Abstract
Everyone who has learned a second language will have noticed that certain words and expressions cannot be translated easily from one language into another. Some ways of expressing meaning seem to be language specific or particular to a certain speech-community. When I came to Australia, for instance, I learned that people frequently say no worries in response to thanks or an apology. The literal German translation for no worries is “keine Sorge”. However, the correct response to a German thank-you is gern geschehen (“it has happened gladly”) and the answer to an apology is kein Problem (“no problem”) in the German language.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Specialist publication | Language on the move |
| Publisher | Language on the move |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Feb 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.Keywords
- 200401 applied linguistics and educational linguistics
- 200405 language in culture and society (sociolinguistics)