Calling all proverbs Language Learning Magic Part III: Proverbs

Today’s digital docents—our phones, cameras, DVDs, car navigation systems, and iPhones—can create a virtual language-immersion experience any of us can dive into. This fortuitous conspiracy happened rather suddenly, and by accident, and it’s magical.

Even more magic awaits the language learner in the form of old-fashioned proverbs. Not only do they teach language but culture as well. Proverbs often embody what can be most pleasing about learning another language—a surprising change in perspective. Besides, they can make us laugh.

The power of proverbs to be all those things is what motivated Levenger to publish Gnomologia, the original source material (from several different languages) that inspired Ben Franklin to write his Poor Richard’s Almanack. (Sorry, we’ve sold out. Remember that old saying about the early bird.)

Lost and found in translation

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell contrasts Franklin’s American “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” with the Chinese “No one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich.”The proverb shows the Chinese emphasis on the kind of brutally hard work necessary to grow rice profitably in tiny plots, and illustrates the different perspectives in Eastern and Western cultures.

When it comes to Spanish, all of us already know one proverb: Mi casa es su casa. It’s more poetic than the English Make yourself at home. Perhaps it’s this, along with its easily understood translation, that explains why Americans have adopted Mi casa es su casa in its original Spanish.

There are other cases where the Spanish equivalent is better than the English version. For example, El que madruga, Dios le ayuda. (He who gets up early, God helps.) Not only does this rhyme, which is an advantage for a proverb, but in my opinion, it’s far more appealing than the English, The early bird gets the worm. I still remember hearing that utterance as a child and thinking, “Yuck! I’ll stay in bed.” Who wouldn’t prefer God’s help to a gooey worm?

In other cases, I consider the English version superior, as in the Spanish proverb Quien mucho abarca, poca aprieta. (He who grasps for too much, holds on to little.) That’s not bad, but it’s not nearly as vivid or persuasive as the English A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

I have to give the nod to the Spanish in two other proverb contests: For the English, Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill, the Spanish say, No te ahogues en un vaso de agua. (Don’t drown in a glass of water.) And for the uninspired English saying, It’s a small world, Spanish speakers knowingly offer El mundo es un pañuelo. (The world is a handkerchief.)

But my favorites are rhyming Spanish proverbs that have no English equivalent.

El que no oye consejo, no llega a viejo. (He who doesn’t listen to advice won’t arrive at old age.) And especially De medico, poeta y loco, todos tenemos un poco. (The doctor, poet and lunatic, we all have a little.) Think how often you could use that one, like when you hand someone an aspirin or a bit of wisdom, or forget something obvious.

My hat’s off to Simon and Schuster’s Pimsleur language instructors for these proverbs they wisely add to their Spanish audio program.

From mala to worse, with a smile

I was attempting to show off my new Spanish proverb prowess to my friend Tami Jordan Brook, who listened with the patience of the grade-school teacher she is. She teaches French, but tossed a delicious Spanish saying back at me:

De Guatamala a Guatapeor.

This, Tami explained, is the wordplay Spanish speakers use to say “from bad to worse,” since mala means bad and peor means worse. There is no actual Guatapeor, of course, so it’s hard to say the line without smiling.

Part of Latino culture, I’m learning, is to joke in the face of difficulty, and what a happy and useful habit that is, especially these days.

So how about you, dear reader? Can you share a proverb from another language? I’m all ears.

Just click on the Comments link below with your submission. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you'll connect to Comments).

Comments

[Ivy Reisner]

It was silly season in Japanese class and we were learning the "but" use of "ga."
Hon o yomitai desu ga, mada kanji o yomemasen (I want to read this book, but I can't read kanji yet). That sort of thing.

One student baffled the teacher with
Suki o ikitai desu ga ashi ga nai
(I want to go skiing, but I have no legs). She wasn't sure if he were being literal (the class had gotten that silly) or figurative. The phrase "ashi ga nai" means literally "I have no legs" but figuratively "I have no car."

Favorite expressions from Japanese: "ishi no ue ni san nen." It takes three years of sitting on a stone for it to become warm. Or: persistence pays.

Mikka bouku -- a three-day monk, or someone who gives up after things get hard.

Saru mo ki kara uchiru -- even monkeys fall from trees.

Deru kugi wa utareru -- the nail that sticks up gets hammered down. This isn't the same as the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It's advice towards fitting in.

[David Price]

Please do the same with French proverbs

[Heather]

I love that: "Who wouldn't prefer God's help to a gooey worm?"

Though they’re not really proverbs per se, I do love palindromes, which read the same forward as they do backward:

Was it a car or a cat I saw?
A man, a plan, a canal... Panama!
Madam, in Eden, I’m Adam.
Madam, I’m Adam.
Able was I, ere I saw Elba.
Some men interpret nine memos.

[John Banther]

Though Dutch doesn't sound poetic most of the time, I like this one:

Water naar zee dragen

"carrying water to the sea"
i.e. what you're doing is pointless

[supra shoes]

Thanks for sharing this useful information with me.

[true religion jeans]

Favorite expressions from Japanese: "ishi no ue ni san nen." It takes three years of sitting on a stone for it to become warm." Or: persistence pays.

[Judith Jimenez]

Guatemala a Guatepeor. The prefix Guate refers to Guatemala, the Central American country.
"Desvestir a un santo para vestir a otro" ( undress a saint to dress another). This has, I think a historical background, the building of Westminster Abbey and Saint Paul Cathedral.
"Take from Peter to pay Paul" is the equivalent in English.

[Norwegian Immigration Association]

A lady sitting in church dropped her prayer book and said, "Antagelig smør siden ned." Translation: "Most likely buttered side down." This Norwegian expression scolds the daydreamer, or the distracted.

[JodiC]

Here are two Russian proverbs that I have always liked a lot; one has an English equivalent and one doesn't. Pardon the Russian equivalents, it's hard to write without the proper alphabet.

In English we say, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen." They say, "Volkoff boyatsa vles ne hadit," which means "If you're afraid of wolves, don't go in the woods."

"Kashoo smaslom ne esportish," which means "You can't spoil kasha with butter." (Ruin something good by putting something else good in it. Kasha is a hot cereal, like Cream of Wheat.)

[Steve Leveen]

Ah, what marvelous proverbs! And that Japanese "It takes three years of sitting on a stone for it to become warm." is mentioned twice. Lovely. I also like three-day monk, carrying water to the sea, and the new (to me) Spanish one. Makes me want more and more. Hey, does anyone know a good recent book? (Of course we recommend our Gnomologia.) Many thanks to all.

[Elizabeth V. Kane]

Dear Steve,

I love reading your blogs as much as I love my Levenger purchases. Your blogs are always an invaluable wealth of knowledge.

Are you going to offer Gonomologia soon again? Although I purchased a number of books, I somehow never ordered it. I would love to include Gnomologia in my library.

A lover of words and languages, I am particularly enlightened by, and impressed with your blog "Language learning Magic Part III: Proverbs."
Its like an "In Other Words" in proverb form. I hope that analogy doesn't sound silly.

I would greatly appreciate knowing whether Gnomologia will be made available again.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth V. Kane

[Steve Leveen]

Dear Elizabeth,

Good news! Our Gnomologia book is still available from our stores. If you'd like to call our staff at either our Boston location (617-536-3434) or Tysons Corner (703-288-9097), they'll be happy to get a copy into your hands. Thanks for checking in, and for your kind words about the blog.
Best,
Steve