From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Newcastle upon Tyne (in England) was a major coal -exporting city, so sending coal there would be pointless.
carry coals to Newcastle (third-person singular simple present carries coals to Newcastle , present participle carrying coals to Newcastle , simple past and past participle carried coals to Newcastle )
( idiomatic ) To do something that is unneeded or redundant .
Synonym: bring owls to Athens
1851 , Herman Melville , chapter 81, in Moby-Dick [1] :However curious it may seem for an oil-ship to be borrowing oil on the whale-ground, and however much it may invertedly contradict the old proverb about carrying coals to Newcastle , yet sometimes such a thing really happens; and in the present case Captain Derick De Deer did indubitably conduct a lamp-feeder as Flask did declare.
1960 , P. G. Wodehouse , chapter II, in Jeeves in the Offing :He's the fellow who likes to let off stink bombs in night clubs, which rather falls under the head of carrying coals to Newcastle [ …]
do something unneeded or redundant
Arabic: اِسْتَبْضَعَ التَّمْرَ إِلَى هَجَر ( istabḍaʕa t-tamra ʔilā hajar , literally “ carry dates to Hajar ” )
Catalan: portar aigua al mar ( literally “ carry water to the sea ” )
Chinese:
Hokkien: 夯枷 (zh-min-nan) ( giâ-kê , literally “ carry the shackle ” ) , 無枷夯交椅 / 无枷夯交椅 ( bô kê giâ kau-í , literally “ carry the armchair if there's no shackle ” )
Mandarin: 多此一舉 / 多此一举 (zh) ( duōcǐyījǔ ) , 脫褲子放屁 / 脱裤子放屁 (zh) ( tuō khùzi fàngpì )
Czech: nosit dříví do lesa (cs) ( literally “ carry wood into the forest ” ) , nosit sovy do Atén ( literally “ carry owls to Athens ” )
Danish: give bagerbørn hvedebrød ( literally “ give wheat bread to bakers' children ” )
Dutch: uilen naar Athene dragen ( literally “ carry owls to Athens ” ) , water naar de zee dragen ( literally “ carry water to the sea ” )
Esperanto: porti akvon al rivero ( literally “ carry water to the river ” ) , porti strigojn al Ateno ( literally “ carry owls to Athens ” )
Estonian: kilplasetööd tegema ( literally “ do the [?] work ” )
Finnish: kantaa vettä kaivoon ( literally “ carry water to the well ” )
French: porter de l’eau à la rivière (fr) ( literally “ carry water to the river ” )
Georgian: ზღვას ქვიშას უმატებენო ( zɣvas kvišas umaṭebeno , literally “ bring sand to the beach ” ) , ტყესი შეშის შეტანა ( ṭq̇esi šešis šeṭana , literally “ carry firewood into the forest ” )
German: Eulen nach Athen tragen (de) ( literally “ carry owls to Athens ” ) ; Holz in den Wald tragen (de) ( literally “ carry wood to the forest ” ) ; Wasser ins Meer tragen (de) ( literally “ carry water to the sea ” )
Greek: κομίζω γλαύκα εις Αθήνας (el) ( komízo gláfka eis Athínas , literally “ carry owls to Athens ” )
Ancient: γλαῦκ' εἰς Ἀθήνας ( glaûk' eis Athḗnas ) , γλαῦκ' Ἀθήναζε ( glaûk' Athḗnaze , literally “ owls to Athens ” )
Hindi: उल्टे बाँस बरेली को लेना ( ulṭe bā̃s barelī ko lenā , literally “ take bamboo to Bareilly ” )
Hungarian: vizet hord a Dunába (hu) ( literally “ carry water into the Danube ” )
Icelandic: bera í bakkafullan lækinn ( literally “ carry water to an overflowing stream ” )
Irish: ag tabhairt liúdar go Toraigh ( literally “ taking coalfish to Tory Island ” ) , ag cuimilt saille de thóin na muice méithe
Italian: portare nottole ad Atene ( literally “ carry noctules to Athens ” ) , portare civette ad Atene ( literally “ carry owls to Athens ” ) , portare vasi a Samo ( literally “ carry jars to Samos ” )
Japanese: 無駄骨を折る ( むだぼねをおる, mudabone wo oru )
Latin: in silvam ligna ferō ( literally “ carry wood into the forest ” )
Norwegian:
Bokmål: gi bakerens barn brød ( literally “ give bread to the baker's children ” ) , gå over bekken etter vann (no) ( literally “ cross the river in search of water ” )
Nynorsk: gje brød til bakaren sine born ( literally “ give bread to the baker's children ” )
Persian: زیره به کرمان بردن ( zire be kermân bordan , literally “ bring caraway to Kerman ” )
Polish: wozić drewno do lasu (pl) ( literally “ carry wood into the forest ” )
Portuguese: levar água ao mar ( literally “ carry water to the sea ” ) , chover no molhado (pt) ( literally “ rain in the wet ” )
Russian: е́здить в Ту́лу со свои́м самова́ром (ru) ( jézditʹ v Túlu so svoím samovárom , literally “ go to Tula with your own samovar ” ) , в лес дрова́ вози́ть (ru) ( v les drová vozítʹ , literally “ carry wood into the forest ” )
Scottish Gaelic: thoir fiodhrach do Loch Abar ( literally “ take timber to Lochaber ” ) , thoir eich a dh'Innse Gall ( literally “ take horses to the Hebrides ” )
Slovak: voziť drevo do hory (sk) ( literally “ carry wood into the forest ” ) , nosiť sovy do Atén ( literally “ carry owls to Athens ” )
Slovene: zlivati vodo v morje
Spanish: llevar leña al monte ( literally “ carry wood upon the mountain ” ) , llevar hierro a Vizcaya
Swedish: bära ugglor till Aten ( literally “ carry owls to Athens ” )
Thai: เอามะพร้าวห้าวไปขายสวน (th) ( ao má-práao-hâao bpai kǎai sǔuan , literally “ sell ripe coconuts to an orchard ” ) , เอาแป้งนวลไปขายชาววัง ( ao bpɛ̂ɛng-nuual bpai kǎai chaao-wang , literally “ sell face powders to palace ladies ” )
Turkish: denize su götürmek ( literally “ carry water to the sea ” )
Welsh: cario glo i Fflint ( literally “ carry coal to Flint ” )
Yiddish: פֿירן שטרוי קיין מצרים ( firn shtroy keyn mitsraym , literally “ carry straw to Egypt ” )