Lesson 97 · C1

Lost in translation

7shuma isn't “shame”, or “how rude”, or “that's not done”: it's all three and more. Yeddu twila isn't “he has long arms”: he's light-fingered. This lesson is for translators, interpreters, and anyone trying to explain Morocco in English.

Choose between literal, functional and explained translation.
Spot misleading idioms.
Explain words with no equivalent.
Translate aspect, gender and register without loss.

Twenty-four words

“Untranslatable” words, body idioms, translation vocabulary and three grammar traps.

No equivalent

الْحْشُومَة l-7shuma shame; modesty; “that's not done”
Much wider than “shame”.
الزّْهَرْ z-zhar luck; being lucky
الْبَرَكَة l-baraka blessing; abundance
النِّيَّة n-niyya intention; good faith; naivety
kan niyya: he was naive.
الْعَارْ l-3ar dishonour; owed protection
ana f 3arek: “I place myself in your protection”.
صَافِي safi OK; that's it; enough
Depends on tone.

Body idioms

قَلْبُو كْبِيرْ qelbu kbir he's big-hearted
“His heart is big”.
يْدُّو طْوِيلَة yeddu twila he's light-fingered
“His hand is long”.
رَاسُو قَاصْحْ rasu qaseh he's stubborn
“His head is hard”.
دَمُّو خْفِيفْ demmu khfif he's good fun; likeable
“His blood is light”.
دَمُّو تْقِيلْ demmu tqil he's a bore; tiresome
“His blood is heavy”.
عِينُو خَايْبَة 3inu khayba he has the evil eye; envious

Translating

تَرْجَمْ terjem to translate
الْمْعْنَى l-m3na meaning
حْرْفِيًّا 7arfiyyan literally
مَا كَيْتّْرْجَمْشْ ma-kayttrjemsh doesn't translate
مَا عَنْدْهَاشْ مْقَابِلْ ma-3ndhash mqabil has no equivalent

Grammar traps

كَيَاكُلْ kayakul eats / is eating / usually eats
One form, three translations.
كُلْ / كُلِي / كُلُو kul / kuli / kulu eat! (m / f / pl)
نْتُومَا (لْوَاحْدْ) ntuma (l wa7ed) you (respectful plural)

The job

التَّرْجْمَانْ t-terjman interpreter
التَّرْجَمَة t-tarjama translation
الثَّقَافَة t-thaqafa culture
السّْيَاقْ s-siyaq context

Three strategies

Four sentences with tricky words. Which work translated word for word? Which don't?

خَالْتِي قَلْبْهَا كْبِيرْ، وَلَكِنْ رَاسْهَا قَاصْحْkhalti qelbha kbir, walakin rasha qaseh
رَدّْ بَالْكْ مْنُّو، يْدُّو طْوِيلَةredd balek mennu, yeddu twila
حْشُومَة تْقُولْ هَادْشِّي قُدَّامْ بَّاكْ7shuma tqul hadshi quddam bbak
رْبَحْ الْجَّايْزَة؟ عَنْدُو الزّْهَرْ!rbe7 j-jayza? 3ndu z-zhar!

What would happen if you translated yeddu twila word for word?

The rule

1. Literal, when the image works: qelbu kbir → “big-hearted”.

2. Functional equivalent, when the image misleads: yeddu twila → “light-fingered”; rasu qaseh → “pig-headed”.

3. Explain or keep the word, when there's nothing close: 7shuma, baraka, niyya. Keep it in Darija and gloss it the first time.

Grammar traps: kayakul can be “eats”, “is eating” or “usually eats”: context decides. Imperatives mark gender (kul / kuli); English doesn't. The respectful plural (ntuma) has no English form: use tone and “sir / madam”.

How to translate

Form	Say it	Means
قَلْبُو كْبِيرْ	qelbu kbir	he's big-hearted (literal works)
يْدُّو طْوِيلَة	yeddu twila	he's light-fingered (literal misleads)
حْشُومَة!	7shuma!	shame on you! / that's not done! (by context)
عَنْدُو الزّْهَرْ	3ndu z-zhar	he's lucky; born lucky
كَيَاكُلْ	kayakul	eats / is eating / usually eats
كُلْ! / كُلِي! / كُلُو!	kul! / kuli! / kulu!	eat! (to him / her / them)
دَمُّو خْفِيفْ	demmu khfif	he's fun; he's likeable
صَافِي	safi	OK / done / enough

Rows 3, 5, 8: one Darija form, several translations.

