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Time for some fun. Would you like to help write a book? Can you share your Words of Wisdom from the World that will help raise funds for global road safety?  

As we have worked with our partners around the world, a great snapshot of local wisdom is often shared based on a local saying, idiom or way of life. The direct translation or interpretation is often funny, sometimes strange but always packed full of meaning.

We would love to get the #RAPCommunity involved and share some of your local words of wisdom to publish in a book late 2023! All proceeds from the book will go directly to saving lives on our roads.

To be part of this global effort please share your favourite sayings (including local language version, the direct/exact English translation and your version of what it really means), please fill out the form below. You can enter as many times as you like!

We have provided a few examples below to get you going 😊

All contributors published in the final book will be acknowledged.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom and helping us to save more lives together.

Country Contributor Original Phrase Translation Meaning
Denmark Max Jensen, European Investment Bank Klap lige hesten Pat the horse This phrase is used when you want to tell someone to relax and slow down. The English equivalent is “hold your horses,” but the Danish version is considered slightly more patronizing
Denmark Max Jensen, European Investment Bank At sluge en kamel To swallow a camel For a Dane it was not a hard pill to swallow. It was like swallowing a camel (accepting something you do not like)
Chile Julio Urzua, iRAP En el país de los ciegos, el tuerto es rey In the country of blind people, the one-eyed person, is the king In a group of people where nobody knows or is expert in a matter, the one who knows a little stands out and shines
Brazil Shanna Lucchesi, iRAP Dar com os burros na água Came across donkeys in the water For a Brazilian, when a process is running smoothly, and suddenly goes completely wrong for any reason the donkeys got stuck in the water as if they were advancing well across a river but suddenly got stuck.
U.S.A. Shane O’Connor, FedEx Went to Europe on a ticket downtown Went to Europe on a ticket downtown Created a big problem out of nothing! Went from the USA all the way to Europe when all that was needed was a trip nearby.
India Jigesh Bhavsar, iRAP Bandar kya jane Adrak ka swad How does a Monkey know the taste of Ginger Indicates people with bad taste can’t appreciate delicacies.

The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) is a Registered Charity with UN ECOSOC Consultative Status.
iRAP is registered in England and Wales under company number 05476000
Charity number 1140357

Registered office: 60 Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DS
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