be lost in translation

Of a word or words, to lose the full subtlety of meaning or significance when translated from one language to another, especially when done literally. My friend tried explaining a few French idioms to me, but I'm afraid they were lost in translation. It's amazing how much is lost in translation in the subtitles of foreign films.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Lyndon	LIN-dən	English
Finn (2)	FIN (Danish)	Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
NadÈGe	-	French
Arden	['a:dn]
Samu	SAH-moo (Finnish)	Hungarian, Finnish
Melina	-	English, French, Greek