenario can aptly be described as: “Velila pona onaana (or onaan) kadhu kulla vittutu, kutharathe, kodayarathe kadhai mathiri!”
If you translate it literally, it means the chameleon is happy and minding its own business sitting on a fence. You take it in your hand release it in your ears and then say, it is poking your ears or digging into them.
Figuratively, it means unnecessarily inviting trouble into your life by interfering in matters that do not concern you.
I don’t think I need to say anymore! If your own language has a proverb and phrase that cannot be translated as well, do share in comments.
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
It true, we invite our own troubles. The whole world is doing that in its own way. From the smallest to the largest, there’s always a troublemaker. I like the way you bring out phrases from different languages.
Every language holds countless proverb and phrase which are hard to translate . I am a Bengali and I can come up with many such Bengali phrases and poverbs which absolutely changes meaning if we translate it. This post is very interesting loved it
There’s one in Gujarati which goes ‘દૂરથી ડુંગર રળિયામણા’ where the literal translation would be ‘Mountains look beautiful from a distance’ but the actual meaning is more deeper, contextual, and metaphorical meaning things often look better or more appealing from afar than they actually are up close
These idioms and proverbs are totally untranslatable into any other language. I have realised this truth on my own and have no backing of any studies. Your article reaffirms my belief. What interesting takes you have for this series on etymology! Keep them coming.
I miss the English Idoms and popular quotes. We used to use them in our writing, but not any more. Metaphors are encouraged now rather than idioms. I heard some US shows making fun of Trump in the same way. He is a huge buffooon who puts his foot in his mouth!
Oh, that’s the perfect quote for the current situation in the world. And sadly, the poor chameleon gets blamed for doing what it does.
I’m a Marwari and there’s a saying ‘thotho chano baje ghano’. Something on the lines of empty vessels make more noise. Interesting how wise and flexible they can be in any situation or era.
I learned a new Tamil proverb today, Chandrika. And I’m going to use it at the next available opportunity. 🙂
My mother used to say so many of them, each apt for that situation. I used to wonder how she could keep so many proverbs in her head. Enjoyed reading your post.
I loved this dive into language! The way you unpacked meaning made me rethink words I use every day. So fascinating and thought‑provoking.
Ha ha ha – such an apt proverb for the current situation!! a bit like Aa bail mujhe maar but infinitely more suited to whats happening now!
Etymology is one of my favourite subjects to dive into. Especially in medical science, every scary sounding term has an origin, and once you understand that, there’s no need to cram it! And yes, some phrases should never be translated.