Saturday, July 9, 2011

No translation

There are few things that don't seem to translate.  A friend was explaining his son was comfortable swimming on vacation because it was shallow enough to stand up or touch bottom, but the Danish phrase is uses bottom as a verb, "He was comfortable because he could bottom."

The same family asked me our word for the 12 1/2 anniversary.  Here they celebrate the 50th/golden, the 25th/silver, and the 12 1/2, or copper, anniversary.  It is a big event that people start planning far in advance.

Of course there is hygge, which translates as cozy, but is more of a feeling.  When A. was playing miniature golf near the fjord on a very green course
I explained to the parents of A.'s friend that the course close to us has a view of eight lanes of traffic on I-10.  "This is much more hyggelig," the other parent said.

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