Diaper-Headed Daughters of the Night

Reinhold Aman, editor of Maledicta: The International Journal of Verbal Aggression, guest-blogs at Language Log about how translators around the globe rendered Don Imus's infamous "nappy-headed hos" in their native languages.

A sampling:

The Netherlands: hoeren met kroeshaar (whores with curly hair)

Sweden: blöjhövdade horor (diaper-headed whores)

Spain: mujerzuelas de cabello sucio y espeso (uncouth/loose women with dirty and thick hair)

Romania: curve negre nespălate (dirty/filthy/unwashed/low-class/uneducated black whores)

At the end of the post, Language Log regular Mark Liberman passes along this addendum, which has nothing to do with translation--unless we're talking about American-to-British translation--but is too good to leave out:

I am in receipt of an interesting correspondence from Peter Sagal, host of NPR's terrific improv comedy show, "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!"

On his show a week ago, he and his guests were talking about the death of crooner Don Ho, and it was noted that Ho had dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren. On the air, with a sudden inspiration, Sagal said "You know, when all those babies were in diapers, that means dozens of nappy-bottomed Hos."