छोड़कर सामग्री पर जाएँ
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Proverbs reflect the cultural heritage of a language
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Our Project

The Proverbs Project is an anthropological and sociolinguistic exploration of seven diverse cultures and languages of the world, using proverbs as a tool to gain insight into human nature and behavior.

Our Mission

To answer a rather novel question: Does the culturally accepted wisdom embedded in a particular Spanish proverb have an equivalent in all of these widely spoken languages?

English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili

To create a community of collaborators around the world

How we did it

Step 1: We randomly selected 53 commonly used Spanish proverbs

For example:
Vístame despacio, tengo prisa / Dress me slowly, I am in a hurry
A perro flaco, todo son pulgas / To a skinny dog, everything is fleas
A la tercera, va la vencida / On the third time goes the winner

Step 2: Then, we searched for and found the equivalent proverbs in all 6 other languages

English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili

Step 3: We realized the answer to our mission question was a resounding – Yes.

The wisdom conveyed by every one of the 53 Spanish proverbs do have an equivalent expression in the other 6 other languages.

One example of this shared human wisdom

#49 All roads lead to Rome

English: All roads lead to Rome

Spanish: Todos los caminos llevan a Roma

All roads lead to Rome

Hindi: मंजिल एक, रास्ते अनेक।

One destination, many routes.

Swahili: Kila njia inaishia mjini.

All roads lead to the city

Chinese: 条条大路通罗马。

All roads lead to Rome

Russian: Все дороги ведут в Рим.

All roads lead to Rome.

Arabic: كل الطرق تؤدي الى روما

All roads lead to Rome

How to navigate the full list of 53 proverbs in 7 different languages?

1. If you click on any language below, for ex. Swahili, you’ll to see the full list of 53 proverbs in Swahili, which are the Swahili equivalents of the original 53 Spanish proverbs.

So, each proverb on the list is displayed like above and you are encouraged to make comments on the proverb. Click here to learn more about how to collaborate.

2. If you click on any of the 53 proverbs, you’ll see the equivalent proverbs in all 7 languages, just like you see in the example above.

So, the list of 53 Swahili proverbs are NOT translations of Spanish nor English proverbs. They are Swahili proverbs that convey the same meaning as the other 6 languages.

You will see a literal English translation below each Swahili proverb on the full list of 53. The same is true for Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Hindi.

Full List of 53 Proverbs in 7 Languages

See proverbs in:
English Spanish Russian Chinese Arabic Hindi Swahili
1.

जहाँ धुआं वहाँ आग।
Where there is fire, there is smoke.
5.

तीसरी बार सबकुछ होता है
On the third attempt, everything happens.
10.

“दिखावे पे मत जाओ, ग्यारह रंग में भी गजब हैं”
Don't go by appearances; even something that comes in eleven colors can be amazing
11.

जल में रहकर मगर से वीर ठीक नहीं।
If you want to stay in the water, don't make the crocodile your enemy

The Universality Index

The striking conclusion of the Proverbs Project is that every proverb on our list of 53 randomly selcted Spanish proverbs has an equivalent in all of the other 6 languages:
English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili (Total number of proverbs = 392)

Click here to see: Full List of Proverbs

To measure how close the seven versions of a proverb are, we have developed a
Universality Index.
The Universality IndexAra: ﺔَﺘِﺑﺎﺛ ُ ﺔَﺜِﻟﺎﺜﻟا
The third is certain
100% coincidence in the use of professions (blacksmith / shoemaker / street vendor /
barber / weaver)
43% coincidence in shoemaker (Spanish / Russian / Hindi)
Proverb #44: In the house of the blacksmith, wooden spoon

Let’s use the following example below to explain what we mean by universality.
Proverb #44 expresses the idea that quite often people don’t apply in their personal
life things they know or do well.

Spanish: En casa del herrero, cuchillo de palo

In the house of the blacksmith, a wooden spoon

English: The shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot

Hindi: कबीरा ख़ार-जा, चप्पल छूर.

Kabir is a weaver, but his slippers are torn.

Swahili: Kinyozi hajinyoi.

A barber does not shave himself.

Chinese: 卖盐老婆喝淡汤

The woman who sells salt drinks light soup

Russian: Сапожник без сапог.

Shoemaker without boots.

Arabic: الإسكافي حافي وباب النَجَّار مَخْلوع

The cobbler is barefoot and the carpenter's door is broken

Shared Wisdom: Familiarity breeds complacency.

Percentage represents common usage of key words
Professions, several - 100% coincidence (7 of 7 languages)
Shoemaker - 43% coincidence (3 of 7 languages)

UNIVERSAL PROVERB = 100% use of a key word

What we want to do

To create a community of collaborators around the world

Become part of an engaging community dedicated to exploring the anthro-linguistic significance of proverbs and how they reflect the common values and beliefs of billions of people around the globe!

Learn more about how the multiple ways you can collaborate and contribute to the Proverbs Project

JOIN THE CONVERSATION