Is there a cross-reference between Spanish and English idioms?
From time to time I am asked to do a translation wherein there are certain English idioms used that really don't make any sense at all. The translator is no help, because it tends to translate word for word. Even simple things like "How do you do" don't make sense in Spanish. The first time I heard that I thought "How do I do what?" Similarly Spanish expressions like "llevarle gallo a uno" don't mean "to carry a rooster to someone", but rather "to serenade" someone.
The times when I have to translate English to Spanish these things come up and I have to "rack my brain" (now that's a great one-"devanarse los sesos") to come up with something that makes sense in Spanish or think of an equivalent Spanish idiom.
There must be a good source of these idiomatic expressions that someone here knows about. Thanks for your help.
5 Answers
La verdad yo casi nunca uso ese tipo de expresiones, varían de lugar en lugar, por ejemplo según el enlace de sanlee en puerto rico dicen: "de tal padre, tal hijo" en México decimos "De tal palo, tal la astilla"
Hola Dani
Idioms are used a lot in English
From my experience of teaching English Idioms to Spanish speakers I found that my students could not give many Spanish equivalents to the idioms I presented them with.
Rightly or wrongly I have concluded that there are many more "real" idioms in English than Spanish.
I have also had "discussions" on here about what constitutes an idiom.
I don't mean idiomatic expressions or colloquialisms.
I mean idioms that create a picture in the mind's eye - such as
I am over the moon
or
I am sick as a parrot
or
I can shop until the cows come home.
Sandy mentioned the phrase book but if you find an English idiom in there it is usually translated using "normal" langauge and not an equivalent Spanish idiom.
¡Muchísimas gracias a todos por su ayuda.
Las expresiones que dio Ian me hicieron reír.
¿Qué signfica "I am over the moon?
En el inglés americano en vez de decir "I am sick as a parrot" se dice "sick as a dog"
"until the cows come home" Lo sé muy bien.
Hay otra expression que hay en inglés es. "He works as hard as a dog". En español se dice- "Trabaja como un burro.
Thanks, again.
We also have a phrase book here.
