# De gustibus non est disputandum



## Outsider

Many of you will be familiar with this Latin saying. Normally, I would use English in the title of a thread, to reach the most people, but I don't know any translation of this sentence into English which is close enough to the original. Which means I'm also curious to know what native speakers of English will say. 

In Portuguese, it's 

*Gostos não se discutem*, 

which means pretty much the same as the Latin phrase.

Looking forward to your replies.


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## Rayines

¿En español será: _Entre gustos no hay disgustos_?


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## Chazzwozzer

*Turkish: Zevkler ve renkler tartışılmaz.

*Same as Latin, it just has an extra *"...and colours"*


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## Setwale_Charm

*Russian:* _О вкусах не спорят_ lit. There should be no arguing about tastes
_На вкус, на цвет товарища нет_. - lit. When it comes to tastes or colours there are no friends ("co-thinkers").


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## elroy

An English equivalent that comes to mind is "To each his own."

In Arabic we say الناس أجناس - "People come in different types."


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## Setwale_Charm

Another English equivalent is: *Tastes differ*.


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## Rayines

Setwale_Charm said:


> ........................._На вкус, на цвет товарища нет_. - lit. When it comes to tastes or colours there are no friends ("co-thinkers").


 


Chazzwozzer said:


> ................Same as Latin, it just has an extra *"...and colours"*


Ahora que veo que mencionan los *colores*, creo que también se dice en español: _Para gustos, los colores ._
(Y se acabó mi refranero).


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## irene.acler

*Italian*:
_I gusti non si discutono_
But we very often use the first part of the Latin expression, "de gustibus".


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## Conchita57

A few more suggestions:

Spanish: _Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito._

French: _Les goûts et les couleurs, ça ne se discute pas._

English: _There's no accounting for tastes._


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## Jana337

The Czech one sounds funny: Proti gustu žádný dišputát (against taste no disputation).

While gusto is a common word for taste, dišputát doesn't exist in other contexts.

Jana


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## jester.

In German we usually say: "Über Geschmack lässt sich nicht streiten."

But in many cases you can also hear this idiom as "Über Geschmack lässt sich streiten." That is exactly the opposite meaning. It is used in advertisements, for example.

An example I found in Google is "Über Geschmack lässt sich streiten (De gustibus est disputandum) - your rights when eating in a restaurant."


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## robbie_SWE

In Romanian it should be: 

_*Gustul nu se discută*_


The Swedish saying is funnier: 

_*Smaken är som baken* = taste is like the behind  _

 robbie


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## Lemminkäinen

The Norwegian is similar to the Swedish. Sometimes it's added *delt i to* - "split in two"


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## sound shift

English: _*One man's meat is another man's poison*_


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## Joannes

Rayines said:


> Ahora que veo que mencionan los *colores*, creo que también se dice en español: _Para gustos, los colores ._
> (Y se acabó mi refranero).


 
I think the colours were already in the Latin expression too: De gustibus _et coloribus_ non est disputandum. I guess there are variants.

In Dutch: *Over smaken en kleuren valt niet te twisten.*



irene.acler said:


> But we very often use the first part of the Latin expression, "de gustibus".


 
Same here.


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## Nunty

In Hebrew we say על טעם ועל ריח אין להתווכח (al ta'am v'al reah ain lhitvakeah), which rhymes and means "There's no arguing about taste and scent".


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## Marga H

In Polish: *O gustach się nie dyskutuje*. It is the translation from Latin.


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## Lugubert

robbie_SWE said:


> The Swedish saying is funnier:
> 
> _*Smaken är som baken* = taste is like the behind _


My generation would never use this expression. We would use a translation in very formal language of the classical saying,

*Om tycke och smak skall man ej disputera *» On views and taste there should be no discussions.

Still, the abbreviated reference "om tycke och smak" gets 12 000 Internet hits, "tycke och smak" reaches 90 500!


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## Maja

In Serbian:
*
O ukusima ne vredi raspravljati* (there is no point discussing  tastes)!


