Proverb
too many cooks spoil the broth
- If too many people participate in a task, especially in a leading role, the task will not be done very well.
c. 1803–1805, Jane Austen, “The Watsons”, in J[ames] E[dward] Austen[-]Leigh, A Memoir of Jane Austen: […] to which is Added Lady Susan and Fragments of Two Other Unfinished Tales by Miss Austen, 2nd edition, London: Richard Bentley and Son, […], published 1871, →OCLC, pages 301–302:She professes to keep her own counsel; she says, and truly enough, that “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Translations
with too many people a task won't be done very well
- Arabic:
- Libyan Arabic: المركب اللي ليها ريسين تغرق
- South Levantine Arabic: إذا كترو طباخين بتنحرق الطبخة (ʔiza kitru ṭ-ṭabbāḵīn btinḥreʔ iṭ-ṭabḵa)
- Burmese: ဆရာများ သားသေ (hca.ra-mya: sa:se)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 人多添亂 / 人多添乱 (rén duō tiān luàn), 人多誤事 / 人多误事 (rén duō wù shì), 人多手腳亂 / 人多手脚乱 (rén duō shǒujiǎo luàn)
- Czech: příliš mnoho kuchařů přesolí polévku
- Danish: for mange kokke fordærver maden
- Dutch: veel koks bederven de brij, veel koks verzouten de brij
- Esperanto: tro da kuiristoj kaĉon difektas
- Finnish: mitä useampi kokki, sitä huonompi soppa
- French: trop de cuisiniers gâtent la sauce; autant de têtes, autant d'avis; deux patrons font chavirer la barque
- German: (zu) viele Köche verderben den Brei (de)
- Greek: όπου λαλούν πολλοί κοκόροι αργεί να ξημερώσει (ópou laloún polloí kokóroi argeí na ximerósei)
- Hebrew: בְּרֹב חוֹבְלִים תַּטְבַּעְנָה הַסְּפִינוֹת (b'róv khovlím tatbá'na hasfinót) (with many naval officers the ships will drown)
- Hindi: जितने मुँह उतनी बातें (jitne mũh utnī bātẽ, literally “As many opinions/talks as there are people”)
- Hungarian: túl sok szakács elsózza a levest (hu)
- Italian: troppi galli nel pollaio
- Japanese: 船頭多くして船山に登る (ja) (せんどうおおくしてふねやまにのぼる, sendō ōkushite fune yama-ni noboru)
- Korean: 사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다 (sagong'i maneumyeon baega saneuro ganda)
- Lithuanian: devynios auklės, vaikas be galvos
- Norwegian: jo flere kokker, jo mer søl
- Persian: آشپز که دوتا شد، آش یا شور میشود، یا بینمک (âšpaz ke do-tâ šod, âš yâ šur mišavad, yâ bi-namak)
- Polish: gdzie kucharek sześć, tam nie ma co jeść (pl)
- Portuguese: quem não ajuda não atrapalha, muita cera queima a igreja, a cera sobeja queima a igreja
- Romanian: copilul cu mai multe moașe rămâne cu buricul netăiat
- Russian: у семи́ ня́нек дитя́ без гла́за (ru) (u semí njánek ditjá bez gláza) (seven nannies leave a child without care)
- Spanish: muchas manos en un plato causan arrebato
- Swedish: ju fler kockar, desto sämre soppa
- Ukrainian: у семи няньок дитя без ока (u semy njanʹok dytja bez oka)
- Vietnamese: lắm thầy nhiều ma (too many shamans, too many ghosts)
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