# Easiest to translate foreign words. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-to-translate-foreign-words/573676 "2011-03-06T13:31:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DarkFire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DarkFire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkFire)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-to-translate-foreign-words/573676/21 "2011-03-09T13:26:03Z")
It all depends on your knowledge of the other language. For years I’ve been shocked that my English/American speaking friends don’t see that table is VERY close to tafel in Dutch. The le & el can be ignored, it doesn’t change the meaning (tho it does seem to affect the pronounciation of the ‘a’) in English so then the F is the only difference… There’s many of these examples that used to shock me but now amuse me (my girlfriend is learning Dutch and it’s SO adorable to hear her “struggle” with these things) I think one word that would be easy to recognize; Welkom-Welcome-Wilkommen (dutch,english,german) ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-to-translate-foreign-words/573676/22 "2011-03-09T13:30:42Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > In German, I always liked the word “Anhänger.” It’s only vaguely easy to figure out. Mostly the transliteration into English amuses me. [Anhinga?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhinga) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-to-translate-foreign-words/573676/23 "2011-03-09T15:31:33Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > Minor nitpick: It’s _Auspuff_. > > Also, the bagpipes (awesome word in its own right - bag-pipes) are spelled _Dudelsack_. > > I just went on vacation to Denmark and Sweden, and it’s amazing how much you can make out from signs and ads when you speak German. It’s surely wouldn’t be enough to read a book or to even follow a conversation, but when you have short fragments, you can usually guess what it’s supposed to mean. Thanks. I don’t speak the language, but remember hearing these words many years ago in Germany. I thought “dudelsack” was particularly charming and descriptive. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-to-translate-foreign-words/573676/24 "2011-03-09T17:48:13Z")
In Latin, a lot of the words for noises are onomatopoetic: Canis baubat - The dog barks. Fēlēs murmurat - The cat purrs. Rāna quaxat - The frog croaks. Bōs boat - The cow moos. Porcus grunnit - The pug grunts. Īnfāns vāgit - The baby goes ‘waaaah’. Avis pīpilat - the bird chirps. Frāter gemit cum pater vissit - Brother groans when father cuts a silent-but-deadly one. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-to-translate-foreign-words/573676/25 "2011-03-09T18:50:02Z")
I flew Lufthansa when I was a teenager and found the sign on the seatback to be amusingly easy to translate: Schwimmweste unter dem Sitz. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-to-translate-foreign-words/573676.md?page=1)