I like playing with words!

By Patricia Thibaud

Since I was a child, I have always loved words.

First, because they are fascinating since you are supposed to be able to express all your feelings, your opinions or also the simplest things like a craving for a drink, for chocolate or… just for your bed.

And second, because they are a way of conveying ideas, and a way of uniting people around their common values and traditions. That’s why words are so important in our world. Moreover, the differences between all the languages underline the differences between all the peoples. After all, studying languages is really fascinating.

Even though languages are a serious matter, they also can be fun. This is the purpose of my text.

For example, there are some English popular sayings that are very funny if you try a literal translation into French. Sometimes I do that with my students and they always laugh out loud.

Let me help you understand what I mean and why it may be so funny! Here are some popular sayings and their word by word translation:

“They are burning the candle at both ends.” If you translate it literally in French it will be ils brûlent la chandelle par les deux bouts. If you translate it into Portuguese word by word eles estão queimando a vela pelos dois lados, which may have an unexpected sexual meaning! But into real Portuguese translation it means enquanto se canta não se assobia that is “you don’t sing when you whistle” or não dá para assoviar e chupar cana ao mesmo tempo, which means “it’s impossible to whistle while you taste cane”.

For this example, English and French are very close and use almost the same words. 

But my favourite is this one: “It’s raining cats and dogs.” If you translate it literally into French, it will be il pleut des chats et des chiens and my students can’t help burst out laughing. I agree with them because in French it sounds really strange and funny. We say il pleut des cordes instead, that is “it’s raining strings” and I can also imagine the English students laughing when they hear this translation. The usual expression about rain in Portuguese is está chovendo canivetes, that is “It’s raining penknifes”. Weird, isn’t it?

Words can be our best friends for ever if we use them correctly and in the best way to express ourselves and make our culture, history and way of life go on.

Words are alive since they were born, they grow up and they die like human beings. But that will be another essay!