Welcome to the latest instalment of English and the Dutch, the newsletter with tips and tricks, fun facts, interesting translations and other good stuff about how Dutch speakers speak English. In your inbox every third Wednesday of the month.
The newsletter is written by me, Heddwen Newton. I’m half Dutch, half British, and I work as a translator, teacher, and linguist. I am the owner of the website www.hoezegjeinhetEngels.nl, and I also write the newsletter English in Progress.
I have cobbled this summer edition together from old newsletters because my kids are at home and the only time I can work is five o’clock in the morning!
(To cobble together = in elkaar flansen. “To cobble” can mean “to mend” or “to patch”. A “cobbler” is also a shoemaker. Nowadays, the word doesn’t have a negative connotation, and a cobbler is seen as someone who produces quality goods. However, it used to be the case that a cordwainer made new, quality shoes, and a cobbler just patched them together again when they broke. (Source 1, source 2).)
Quiz
False friends
This Dutch speaker isn’t saying what they want to say with these sentences. What are they trying to say? What does the English speaker understand? How should they have worded it?
I’ve put my holiday in my agenda.
Our kitchen isn’t open yet, but you can order from the small menu.
I’m feeling fit, because I’ve been working out on my hometrainer.
Idiom
The idiom depicted below is the same in English and in Dutch. What is the idiom in English? What is it in Dutch?
Family ties
Dutch and English are cousins, perhaps even sisters, depending on how you like your familial metaphors. In this section, I highlight some surprising ways in which they are related.
Ever wondered why the English word “deer” and the Dutch word “dier” sound so alike?
The word “deer” used to refer to animals in general, just like it still does for the Dutch. But because the brown, hoofed, forest mammal was the most prized by hunters, the word “deer” came to refer to only that species of animal. If you were hunting for “deer”, that’s what you were hunting for.
You might recognise the Old English name for deer: “hart”
Untranslatable Dutch
Nothing is truly untranslatable; if there were such a thing, then any work of literature containing such a word would have to remain untranslated. Translators always find a way ;-) However, there are some Dutch words and expressions that give translators a headache, because English just doesn’t have the same concept.
Een bord voor je kop hebben
This one took quite a bit of creativity. I give a lot of translation options, but I am secretly happiest with “to have zero emotional awareness”.
This article also features a picture of my better half holding a plate in front of his head :-)
Concullega
There is no satisfying translation for “concullega”. The friendly competition might work in some contexts, and as a joke I quite like co-conspirator. As I was researching the term, I found a well-written piece of text by fellow translator Chris Hopley, giving his take on the reason for this absence in English:
The problem with finding a translation for ‘concullega’ is not so much linguistic as cultural. In the Netherlands, there is a solidarity between people who have the same occupation or profession – or even who work in the same line of business – which is not so common elsewhere. People doing the same job for competing companies, for example, will happily refer to each other as colleagues, whereas in the English-speaking world a colleague is someone who you actually work with.
Voortkabbelen
Two problems for this one. Firstly, it’s tricky to translate. Secondly, Dutch people don’t seem sure what the word actually means. Take “voortkabbelende muziek”. Is that murmuring, quiet music, relaxing, like listening to a brook? Or is it slow and droning, boring, standard music, that just trudges on? More here.
Funny Dutch
Literally translating Dutch expressions into English is a pastime that many people enjoy. But how do you translate the Dutch expressions into English properly? That’s where I come in!
Ready is Kees!
My favourite translation for “klaar is Kees” is “Bob’s your uncle!”. Unfortunately, it is rather British and somewhat old-fashioned. It also only works if you are finalising some simple instructions. A more international (but slightly more boring) translation might be “we’re in business!” More here.
To put out the flowers
Another idiom that is just more fun in Dutch, “de bloemetjes buitenzetten”. “It’s party time” could be a translation, or “let’s paint the town”. I really like the facial expression of the lady in the picture, by the way. She isn’t going to let anybody tell her how she’s going to buitenzet those bloemetjes! You can see her here.
Unfortunately, peanutbutter
I can’t cobble together a newsletter edition out of old editions without including this classic. The good news is that there is quite a satisfying translation for “helaas, pindakaas”: “too bad, so sad”. It’s a bit more mean-spirited than our version, so if you are trying to impart a life lesson rather than trying to tease someone, you might opt for “you win some, you lose some”. More here.
Quiz answers
I’ve put my holiday in my agenda.
What are they trying to say? - Ik heb mijn vakantie in mijn agenda gezet
What does the English speaker understand? - Ik heb mijn vakantie op mijn te bespreken punten voor de vergadering gezet.
How should they have worded it? - I’ve put my holiday in my calendar.
“Agenda” is a false friend. In British English, the word “agenda” only refers to the talking points set before a meeting. (American English does sometimes use “agenda” to mean appointment book, which is why I used the word “holiday” instead of “vacation”.)
The little book called an “agenda” in Dutch is referred to as an appointment book, a planner, or (British, and slightly outdated by now) a diary. I advise secondary school students to use the word planner.
For adults, “calendar” is often the safest option, because everybody will understand it, and because the electronic appointment planners you most likely use at work are called “calendars”. Read more here.
Our kitchen isn’t open yet, but you can order from the small menu.
What are they trying to say? - Onze keuken is not niet open, maar u kunt iets bestellen van de kleine kaart.
What does the English speaker understand? - The English speaker thinks you are referring to a menu that is literally small.
How should they have worded it? - Our kitchen isn’t open yet, but you can order from the snack menu.
You cannot translate the Dutch word “kleine kaart” with “small menu”. Click here for some pictures that I took after being frustrated one too many times by the English versions of Dutch restaurant websites. I have also seen “small card” and (yes!) “small map”.
Perhaps you were in doubt about the kitchen being open in English. This is one of those phrases that is the same in Dutch and in English. Just like in Dutch, in English an “open kitchen” can be a kitchen in a house that is part of the living room, but it can also refer to the opening hours of a restaurant’s kitchen.
I’m feeling fit, because I’ve been working out on my hometrainer.
What are they trying to say? - Ik voel me fit, omdat ik de laatste tijd op mijn hometrainer heb getraind.
What does the English speaker understand? - Ik voel me fit, omdat ik de laatste tijd op mijn personal-trainer-aan-huis heb getraind. (Een mens, dus!)
How should they have worded it? - I’m feeling fit, because I’ve been working out on my exercise bike.
Hometrainer is one of those Dutch words that sounds English but isn’t. It doesn’t really carry any meaning in English, but I would think you are talking about a personal trainer who comes to your home, say, once a week. So if you have been training ON that person? Well, then I can only assume you were both having an excellent time ;-) More info here.
Idiom
To have your head in the clouds
Met je hoofd in de wolken lopen
And finally…
And finally, a silly joke, funny video or interesting picture that I found on the Internet, that has something to do with Dutch and English.
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No proofreaders for this 5 am holiday edition, so it is probably riddled with mistakes :-) I love feedback, thoughts and additions, so please reply to this newsletter or leave a comment!
Thank you both, so kind! (She said, blushing.)
Really great. Interesting and fun to read at the same time. Recommendable in all kinds of ways.