Calque

/kælk/

Definition 1 of 1

Pro Tip 1/3

Understand that a calque relates to cultural concepts and may not make sense when directly translated.

The calque 'sky-scraper' from English was adopted in many languages, though it may sound odd directly translated.

Pro Tip 2/3

A calque is not just borrowing words; it's translating each part of a term to create a new expression in another language.

The English 'superman' is a calque from the German 'Übermensch'.

Pro Tip 3/3

Be aware that calques can be confusing without context as their components may have different meanings separately.

In 'flea market', neither 'flea' nor 'market' indicates a place for vintage finds, but together, they're understood as one.

Transliterate

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