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Learning a new language is challenging. However, it's just as rewarding. I mean, having the ability to interact with someone who grew up in a a completely different environment? Juk tai nuostabu. And the lessons aren't just a painstaking grind. They're full of fun things as well. One of them is literal translations, the "word-for-word" translations that tend to drift away from the sense of the original word on sentence. One of the members of the Facebook group Monolinguals are the worst has urged others to share the funniest literal translations they know, and, believe me, they delivered. Scroll down to check out these linguistic gems and upvote your favorites!

Interestingly, the United States is largely monolingual. In fact, only about 15-20 percent of Americans call themselves bilingual, compared to 56 percent of Europeans surveyed in 2006 by the European Commission.

According to Arabic professor Mahmoud Al-Batal, the inability to speak a foreign language makes it difficult for Americans to compete globally on a linguistic and cultural level. Others who criticized the United States’ monolingual nature have highlighted problems in university-level language courses that result in students failing to reach higher levels of proficiency in a foreign language.

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#9

Different-Funny-Language-Meanings

Monolinguals are the worst Report

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Daria B
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ahahahah! True. Interestingly, the cooked / prepared fish has a completely different Sino-Korean word. (Like the difference between "pig" and "pork" in English)

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#13

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Chloë Coles
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've always called them sleeping policemen and I'm British English...

Matt Kennedy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

'Silent policemen' were the round (often yellow) raised objects in the middle of the road. This was the official name for them. While 'sleeping policemen' (for speed bumps) is a quite recent nickname, based on 'silent policemen'. 🙂

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Georgette Goldie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

they were called "Sleeping Policemen" in Britain - till they realised that no one slowed down for that.

Seabeast
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have reverse sleeping policemen where I live. They're called "potholes".

Irfan Lubis
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Indonesia, we also call it "polisi tidur" (sleeping policeman).

Heather Williams
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In South Africa I have heard them called sleeping policeman. Seems like people really don't like police.

Irina Deneva-Slav
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same in Bulgarian. Must say something about attitudes to the police... :D

Peter Mikula
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Slovak is `spomaľovač` what means retarder or slow-downer :). We also use `retarder` for it.

memirkie xxx
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Il french as well ! "gendarme couché". But it's aslo a donkey back, a blackcurrant... ^^

Deymi Alexandra
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Panama we call them “Policia muerto” that means dead policeman

Marnie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Spanish in Costa Rica: "Los Muertes", or "The Dead" as in dead people.

thespacebunny
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in indonesian its polisi tidur which literally translates to police that is sleeping/ sleeping police

NMN
Community Member
5 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some regions of Brazil also say lying policeman, others have other names, from "suspension breaker", "elevation", to non translatable names

Týna Ef
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in my language is slang for this - burried policeman...or bad burried policeman

Piou
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In French too but it is an old way of saying it. Another old way to say it would translate in "donkey's back" (dos d'âne)

Cl Jacobs
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

India- rumblers .....it makes sense when you drive over them.

Juan Arias
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Colombian Spanish is the same and if it's too big it would be "lying policeman with wife"

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#14

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Sleep Meister
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The term 'whisky' derives originally from the Gaelic 'uisge beatha', or 'usquebaugh', meaning 'water of life'. Gaelic is the branch of Celtic spoken in the Highlands of Scotland.

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#21

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David Jeu
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you literally translate "pineapple" in French it become "pomme de pin", which translated back in English means "pine cone".

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#26

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Iggy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can see why German isn't the international language of romance! Nipple isn't much better, though, to be honest!

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#28

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Gosiulka Bloem
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5 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same in Dutch (sinaasappel or appelsien) and from Dutch (as far as I know) it was borrowed into many languages, including Russian.

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#30

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Martz Migraña
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never in my Hispanic life heard someone showering with an artichoke.. this is maybe from a very specific country or region, and not part of the common Spanish language, I think.

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#35

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Claudia Machado
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same in Portuguese. Funny thing is rollercoaster in Russian is American slides.

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#49

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Aine
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He's still called Leðurblökumaðurinn in Iceland... (The leather flap man)

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#51

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Kaisu
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Finnish too, you can say it's raining water, it's raining snow, it's raining sleet

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#52

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Väinö-Oskari Astala
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oxygen translated from Greek means acid-producer so Germans just translated the name. Same with Finnish, happihappo.

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#61

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DE Ray
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Side note: Candy floss was invented by a dentist - and the conspiracy is revealed!

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#66

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Henrik Lukas
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Danish the mare rides you. You literally say "I've had the mare riding me". The mare being a being that takes you sexually against your will - and giving you evil dreams as a result.

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#69

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troufaki13
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, that's the actual translation from greek. Hippos: horse, potamos: river

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#78

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Maya Baggins
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

False! In Spanish is F****t (mariquita). Saint Anthony's cow is other bug!

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#79

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Thunder
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dutch: 1. Grasscutter (Grasmaaier) 2. Lovely gentleman creature (Lieveheersbeestje) 3. Hundred six and fifty (honderszesenvijftig)

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#82

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miaow
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every creature has a profession. Take the worker ants for example, and the carpenter ants. I literally love these new words !! ^^

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#85

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Nagawa (Cofa) Kishiki
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Chinese word in Japanese: oh, you mean like those from Ghost in the Shell.

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#91

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Daria B
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one reminds me of a specific type of bug that's known for stinking very bad when dead. In Croatian we call it stinky Martin.

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#97

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Ole Peder Amrud Hagen
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is just a literal translation, though, and not the meaning of the word. 'I morgen' means tomorrow, 'morgen' means morning. As in English, really, as 'morrow' is the same word (ie same origin) as 'morning' and 'morgen'.

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#99

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Thunder
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Dutch it is Not normal (Para) Sun (Sol) = Parasol. It’s originally a French word but yeah.

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#100

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Michał Wasiak
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And my personal favorite from: - English: terrible idea - Polish: poroniony pomysł (your idea was a miscarriage )

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