Today we celebrate the international mother language day. For interpreters working on their mother tongue is very important.
In this video our colleagues explain why the mother tongue is so important for our profession:
https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/4ffb0d2ba92f664c2281970110a2e071
In order to celebrate this day, here are some idioms. Let’s focus on expressions that convey the same message in different languages.
Firstly: “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
This proverb means you should not make assumptions about something before it happens. It is a warning not to get ahead of oneself, as things may not go as planned. It is very interesting to note how the image changes from language to language whilst conveying the same message. For instance, in Italian you would say "non dire gatto se non ce l'hai nel sacco", which literally means "don't say cat if you don't have it in the sack".
In French and Dutch, another image is used: “Ne pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué” and “Je moet het vel van de beer niet verkopen voor hij geschoten is”, which translates into “You should not sell the bear's skin before you've killed/shot it". In Polish, they also use a bear image and say “Nie dziel skóry na niedźwiedziu”.
In Ukrainian you can use “Не кажи гоп, поки не перескочиш", which literally means “Don't say hop until you've jumped over”.
So let’s test your skills and put some cat speeches in the sack before you say cat! IT: Cane o gatto? and Intelligenza animale
Let’s move on to the next expression: When you have not had to work to get where you are, in French we say that you get served on a silver platter or “se voir servir sur un plateau d’argent”.
In Swedish, they use a very different expression: "Att glida in på en räkmacka”. So, if in your language you receive things on a silver platter, in Sweden you might “Slide in on a shrimp sandwich”!
So here just for you, served on a silver platter, is an EN speech on fish (and shrimp) farming . Try also our collection of Swedish speeches for practice!
Next comes a series of expressions where there are birds everywhere, but these birds do not necessarily flock together.
The saying "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush" means you should play it safe, and not risk what you have. In Polish, the saying is “lepszy wróbel w garści niż gołąb na dachu” (A sparrow in the hand is better than the pigeon on the roof), and in Spanish “más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando” (Better a bird in hand than hundred flying). In Dutch, the expression is very similar: “Beter één vogel in de hand dan tien in de lucht” (One bird in the hand is better than ten in the sky). And in Ukrainian “Краще синиця в руці, аніж у небі журавель” (Better a bird in the hand than a crane in the sky).
And since birds are everywhere, we invite you to practise your consecutive on this EN speech East-West migration in Europe!
Still remaining in the animal kingdom, the English idiom “To be a horse of a different colour” or even “to be a different kettle of fish” has also very different counterparts in other languages. In French, the equivalent saying is: “C’est une autre paire de manches”, which is the same as in Italian “un altro paio di maniche” and in Belgian Dutch “Dat is een ander paar mouwen” (That's another pair of sleeves). Interestingly, this is different from the expression used in the Netherlands, which is: “Dat is andere koek” (That is another cookie). And in Spanish, they say “ser harina de otro costal” (To be flour from another sack). Can you find another expression including the French word “manche” in this this speech?
The expression “It’s no mean feat” or “Ce n’est pas une mince affaire” has an idiosyncratic rendition in Spanish with "no ser moco de pavo”, literally meaning “It is not turkey mucus”. English also has another idiom conveying the same message: “It’s not a walk in the park”.
Can you find this idiom in this Spanish speech?
In conclusion, let’s look at an expression where all languages concur: “There is strength in unity” or “United we stand (divided we fall)”. “Ní neart go cur le chéile” is the Irish version. In French, we have “L’union fait la force” and in Croatian “Zajedno smo jači”. In Ukrainian, the same expression exists: “Сила в єдності”, but there is also an interesting expression “Один у полі не воїн” (lit. One man in the field is no warrior), which means that alone you cannot struggle against a superior force, alone you have no chance of winning and this is why you need other people around you.
By the way, why don’t you have a look at our new collection of Ukrainian speeches!
Our speakers are from all over the world and use their own idioms when giving speeches. Can you find other idioms on the Speech Repository?