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Off topic: It's all Greek/Dutch/Chinese to me - which one? Thread poster: Veronica Lupascu
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Hi All,
What language is considered so difficult in your culture that generates expressions like that one in subject, when something is not understandable or complicated?
I am Romanian. In my language we use Chinese (at least in the region I come from). So, when somebody is talking about something and the listener doesn't get the point, the one who is talking might say "Come on! I am not using Chinese to explain all that!".
When traveling to Holland, I he... See more Hi All,
What language is considered so difficult in your culture that generates expressions like that one in subject, when something is not understandable or complicated?
I am Romanian. In my language we use Chinese (at least in the region I come from). So, when somebody is talking about something and the listener doesn't get the point, the one who is talking might say "Come on! I am not using Chinese to explain all that!".
When traveling to Holland, I heard people saying "It's all Greek to me!", while English (UK) people use "It's all Dutch to me!".
Well, I know Greek and I am a basic user of Dutch and I must admit that English people are right!
What about other cultures/languages?
Veronica ▲ Collapse
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Erik Freitag 
Germany
Local time: 21:23
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
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Interesting topic!
In German, it's either "Das kommt mir spanisch vor!" ("Sounds like Spanish to me!"), or "Das sind böhmische Dörfer!" ("That's all Bohemian villages to me!")
[Bearbeitet am 2010-05-14 14:31 GMT]
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In Portugal, we say "it's chinese".
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Veronica Lupascu
Netherlands
Local time: 21:23
Dutch to Romanian
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TOPIC STARTER
efreitag wrote:
Interesting topic!
In German, it's either "Das kommt mir spanisch vor!" ("Sounds like Spanish to me!"), or "Das sind bömische Dörfer!" ("That's all Bohemian villages to me!")
Spanish? Now from a "Romanian point of view" this is weird
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| Russian/Ukrainian | May 14, 2010 |
We say «китайская грамота» (it's Chinese)...
[Редактировалось 2010-05-14 16:23 GMT]
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Ioana LAZAR
France
Local time: 21:23
Romanian to French
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Hello!
In France it's Chinese.
"C'est du Chinois" is the expression currently used.
Ioana
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In Czech, "it's a Spanish village to me" (Je to pro mě španělská vesnice).
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Veronica Lupascu
Netherlands
Local time: 21:23
Dutch to Romanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Stanislav Pokorny wrote:
In Czech, "it's a Spanish village to me" (Je to pro mě španělská vesnice).
It seems that Czech People mixed 2 German expressions
efreitag wrote
Das kommt mir spanisch vor!" ("Sounds like Spanish to me!"), or "Das sind bömische Dörfer!" ("That's all Bohemian villages to me!")
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David Russi
United States
Local time: 13:23
English to Spanish
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| Spanish > Chinese | May 14, 2010 |
para mí es chino, parece chino
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imatahan
Brazil
Local time: 16:23
English to Portuguese
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We aso say Greek
(Você está falando grego, pra mim.)
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Obviously we don't use Greek lol
It's also Chinese to us
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but "Double Dutch" is the term I'm most familiar with (from Dublin/Ireland).
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Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:23
Russian to English
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In memoriam | It's Greek or Double Dutch to the English | May 14, 2010 |
The English also say "It's all Greek to me". As for Dutch, they don't actually say "It's all Dutch to me", but they do describe something incomprehensible as "Double Dutch".
Sorry, Cilian, didn't see your post till after I'd posted this.
[Edited at 2010-05-14 16:01 GMT]
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| Hebrew (France) | May 14, 2010 |
Ioana Lazar Capitaneanu wrote:
In France it's Chinese.
"C'est du Chinois" is the expression currently used.
Ioana
Chinese but also Hebrew ("c'est de l'hébreu").
[Edited at 2010-05-14 16:18 GMT]
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Veronica Lupascu
Netherlands
Local time: 21:23
Dutch to Romanian
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TOPIC STARTER | Double Dutch | May 14, 2010 |
Cilian O'Tuama wrote:
but "Double Dutch" is the term I'm most familiar with (from Dublin/Ireland).
Even funnier I never heard an English saying it. People who went to England told me.
I perfectly understand you 
Are then translators who work with Dutch>English paid double???
[Edited at 2010-05-14 16:44 GMT]
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