# The Allure of Foreign-Language Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-allure-of-foreign-language-names/297399 "2005-04-02T14:23:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-allure-of-foreign-language-names/297399/1 "2005-04-02T14:23:30Z")
Over on the Extrasolar Planet thread, people were dumping on the name of the observing implement that was used to discover the planet: the Very Large Telescope. Flodnak commented on pedestrian names that sound cool for being in foreign languages: > [@Flodnak](#): > > I thought the TGV was the coolest name in the world for a train until somebody translated the French for me and I found out it just means “high-speed train”. Another illusion shattered. And it occurred to me that it might make a MPSIMS thread topic to point out things that sound cool in foreign languages and, well, dumb in English. Let’s start out by spending Spring Break in the resort city of [RatMouth](http://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/). Then we can head west on I-10 to observe the Louisiana State Legislature meeting in [Redstick.](http://brgov.com/). Flying north, we can visit the ruins of Vinland at [Handle with Meadows](http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index_e.asp) World Historic Site. Moving up the St. Lawrence, we come to [Wolf River](http://www.ville.riviere-du-loup.qc.ca/1024.htm), or perhaps nearby [Grandma](http://www.laurentians.worldweb.com/Grand-Mere/). Anybody got other such stuff to add? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-allure-of-foreign-language-names/297399/2 "2005-04-02T15:50:56Z")
The US is chock full of place names that get a lot more mundane when translated into English. **Polycarp** has already mentioned Mouse Mouth and Red Stick. There’s [Big River](http://www.nps.gov/rigr/), with all its natural wonders. We’ve also got [Big River River](http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/SNT/noframe/ms137.htm) and [Cloudy Water](http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/M0319000.html). We’ve also got [Grassy Place](http://www.krysstal.com/borrow_algonquin.html), [Upper Land](http://www.krysstal.com/borrow_navajo.html), and [Small Spring Place](http://www.krysstal.com/borrow_papago.html). If you’re sick of being in the US, you could always go to [Well Watered](http://www.krysstal.com/borrow_carib.html). If that doesn’t suit you, how about [Richport](http://welcome.topuertorico.org/)? If you go further south, you can get to [Silverland](http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_america/argentina/). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-allure-of-foreign-language-names/297399/3 "2005-04-02T16:10:43Z")
Panama’s second largest city, _Colón_, sounds like it might be part of the gastrointestinal tract in English, but it just means “Columbus.” There’s dispute about what _Panamá_ means: two contenders are “Lots-of-Fish” or “Lots-of-Butterflies.” North of Panama are the countries of Rich Coast (Costa Rica) and Lowlands (Honduras), ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-allure-of-foreign-language-names/297399/4 "2005-04-02T16:13:40Z")
Can’t think of many off the top of my head, most of the mundane place names I know of are already in English. I did once spend the night in [Mouse](http://www.tc.gc.ca/atl/marine/divestiture/souris.htm) though while waiting for the ferry. And my father sometimes works in [Port Sheep](http://www.canadianbusinessdirectory.ca/city-NS-1260-0.htm) (there’s a story behind that name, I just can’t remember what it is).