Your English dictionary
No cow on the ice…
Do you know your English sayings? Or do you run Danish (or German or Spanish or Hungarian) sayings through Google Translate? (please promise that you stop doing that). Or maybe you avoid using sayings when you write in English because what exactly is the English version of the Danish (or German or Spanish or Hungarian) saying you have in mind? In Danish, we have a saying that goes: Ingen ko på isen, which translates to: No cow on the ice, and please never use that when you write because it's complete gibberish.
Sayings are hard when you move from one language to another, mostly because you can never just translate them. And as great as Google Translate is, sometimes it struggles, too.
But there are few things more sleep-inducing than a really boring English text. You've no doubt tried it: you feel your eye lids getting heavy, you start yawning, you rest your head on the palm of your hand, you close your eyes to blink, and suddenly, it's been 10 minutes.
Det har du ikke prøvet? Det har jeg selvfølgelig heller ikke… Det var bare lige noget, jeg kom på…
My point, though, is that that is the last thing you want to happen when your reader/customer/colleague/business partner reads your English material.
That's why I've put together a list of ten English sayings so you can shake up your content!
English sayings
Make hay while the sun shines
There's method to his/her/their madness
Comparing apples to oranges
Kill two birds with one stone
Like two peas in a pod
Bite off more than you can chew
Bolt from the blue
The early bird gets the worm
Costs an arm and a leg
You can't judge a book by its cover
English sayings
Taking advantage of a favourable situation
There's a good reason for his/her/their actions
An invalid comparison
You achieve two things rahter than just one
Two people or things that are very similar
Taking on a task that you can't manage
Something happens suddenly
Whoever arrives first gets what they want
Something very expensive
You can't know something or someone by only looking at its/their appearance
Obviously, there are many more sayings and expressions but I think we'd both get bored if the list was much longer.
But what about you? What are some sayings in your native language that just don't translate well into English? If you're up for it, share them below!
Until next time!
Ikke helt færdig med at nørde?
I’ve got you!
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Poe | Proof & Edit
English proofreading, copywriting & translations
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