G: TL;DR
Yes. Many languages have swear-adjacent phrases that feel punchy or even profane to natives but translate into English as harmless nouns, food, animals, weather, or nonsense. The profanity lives in cultural force, not the literal words.

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Classic examples (native punch → English pillow)

French

• “Merde” → “shit” (not tame), but
• “Punaise !” → “thumbtack!”
  Mild, common frustration word. In English it sounds like a stationery aisle mishap.
• Québec French “Tabarnak !” → “tabernacle!”
  Severe there; in English it’s just church furniture.

German

• “Scheiße” → “shit” (again, not tame), but
• “Mist!” → “manure!”
  Light cuss. In English it sounds agricultural, not emotional.
• “Donnerwetter!” → “thunder weather!”
  Old-school expletive; English hears a weather report.

Spanish

• “¡Carajo!” → historically “crow’s nest”
  Strong frustration word; English gets nautical trivia.
• “¡Miercoles!” → “Wednesday!”
  A minced oath dodging mierda. English just hears a calendar.

Italian

• “Accidenti!” → “accidents!”
  Mild curse. English: OSHA paperwork.
• “Perbacco!” → “by Bacchus!”
  Antiquated but expressive; English hears mythology cosplay.

Russian

• “Ё-моё!” (Yo-moyó!) → roughly “oh my!”
  Emotionally strong; English equivalent is G-rated.
• “Блин!” (Blin!) → “pancake!”
  Everyday mild cuss. English breakfast food.

Yiddish

• “Oy gevalt!” → “oh, violence!”
  Heavy emotional weight; literal English sounds abstract.
• “Schmuck” → literally “jewel”
  Became a real insult after entering English; literal meaning is harmless.

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East Asia: where the mismatch gets funny fast

Japanese

• くそ！（kuso!）→ “feces!”
  Strong in Japanese speech; English translation sounds clinical or childish.

• ちくしょう！（chikushō!）→ “beast!” / “damn it!”
  Emotionally forceful; English literal is a zoo label.

（Note: the sting comes from delivery and context, not the noun itself.)

Korean

• “아이씨!” (Aish!) → basically “ugh!”
  Can feel sharp or rude; English shrug noise.
• “젠장!” (Jenjang!) → “damn!”
  Mild but expressive; literal translation carries little heat.

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Why this happens

• Taboo source differs.
  English taboos cluster around sex/excretion. Other languages use religion, animals, fate, or objects.
• Prosody > semantics.
  Tone, timing, and social context do most of the work.
• Minced oaths fossilize.
  Once the original taboo fades, the euphemism keeps the emotional charge locally.

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English already does this too

• “Doggone it” → nothing offensive, still feels like a curse.
• “Biscuits!” / “Cheese and rice!” → food words carrying the ghost of profanity.

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Bottom line
Swearing isn’t about what the word means; it’s about what the culture feels when it’s said. Translate the feeling away, and you’re left holding a pancake, a thumbtack, or Wednesday.