Mi Translations Blog Literal Translations of Common Phrases Used in Europe

Most of us are familiar with idioms commonly used in the English language. In fact, many of these are so common that we intuitively know exactly what they mean without having to think twice. "That costs an arm and a leg." "Time to hit the hay." "It's raining cats and dogs." "C'mon, spill the beans!" "She's a bit under the weather." "Opinions are a dime a dozen." The list is almost endless. So it should come as no surprise that idioms exist in other languages as well. And while it's possible to translate those phrases word-for-word, their actual meaning is anything but obvious. Here are some common phrases used in European countries that definitely do not translate clearly into English. "Les carottes sont cuites" - The literal translation of this phrase from French into English is "The carrots are cooked." Of course, this tells us absolutely nothing about what the idiom means. This phrase refers to a situation that is over and done with, so that the end result can't be altered. "Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" - When this phrase is literally translated from German into English, it means "I only understand the train station," which implies that the speaker has no idea what the other person is talking about. "Quem não tem cão caça com gato" - This PortugueseRead More;The post Literal Translations of Common Phrases Used in Europe appeared first on MI Translations.