History Main / UntranslatedCatchPhrase

* ''Series/Babylon5'': Comedy duo Rebo and Zooty, played by Creator/PennAndTeller, Zooty (Teller) only speaks through "his machine," which makes a variety of funny noises and voices, including his CatchPhrase, "Zooty, Zoot-Zoot!" It's never revealed to the audience what it means, if it means anything. Sheridan and Londo once have a long argument about whether or not it's even funny.

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': The Galra have "''vrepit sa''". In season 6, Hunk has the opportunity to learn more about Galra culture, but is informed it will be a challenging endeavor from which there is no backing down. With more than a little trepidation, Hunk asks if he'll learn what "''vrepit sa''" means. When he's told he will, he immediately decides the training will be WorthIt. It may mean "Victory or Death", which its usage frequently being a DareToBeBadass battle cry of the Galra, but this is unconfirmed in-series.

* The ''Strain'' example listed under Literature carries over into ''Series/TheStrainTVSeries'', only it's actually said.

[[quoteright:211:[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture_83.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:211:[[GratuitousJapanese Good grief.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': Rick's exclamation of "Wubba lubba dub dub!" is initially believed to be a simple nonsense catchphrase, but is revealed to be this when Birdperson explains in his language, it means [[spoiler:"I am in great pain, please help me.”]]

[[caption-width-right:211:Good grief.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RickandMorty'': Rick's exclamation of "Wubba lubba dub dub!" is initially believed to be a simple nonsense catchphrase, but is revealed to be this when Birdperson explains in his language, it means [[spoiler:"I am in great pain, please help me.”]]

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': The Galra have "''vrepit sa''". In season 6, Hunk has the opportunity to learn more about Galra culture, but is informed it will be a challenging endeavor from which there is no backing down. With more than a little trepidation, Hunk asks if he'll learn what "''vrepit sa''" means. When he's told he will, he immediately decides the training will be WorthIt.

[[quoteright:211:[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture_83.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:211:Good grief.]]

!!Examples

[[folder: Advertising]]
* During the 1980s, the Audi car marque ran a memetic series of TV and press adverts in the UK whose tagline was "Vorsprung durch Technik... as they say in Germany". The meaning was never explained in the adverts - it actually means "progress through technology", and had been used by the brand for much longer in Germany itself.

[[folder: Film -- Animated]]

[[folder: Literature]]

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', after Arya learns the Valyrian phrase ''Valar morghulis'' from an assassin, she adds it to her "prayer list" of people she intends to kill and says it when she kills a guard escaping from Harrenhal. It's not until she goes to Braavos that she learns that it means "All men must die".

-->'''Ael''': ''(to her crew on the intercom)'' Honor to you, and ''mnhei'sahe''.
-->'''Kirk''': ''(looks confused)''
-->'''Ael''': I wished them luck.
-->'''Kirk''': I thought that word meant "love."
-->'''Ael''': What's the use in a word that can only mean one thing? Besides, in this context, [[AMotherToHerMen they're close enough.]]

[[folder: Live-Action Television]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Sontarans are prone to breaking out into chants of "Sontar ha!" [[spoiler:Given an IronicEcho at the climax of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E5ThePoisonSky "The Poison Sky"]] when Rattigan shouts the phrase at them sarcastically before [[MutualKill blowing them all up]].]]

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': "Jaffa, kree!" or just "Kree!" "Jaffa" is the name of the Goa'uld's servitor race, so that part makes sense. . . shouting "Jaffa" to get the attention of all Jaffa in the vicinity. But "kree" remained unknown until season three.
-->'''O'Neill''': Okay, I have to know: just what the hell does "kree" mean?
-->'''Daniel''': Uhhh... actually it means a lot of things... listen up, pay attention, concentrate.
-->'''O'Neill''': (incredulously) Yoo-hoo?

[[folder: Tabletop Game]]
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40K'':

[[folder: Video Game]]

[[folder: Web Video]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' series: the Protoss have the [[http://starcraft.wikia.com/wiki/Khalani Khalani]] language, and the two phrases which have the most uses are "En Taro Adun/[[spoiler:Tassadar/Zeratul/Artanis]]" and "Adun Toridas". The phrase basically means "In [name's] name," Adun is a historical messiah figure to the dark templar for preventing their genocide by the Conclave.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', after Arya learns the Valyrian phrase ''Valar morghulis'' from an assassin, she adds it to her "prayer list" of people she intends to kill and says it when she kills a guard escaping from Harrenhal. It's not until she goes to Braavos that she learns that it means "All men must die."

* During the 1980s, Audi ran a memetic series of TV and press adverts in the UK whose tagline was "Vorsprung durch Technik... as they say in Germany". The meaning was never explained in the adverts - it actually means "progress through technology", and had been used by the brand for much longer in Germany itself.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', after Arya learns the Valyrian phrase ''Valar morghulis'' from a Braavosi assassin, she adds it to her "prayer list" of people she intends to kill and says it when she kills a guard escaping from Harrenhal. It's not until she goes to Braavos herself that she learns that it means "All men must die."

* ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' (TLP Note: Replacing the YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord entry): Leia is the ''Mal'ary'ush''. The Noghri who recognizes her as such immediately clarifies, saying that she is the daughter and heir of the Lord Darth Vader. Later it's clarified further to mean that she is heir to his authority and power. [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental material]] reveals that the word actually means "Heir of the Savior".