I know that in general, proverbs are difficult to translate because they assume a lot of cultural knowledge to convey their idea.
Like if I say to you “bird in the hand”, you’ll understand that I’m referencing the notion that there’s value to a sure thing that can outweigh the value of potentially having more.
If you ever watch a UN speech, the translators sometimes pause for a bit to figure out how to convey not just the literal words, but also the meaning and the meaning in context.
onion sorrow
the horse did not roll
There are elderberries in the kitchen garden, and your uncle in Kiev
There’s a pretty good Nicole Kidman thriller called ‘The Interpreter.’ Kidman plays a UN translator. There’s a cute little throwaway scene where some of her colleagues are chatting. One says the the American used the phrase ‘pie in the sky’ and she had to change it to ‘castles in Spain.’
I know that in general, proverbs are difficult to translate because they assume a lot of cultural knowledge to convey their idea.
Like if I say to you “bird in the hand”, you’ll understand that I’m referencing the notion that there’s value to a sure thing that can outweigh the value of potentially having more.
If you ever watch a UN speech, the translators sometimes pause for a bit to figure out how to convey not just the literal words, but also the meaning and the meaning in context.
There’s a pretty good Nicole Kidman thriller called ‘The Interpreter.’ Kidman plays a UN translator. There’s a cute little throwaway scene where some of her colleagues are chatting. One says the the American used the phrase ‘pie in the sky’ and she had to change it to ‘castles in Spain.’
Is onion sorrow something similar to crocodile tears?
I believe it’s closer to “no use crying over spilt milk”. “Unhelpful sadness or remorse”.