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Glossary entry

Portuguese term or phrase:

cada macaco no seu galho

English translation:

everyone should mind their own business

Added to glossary by Oliver Simões
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Answer found elsewhere
Dec 28, 2022 19:54
1 yr ago
28 viewers *
Portuguese term

cada macaco no seu galho

Portuguese to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings dictionary of idioms proj
Please read it all the way to the end.

Cada macaco no seu galho é uma expressão popular que significa que cada pessoa deve preocupar-se apenas com aquilo que lhe diz respeito.

A expressão quer dizer que as pessoas devem reconhecer o seu lugar, sem se intrometer em assuntos alheios, dos quais não lhe compete. É o mesmo que dizer: "cuide de sua vida que eu cuido da minha".

Cada macaco no seu galho é uma expressão que aconselha ou rebate que cada pessoa exerça sua atribuição, sem se meter no que não deve. A expressão “Cada um na sua” é usada em situações idênticas, para delimitar as atribuições de cada indivíduo, sem permitir intromissões. -- Significados.com.br

I've seen this expression translated as "each one to his trade", but "each one to his trade" doesn't seem to be idiomatic. (It appears in both KOG and Duolingo.)

The following also occurred to me, but they don't have quite the same meaning as the term phrase in question:

- mind your own business
- mind your p's and q's

Is there an EN expression other than the phrases I just mentioned that would be both ** idiomatic ** and ** convey the same meaning **?

L2: EN-US
Register; idiomatic
Proposed translations (English)
4 +5 to each their own
3 +2 Every monkey to its branch; every bird to its twig.
4 whatever floats your boat
4 stay in your own lane // everyone stays in their own lane // stay in your lane, I'll stay in mine
Change log

Dec 30, 2022 04:54: Oliver Simões changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/2407412">Oliver Simões's</a> old entry - "cada macaco no seu galho"" to ""everyone should mind their own business""

Dec 30, 2022 04:54: Oliver Simões changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/2407412">Oliver Simões's</a> old entry - "cada macaco no seu galho"" to ""everyone should mind their own business""

Dec 30, 2022 04:54: Oliver Simões Created KOG entry

Dec 30, 2022 04:58: Oliver Simões changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/2407412">Oliver Simões's</a> old entry - "cada macaco no seu galho"" to ""everyone should mind their own business""

Discussion

PaulaEsp Jan 28, 2023:
Another expression that occurs to me is "stay in your lane".
Oliver Simões (asker) Dec 30, 2022:
Putting my translation choice to the test... "Everyone should mind their own business or remain in their place" - Spanish: "cada chango a su mecate" (lit., Each monkey to its rope). See https://tureng.com/en/spanish-english/cada chango a su mecat...
and https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=Cada chango...

"Everyone should mind their own business," said Mejia. (— Cada macaco no seu galho, — disse Mejia)

"Everyone should mind their own business. The effect of being nosey is people are so Weird. Don't you get me, right?" (Cada macaco no seu galho. A consequencia de ser bisbilhoteiro é que as pessoas são tão esquisitas. Você não está me entendendo, ou está?)

In some cases, the translation might take a little tweaking:

"The mother-to-be likes the authority of the casual obstetrician who supports the 'occasional' drink, and she particularly likes the bartender who thinks everyone should mind their own business." (A futura mamãe gosta da autoridade do obstetra casual que apoia um drinque "ocasional", e gosta particularmente do "bartender" que acha que todo macaco deve ficar no seu galho.)

