I didn’t say “untranslatable”. Please don’t put words in my mouth.
Though there are sayings that are virtually untranslatable between cultures because their conceptions of the world are so different.
It’s often very difficult to translate sayings across cultures, because there’s no one-to-one mapping of words, let alone ideas/concepts.
Take a look even at the difference between French and English, where how you count isn’t even close to the same. Then read some Moliere and Shakespeare, seeing how their wordplay is different because of language differences. And these are two countries with a long relationship, with French spoken by the upper classes in Shakespeare’s time.
I have several books of sayings/proverbs collections, and it’s fascinating to read things translated by people with extensive understanding and knowledge. Even then, sometimes the best translations are just incomprehensible to me, since I grew up in a culture that’s vastly different from the origin.
Very old sayings are especially interesting (e.g. Things written in something like Sanskrit). It can be so difficult to connect to a culture that hasn’t existed in so long (or has an existing great-great-great grandchild that’s quite different).
Again, even from US English to British English can be surprisingly opaque, sharing a common language but unique environs.
Take for example sayings like “my cross to bear” and “good Samaritan”. Those are both from the bible, but they’re oblique references to saying that require a LOT of explanation themselves, but they’re so ingrained you can just reference the full saying to get the message across.
If I were to say, reference “one thing which never dies”, pretty much everyone would be guessing at the meaning. Basically nobody knows it’s a reference to a saying about the reputation people leave behind after death, based on the Norse Edda’s.
The lesson seems to be that how people know you is the most important thing in life, beyond family and your life. And that explanation doesn’t cover it, because none of us have the correct cultural background to interpret it. (If you happen to be a scholar, I’ll happily be corrected).
I didn’t say “untranslatable”. Please don’t put words in my mouth.
Though there are sayings that are virtually untranslatable between cultures because their conceptions of the world are so different.
It’s often very difficult to translate sayings across cultures, because there’s no one-to-one mapping of words, let alone ideas/concepts.
Take a look even at the difference between French and English, where how you count isn’t even close to the same. Then read some Moliere and Shakespeare, seeing how their wordplay is different because of language differences. And these are two countries with a long relationship, with French spoken by the upper classes in Shakespeare’s time.
I have several books of sayings/proverbs collections, and it’s fascinating to read things translated by people with extensive understanding and knowledge. Even then, sometimes the best translations are just incomprehensible to me, since I grew up in a culture that’s vastly different from the origin.
Very old sayings are especially interesting (e.g. Things written in something like Sanskrit). It can be so difficult to connect to a culture that hasn’t existed in so long (or has an existing great-great-great grandchild that’s quite different).
Again, even from US English to British English can be surprisingly opaque, sharing a common language but unique environs.
Take for example sayings like “my cross to bear” and “good Samaritan”. Those are both from the bible, but they’re oblique references to saying that require a LOT of explanation themselves, but they’re so ingrained you can just reference the full saying to get the message across.
If I were to say, reference “one thing which never dies”, pretty much everyone would be guessing at the meaning. Basically nobody knows it’s a reference to a saying about the reputation people leave behind after death, based on the Norse Edda’s.
The lesson seems to be that how people know you is the most important thing in life, beyond family and your life. And that explanation doesn’t cover it, because none of us have the correct cultural background to interpret it. (If you happen to be a scholar, I’ll happily be corrected).
It was a play on a famous meme.