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## parakseno

robbie_SWE said:


> In Romanian it should be:
> 
> _*Gustul nu se discută*_


The Romanian expression uses the plural:

Gusturile (oamenilor) nu se discută. - lit. (People's) "Tastes" are not to be discussed.


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## Ilmo

The corresponding expression in *Finnish*:
*Makuasioista ei pidä kiistellä.*
It is a straight translation of the original phrase "there is no disputing about tastes".
But sometimes a joker twists the first word of the phrase, making it sound...
*Makuuasennossa ei pidä kiistellä.*
that means "there is no disputing in a lying position" - that is certainly also true.


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## Flaminius

Japanese equivalent:
蓼食う虫も好き好き
tade kuu mushi-mo suki-zuki.
This would translates into something to the effect of, "Even the caterpillar that eats leaves of _tade_ follows its own liking."  Native speakers are not always aware of the etymology.  _Tade_ seems to be the plant called water-pepper in English but I am not too much compelled to try the leaves to determine whether to respect or despise the caterpillars that live on it.


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## Venezuelan_sweetie

*Spanish:*


Rayines said:


> ..._Entre gustos no hay disgustos_?





Rayines said:


> ..._Para gustos, los colores ._





Conchita57 said:


> _Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito._


And, _Sobre gustos y colores, no han escrito los autores_, which rhymes, and means "The authors of tastes and colors have not written about them yet".  Sort of funny...


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## daoxunchang

各有所好each has his own liking
萝卜青菜各有所爱people have different preferences; radish, cabbage, it doesn't matter.


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## Outsider

Another English saying: "Different strokes for different folks".


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## kusurija

In Lithuanian:
Dėl skonio nesiginčijama. _or_ Kiekvienas turi savo skonį.
(Not used dispute about taste _or_ Everyone has his taste.)


daoxunchang said:


> 各有所好each has his own liking
> 萝卜青菜各有所爱people have different preferences; radish, cabbage, it doesn't matter.


Could You add pronunciation, please... Thank You.


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## daoxunchang

Of course
各有所好ge4 you3 suo3 hao4 (好here is a verb and thus in the fourth tone)
萝卜青菜各有所爱luo2 bo5 qing1 cai4 ge4 you3 suo3 ai4


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## Encolpius

*Hungarian*

I think there's nothing similar to the original version. 

_Ízlések és pofonok különbözőek._ (let.: tastes & slaps differ)

But I¨m not sure if both mean the same.


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## Arrius

Another French equivalent is *"chacun à son goût" *(each to his taste),which is also the title of one of the songs in the operetta "The Merry Widow" (Die lustige Witwe).

Based on the expression, _one man's meat is another man's poison_, there is the Anglo-French joke: *One man's fish is another man's poisson*.


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## cherine

There's another Arabic proverb that says:
لولا اختلاف الأذواق لبارت السلع
lawla ikhtilafu'l-adhwaaqi labaarat 'is-sila3u

If tastes were not differents, goods wouldn't be sold (not a very good translation, sorry, but I hope it gives the meaning).


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto* (from the Latin):  _pri gustoj oni disputi ne devas_.  Another Esperanto expression for the same idea is _kiom da homoj, tiom da gustoj_.


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## jazyk

There's a nasty one that sometimes people say in Brazil: Gosto é igual a cu, cada um tem um. = Tastes are like a****les, everyone has one.


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## kusurija

jazyk said:


> There's a nasty one that sometimes people say in Brazil: Gosto é igual a cu, cada um tem um. = Tastes are like a****les, everyone has one.


Excuse me, what does mean asterics in a****les?


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## Encolpius

kusurija said:


> Excuse me, what does mean asterics in a****les?



Portuguese cu = arse


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## Arrius

I still don't see how *a****les,* can be *arses *in disguise*.*


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## kusurija

Arrius said:


> I still don't see how *a****les,* can be *arses *in disguise*.*


Nor did I...


