Line #106 Main/ElNinoIsSpanishForTheNino


1	%%
2	%%
3	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
4	%%
5	%%
6	->''"I am El Niño! All other tropical storms must bow before El Niño! ''¡Yo soy El Niño!'' For those of you who don't ''habla español'', 'El Niño' is Spanish for ... 'the Niño'!"''
7	--> --'''Creator/ChrisFarley''', as a personification of the El Niño weather system, ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''
8
9	A comedy trope where characters trying to understand or explain what a foreign word means ultimately conclude that the foreign word means... the foreign word.
10
11	Related to ShapedLikeItself. Contrast TranslateTheLoanwordsToo and TooLongDidntDub.
12
13	Please note that as far as translation theory goes, this is entirely correct. While many words do often have one-for-one equivalents, words in general have so much linguistic and cultural baggage that no translation, no matter how equivalent in meaning, means exactly the same thing. Ironically, this is particularly true for the "El Niño" of the title. Whilst it literally translates as "the boy", it refers to the Central American weather system that is called El Niño even in English; the name was given in reference to this phenomenon peaking around Christmas, which in many Hispanic countries is known as "Día del Niño Dios" (Christ Child day).
14
15	Contrast ElSpanishO, YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord.
16
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder:Comic Books]]
23	* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'': A similar gag occurs in an early story, where the captions helpfully translate a Spanish-speaking {{mook}}'s pleas of "No" into English as..."No".
24	* ''ComicBook/TheSimpsons'': Inverted in one story in which Ned Flanders invited the Simpson family to a Mexican fiesta complete with tacos, burritos, sombreros, and a pinata. Homer angrily shot back with "No - and that's [[{{Spexico}} Mexican]] for 'No!'"
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Fan Works]]
28	* From ''Fanfic/HopToIt'', when Chat Noir describes an akuma only he can see, thanks to his night vision:
29	-->'''Chat Noir''': (''in English'') He's right there. He’s dressed in a… (''in French'') how do you say Morphsuit in English?\
30	'''Ladybug/Rabbit''': Morphsuit.
31	* In ''FanFic/RomanceAndTheFateOfEquestria'', Spike claims that "salsa con queso" is Spanish for "salsa with queso".
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
35	* Inverted in ''Film/AustinPowers'' with the line "He has a little something that the French would call, I don't know what." "Je ne sais quoi" is literally French for "I don't know what", but a less literal, more accurate translation is "a distinctive, pleasant quality that can't be easily described or named".
36	* In a deleted scene from ''Goldmember'', Dr. Evil claims to be a fan of ''Film/DasBoot'', "Which is German for 'The Boot'". It actually means "the boat."
37	* ''Film/BallsOfFury'': According to [[MightyWhitey Fang]], the Chinese word for ping-pong is..."ping-pong."[[note]] The more formal term is ''table tennis'', and the actual (Mandarin) Chinese expression is ''pingpangqiu'' - literally, "ping-pong ball." [[/note]]
38	* ''Film/{{Deadpool\|2016}}'': The film has a variant, where Wade notes "You know how they say 'cancer' in Spanish? El cáncer." (the only difference is that instead of CAN-cer, it's pronounced CAHN-cer, hence the accent)
39	* Also from the DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment page: An MGM short from 1935 called ''La Fiesta de Santa Barbara'' uses this for humorous effect during one of its narrator's helpful translations: "You may be asking, what is a 'fiesta'? Well, 'fiesta' comes from the Spanish word 'fiesta', which means... 'fiesta'."
40	* ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII'' features a scene where Fredo Corleone is trying to order a drink in Spanish, leading to this exchange:
41	-->'''Fredo:''' Uno... por favor... How do you say "banana daiquiri"?\
42	'''Michael:''' [[MathematiciansAnswer "Banana daiquiri."]][[note]] The actual translation would be ''daiquirí de banano''. [[/note]]
43	* ''Film/{{Hop}}''. "We call this a coup d'etat. It is French for--coup d'etat."
44	* ''Film/KickingAndScreaming'': A few of the kids on the soccer team have some questions to ask immigrant player Gian about Italian.
45	-->'''Sam Weston''': How do you say pizza in Italian?\
46	'''Gian Piero''': Pizza!\
47	'''Sam Weston''': How do you say "spaghetti"?\
48	'''Gian Piero''': Spaghetti!\
49	'''Ambrose''': Italian's easy.
