Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Russian term or phrase:
сапожник без сапог
English translation:
The cobbler's children have no shoes
- The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2009-09-03 23:54:06 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Aug 31, 2009 04:07
14 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Russian term
Industrial Engineer
Native in: Russian
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, German to Russian, and 1 more.
сапожник без сапог
Russian to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
cobbler\'s wife is the worst shod
Dear all - I have translated a very common Russian saying "сапожник без сапог" as "cobbler's wife is the worst shod". (this has to be a title of a marketing newsletter)
The question is, how _frequent_ is this phrase in use among the native speakers? Will it be understood, similar to Russian, on an _idiomatic_ level? And, to your opinion, how commonly will it be understood by Europeans with English as second language (e.g. the Dutch, Sweedish, French speakers?)
I am asking this, because in my 11 years in New Zealand I have not heard it even once! Can't beleive this saying is not very common...
Thank you in advance
The question is, how _frequent_ is this phrase in use among the native speakers? Will it be understood, similar to Russian, on an _idiomatic_ level? And, to your opinion, how commonly will it be understood by Europeans with English as second language (e.g. the Dutch, Sweedish, French speakers?)
I am asking this, because in my 11 years in New Zealand I have not heard it even once! Can't beleive this saying is not very common...
Thank you in advance
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+3
5 hrs
Rachel Douglas
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
Excellent English from Russian originals
Native in: English (Variants: US, British, Australian)
Works in: Russian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
84
Selected
The cobbler's children have no shoes
That's how I know the expression in English.
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Note added at 5 hrs (2009-08-31 09:59:29 GMT)
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P.S. - I'm a native speaker of AE, baby-boomer generation. Cobbler was a normal word in my vocabulary, both because we used to have them (actually, they're making a comeback now), and from stories - in which connection I associated cobbers with England, and Europe, in an older time, probably because of things like this:
"My name was Tommy Stubbins, son of Jacob Stubbins, the cobbler of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh; and I was nine years old..."
(Opening of Dr. Doolittle, by Hugh Lofting)
I trust that somewhere and somehow
You have all heard of Hagenau,
A quiet, quaint and ancient town,
Among the green Alsation hills...
(The Cobbler of Hagenau - Longfellow)
Younger American readers might not immediately recognize "cobbler," but that's OK. It's good for them.
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Note added at 5 hrs (2009-08-31 09:59:29 GMT)
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P.S. - I'm a native speaker of AE, baby-boomer generation. Cobbler was a normal word in my vocabulary, both because we used to have them (actually, they're making a comeback now), and from stories - in which connection I associated cobbers with England, and Europe, in an older time, probably because of things like this:
"My name was Tommy Stubbins, son of Jacob Stubbins, the cobbler of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh; and I was nine years old..."
(Opening of Dr. Doolittle, by Hugh Lofting)
I trust that somewhere and somehow
You have all heard of Hagenau,
A quiet, quaint and ancient town,
Among the green Alsation hills...
(The Cobbler of Hagenau - Longfellow)
Younger American readers might not immediately recognize "cobbler," but that's OK. It's good for them.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
sokolniki
3 hrs
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Thank you.
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| agree |
Judith Hehir
: Agreed, Rachel.
4 hrs
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Thanks, Judith.
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| agree |
Deborah Hoffman
: I take my previous comment back - my in-laws use the word cobbler, because it was a pre-WW2 occupation in Europe, but other than that my generation (not that young, I'm 38) uses shoemaker or, now, shoe repairman. What Gen Y et all does I have no idea!
8 hrs
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Not even blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream on top? (Joke!) I think my mother (b. 1924, raised in Iowa & Alabama) would as soon say "shoe repair place" as "the cobbler." But "cobbler" was in stories we read. Unlike, say, "cooper," lost earlier.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Dear Rachel - thank you! And also thanks for a wonderful quote from Lonfellow! "
30 mins
The blacksmith's horse and the cobbler's wife are always the last to have shoes. ...
My favorite version of the proverb.
+2
48 mins
Alexander Ryshow
Belarus
Belarus
Native in Russian
Works in field
Belarus
Aus Liebe zur Sprache
Native in: Russian 
, Belarusian
Works in: German to Russian, German to Belarusian, Russian to Belarusian, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
+1
2 hrs
Alexander Kondorsky
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Native in Russian
Russian Federation
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Shoemaker without shoes
Simple solution and quite a number of good Google matches.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Jim Tucker (X)
: Might be OK - but "unshod shoemaker" would be more precise -- "without shoes" might just mean he's unemployed (!); also the more archaic "unshod" will hint at the (archaic) proverb behind the expression
1 hr
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| agree |
Alexandra Taggart
: You should support your answer with Google
5 hrs
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Thank you, Alexandra!
|
3 hrs
The Shoe-maker's wife often goes in ragged shoes.
A skilled or knowledgeable person commonly neglects to give his own family the benefit of his expertise. Found in a number of variants.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:43:27 GMT)
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To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I am afraid, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:44:02 GMT)
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To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I am afraid, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:43:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I am afraid, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:44:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I am afraid, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
3 hrs
Shoemaker's son is always the one who goes barefoot!
A skilled or knowledgeable person commonly neglects to give his own family the benefit of his expertise. Found in a number of variants.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:44:49 GMT)
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To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:44:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
3 hrs
They say the cobbler's children go the worst shod.
A skilled or knowledgeable person commonly neglects to give his own family [or himself] the benefit of his expertise. Found in a number of variants.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:45:36 GMT)
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To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:45:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
3 hrs
The cobbler's wife goes unshod
A skilled or knowledgeable person commonly neglects to give his own family [and himself] the benefit of his expertise. Found in a number of variants.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:47:35 GMT)
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To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I am afraid, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2009-08-31 08:47:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
To answer Asker's question: I am sure in Slavic-speaking countries in Europe the proverb is well known (in different forms related to shoemaker and shoes), however, I am afraid, I do not know about the Scandinavian, North-European, and French-speaking peoples.
Discussion
I think "cobblers" in this sense is a euphemism for "balls" in the male genital sense.
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=227676
Incidentally, there is another saying, "Many hands make light work", which means the opposite!
I have never heard this saying, but they do say you should always choose the barber with the worst haircut, as he will be the guy who cuts the hair of all the others.
Just a few variations of the proverb in this blog. I think it will be understood by non-native speakers, especially if you replace "cobbler" with "shoemaker"