Job Discussion Forums

[arioch36]

I am interested in what foreign phrases you think english students should know, such as Que sera, sera, c'est la vie, cogito ergo sum and so on. ( Chinese love "so on")
If you have any ideas please assume my ignorance, and give a good translation for me?
Any interesting English"isms" you have to share. An example of "Chinglish"...Ni yinggai try try (You should try try)
Roger, I am expecting lots of ideas

[Roger]

Good evening (11:45 p.lm.), Chris!

I should be in bed, but I can think of some phrases from other languages that you can pass on to your students:
- zeitgeist (German, "spirit of the time");
- dolce far niente (Italian, "sweet lazying about", literally 'doing nothing');
- in dubio pro reo (Latin, "when in doubt, in favour of the accused");
- c'est la vie (French, "such is life").
- gesundheit (I hear this is a common NY expression borrowed from
German, meaning "Health!");
- halal (Arabic, referring to "clean" foods, clean in the Muslim sense,
like Hebrew "kosher");
- Amen ("So be it!" from Hebrew);

[Guest]

How about the French expressions Joie de vivre - joy of life, je ne sais quoi - can't really put my finger on it, and savoir faire - sorry, can't translate this, if there was in English expression I'm sure we'd use that, or if anyone knows it please put me out of my misery.

Gesundheit does mean health, but is also said after someone sneezes (ie bless you).

Schadenfreude - German, taking pleasure from someone else's misfortune.

[Roger]

(I have just lost a reply containing dozens of examples - mayhbe this time, it is going to be saved!)

Yesm, katie, 'savoir-faire' is French, meaning "know-how-to-do'. I think the English equivalent of 'know-how- is just as much to the point.
Once again, my list:

1) Latin
- status quo ('situation as of now');
- status quo ante ('situation as before');
- per se;
- A.D. ('anno domini', or "year of the Lord');
- ad nauseam ('until you turn sick');
- ad libitum ('as you please');
- habeas corpus (legal term, literally 'you have a body');
- casus belli ('a case of war');
- rigor mortis ('death stiffness');
- curriculum vitae ('life's way', see'resumee, French);
- in utero ('in the womb');
- in vitro;
- persona non grata ('person who has lost his or her own respect',
someone not welcome anymore);
Most Latin expressions in use belong to the legal and medical realms.

b) Italian
- Foods: Spaghetti, ravioli, antipasto, pasta;
- al dente (crisp');
- caffe latte, cappuccino ('hood'); espresso;
- con carne ('with meat');
- fascism, fascist;
- paparazzo, paparazzi;
- graffito (singular!), graffiti;
- dolce vitta ('sweet life');
- jacuzzi (proper name);

c) German
- zeppelin (a dirigeable airship, proper name);
- diesel (combustion engine, proper name);
- mesmerise (proper name);
- roentgen (proper name, now 'x-rays');
- Rorschach test (proper name);
- jaeger ('hunter', German name of a bird native to the USA);
- JCD (Jacobs-Creutz Disease')
- kindergarten ('garden for children');
- autobahn ('motorway', 'freeway');
- Hanse, Hanseatic Ligue (an association of 'free' cities, historic,
see German airline's name, Lufthansa');
- hamburger (place name used in reference to a food item);
- frankfurter (ditto);
- kraut (actually 'sauerkraut', pickled cabbage; racist moniker
of which I strongly disapprove);
- wehrmacht (Nazi army);
- the Fuehrer (historic title of Nazi supremo);
- weltschmerz ('world pain', in philosophy);
- steppenwolf (archetypal name of a loner in Hermann Hesse's
novel of same title);
- putsch (overthrow of a government);

d) French
- coup d'etat (overthrow of a government);
- CD (corps diplomatique, 'diplomatic corps');
- charge d'affaires (a diplomatic post, 'affaires' meaning 'business');
- coupe (a type of car, French 'couper' meaning 'to cut', probably
in reference to its streamlined body);
- limousine (a car; Limousin is a French territory);
- cafe (see also 'Internetcafe');
- bouillabaisse (a southern French stew);
- maquis (historic term of French anti-Nazi guerrilla);


Civil status:
- Marriage (from 'se marier', English 'to wed);
- divorce (yes, a French 'invention');
- nee ('born', in the case of married ladies, indicates their maiden
name);
- paramour (not really "French" in origin but composed of the French
word for 'love', 'amour', and 'para');

- Gastronomy:
maitre d'hotel, hotel, menu;

[Chris]

Roger,

That is an awesome list, so thank you very much for posting it!

Chris

[Guest]

Yes Roger's list was something else. I just have a few more:

Latin -
a.m. (ante meridian) - before midday
p.m. (post meridian) - after midday
post mortum - after death
pro rata - usually used to indicate that your salary will be scaled down according to the hours you do.

German -
kaputt - broken

Japanese -
There are loads of obvious ones, but how about Typhoon and Tsunami (tidal wave)

French -
A la carte - free choice from the menu
Carte blanche - clean slate or free reign
bureau de change - currency exchange office
bon appetit - have a nice meal
laissez faire - whatever
aide memoir - memory aid
menage a trois - if you don't know, I'm not telling you

[Alobar]

[Roger]

Alobar,
you are a primus inter pares,
Roger

[arioch36]

Thanx Roger and others. I agree with Alobar's 'savoir-faire. As you know Roger, and probably other Chinese teachers know, Learning French is now becoming a fad in China, in response to the lure of a sup[posed free edeucation there.

Let's see..a student can't learn English in 8 years wants to learn french in one year? Is that how you would put it Roger.

Anyways, I though this might make for something interesting in the mundane reality of learning english.

Chris in Henan China

[Roger]

I would say if a CHinese can learn good English in one year, he or she can learn French in eight years (maybe less, but definitely more than one year!).

[Alobar]

I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the obvious (and obviously ironic) term, lingua franca.

[lagger]

duplicate post

[lagger]

[arioch36]

How is Buffy doing these days? Off the topic, I can't even remember the name of my favorite show, and actress... Angelique" no... What's that show where Seattle has been bombed, the military made gentically superior children, some escaped, and the girl is a "real women" and a babe as well? It was a fox show
Terrible. I can't speak American any more.

[lagger]

Dark Angel. Check your private messages.