50	* In ''Film/LethalWeapon4'', when Riggs, Murtaugh, and Butters seek to question Uncle Benny at a dentist's office, they give him a dose of laughing gas to make him more complacent, except they give him too much gas, making him way too aloof and carefree to be very helpful. His one clue as to the location of the Hongs is "Ren Min Bi". When asked what that means, Uncle Benny explains, "'Ren Min Bi' means... 'Ren Min Bi'."[[note]]Which is the official currency of China. It means "(the) People's currency".[[/note]]
51	* In ''Film/NationalLampoonsEuropeanVacation'', Chevy Chase attempts to test his new hand-held translator by translating "soufflé" into French. It responds with "soufflé", so he assumes it's broken.[[note]]It literally means "puffed up", but it's also the French word for the dish[[/note]]
52	* ''Film/OutCold'' has "Carpe the diem! Seize the... carp!"
53	** Which is even more funny because it is ''carpe'', not ''diem'', which means "seize." So the character in effect said [[ShapedLikeItself "Seize the seize!"]]
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Literature]]
57	* Creator/DaveBarry does this from time to time. In one column, he mentions a letter he received from a reader in Rancho Cucamonga, California ("Spanish for 'Cucamonga Ranch' ").
58	** Another (particularly appropriate) Dave Barry example is "A tropical storm called El Niño (Spanish for "The Little Neen)".
59	** In ''Literature/DaveBarrySleptHere'', he claims that Sputnik literally means "Little Sput."
60	** In ''Dave Barry's Only Travel Gude You'll Ever Need,'' he translates Des Moines as "some of these Moines."
61	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
62	** In ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'':
63	-->'''Nanny Ogg:''' Hotel Nova Cancies[[note]]Actually "[[TheProblemWithPenIsland Hotel, No Vacancies]]"[[/note]]. That means New, er, Cancies in foreign.
64	** In the quizbook ''Unseen Unversity Challenge'', Creator/DavidLangford, discussing the Librarian's collar saying "Pongo" in ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'', explains that biologists call the orang-utan ''pongo pygmaeus'', which means a small Pongo.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
68	* In an episode of ''Series/BarneyMiller'', a recurring Latina character calls Officer Leavitt (who is quite short) "poquito." He finally asks her what it means and she says, [[BlatantLies "It means macho,"]] and leaves.
69	-->'''Leavitt:''' "[[FridgeLogic I thought "macho" meant macho!]]"
70	* On ''Series/BoysWillBeBoys,'' which was an early Fox vehicle for Creator/MatthewPerry, the three main characters plan a road trip to Las Vegas. Perry's character, Chazz, is dubious when his best friend Eugene says that Las Vegas is Spanish for 'The Vegas'. Hilarity ensues for the remainder of the short-lived series.
71	* A ''Series/TheKidsInTheHall'' sketch had Dave Foley as a stereotypical Frenchman talking about how beloved Kevin [=MacDonald=] is in France, where it is known as "Le Poopie," which is French for "The Poopie."
72	* This is a bit of a RunningGag in ''Series/TheDailyShow'' regarding Arabic phrases with the article "Al." For example, in one episode featuring an interview with an Al Jazeera reporter, Jon [[SarcasmMode helpfully]] informs us that "Al Jazeera" means "The Jazeera" and that hopefully their guest will explain what a "Jazeera" is (he doesn't).[[note]]It means "the island," referring to the Arabian Peninsula.[[/note]]
73	-->'''Jon Stewart:''' "My guest tonight is author Robert Caro, who's written a biography of [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson LBJ]]. Which, of course, is Spanish for 'The BJ'". (This is actually a joke that predates ''The Daily Show'', where the punchline is that it's what President Johnson's Mexican whores called him.)
74	* On ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', Blanche one time introduced herself to a gentleman as, "I'm Blanche Devereaux. That's French for... Blanche Devereaux." Funnily enough, that's a mild real life example, too. "Blanche" means white, but Devereaux could really only be translated as "from Évreux," a town in France[[note]]Although it doesn't sound the same.[[/note]].
75	* On ''Creator/HamishAndAndy's Gap Year'', before making a trip to El Paso, Hamish helpfully tells us that "El Paso is Spanish for the Paso."[[note]]It's actually Spanish for "The Pass". In this case, removing the ElSpanishO would work.[[/note]]
76	* ''Series/HaveYouBeenPayingAttention'': The panelists were asked to define certain words coined during the Corona virus lockdown. While puzzling out 'trikini'[[note]]a two-piece swimsuit and a face mask[[/note]], Sam Pang offered "'tri' is Latin for three, and 'kini' is Latin for...kini".
