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# Googly? Everyone knows what a crumpet is, neh?
In furtherance of that grand tradition of finding new entries in the set of all x where f(x) = a list of the World’s Most/Greatest/Best/Worst x, I present the World’s Most Difficult to Translate Words.
The world’s most difficult word to translate has been identified as “ilunga” from the Tshiluba language spoken in south-eastern DR Congo.
It came top of a list drawn up in consultation with 1,000 linguists.
Ilunga means “a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time”.
Hmm, I’m not too sure of that one. Sounds to me like it is just an extension of “Fool me one, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you”. Mind you, I don’t know the actual entry requirements, so maybe “difficult to translate” means “difficult to translate into a single word”.
Although the definitions seem fairly precise, the problem is trying to convey the local references associated with such words, says Jurga Zilinskiene, head of Today Translations, which carried out the survey.
ibid
Ahh, all is made clear. <pause value=”300” metric=”seconds” /> I gave it much thought, but I’ve got nothing. I can’t think of a single Australian slang term that is difficult to translate. I disbelieve the phrase “flat out like a lizard drinking” has ever been used except by D (and at her behest, national television host Rove McManus) to confuse me, so my lack of knowledge of what it means doesn’t count.
I rather like “Naa” (“to emphasise statements or agree with someone”), I wonder if it is related to “neh” which is a word I picked up out of role playing game supplement on 21st century Japan, so is possibly not even a real word. No, I was just told by a co-worker who has lived and worked in Japan that they are the same word, just from different regions.
Personally, I’ve always found “nothing” to be the most difficult word to translate in all creation. It has such a myriad or possible meanings each applicable to a unique situation. “Wild Monkey, what are you doing?”…”Nothing”. Later, “What are you doing now?”…”Nothing”. No doubt in a few years I will be asking “What will you be doing there?”…”Nothing”…”But you do many variations of nothing here!”
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# Re: Googly? Everyone knows what a crumpet is, neh?
Um…. I've used it. That phrase, I mean. The flat out one.
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# Re: Googly? Everyone knows what a crumpet is, neh?
So D's got to you too. What was your price for perpetuating my confusion, eh?
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# Re: Googly? Everyone knows what a crumpet is, neh?
I know it too (as you well know).
In that case, D must have been /flat out like a lizard drinking/ running around the country making sure everybody knew that phrase.-
# Re: Googly? Everyone knows what a crumpet is, neh?
Conspiracy!
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# Re: Googly? Everyone knows what a crumpet is, neh?
My mother uses "flat out like a lizard drinking". D's influence is spreading.
I once needed a quick slang translation (mutterforaficIwaswritingmutter) and discovered that of the three terms I needed, few had a precise translation from Aussie English to UK English. The terms were "rack" (which I believe is NSW private school and associates-limited), "spade" (likewise) and "pike". Roughly suitable terms were found for the first two ("snog" being the best for rack, but still not quite accurate), but no equivalent was found for pike.
So I challenge their ruling. I hold up the almight Pike to be counted.-
# Re: Googly? Everyone knows what a crumpet is, neh?
I'm assuming spade is different to the nasty little term I initially thought. But Pike? How can such a useful word not be universal?!?
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276 days since 26/10/2009