I propose to start a word challenge – in any language, so we can see how colloquial or slang phrases change meaning as they go through those translating machines or websites.

Photo credit: x-ray delta one / Foter / CC BY-SA

I’ll start with ‘I was just kidding’.  How does this translate in your language?

In English, it is usually meant to say the person didn’t mean what they said, or was telling a joke.  But, psychologists say that much truth lies behind a joke or a ‘kid’.  Sometimes we jokingly say something to prod the other person or persons into behaving how we think they should, such as …. (you fill in the blank), or we really do mean the opposite of what we are joking about.  And sometimes we really are joking but the other person doesn’t realize it and then we’ve got a bit of a mess.

So, do you have a phrase in your language that is similar to this one?