77	* In an episode of ''Series/TheKingOfQueens'', Carrie wants to go salsa dancing at a restaurant called "El Caliente," which by the way means "The Caliente" according to Doug.[[note]]The Hot One[[/note]]
78	* In the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode featuring ''Film/TheBeastOfHollowMountain'', seeing a sign reading "Rancho Bonito" has Jonah respond "Rancho Bonito! That's Spanish for 'Ranch Bonito'!"[[note]]"Ranch Nice/Pretty/Beautiful", or, probably more grammatically correct, "Nice/Pretty/Beautiful Ranch".[[/note]]
79	* {{Trope Namer\|s}} is ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', as Creator/ChrisFarley, playing El Niño (the climate pattern) [[AnthropomorphicPersonification as a Mexican lucha wrestler]], introduces himself with the page quote.
80	* From ''Series/That70sShow'':
81	-->'''Kelso:''' It's an El Camino. It's Spanish for "The Camino!"[[note]]It means "the road."[[/note]]
82	* Played deliberately before being corrected on ''Series/TheWestWing''.
83	-->'''President Josiah Bartlet:''' 27 lawyers in the room. Anybody know "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc[[note]]"After this, therefore because of this"; [[FalseCause the fallacy of inferring causality too readily]][[/note]]"? Josh?\
84	'''Josh Lyman:''' Uh, uh, "post" - after, after hoc, "ergo" - therefore, "After hoc, therefore" something else hoc.\
85	'''Pres. Bartlet:''' Thank you. Next?
86	* Often used as a gag by Pat Sajak on ''Series/WheelOfFortune''. For instance, if a contestant is from Los Alamos, he'll say it's Spanish for "the Alamos."[[note]]Cottonwood trees.[[/note]]
87	* ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'':
88	** In the game of "Hollywood Director" based on "Treasure of the Sierra Madre", Ryan says, "Bandito is Mexican for... Bandito!" (He really said Mexican instead of Spanish).
89	** In 2016's "Greatest Hits Of Horror", Ryan says "Les Miserables" is French for "The Miserables" (pronouncing it the same way).
90	** From a round of "Greatest Hits":
91	-->'''Colin:''' This is a song that was cut from ''[[Theatre/LesMiserables Le Mis]]''...\
92	'''Ryan:''' Which in English is 'The Miss'.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Music]]
96	* {{Music/BIGMAMA}}'s song "Specials" does this from [[GratuitousEnglish English]] to Japanese, following the line "We are the specials" to "Bokura wa specials" (with "bokura wa" meaning "we are").
97	* Inversion: According to their hit song "Me, Myself and I", "Music/DeLaSoul is from the soul".
98	* Music/FlandersAndSwann: In introducing Swann's musical setting of Creator/GerardDeNerval's poem "Je suis le ténébreux," Flanders translates the title as " 'I am...' do you know, [[BlatantLies I think translation rather spoils it]]."
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
102	* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} had [[Wrestling/JuanFranciscoDeCoronado "The Ecuadorian Aristocrat" Juan Francisco de Coronado]], until, at ''National Pro Wrestling Day 2019'', February 10, 2019, he learned that he had "lost" his [[UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}} Ecuadorian]] citizenship due to not paying his taxes for ten years.[[note]]He's really an American guy named Joe Padilla, and he started the JFDC gimmick in 2012.[[/note]] He reinvented himself as [[ImmigrantPatriotism an American Flag-waving Face]] named John Francis of Coronado.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
106	* Happens on the ''Gran Fiesta Tour'' at [[Ride/WaltDisneyWorld EPCOT]].
107	--> '''Panchito Pistoles:''' We shout
108	--> '''Donald Duck:''' "Ay Caramba!"
109	--> '''Panchito Pistoles:''' which means "Ay Caramba"
110	--> '''José Carioca:''' What does it mean?
111	--> '''Panchito Pistoles:''' Yes, I don't know
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Theater]]
115	* ''Theatre/TheCompleteHistoryOfAmericaAbridged'' claims that "Mundus Novus," the name UsefulNotes/AmerigoVespucci supposedly gave to the new world formerly misidentified as India, is Latin for "Giant Nose."
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder: Video Games]]
119	* In ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'', Smug villagers will sometimes greet you with "Buongiorno! That means it's gonna be a great giorno in Italian!"