That's it, folks. Hopefully, I have convinced you this translation was the way to go. :-)
Oliver Simões (asker) Dec 30, 2022:
@Lara Indeed, usage is very important; however, "take care of your own business" doesn't convey the real meaning of "cada macaco no seu galho", which is "take care of your business and I'll take care of mine". When you frame it as an imperative, you are automatically leaving out the second part (i.e., "I'll take care of mine"). The PT expression says "cada macaco", meaning "each monkey", or rather, "every monkey", including the speaker. It is not a command, it's a statement. As far as I know, there is no exact English equivalent. The Wikipedia translation is the closest I could find (actually, it was suggested by a colleague). A couple of things that may not have been clear in my previous comments:

1. everyone should take care of their business: cada macaco no seu galho (lit. each monkey to its branch)
2. to each his/her/their own: gosto não se discute (lit. there's no accounting for tastes)

These are entirely different idioms!
Lara Barnett Dec 30, 2022:
Usage On the other hand, you also need to consider usage. "Mind your own business" is quite rude, while "take care of your own business and I'll deal with mine" may not sound so brutal.
Oliver Simões (asker) Dec 30, 2022:
To each their own (meaning) This expression appears with some slight variations: (1) to each his own, (2) to each her own, and (3) each to his/their own. (To understand my choice of translation, I suggest reading my previous post as well.)

I analyzed ten different sources and they ALL allude to either (1) having the right to, or (2) being entitled to one's own...

- personal preferences (6 mentions)
- choices (3)
- opinions (2)
- way of doing things (1)

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer referenced "no accounting for tastes" under "to each his own".

WordReference provided two translations into Spanish, both of which have to do with TASTES:

- Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito.
- Para gustos hay colores.

They both translate into PT-Br as "Gosto não se discute." ("There is no accounting for tastes.")

This is getting too long, so I'll just list the sources that I consulted:

- Cambridge Dictionary
- Wiktionary
- LanguageHumanities.org
- Farlex Dictionary of Idioms
- McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
- The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
- The Dictionary of Clichés
- 7ESL
- Oyster English
- WordReference

That's it. Thank you all.
Oliver Simões (asker) Dec 30, 2022:
Cada macaco no seu galho (meaning) After careful consideration of the suggestions presented, I came to the conclusion that none of them convey the meaning of the original. I ended up choosing the translation provided by Wikipedia: "Everyone should mind their own business." To me, that's the closest in meaning to the SL. As explained elsewhere, I tend to discard literal translation because it does not sound natural in the target language.

CADA MACADO NO SEU GALHO is used when somebody sticks their nose into your business, it's a slight admonition not to interfere. It's like saying "take care of your business and I'll take care of mine". This meaning is corroborated by sources such as UOL, Dicionário Informal, Significados.com.br, Wiktionary, etc.
https://www.significados.com.br/cada-macaco-no-seu-galho/
https://porquesim-blogdasladys.blogs.sapo.pt/cada-macaco-no-...
https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/30-ditados-popu...
https://pt.wiktionary.org/wiki/cada_macaco_no_seu_galho
https://www.ditado.com.br/cada-macaco-no-seu-galho/
https://www.dicionarioinformal.com.br/cada macaco no seu gal...

PS: I've provided individual feedback for each answer. :-)
Oliver Simões (asker) Dec 28, 2022:
@All Lest I forget, the meaning IS NOT related to tastes. As explained in the definition, it's used to set boundaries, meaning "take care of your business, and I'll take care of mine", also a slight admonishment to keep the other person from sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. Anyway, I already have a good translation for the taste-related idiom: "Gosto não se discute" (There is no accounting for taste.) https://masterportuguesetranslator.com/glossaries/dicionario...
Oliver Simões (asker) Dec 28, 2022:
Phil, Thank you for the reference. I found it interesting what Wiktionary did. They combined a well-known idiom ("mind one's own business") with a regular expression, resulting in "everyone should mind their own business" or something like that. This is precisely the meaning of "cada macaco no seu galho", although I think that the Portuguese expression, however indirect, is more forceful than its English counterpart. Anyway, please feel free to frame your suggestion as an answer. If nothing better pops up, I'll probably go with it.
Oliver Simões (asker) Dec 28, 2022:
Nancy, Thank you for the suggestion. I don't have a context. The translation is for a dictionary of idioms. Based on your explanation, I don't think there's a one-to-equivalence between them. I could list it as a side comment under "Expressão correlata" and add an explanation on usage to the PT readers. I would translate "stay in your liane" as "fique na sua" (this is a more generic expression that could be applied to other contexts as well, but it doesn't quite convey the meaning of "cada macaco no seu galho".
Nancy Berube Dec 28, 2022:
Optional translation, depending on context If used as a direct comment, an alternative translation could also be "stay in your lane". This is "a term of admonishment or advice against those who express thoughts or opinions on a subject about which they are viewed as having insufficient knowledge or ability."
philgoddard Dec 28, 2022:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cada_macaco_no_seu_galho

