| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] > | Funny & Useful Tricks in translations. Thread poster: SarK0Y
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| Time and again; tea for two | Jan 20, 2009 |
SarK0Y wrote:
firstly, Dears, i'm not translator; i learn another langs only my pleasure, but haven't enough time for it:(
now, about current sentence: Russian has four tenses, and it is one of moments which needs more long sentences. this may be translated ('Я знал этого человека - теперь нет(не знаю).') so: 'I did know this person in past. I don't know his, now '. i use, in current case, 'present perfect' to take less length.
Dear SarK0Y
Fantastico!
Once (upon a time) I used to know him well, but over time, y'know, people grow apart... I'm busy today, going into town; I'm going to do some shopping. But tomorrow perhaps I'll go and see him or drop him a line or, maybe, text someone, find out where he is, what he's been doing, how he's getting on now.
Actually, I knew an old lady who lived in a shoe, she had so many children she didn't know what to do. A sad case, but in such trying circumstances, such an odd situation, what would you do? In any case think about it, particularly at this time, or any time in fact.
Then there's Dilmah tea. Do try it.
Best wishes.
Lesley
| | | | Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 19:55
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Seven cases, I'm the best | Jan 21, 2009 |
Olaf wrote: SarK0Y wrote:
Russian has four tenses, and it is one of moments which needs more long sentences.
No offense, but if you don't know that Russian has 6 cases and 3 tenses, you may want to consider other jobs. Olaf
Serbian has seven cases. Now, my language has more cases than your language.
Someone beat that ! hey, hey, seven cases.
< giggles >
| | | | Olaf (X)
Local time: 19:55
English to German
Lingua 5B wrote:
Serbian has seven cases. Now, my language has more cases than your language.
Someone beat that ! hey, hey, seven cases.
That's easy. AFAIK, Finnish has 15 noun cases.
Olaf
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Lingua 5B wrote: Olaf wrote: SarK0Y wrote:
Russian has four tenses, and it is one of moments which needs more long sentences.
No offense, but if you don't know that Russian has 6 cases and 3 tenses, you may want to consider other jobs. Olaf Serbian has seven cases. Now, my language has more cases than your language. Someone beat that ! hey, hey, seven cases. < giggles >
Hi Lingua, Olaf
ban the bomb, stop the rot....
can compose, decompose, discompose and compost
eh? confrere, try my compote.
anyone read the "Decline and Fall'?
ah, but how well do you conjugate...
每况愈下 over the hills and far away
and who is it likes 'Ozymandias'?
God rest ye merry gentlemen
life is but a dream
Lesley
[Edited at 2009-01-21 03:57 GMT]
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Rod Walters
Japan
Local time: 02:55
Japanese to English
| Polite Japanese | Jan 21, 2009 |
Here's a funny and useful trick in translating email letters ostensibly from the presidents of Japanese companies.
You strip out the reams and reams of polite greetings, seasonal references, wishes for the ongoing prosperity and health of the recipient, expressions of gratitude for past patronage, and hopes for future support.
You then distil the message down so that it looks something like this.
Hi
Would you kindly complete and return the attached questionnaire by Sept 12?
Thank you.
Then you count all the politeness that you've stripped out, and charge for it.
Funny, and useful, no?
Hopefully the client doesn't then pester you with their bewilderment...
| | | | Taija Hyvönen
Finland
Local time: 20:55
Member (2008)
English to Finnish
+ ...
| Oh yes we do | Jan 21, 2009 |
Olaf wrote:
That's easy. AFAIK, Finnish has 15 noun cases.
Olaf
But other Finno-Ugric languages have more. Hungarian beats us hands down in the case fight
| | | | SarK0Y
Russian to English
TOPIC STARTER | 2 Rod Walters | Jan 21, 2009 |
in one book, i've read good(even, probably, great) idea: 'NoOne needs your love, anyone needs your comprehension'. translator without comprehension of culture is No translator. flash example is Aztec's history: only thanks to young translator Aztec's Civilization was destroyed. if translator does own work without culture properties - kick him out!!!
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 19:55
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Although my Russian is severely oxidised | Jan 21, 2009 |
... my translation would be: "I knew this person - now I don't."
It feels better to say:"I USED TO know this person, but now I don't" ... but that is perhaps already taking liberties with the original.
Maybe the point is that this was a machine translation? I've got a few of those worth sharing...
