Thread: Proverb Discussion

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

11. While there is life there is hope - Пока есть жизнь, есть надежда (and other variations).

"Dum spiro spero". (Cicero) = "While I breathe, I hope" in Latin. Пока дышу - надеюсь.

Russian equivalents are "О вкусах не спорят" (Don't argue about tastes") )

"De gustibus non disputandum est". Latin again.

P.S. I wonder if the word "bite" is applicable to the dog in English? Кажется, это эквивалент "ужалить".

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

10. Wise after the event - a good Russian saying "Задним умом крепок" (~ Smart in a hindsight).

На ошибках учатся. Mistakes are the origin of experience (knowledge).

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

11. While there is life there is hope - Пока есть жизнь, есть надежда (and other variations).

Надежда умирает последней. The hope will be the last who will be dead.

Gromozeka gave good examples. My 2 cents:

1. For this one I am trying to replace the title of "Silent Treatment" so a possible idea I found was, "Speech is silver but silence is gold" maybe you have a better idea, if so let me know.

In Russian the second part of this saying is rather common (I never heard it with part about speech though):
Молчание - золото.

6. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you know lies.

I can't think of Russian equivalent of this proverb. But it reminded me another one: Не говорите, что мне делать и я не скажу, куда вам идти. / Don't tell me what to do and I shall not tell you where you should go. (Typical Russian insult: "Go to #$%&#").

8. Cold hands warm heart

"Cold hands" was a mistake made recently by some Russian commie politican, he made complete fool of himself. The original saying belongs to Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of Bolshevik secret police, VCK: "VCK officer should have warm hart, cool mind and clear hands." / У чекиста должны быть горячее сердце, холодная голова и чистые руки.

З.Ы. BTW, it-ogo, I met the word 'to bite' applied to a dog endless times in English, how do you say 'укусила' otherwise?

Originally Posted by Basil77

Originally Posted by rockzmom

1. For this one I am trying to replace the title of "Silent Treatment" so a possible idea I found was, "Speech is silver but silence is gold" maybe you have a better idea, if so let me know.

In Russian the second part of this saying is rather common (I never heard it with part about speech though):
Молчание - золото.

The original Russian saying is:
"Слово - серебро, молчание - золото." A word is silver, but silence is gold.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

P.S. I wonder if the word "bite" is applicable to the dog in English? Кажется, это эквивалент "ужалить".

Just about two days ago I've seen the movie "Wolf" (with Jack Nicholson whose character was bitten by a wolf and became a wolf himself) with original English audio. The word "bite" was the only word applied to the wolf.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

9. Dumb dogs are dangerous - Глупые собаки опасны (literal translation). I think there's a directly opposite Russian proverb "A dog that barks do not bites".

Well, my native language is neither English nor Russian, but I'm sure I've seen an English version of this proverb somewhere. It's: "Barking dogs, seldom bite."
What's the Russian version? And who copied who?

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

3. A good face is a letter of recommendation - it's not Russian. There's a Russian proverb "Встречают по одежке, а провожают по уму" - a rough translation is "Greeting you people judge you by your clothes, and saying goodbye they judge you by your mind".

I'm not sure that these two sayings match each other.

The English one "A good face is a letter of recommendation" seems to mean that your appearance makes a lot for your future or forthcoming deal. Maybe it is close to another English saying "A good beginning is half the battle".

While the Russian one "По одежке встречают, а провожают по уму" (You will be welcomed according to your clothes, but goodbye will be said according to what you really are) means: However good you are looking it will help you only in the very beginning, at the end people anyway will realize who you really are.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

8. Cold hands warm heart - Холодная голова, горячее средце (Cold head, hot heart) A popular phrase from Soviet propaganda was "A KGB agent must have cold head, hot heart and clean hands".

Having searching the web (wiktionary, telegraph) I've found that the English saying means:
A cool, reserved exterior may hide a kind heart.
This has nothing in common with Russian "KGB" sayings which in turn means: That You should be very passionate and fiery in willing to do something but the way you do it should be driven only by clear mind (not obsessed by the passion) and very deliberated decisions.

To sum up: Only the first saying can be tracked as having Russian roots while other ten (2-11) are even treated by Russians in other ways.

Everyone as always you ROCK... I am going to print these out and go over them with my daughter this afternoon and will get back with questions/comments.

If you come up with more, or anyone else still wants to post, please GO AHEAD! This thread is still OPEN!!

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

...5. All truths are not to be told - I can't think of any equivalent at the moment.

Может быть: иногда лучше промолчать - sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shot?

Originally Posted by rockzmom

2. A bargain is a bargain

Actually we have the same saying "уговор есть уговор".

Originally Posted by rockzmom

3. A good face is a letter of recommendation

We have two quite opposite sayings.
Первое впечатление - самое верное. First impression is the most reliable. (For those who need to present themselves).
Первое впечатление обманчиво. First impression never reveal the truth. (For those who need to judge those who are presenting themselves)

Originally Posted by rockzmom

4. Actions speak louder than words

О человеке судят по делам, а не по словам. A man is judged by his actions, and not by words.
(Frequently it is shortened to "A man is judged by his actions".)

Originally Posted by rockzmom

5. All truths are not to be told

Не стоит открывать все карты. Do not show all your playing cards. (Though I'm not sure that the meaning is equal).

Originally Posted by Lampada

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

...5. All truths are not to be told - I can't think of any equivalent at the moment.

Может быть: иногда лучше промолчать - sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shot?

This would be the same as "silence is gold" but it is already in the list.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

7. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

What is the original meaning of this one? The Russian version proposed above means that different people have different tastes.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

9. Dumb dogs are dangerous

В тихом омуте черти водятся. Still deep water hides devils (or deuces).

Originally Posted by rockzmom

11. While there is life there is hope

I've tried to rewrite the above version shorter.
Надежда умирает последней. Hope is (always) the last to die.

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

Originally Posted by rockzmom

7. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

What is the original meaning of this one? The Russian version proposed above means that different people have different tastes.

"Jedem das seine".

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

Originally Posted by rockzmom

9. Dumb dogs are dangerous

В тихом омуте черти водятся. Still deep water hides devils (or deuces).

"В тихом омуте черти водятся" implies that people who seem calm, boring or even mousy can harbour dark secrets or have strong passions under their deceptively quiet exterior. I don't think it has anything to do with the English proverb.

Originally Posted by Misha Tal

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

9. Dumb dogs are dangerous - Глупые собаки опасны (literal translation). I think there's a directly opposite Russian proverb "A dog that barks do not bites".

Well, my native language is neither English nor Russian, but I'm sure I've seen an English version of this proverb somewhere. It's: "Barking dogs, seldom bite."
What's the Russian version? And who copied who?

of a person: "his bark is worse than his bite" (i.e. he may seem intimidating, but he is nothing to be afraid of). A synonymous phrase would be "he's all mouth" (British English, typically with a cockney accent... "HE'S AWL MAAAUFFF")