# It's Greek to me (in other languages) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 29, 2008, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638 "2008-06-29T10:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/21 "2008-06-30T08:13:16Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Does Volapyk = [Volapuk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volapuk_encoding) or [Volapük](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volap%C3%BCk)? [/QUOTE] Oh yeah, of course. I forgot to replace the y in the translation. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/22 "2008-06-30T10:09:19Z")
[QUOTE=JpnDude] Here’s a breakdown: “Greek” used by speakers of: middle Latin, English, Portguese, Norwegian [/QUOTE] Add Swedish to that list. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/23 "2008-06-30T12:12:22Z")
[QUOTE=JpnDude] “Hebrew” by French, Dutch, Finnish “Spanish” by Dutch, Czech [/QUOTE] I’ve never ever heard someone say ‘that’s hebrew to me’ in Dutch. And Spanish is also definitely not in usage for this purpose. In fact, this is not very common idiom anyway, but I’d say it’d fly with Chinese, possibly also Russian, Arabic, Greek. yay! 200th post! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/24 "2008-06-30T13:08:03Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] Oh yeah, of course. I forgot to replace the y in the translation. [/QUOTE] Actually, I meant _which one_… the language, or cyrillic-roman transliteration? ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/25 "2008-06-30T13:38:18Z")
[QUOTE=Panurge] Yes. In Danish the letter “y” has replaced the German “ü”, but it represents the same sound. In regard to the OP, we could also say “det er kaudervælsk” = “it is kaudervælsk (to me)”. According to my etymological dictionary “kaudervælsk” breaks down to: “Chur” - the name of a Swiss town + “Welsh” - i.e. Celtic. Strange. [/QUOTE] We have the word ‘Koeterwaals’ which is indeed some kind of incomprehensible monkey language, or gibberish. Related to German ‘kauderwelsch’ according to [wikipedia](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauderwelsch), which supports your etymology, accept that Welsch is not Celtic, but (apparently) a Rheto-roman language. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/26 "2008-06-30T15:30:44Z")
[QUOTE=Švejk] We have the word ‘Koeterwaals’ which is indeed some kind of incomprehensible monkey language, or gibberish. Related to German ‘kauderwelsch’ according to [wikipedia](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauderwelsch), which supports your etymology, accept that Welsch is not Celtic, but (apparently) a Rheto-roman language. [/QUOTE] We are both right, I think: According to my old Danish lexicon (Salmonsen’s if anyone cares) “kaudervælsk” or “kauderwelsch” refers to the language of wandering merchants from Switzerland or Italy. Regarding the “-vælsk/-welsch” part, it originally refers to the Celtic tribes in mainland Europe and later incorporated the Ibero-Roman and Rheto-Roman peoples. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/27 "2008-06-30T16:01:12Z")
Would’t the real Julius Caesar understand greek? ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/28 "2008-06-30T17:04:41Z")
[QUOTE=JpnDude] In Japanese, ちんぶんかんぶんだ！(loosely meaning: It’s a curious Chinese story.) [/QUOTE] Slightnitpick. ちんぷんかんぷん - chinpunkanpun. (btw, **JpnDude** did you see my thread on my August trip to Tokyo?) ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/29 "2008-07-01T01:33:25Z")
I have a t-shirt that says in Greek, “It’s all Greek to me”… ---
**Author:** ![PharmBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@PharmBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PharmBoy)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/30 "2008-07-01T16:14:17Z")
I had an aunt who always said “It’s all Dutch to me.” ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638/31 "2008-07-01T19:12:29Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Actually, I meant _which one_… the language, or cyrillic-roman transliteration? [/QUOTE] The language, if I’m informed correctly. While it’s probably not true, I do like the anecdote of the Greek diplomat saying (in English):“I really shouldn’t be saying this, but this attempt at a translation into my native language is all Greek to me.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-greek-to-me-in-other-languages/454638.md?page=1)