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## Encolpius

lapsus calami


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## jazyk

> I still don't see how *a****les,* can be *arses *in disguise*.*


*
*I meant assholes, I didn't know if I was allowed to write it.


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## Arrius

Ah, *jazyk,* I see! In fact, I think you are allowed to write anything provided it forms part of a linguistic discussion. It was the AE vs BE spelling that confused me.

Btw, to avoid further mystification, *Encolpius'* _lapsus calumi = a _slip of the pen/typo (actually a slip of the _reed _which the Romans used for writing on parchment). We Brits only use _lapsus linguae,_ as far as I know.


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## Encolpius

Hello, I've just found another proverb in *Hungarian*. 

_*Ahány ház, annyi szokás.*_ [as many customs as many houses]


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
(a)«Περὶ ὀρέξεως, οὐδείς λόγος»
pe'ri o'rekseos, u'ðis 'loɣos
an archaism (probably an early translation of the Latin phrase) which literally means "about taste, there's no debate/dispute"
(b)«περί ορέξεως, κολοκυθόπιτα»
pe'ri o'rekseos, koloci'θopita
a more recent expression with the same meaning which is translated literally as "about taste, zucchini/courgette-pie" (probably because zucchini/courgette are not, well, so tasty)

[ð] is a voiced dental non-sibilant fricative
[ɣ] is a voiced velar fricative
[c] is a voiceless palatal plosive
[θ] is a voiceless dental non-sibilant fricative


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## Arrius

Reading through the earlier posts, I have been unable to find the French equivalent, which is rather surprising. It is *chacun à son goût* (each to his (own) taste). This phrase appears as the title of a song in Franz Lehar's operetta "Die Lustige Witwe" (The Merry Widow), set in Paris, the libretto of which is otherwise originally in German.
   I don't remember seeing another English alternative either, *there's no accounting for tastes*, which, however,  is said when the speaker is rather astonished by the strange choice of the person commented on.
  There is also another Latin tag which contains the same idea: *quot homines, tot sententiae* (There are as many opinions as there are men).


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## MosoMasa

The exact Hungarian equivalent is: _Az izlésekről nem kell vitatkozni_ but nobody uses it like that. _Mindenkinek más az izlése_ (= everybody has different tastes) would be a neutral solution. 
The colloquial is _Izlések és pofonok különbözők_ (= tastes and clouts differ) is a step away. 
_Ahány ház, annyi szokás_ (= as many households, so many customs) is slightly different in meaning because it just states that tastes and habits differ from one person/family to the another. 
Meanwhile the original usually express an underlying criticism as well as a wise withdrawal ("although I really don't share the same opinion - I am not going to argue about it") which leaves the speaker in a sort of an "upper hand position".


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## hollabooiers

*Estonian*: _Maitse üle ei vaielda._ (One doesn't argue over taste)


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## CarlitosMS

There I a funny one that an acquaintance from Seville told me: El libro de los gustos está en blanco. (The book of tastes is blank).

Kind regards
Carlos M.S.


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## elroy

CarlitosMS said:


> El libro de los gustos está en blanco. (The book of tastes is blank).


 I don't get it.  Shouldn't it be full?


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## CarlitosMS

Another synonym in Spanish: Para gustos los colores.


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## Dymn

Rayines said:


> Para gustos, los colores .





CarlitosMS said:


> Another synonym in Spanish: Para gustos los colores.



I've always heard it without the article: _para gustos, colores_.


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## franknagy

Hungarian: _"Kinek  a pap, kinek a papné, kinek a lánya. " _The verb_ tetszik _is omitted from the idiom.
_"One finds attractive the priest, other his wife, the third their daughter."_


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## Włoskipolak 72

Polish 

O gustach się nie dyskutuje.


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## AutumnOwl

robbie_SWE said:


> The Swedish saying is funnier:
> 
> _*Smaken är som baken* = taste is like the behind _
> 
> robbie





Lugubert said:


> My generation would never use this expression. We would use a translation in very formal language of the classical saying,
> 
> *Om tycke och smak skall man ej disputera *» On views and taste there should be no discussions.
> 
> Still, the abbreviated reference "om tycke och smak" gets 12 000 Internet hits, "tycke och smak" reaches 90 500!


