The Foreign Service Journal, September 2015

16 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 1. German: Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. English: “I only understand the train station.” 2. German: Die Katze im Sack kaufen. English: “To buy a cat in a sack.” 3. Swedish: Att glida in på en räk- macka. English: “To slide in on a shrimp sandwich.” 4. French: Avaler des couleuvres. English: “To swallow grass snakes. ” 5. Latvian: Ej bekot. English: “Go pick mushrooms.” 6. French: Se regarder en chiens de faïence. English: “To look at each other like earthenware dogs.” 7. Portuguese: Quem não tem cão caça com gato. English: “He who doesn’t have a dog hunts with a cat.” 8. Portuguese: Empurrar com a bar- riga. English: “To push something with your belly.” 9. Croatian: Doce maca na vratanca. English: “The cat will come to the tiny door.” 10. Dutch: Lets voor een appel en een ei kopen. English: “Buying something for an apple and an egg.” See p. 18 for the answers. The decision we are going to take today is not only on Iran’s nuclear program; it is much, much more than this. It is a decision that can open the way to a new chapter in international relations and show that diplomacy, coordination and cooperation can overcome decades of tensions and confrontations. I think this is a sign of hope for the entire world, and we all know that this is very much needed in these times. —Federica Mogherini, European Union foreign policy chief, speaking at a news conference on July 14 following the historic signing of a deal with Iran limiting Iranian nuclear activity. Contemporary Quote assessments that synthesize actionable conclusions. ■ Increase efforts to understand the composition, reactions and influences of large foreign audiences via social media. The report also recommends a culture change throughout the department and American embassies so that S&T profi- ciency is considered equal in importance to language fluency and area expertise. To purchase a copy of the report or read it free online, go to www.bit. ly/1N66xAk. —Brittany DeLong, Assistant Editor More than 100 Former U.S. Ambassadors Applaud Iran Deal A s the controversy over the Iran agreement heated up in mid-July, more than 100 former U.S. ambassadors signed a letter to President Barack Obama applauding what they characterized as a “landmark agreement” and urging its sup- port by Congress. Signatories include such Foreign Ser- vice luminaries as former Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, Ambassador to Israel and Egypt Daniel Kurtzer, Ambas- sador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria Ryan Crocker, Ambassador to India, Egypt, the Philippines and Zambia and Under Secretary of Defense for Inter- national Security Affairs Frank Wisner and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and Ambassador to Israel, Russia, India and the United NationsThomas Pickering. Drafted by The Iran Project, the letter states in part: “The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran stands as a landmark agreement in deterring the proliferation of nuclear weapons. If properly imple- mented, this comprehensive and rigor- ously negotiated agreement can be an effective instrument in arresting Iran’s nuclear program and preventing the spread of nuclear weapons in the volatile and vitally important region of the Middle East. … “As former American diplomats, we have devoted much of our lives to ensur- ing that the president had available the best possible diplomatic approaches to dealing with challenges to our nation’s security, even while recognizing that a strong military is essential to help the president and the Congress to carry out their duties to protect the nation and its people. … “We recognize that the JCPOA is not Source: http://blog.ted.com/40-idioms-that-cant-be-translated-literally/ Fun with Idioms Test your language skills on this sampling of idioms. Can you interpret the real meaning of these literal translations?