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Dutch Terms With No English Translation| Difficulties For Dutch Translation Services 

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If you're looking for Dutch translation services, you'll need to be aware of these terms and phrases that can make the translation difficult and troublesome. 

Dutch Terms & Phrases That Make Dutch Translation Difficult 

The importance of the chosen words is something that can’t be overstated when it comes to translating content from one language to another. But the trickiest part here is finding the perfect term in the translating language. The knowledge of the vocabulary of a language, uniqueness of the language & idiomatic expressions is a must while going for translation. 

One such especially challenging job is performing Dutch to English translation services. The translation between both these languages is difficult even after sharing its roots to the same Indo-European language family. 

Regardless of what you hired Dutch translation services, be it emails or a movie, an official document, or a music video, the probability of mistranslation for some cultural words or phrases is highly expected. 

Here are some Dutch words, that our translators still find hard to translate in English even after years of working for various Certified Dutch Translation Services. 

Dutch Words With No English Translation 

Je ne sais quoi 

When you go to any online translator and type this English to Dutch Translation services phrase, the literal translation you will find is “I don’t know what”. But, the original meaning of this expression is entirely different. This gives you an idea of why you should not go for machine-based online translators. 

This expression means to have a quality that is indescribable or untranslatable. It is impossible to translate this phrase to the English language and needs experienced translators to do the job. 

Voilà 

The next on this list is Voilà. It is one of the most common as well as famous Dutch words that is also used by non-Dutch speakers as well. But does anybody know what this word means? It’s hard to translate it because there is no equivalent English translation available for this word. 

The people in the U.S translate it to “there you go!” or “there you have!” but it is not the original and the literal translation of the word. 

Dépayser 

The true meaning of this term is to refer to the action that forces someone to leave their own country. When we divide this word: [dé] = “ceasing of an action” + [payser] = “to be of a country”. 

The term is commonly used in legal matters in situations where a case is being dismissed to be tried in a different court. The word is also used in everyday conversation by Dutch speakers for describing the feeling of not being comfortable in a situation or having a feeling of being out of place. 

Passer du coq à l’âne 

Any automatic translator will provide you the word-to-word translation of this expression as “Sorry, did I just move from the rooster to the donkey?” 

For an English-speaking person, this translated sentence is making no sense and will not make him/her understand anything. But when translated correctly, thanks to a native translator, a much simpler meaning of this word is to ask someone to change the topic in a fun way. 

Élan 

The words like momentum or impetus show the sense of preparation that is leading up to a result. This entire feeling can be shown with a single word in Professional Dutch Translation Services called élan. The word is not to express the momentum alone but also carries a sense of confidence along with a sense of grace. 

When it comes to Dutch document translation, there isn’t any direct word in the English language expressing this idea. This makes it super important to go for a translation agency full of translators with sophisticated knowledge of Dutch with great translation skills. 

Ne pas avoir à s’en faire 

This expression comes as a challenge for all the Dutch translators and it’s the grammar of the language. The phrase has a really complex grammar structure despite it this expression is a very common way of saying don’t worry about it. 

Flâner 

The word flâner is used in many different situations and with each new situation the word has a different meaning. This same verb can be used for referring to a slow stroll or to a meandering walk and this same word can also be used for communicating a sense of aimless wandering or dawdling. 

A word like this is always difficult to translate. Only translators with years of experience are able to understand the context of the word and will provide the right translation in English. 

Avoir la pêche 

This nice, happy & positive expression means “to have the peach.” After getting translated to the English language, the expression is no more making sense. This is because the cultural expressions can’t be conveyed while translating from one language to another. 

When any Dutch individual uses this phrase, they mean to be in top form or full of beans, etc. It’s hard to translate such expressions and only native experts with deep knowledge in both languages can successfully communicate the original meaning. 

Coup de grâce 

The meaning of this phrase is to give a person the mortal blow. Well in Dutch, they call it a “hit of grace”. This Dutch phrase can be translated to mercy blow in the English language. But doing so is losing the nuances that need to be conveyed with the original meaning and the expression. 

Être avocat vs. Être un avocat 

Okay, so this is going to be confusing for most of you. But if you belong to the legal industry or hire legal translation services more often, you have to clear out this confusion. 

When you translate “I am a Lawyer” from English to Dutch, the literal translation will be “je suis un avocat” and the literal meaning of this in the English language is “I am an avocado.” The Dutch word “Avocat” has two different meanings. It can be “lawyer” or “avocado”. 

It’s important to understand the structure and context of the sentence before translating such expressions. When you are talking about a legal professional, the word “un” needs not be used. 

Conclusion 

The list for such words can go on and on which are hard to be translated into English. The literal translation done by automatic translators online is not is right and will not make any sense to the speaker of the English language. This makes it vital to hire certified Dutch translation services for accurate and correct translation. 

Click For Translation is an international brand delivering top-notch quality translation in 100+ languages including Dutch to English & English to Dutch translation services. Our services are super quick thanks to our team of certified and native translators. 

You can connect with us anytime via email, chat, call, or through our website for more information about our services. 

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