For the first one, it's always understood as "smaken är som baken - delad" (taste is always divided like the behind). 

A shorter vesion for the second one is: "Smak kan inte diskuteras" (taste can't be discussed/argued about).


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## Roxxxannne

In addition to the other Engish expressions already mentioned (although I may have missed it), there's also "there's no accounting for taste."


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## swift

An usual, albeit tautological, phrase in Costa Rica: *gustos son gustos*.


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## סייבר־שד

In Mexico we often use the following expression for that: _"En gustos se rompen géneros."_

Up until some years ago, I thought the word *géneros *in it referred to "genres", which would make the following translation suitable: _"When it comes to tastes, genres are broken_."

That never made much sense to me, so I dug a little into it, and it turns out there's at least one other explanation that has been proposed, which I came across in a magazine: one of the meanings of the Spanish word *género *is "cloth, fabric", which I have not once heard here in Mexico, though I'm admittedly not at all into knitting, nor any other activity which might give me a different perspective on the matter.

But it would appear it's precisely that meaning which is at the heart of that curious saying's origins. This explanation states that a long time ago, when people went looking for fabrics, they would rip the one they liked to buy it, so another possible translation would be: _"When it comes to tastes, fabrics are ripped." _

Now, a couple of things: I used the word "rip" in my translation, but I'm not sure if that's exactly what whoever came up with that theory meant, because the article was in Spanish, and they used the very general verb *romper*, which can be translated into English as "to break", but also "to rip", "to tear" (any Doomers here??... ), "to shatter", "to terminate", among a few other things.
Then again, the general idea is not that hard to get, either, considering we're talking about fabrics here (can't really "shatter" or "terminate" a fabric, right?).

So, the thing that really bugs me is that I still don't get why people looking for cloth would rip it to buy it, unless what's actually meant is that they would *cut off* a piece of it according to how much they needed for whatever they wanted to do with it?
Makes a lot more sense, for sure, but in that case the verb *romper *seems a rather odd choice, I would find *cortar *a much better one...

Anyway, sorry for the rambling and the not-quite-satisfying explanation, but that's all I've found about it. Either way, while I'm not sure it's the most common saying used here to say what the OP asked about, it still has good enough currency.


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## djmc

This is nothing to do with the Spanish expression, but when buying fabric it is often cut very slightly after being measured and then ripped. This ensures that the length is the same on both sides of the bolt of cloth. Fabric will tear at right angles to the warp (the threads running the length of the cloth). Cutting straight  is something  which can be quite difficult but this technique with the right kind of fabric (not all lend themselves to it) is much easier.


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## Awwal12

Setwale_Charm said:


> _О вкусах не спорят_ lit. There should be no arguing about tastes


Literally "(they) don't argue about tastes", where the impersonal structure with the zero plural subject often reflects a customary situation as well. Cf. "здесь не курят" - lit. "here (they) don't smoke" > "it's customary not to smoke here" > "no smoking here" (it may be just a common agreement, or may be actually forbidden by the owners or authorities; either way, they don't smoke here for a reason).

The expression is an obvious calque from Latin, but is sufficiently common.


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## pimlicodude

Roxxxannne said:


> In addition to the other Engish expressions already mentioned (although I may have missed it), there's also "there's no accounting for taste."


Yes, agreed, this is the normal English version, although the Latin phrase itself is common in English.


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## סייבר־שד

djmc said:


> This is nothing to do with the Spanish expression, but when buying fabric it is often cut very slightly after being measured and then ripped. This ensures that the length is the same on both sides of the bolt of cloth. Fabric will tear at right angles to the warp (the threads running the length of the cloth). Cutting straight  is something  which can be quite difficult but this technique with the right kind of fabric (not all lend themselves to it) is much easier.


That really cleared it up, thanks so much!


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