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“Mamma, li Turchi!”

English translation: "My gosh, zee germans'r coming!"

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:“Mamma, li Turchi!”
English translation:"My gosh, zee germans'r coming!"
Entered by: Traducendo Co. Ltd

05:06 Oct 14, 2008
Italian to English translations [Non-PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Idioms
Italian term or phrase: “Mamma, li Turchi!”
Greetings,

In order to render this into English, there is a crucial point which I have not yet been able to understand. Here it is:

Is this cry used only in situations where a threat from Muslims/Turks is perceived, or can it be used for any threatening situation under the sun? For example, if a child is playing on a railway line and sees a fast train approaching, might he say, "“Mamma, li Turchi!”?

Many thanks,

Simon
SeiTT
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:38
"My gosh, zee germans'r coming!"
Explanation:
lo ammetto, senza contesto l'ho un po' tirata. ma avete presente il film Snatch di Guy Ritchie con Brad Pitt??? beh, li il protgonista (che tra l'altro si chiama Il Turco) per prender in girop il collega gli dice sempre che ha paura dei teteschi. Nella versione inglese sono i ZEE GERMANS. magari vedendo se si adatta al testo, si può mettere qualcosa così.
tanto mamma li turchi è un esclamazione che mette in mezzo uno spauracchio come i turchi nel XVII secolo. perchè non mettere i teteschi che sono stati lo spauracchio del XX?
è un'idea!
Selected response from:

Traducendo Co. Ltd
Malta
Local time: 13:38
Grading comment
many thanks excellent
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4Mamma, the bogey man's coming!
Tom in London
3 +1"My gosh, zee germans'r coming!"
Traducendo Co. Ltd
3‘Mother the Turks are coming’
Silvia Nigretto
4 -2Mamma li Turchi
Shera Lyn Parpia
Summary of reference entries provided
Explanation
Silvia Nigretto

  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
‘Mother the Turks are coming’


Explanation:
This is a purely Italian expression!
Here it is something else I have found on the "work of an unknown Italian artist":

"...in the melodramatic style characteristic of certain genres of Italian drama, ‘Mamma li Turchi’ (‘Mother the Turks are coming’)."

http://marranci.wordpress.com/2007/12/25/“mamma-li-turchi”-italy-and-the-saladin-syndrome/

Silvia Nigretto
Local time: 13:38
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Traducendo Co. Ltd: ma dai!!!!!!!!!! no! hai ragione, ma una cosa è dare una refereza, un'altra è mettere qualcosa di incomprensibile per l'altra cultura
3 hrs
  -> Penso che ne sappiano poco ma se si traduce un testo italiano in un'altra lingua che ha dei riferimenti all'Italia dobbiamo mantenerli... Ecco perché le virgolette e la mia precisazione//Sta poi al traduttore inserire una nota-eventualmente!
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
Mamma li Turchi


Explanation:
I think that this tends to be used in xenophobic contexts, not just any situation under the sun as you say.

see here
http://www.arcojournal.unipa.it/pdf/gattuso_5_7_04.pdf
bottom of page 2 where it says it is used in the sense of scaring people about anyone who is different, in general.




Shera Lyn Parpia
Italy
Local time: 13:38
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Julius Iannitti: it isn't used with a xenophobic meaning. In Italy we quite use this expression when scared about something n general and it comes from past time when the Turks (or better the Moorish) where coming to Italy to invade our country.
36 mins
  -> see the link.. and it seems that in recent times it is used more and more specifically when referring to muslims, whatever the general meaning may be. Just look at the links on the internet!
disagree  Traducendo Co. Ltd: absolutely not xenophobic, it refers at the turks invasion of XVII century, when turks arrived up to Wien, near Italy. hand it has remaines
2 hrs
  -> actually I believe it originated with the Moorish invasion of Sicily, much before the XVII century! maybe you don't use it with a xenophobic meaning but plenty of others do! - see http://www.buco1996.splinder.com/post/17792796
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Mamma, the bogey man's coming!


Explanation:
In this day and age I don't think we need to offend our Turkish friends.

Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 48
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
"My gosh, zee germans'r coming!"


Explanation:
lo ammetto, senza contesto l'ho un po' tirata. ma avete presente il film Snatch di Guy Ritchie con Brad Pitt??? beh, li il protgonista (che tra l'altro si chiama Il Turco) per prender in girop il collega gli dice sempre che ha paura dei teteschi. Nella versione inglese sono i ZEE GERMANS. magari vedendo se si adatta al testo, si può mettere qualcosa così.
tanto mamma li turchi è un esclamazione che mette in mezzo uno spauracchio come i turchi nel XVII secolo. perchè non mettere i teteschi che sono stati lo spauracchio del XX?
è un'idea!

Traducendo Co. Ltd
Malta
Local time: 13:38
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
Grading comment
many thanks excellent

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alessandra Renna: perfettamente d'accordo
8 hrs
  -> grazie alessandra
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Reference comments


57 mins
Reference: Explanation

Reference information:
Hi Simon!
Please a look at this ref which clairly explains the origins of this "cry":
http://www.arcojournal.unipa.it/pdf/gattuso_5_7_04.pdf
(unfortunately I cannot copy it - you'll find a sentences starting with L'esclamazione riportata nel titolo...)

Silvia Nigretto
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
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