What English gives you, and what it costs

Free: “big-hearted”, “pig-headed”, “light-fingered”: English has body idioms that match closely.

Costly: “shame” for 7shuma is too narrow: it misses respect for elders and fear of what people say.

Costly: English “you” hides gender and respect; Darija marks both. Something is always lost one way or the other.

Your mistake, not someone else's

Translating from English into Darija word for word, “he has a big heart” becomes a calque no Moroccan would say.

×عَنْدُو قَلْبْ كْبِيرْCalque from English.

✓قَلْبُو كْبِيرْ“He's big-hearted”.

In Darija the body part is the subject: qelbu kbir, rasu qaseh, demmu khfif.

Six hard words

Six cards written for this lesson, each word explained in Darija the way one Moroccan would explain it to another. Use them as models for explaining words with no equivalent.

حْشُومَة: مَا كَيْتّْدَارْشْ قُدَّامْ النَّاسْ. مَاشِي غِيرْ «الْعِيبْ»، حْتَّى «الْحْيَا».

7shuma

الزّْهَرْ: الْحَظّْ اللِّي كَيْجِي بْلَا مَا تْقَلّْبْ عْلِيهْ.

zhar

الْبَرَكَة: الْخِيرْ اللِّي كَيْكْفِي وْ كَيْزِيدْ. «هَادْ الْخُبْزْ فِيهْ الْبَرَكَة».

baraka

النِّيَّة: الْقَصْدْ، وْ حْتَّى الثِّيقَة بْلَا شَكّْ. «كَانْ نِيَّة» = بَسِيطْ، كَيْصَدّْقْ كُلّْشِي.

niyya

صَافِي: «وَاخَّا»، «سَالِي»، «بَرَّاكَة»، «مْزْيَانْ»… عْلَى حْسَابْ الصُّوتْ.

safi

دَمُّو خْفِيفْ: كَيْضَحّْكْ وْ النَّاسْ كَيْحْمْلُوهْ. دَمُّو تْقِيلْ: الْعْكْسْ.

demmu khfif

Did you follow?

What does 7shuma add to “bad behaviour”?
Show answers
Modesty and respect: what isn't done in front of people.
How is zhar different from luck you work for?
Show answers
It comes without looking for it.
What does “this bread has baraka” mean?
Show answers
It goes a long way: enough and more.
What does kan niyya mean?
Show answers
He was naive; he believed everything.

Check

Two here, three more in the C1 book.

Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the C1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.

1Match

Idiom to meaning.

1	قَلْبُو كْبِيرْ	a	عْنِيدْ
2	يْدُّو طْوِيلَة	b	كْرِيمْ
3	رَاسُو قَاصْحْ	c	ظْرِيفْ
4	دَمُّو خْفِيفْ	d	شْفَّارْ
5	عَنْدُو الزّْهَرْ	e	مْحْظُوظْ

2Is that what it means?

Is the translation right?

يْدُّو طْوِيلَة It means he has long arms.
قَلْبُو كْبِيرْ It means he's generous.
صَافِي It can mean “OK” or “enough”.
دَمُّو تْقِيلْ It means he's great fun.

3Fill the gap

With the word that has no equivalent.

حشومةالزهرالبركةنية

___ تهضر هاكا مع جدتك

The rest is in the C1 book

3 more items, with the answers.

The C1 book

4Choose the form

1) “eats / is eating / usually eats”, in one form; 2) “eat!” to a woman; 3) respectful “you”.

1. كَيَاكُلْ
2. كْلَا
3. غَادِي يَاكُلْ

The rest is in the C1 book

2 more items, with the answers.

The C1 book

5Your word

Explain, in six sentences of Darija, a word that doesn't translate well.

مَا كَيْتّْرْجَمْشْالْمْعْنَىحْرْفِيًّاالسّْيَاقْ

The rest is in the C1 book

The C1 book

Show answers

1. Match	1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c, 5-e
2. Is that what it means?	1-False, 2-True, 3-True, 4-False

The C1 book: In preparation

Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.

Tell me when it is out

I can now

Choose between literal, functional and explained.
Avoid traps like yeddu twila.
Explain 7shuma, baraka, niyya.
Translate aspect and register.