Un trabajo de…

Sadly the film industry has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons recently but as the bizarre translation of some film titles always brings a smile to my face…here are a few of the most outlandish and/or incomprehensible.

Original: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 1964.  (Dr. Amorextraño o: Como aprendí de dejar de preocuparme y amar a la bomba.)

Translation: ¿Teléfono Rojo? Volamos hacia Moscú (Red telephone? We’re flying to Moscow.)

Original: Sound of Music, 1968. (El sonido de la música)

Translation: Sonrisas y lágrimas (Smiles and tears)

Original: Airplane, 1980.  (Avion)

Translation: Aterriza como puedas (Land however you can.)

Original: The Lost Boys, 1987. (Los chicos perdidos)

Translation: Jóvenes Ocultos (Hidden young men)

This month I’ve chosen some expressions and idioms with animal references…

Con la cola entre las patas:

Es la típica forma de huir que tienen la mayoría de los perros, manteniendo el rabo metido entre las patas traseras. Se aplica a la persona que abandona un lugar totalmente humillado.

There’s exactly the same expression in English, with the same meaning: With one’s tail between one’s legs.

After claiming that she could speak Russian fluently, she walked away with her tail between her legs when she didn’t understand the Russian tourists.

Cuando el gato no está, los ratones se divierten:

Habla de la necesidad de estar siempre atento y vigilando a quienes deben cumplir una tarea, porque cuando uno tiene obligaciones, es responsable de que se cumplan.

Again, in English it would seem that the meaning is more or less the same, although we use it more to express our awareness (and acceptance) that if a boss/parent isn’t present, the workers/children won’t be doing what they should. When the cat’s away, the mice will play is often used in response to someone’s surprise at the result of them being away – as if to remind the person complaining that it’s common knowledge that people don’t work unless they feel an external obligation. It’s one of the most typical expressions to only use the first half of, as we know that the other person will understand the rest.

“I can’t believe that the kids made such a mess!”

“When the cat’s away...”

Cuando las ranas críen pelos:

O sea, nunca. Poca es la posibilidad de que, naturalmente, a las ranas les crezca el vello sobre su piel, por eso, la frase se usa para expresar la escasa (o ninguna) posibilidad de que algo suceda.

I wish this expression existed in English, but ‘when frogs grow hair’ doesn’t...yet...

To transmit the same level of impossibility we would use: When hell freezes over.

“Do you think we’ll get a raise in our salaries?”

“When hell freezes over.”

Cortar el bacalao:

Ser el que manda en una sociedad o cualquier grupo de personas. El bacalao fue, durante mucho tiempo, un elemento básico en la alimentación de los pobres, por eso, la misión de cortarlo era reservada a los jefes de familia.

In English this fishy reference about the person who has the power in a situation or group changes to a cheesy one. We would say someone is: The big cheese. In the 19^th Century ‘cheese’ was used to praise something – it didn’t matter if it was big or small! Strangely enough, nowadays if we describe something as ‘cheesy’ it means that it’s clichéd or artificial.

If you need to get a quick answer, talk to John – he’s the big cheese around here.

Cuando (o donde) menos se piensa salta la liebre:

Para cazar liebres, el perro avanza sigilosamente por el campo hasta que, en determinado momento, la presa salta y comienza su huida para evitar ser abatida por el disparo del arma del hombre. Para ello, hay que estar preparado, esperando ese momento. En la vida, sucede lo mismo: debemos estar listos para enfrentar momentos cruciales.

This is one of those expressions that have absolutely no equivalent in English, we’d say: You never know (what might happen), with the last part often omitted.

According to the book: A Dictionary of English and Romance Languages Equivalent Proverbs by Teodor Flonta it is: The hare starts when a man least expects it. But I can honestly say that I have never heard the expression in my life.

“What’s the point in going to the interview? There are 600 other applicants.”

“You never know…”

This month, in honour of Halloween, I’ve found some old words that linguists at the University of York have proposed should be re-introduced into modern usage.

Ambodexter: one who takes bribes from both sides (political journalists would be grateful).

Betrump: to deceive, cheat, elude (no comment from the Whitehouse).

Nickum: a cheating or dishonest person (you can never have enough words to insult

people, can you?).

Quacksalver: a person who dishonestly claims knowledge of medicine (some of the articles related to alternate medicine on the internet could have been written by one of these).

Teen: to vex, irritate, annoy, anger, enrage, inflict suffering upon (if you have a teenager – a child between the ages of thirteen and nineteen you know what this refers to!).