Proposed translations

+5
16 mins

to each their own

We use this expression to mean "other people are free to like different things."
Example sentence:

I think pineapple on pizza is disgusting, but to each their own.

Note from asker:
That's my interpretation of it too. It's more like "There is no accounting for taste" (Gosto não se discute). I'll probably add it to this entry: https://masterportuguesetranslator.com/glossaries/dicionario-idiomatico/?name-directory-search-value=Gosto+n%C3%A3o+se+discute
To All: I concur with Phi. I've done tons of research (see my comments on the DB) and I came to the conclusion that we are talking about two entirely different expressions. I went ahead and picked the one provided by Wikipedia, which, in my view, is the closest in meaning to the original. Thanks!
Peer comment(s):
agree Katarina Peters
23 mins
agree Douglas Bissell
12 hrs
agree Lucas Pocis
13 hrs
agree Nick Taylor : Sot on!
14 hrs
agree Clauwolf
15 hrs
neutral philgoddard : But this doesn't fit Oliver's explanation or my dictionary reference.
1 day 1 hr
agree Lara Barnett
1 day 16 hrs
disagree PaulaEsp : Essa expressão não se aplica ao contexto do autor e tem mais a ver com "Gosto não se discute".
31 days
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+2
34 mins

Every monkey to its branch; every bird to its twig.

'cada macaco no seu galho' can be translated more or less literally, using animal kingdom metaphors. In your precise context, in which people should concern themselves with what earns them respect, these ideas should work;
Note from asker:
There is no context. It's for a dictionary of idioms. I ruled out a literal translation, but thank you anyway. The translation has to be natural and recognizable by English native speakers.
I could add the literal translation in parentheses to explain the main translation that I'll be using.
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : This is how I'd approach it, a literal translation (so monkey, not bird) with an explanation in brackets. You can't go looking for exact English equivalents where they don't exist.
26 mins
There speaks the voice of reason! Thanks Phil.
agree ZT-Translations : Indeed! Not every expression will have an equivalent in the other language, and your choice of using two literal terms, made it possible to really convey the meaning of the Portuguese saying, not to mention, that it's very pleasing to read too. Good job!
6 hrs
Thank you!
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14 hrs

whatever floats your boat

whatever floats your boat
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1 day 4 hrs

stay in your own lane // everyone stays in their own lane // stay in your lane, I'll stay in mine

For Trump, it's an invitation to portray a Clinton presidency as the third ... “My advice is always unequivocally, stay in your own lane, ...
https://www.google.com/search?q=trump administration; "stay ...
Reference:

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22stays+in+their+own+lane%22&newwindow=1&authuser=0&ei=gSiuY6WLFJTY5NoPrJKLKA&ved=0ahUKEwjlz72Mg6D8AhUULFkF

https://www.google.com/search?q=stay+in+your+own+lane&newwindow=1&authuser=0&source=hp&ei=NyiuY4mSHbvV5NoP9KaH-AE&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY642R5Q

Note from asker:
Thank you, Charles. I think your translations do convey the meaning of the PT idiom, but they would not replace the PT idiom in a real-life situation. Try to replace "everybody stays in their own lane" with "cada macado no seu galho": https://www.google.com/search?q=%22everybody+stays+in+their+own+lane%22 (I guess it won't work, right?) In some contexts, they might be ambiguous, as well. "Lane" could be a driving lane. Anyway, as explained in my long DB posts, I ended up picking a translation I found on Wikipedia. Thanks again. Take care.
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