Lost in Translation

The English language, while home to nifty words such as nifty, seems to be a bit clunky more often than not. Like its speakers, it is unorthodox and of myriad descent; at times beautiful (see "cellar door") and at times confounding (Who? Whom? Hoo?). While I'm rather fond of the English language, I admit that there are ideas and phrases that seem to lose that certain... je ne sais quoi when they enter through its New World portal. A few examples...

Before: "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre." — French General Marshal Pierre Bosquet
After: "It is magnificent, but it is not war."

Before: "Veo en tu vida todo lo viviente." — Spanish Poet Pablo Neruda
After: I see in your life all that which is alive.

Before: Abiit, excessit, evasit, erupit. — Latin phrase
After: He has left, absconded, escaped and disappeared.

And finally, a particularly illustrative transformation:

Before: Esprit de l'escalier. — French phrase
After: A concise, clever statement you don't think of until too late. (In effect, the wit of the stairs.)

Then again, it goes the other way too. In Star Wars III, the subtitles for Darth Vader's dying "Nooooo!!!" become "Do not want!!!" in the Chinese version**, which while in possession of that certain... je ne sais quoi seems like it would be a bit of a deathbed mouthful.

** Props to Lauren for that delightful piece of cultural trivia!