Dictionary
Double Dutch
language that is impossible to understand; gibberish.
Similar: nonsense, gibberish, balderdash, blather, blether, rubbish
Double Dutch. A humorous and ironic term. The faux pas potential it represents is quite hilarious. Especially when you consider the sheer volume of weird and wonderful nuances every language has!
The English language is as guilty as any. It has intricacies and colloquialisms. They’re impossible for businesses to navigate without the assistance of expert business translation services.
I experienced a few examples firsthand, during a theatre trip with some German friends. My companions were entertained, also very perplexed, by some of the fairly common English vernacular I used. Terms like “up in the gods”, “glad rags”, “game face”. I could have been on the stage as a stand-up comedian!
Further to this, a recent Pocket article by Bill DeMain demonstrated some glorious examples of words the English language simply doesn’t have meaningful equivalents of, like –
- “Kummerspeck (German) – Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. Literally, grief bacon.”
- “Bakku-shan (Japanese) – Or there’s this Japanese slang term, which describes the experience of seeing a woman who appears pretty from behind but not from the front.”
- “Cavoli Riscaldati (Italian) – The result of attempting to revive an unworkable relationship. Translates to “reheated cabbage.”
But, joking apart, parlance peculiarities must be taken a bit more seriously in business. Using translation services allows for the deepest dive beneath the surface of other languages, for documentation, marketing collateral, contracts, websites. Otherwise, you run the risk of being seriously misunderstood by colleagues, clients, and suppliers abroad.
At Accutranslate, our UK based business translation services cut two ways. We can help if you need translations from English in to another language. Or, from another language in to English.
With us by your side, your business communications will never be gobbledy gook. We’re here to mind your Ps and Qs for you. When you won’t even know those Ps and Qs exist.
Source –
38 Wonderful Words With No English Equivalent by Bill DeMain, Pocket