PICTURE THE SCENE: you’re driving along in your car and you accidentally bump into the car in front. The door opens and out steps a German, or a Frenchman, or an Italian. He waves his fist and lets out a tirade of furious oaths – all in German, or French, or Italian.
Unless you’re fluent in those languages you probably won’t understand what he’s saying. But it doesn’t matter; the words he’s using are almost certainly sexual or religious in connotation, since those are the words people use when swearing all over the world. The words themselves are meaningless. It’s the emotion behind them that makes an impact.
If you need to swear at someone in a foreign country – and I’m not suggesting this is always the best course of action – then don’t attempt to translate your sentiments. Always swear in your own language, for maximum impact.
