Tag Archives: Translation fun

YOU KNOW YOU ARE TRULY GERMAN…

…When the phrases listed below make you laugh (or cringe).

Every language has its proverbs.  Some well-known English ones include:

• “The early bird catches the worm.”
• “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

Or

• “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

Here are some examples that we are familiar with in the German culture:

• “Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn.”
• “Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat.”

Or

• “Alle guten Dinge sind drei.”

Now, some of these proverbs can be easily translated into the other language.  But there are certain ones that just sound silly if you do translate them word by word. Some of my fellow German readers might have heard of these before.  .

And if not, I hope you still get to enjoy this guessing game and get a good laugh out of it.  I sure do every time one of my friends comes around the corner with one of these (See what I did there?)

• “I only understand railroad station.”
• “You go me on the alarm clock.”
• “My dear Mr. Singing Club.”
• “This is not the yellow from the egg.”
• “Now we have the salad.”
• “With me is not good cherry eating.”
• “There tap-dances the bear.”
• “Everything is in butter.”
• “He doesn’t have all the cups in the closet.”
• “He has bumblebees in the bottom.”
• “That is jacket like pants.”
• “There we have the salad.”
• “To be washed with all waters.”
• “There becomes yes the dog in the pan crazy.”
• “It’s pouring like out of buckets.”
• “Only the hard come into the garden.”
• “I do believe my pig whistles.”
• “Enjoy life in full trains.”
• “Life is no sugar licking.”
• “That is me so what of sausage.”
• “Butter by the fishes.”

I could go on and on and without becoming tired of it.  But since all good things have to come to an end, I will leave you with this video by German actors Matthias Schweighöfer and Friedrich Mücke.  Enjoy!

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Credits: Images – Pixabay.com / Video – ©SonyPicturesGermany

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Anne-Kathrin Schulte is a contributor for CaliforniaGermans.com. She writes about her personal experience of the American Dream as well as on working as an au pair in CA. She was born and grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she completed her degree as a state-approved Kindergarten teacher. After her au pair engagement in the US and a quick return to Germany, she decided to attend university in California and moved back to the United States. She has been living in Southern California since 2011.

If you would like to contact Anne-Kathrin, please send an email to californiagermans(at)gmail.com and place her name in the subject line.

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