--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mum translated this in her head to…" description: "\"“My mum translated this in her head to \"witchfinder,\" which was good because like most West Africans, she considered witchfinding a more respectable pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/ben-aaronovitch-3199_mothers_my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-wi_100348.jpg" --- # My mum translated this in her head to "witchfinder," which… ![“My mum translated this in her head to "witchfinder," which was good because like most West Africans, she considered witchfinding a more respectable profession than policeman.” quote by Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/ben-aaronovitch-3199_mothers_my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-wi_100348.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/ben-aaronovitch-3199_mothers_my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-wi_100348.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/ben-aaronovitch-3199_mothers_my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-wi_100348.jpg) > ““My mum translated this in her head to "witchfinder," which was good because like most West Africans, she considered witchfinding a more respectable profession than policeman.”” [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator’s mother humorously reinterprets a term to elevate a socially stigmatized role, reflecting cultural perceptions of respectability. **In simple terms:** Language can reshape status. Key Takeaway Words influence perceived legitimacy. Themes language culture social perception humor occupation Mood wry reflective Type cultural observation humorous anecdote When to use this quote - renaming a controversial job - using euphemisms in media - cross‑cultural translation Key Concepts semantic framing cultural relativism Practical Applications - Choose terminology that reduces stigma - Leverage humor to challenge stereotypes Questions to Reflect On - When does rebranding a profession help or hinder social progress? - How does humor affect serious cultural debates? A Different Perspective Euphemisms may obscure real issues needing address. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Witches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witches/) ## Related quotes > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“What a waste.” The woman sighed and moved away. Looking at Victoria, she rubbed her thumb and forefinger together absently. “Burn him. Slowly. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mcvea/what-a-waste-the-woman-sighed-and-moved-away-looking-at-victoria-she/) [Heather McVea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mcvea/) > [“Love isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t be this complicated. I hate the fact that I’m falling in love with him. I hate the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-stoneback/love-isn-t-easy-but-it-shouldn-t-be-this-complicated-i-hate-the-fact/) J.M.Stoneback > [To me, witches are the most divine creatures. I always thought of them not as old crones with double chins and dunce hats, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-moorehead/to-me-witches-are-the-most-divine-creatures-i-always-thought-of-them/) [Agnes Moorehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-moorehead/) > [“Most witches don’t believe in gods. They know that the gods exist, of course. They even deal with them occasionally. But they don’t believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/most-witches-don-t-believe-in-gods-they-know-that-the-gods-exist-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The thing I feared the most was the network of unexplored crevices in my dark mind . . . because perhaps, there was no such thing as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-c-reden/the-thing-i-feared-the-most-was-the-network-of-unexplored-crevices-in/) Laura C. Reden > [“...three particular T-shirts with vulgar slang written on them that made the vein in his forehead poke out. It was a cute little vein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dannika-dark/three-particular-t-shirts-with-vulgar-slang-written-on-them-that-made/) [Dannika Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dannika-dark/) > [“Why is it every time a madman's prayers are answered, a witch burns?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-danielle-dorn/why-is-it-every-time-a-madman-s-prayers-are-answered-a-witch-burns/) J. Danielle Dorn > [Witches are a cold breed who keep unto themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-moorehead/witches-are-a-cold-breed-who-keep-unto-themselves/) [Agnes Moorehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-moorehead/) > [“How do you express a skinny blonde werewolf and a former toad in a cake?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-a-reeves/how-do-you-express-a-skinny-blonde-werewolf-and-a-former-toad-in-a/) [Elizabeth A. Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-a-reeves/) > [“She didn't even want to think of how hellish it would be if all the MacGregors made her feel like this one did, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-m-pillow/she-didn-t-even-want-to-think-of-how-hellish-it-would-be-if-all-the/) [Michelle M. Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-m-pillow/) > [Men feared witches and burned women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/men-feared-witches-and-burned-women/) [Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/) > [“His hand came out and captured her by the chin. She froze, finding it hard to breathe as he gently raised her face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/his-hand-came-out-and-captured-her-by-the-chin-she-froze-finding-it/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [“Diesel" - his name sounded sweet coming out of her mouth --"I want you, and I mean I really, really want you. Please. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-carlson/diesel-his-name-sounded-sweet-coming-out-of-her-mouth-i-want-you-and/) [Amanda Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-carlson/) > [In 'Bras & Broomsticks,' Rachel Weinstein gets the shock of her life when she discovers that her mom and her younger sister, Miri, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mlynowski/in-bras-broomsticks-rachel-weinstein-gets-the-shock-of-her-life-when/) [Sarah Mlynowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mlynowski/) ## More by Ben Aaronovitch > [“He was from Yorkshire, or somewhere like that, and like many Northerners with issues, he'd moved to London as a cheap alternative to psychotherapy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/he-was-from-yorkshire-or-somewhere-like-that-and-like-many/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“I left in a hurry before he could change his mind, but I want to make it clear that at no point did I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/i-left-in-a-hurry-before-he-could-change-his-mind-but-i-want-to-make/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-general-public-have-a-warped-view-of-the-speed-at-which-an/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Something round and dirty and white was resting near my foot. It was a skull. I picked it up. ‘Is that you, Nicholas?’ I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/something-round-and-dirty-and-white-was-resting-near-my-foot-it-was-a/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [Coffee arrived and the espresso was excellent, like an aromatic electric fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/coffee-arrived-and-the-espresso-was-excellent-like-an-aromatic/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Fuck me,' I said to Toby. 'We're living in Isengard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/fuck-me-i-said-to-toby-we-re-living-in-isengard/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Peter Grant,’ I said. ‘Recent arrival, slacker and man of very little fame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/peter-grant-i-said-recent-arrival-slacker-and-man-of-very-little-fame/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [What do you think you're doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/what-do-you-think-you-re-doing/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“Right from the start Abigail used to moan and fidget as her hair was relaxed or braided or thermally reconditioned, but her dad was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/right-from-the-start-abigail-used-to-moan-and-fidget-as-her-hair-was/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“The mark was from the glue that once held a folder into which a library card would have fitted back in the day when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-mark-was-from-the-glue-that-once-held-a-folder-into-which-a/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [It's a sad fact of modern life that if you drive long enough, sooner or later you must leave London behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/it-s-a-sad-fact-of-modern-life-that-if-you-drive-long-enough-sooner/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [This I know for a fact: the reason African women have children is so that there's someone else to do the housework.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/this-i-know-for-a-fact-the-reason-african-women-have-children-is-so/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“There’s always a secret door,” I said. “That’s why you always need a thief in your party.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/there-s-always-a-secret-door-i-said-that-s-why-you-always-need-a/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [ You know, your species \[humans\] has the most amazing capacity for self-deception, matched only by its ingenuity in trying to destroy itself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/you-know-your-species-humans-has-the-most-amazing-capacity-for-self/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“I looked into the literature on this," said Nightingale, "and it wasn't very helpful." "There's a literature about this?" "You'd be amazed, Constable, about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/i-looked-into-the-literature-on-this-said-nightingale-and-it-wasn-t/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) [Explore all 134 Ben Aaronovitch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) ## More Mothers quotes > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [“Time plays tricks on mothers. It teases you with breaks and brief caesuras, only to skip wildly forward, bringing breathtaking changes to your baby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/time-plays-tricks-on-mothers-it-teases-you-with-breaks-and-brief/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [The world needs our mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/the-world-needs-our-mothers/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [Most men are secretly still mad at their mothers for throwing away their comic books. They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I agree that mommy wars are not good for any mothers: that such wars are time and effort wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-tsing-loh/i-agree-that-mommy-wars-are-not-good-for-any-mothers-that-such-wars/) [Sandra Tsing Loh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-tsing-loh/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [The writer who is a mother should, I think, record everything she can: make notes, keep journals, take photographs, use a tape recorder, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-ostriker/the-writer-who-is-a-mother-should-i-think-record-everything-she-can/) [Alicia Ostriker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-ostriker/) > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [“The short sharp shock of three thousand mother two hundred mothers. The ones who picked through the supermarket debris for pieces of their dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/the-short-sharp-shock-of-three-thousand-mother-two-hundred-mothers/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [Mothers love you to the end, and she didn't want to hold me back from my livelihood. So I left for a month and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/mothers-love-you-to-the-end-and-she-didn-t-want-to-hold-me-back-from/) [Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/) > [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [There are mothers that feel they made a mistake by having a kid at a very young age and they didn't get to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letoya-luckett/there-are-mothers-that-feel-they-made-a-mistake-by-having-a-kid-at-a/) [LeToya Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letoya-luckett/) > [The most common reason new mothers return to work sooner than they'd like to is because they can't afford to go without their salaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/the-most-common-reason-new-mothers-return-to-work-sooner-than-they-d/) [Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/) [Browse all 1,462 Mothers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My mum translated this in her head to \"witchfinder,\" which was good because like most West Africans, she considered witchfinding a more respectable profession than policeman.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Aaronovitch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-witchfinder-which-was-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mothers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-witchfinder-which-was-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/ben-aaronovitch-3199_mothers_my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-wi_100348.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/ben-aaronovitch-3199_mothers_my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-wi_100348.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/318/ben-aaronovitch-3199_mothers_my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-wi_100348.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My mum translated this in her head to \"witchfinder,\" which was good because like most West Africans, she…” — Ben Aaronovitch", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ben Aaronovitch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“My mum translated this in her...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-witchfinder-which-was-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/my-mum-translated-this-in-her-head-to-witchfinder-which-was-good/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```