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Web Original]]
123	* The social networking website Foursquare has a badge called "French for 'The Moines'", given for exploring different places in Des Moines, Iowa.[[note]]Abbreviated from "Fort des Moines", meaning "Fort of the Monks".[[/note]]
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Western Animation]]
127	* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'':
128	-->'''Lola:''' How do you say "taco" in Spanish?\
129	'''Speedy:''' "Taco".\
130	'''Lola:''' How do you say "burrito" in Spanish?\
131	'''Speedy:''' "Burrito".\
132	'''Lola:''' [[InsaneTrollLogic Cool! English and Spanish are the same!]]
133	** Interestingly the Latin American Spanish Dub keep basically the same exchange just, naturally, switching the order of the languages.
134	* Zig-zagged in the [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]] short ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuckSleptHere'' (1948), as WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck boards with WesternAnimation/PorkyPig and they're going to bed.
135	-->'''Daffy:''' Good night, fat boy.\
136	'''Porky:''' B-b-b-b-Buenos noches. ''[turns out light; Daffy turns it back on and wakes Porky]''\
137	'''Daffy:''' What's "Buenos noches"?\
138	'''Porky:''' Th-that's Spanish for b-b-b-bonsoir.\
139	'''Daffy:''' Oh. ''[turns out light; turns it back on and wakes Porky again]'' What's "bone sewer"?\
140	'''Porky:''' Th-that's French for b-b-b-Buenos noches.
141	** It should also be noted that Porky says it wrong. It should be "buen'''a'''s noches" because the Spanish word for night is feminine.
142	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': "As they say in Mexico, 'Do svidaniya!' Down there, that's ''two'' vidaniyas!" Dr. Doofenschmirtz gets the Russian for "goodbye" mixed with Spanish ("dos" is the Spanish word for the number two).
143	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has a few examples.
144	** In the episode "Mom and Pop Art", Homer attempts to start assembling a barbecue pit in his backyard but accidentally drops all the pieces into the cement.
145	-->'''Homer:''' (tries to read the cement-soiled instruction sheet) English side ruined! Must use French instructions... ''"Le grill"?'' What the hell is that?
146	** The episode "The Italian Bob" has this exchange:
147	-->'''Sideshow Bob:''' I hereby swear... a... ''VENDETTA''!\
148	'''Marge:''' (searching through an Italian-English dictionary) ''"Vendetta"'' means... "Vendetta"!\
149	''(all Simpson family members scream)''
150	* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
151	-->'''Doctor Venture:''' How do you say Doctor in Spanish?\
152	'''Mexican medic:''' Doctor.
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Real Life]]
156	* Most English speakers in Southern California refer to the famous road ''El Camino Real''[[note]]The Royal Road[[/note]] as "El Camino"[[note]]The Road[[/note]], leaving off the important part.[[note]] It is more loosely translated "The King's Highway", and it roughly corresponds to U.S. Highway 101. [[/note]]
157	* In UsefulNotes/KansasCity, Missouri, where they have a ''bit'' more of an excuse, there's a fairly large and important street which is ''actually named'' "The Paseo", which is what you get if you pull the Trope Namer on ''El Paseo''[[note]]The Walk[[/note]].
158	** Berkeley, California has a street called "The Alameda", meaning "the tree-lined avenue."
159	* In Des Moines, Iowa, popular local apparel maker [[https://www.raygunsite.com/ RAYGUN]] prints a well-bought shirts and stickers that read [[https://www.raygunsite.com/products/french-1 "Des Moines: French for 'The Moines'."]]
160	* Because animals like vicuña are not translated from Spanish, some English Students translate "Zorros" (Foxes) as "Zorros".
161	* A few place names have come into English this way: the easy part is translated (typically a SpellMyNameWithAThe), the hard part is just borrowed. Examples include The Hague (Dutch ''Den Haag'', "the hedge"), Netherlands; The Dalles (French ''les dalles,'' either "the sluices" or "the flagstones"), Oregon; or The Pas (French ''Le Pas'', itself a shortening of Cree ''opâskwêyâhk'' "at the wooded narrows"), Manitoba. Similarly for certain cases of countries that take or used to take a "the," such as "the Sudan" (Arabic ''(bilād) as-Sūdān'', "(country of) the black people.")
162	** French[[note]]French uses definite articles for most ''countries'', but not for most cities[[/note]] and some other European languages have done the same with Cairo (French: ''le Caire,'' Italian: ''Il Cairo''), from Arabic ''al-Qāhirah''.
163	[[/folder]]
164	----
165	->[[TheStinger By the way]], "El Niño" is Spanish for "[[DontExplainTheJoke The boy]]", ''id est'' Jesus Christ, since El Niño is usually noticed around Christmas.

Context Main / ElNinoIsSpanishForTheNino