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| Nice one! Bingo! I got it! ... | Jan 21, 2009 |
SarK0Y wrote:
3 tenses in Russian is an official opinion, four tense is analog, hmmm..., should/could in English. four tense in Russian has Cinderella place:)) for e.g., proverb: 'Если бы, да кабы - во рту выросли грибы'. hmmm.... my translation to it is very bad, but i can't take better, now: 'if it could be so & so - mushrooms've grown up in mouth. '
---------------------------------------------------------
2 All
btw, for advantage of own examples, let's to use next format:
1. original sentence.
2. nearest translation.
3. trick.
[Edited at 2009-01-21 02:37 GMT]
Hi SarK0Y
If that's the case, I'll eat my hat!
It's mine, all mine. Buried treasure.
Now you see him, now you don't
They seek him here, they seek him there
Knock, knock, who's there...
歇后语 limerick
Lesley
[Edited at 2009-01-21 23:28 GMT]
| | | | SarK0Y
Russian to English
TOPIC STARTER
English has more perfect form to express time, than Russian.
if take descriptions about tenses - the best way is using 'Present Perfect': occurrence was, is completed & has undefined time. lang features must be used;-)
| | | | SarK0Y
Russian to English
TOPIC STARTER
my respect to you: Chinese script is very hard. i take fear, when see Japan/Chinese web pages:)))
how much time did you learn their written?
| | | | | Prose: fractious, capricious, precocious, ... | Jan 22, 2009 |
SarK0Y wrote:
my respect to you: Chinese script is very hard. i take fear, when see Japan/Chinese web pages:)))
how much time did you learn their written?
Melody ...(Hellaby? Halliday?)
Whoah. What IS this.
Get outta here!
SarKOY
How are you. Greetings and warmest wishes from a far-off land!
And thank you for your kind enquiry.
script? my kind? not so difficult - it's neat and well-organised, characters all in a square (and quite often parallel, especially in verse), mostly left-to-right and horizontal (but not always). only 4 tones, plus a neutral one; many 形声字 medicinal compounds, contrary to common belief. and there's hanyu pinyin...
And how is Cyrillic? Is it (he) phonetic?
Fear not nor be dismayed, no lion shall you fright
though the Hong Kong variety is altogether a (somewhat) different matter,
密密麻麻，artistic, historic, and in some respects, unique.
hang on a minute, just a thought,
do you use a pen or a brush or a writing-stick, or something else?
a swizzle-stick, a rhythm-stick, a stylus?
wow, who would have thought it...
trade secret.
just take your time
step by step, follow the yellow brick road
it won't happen overnight but it will happen
not that long, actually
you just need to find the key
and figure out how to use it
and then you're away...
in my beautiful machine
high as a kite
Sincere regards and a Happy Christmas to you and all the animals.
Lesley 莱斯莉
PS Did you say you stir your tea with a 'cane'?... Here they have a sort of icelolly-stick thingy. As for the animals, it was you that had them, wasn't it? Perhaps it was one of the rellies... We have quite a lot of animals here: sheep, and dairy cows. Wild pigs and deer, and possums. And dolphins. Old MacDonald had a farm. 祝生意好！Can I ask - What did you have for dinner. I went to Maccas. I have a Russian friend called X. I met him at the factory. I sometimes see him at the mall. He's very nice (pleasant/cordial), and sometimes quite funny (humorous/peculiar).
'comprehension', or 'apprehension'? sorry couldn't quite follow... apparently Chinese culture is quite popular in Russia. Paupera lingua latina...in Riga. Do you like 相声？ If it's not too much trouble, would you mind telling us where you're from exactly, whereabouts in the Federation? Cheers!
'Bye for now.
aliGatoo! ohayo-goZaimasu!
sumimaSenga! hajimeMashite! hajimeMashite!
Cheon maneyoo 천만에요
expialadocious!
Super! really.
I kid you not.
不瞒你说。
L
莱安
[Edited at 2009-01-22 23:02 GMT]
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| allusions and serendipitous finds | Jan 23, 2009 |
SarK0Y
I like this thread very much. Here are some hints. I hope you can find some of the songs on UTube.
Lesley
Gibbon Shelley Baroness Orczy "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat" "Old MacDonald had a farm" "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly" "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe" "God rest ye merry Gentlemen"(carol) Dilmah TV commercial "Ban the Dam (cried the fantail) "Mine, mine, mine! (Disney "Pocahontas")
[Edited at 2009-01-23 06:22 GMT... See more SarK0Y
I like this thread very much. Here are some hints. I hope you can find some of the songs on UTube.
Lesley
Gibbon Shelley Baroness Orczy "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat" "Old MacDonald had a farm" "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly" "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe" "God rest ye merry Gentlemen"(carol) Dilmah TV commercial "Ban the Dam (cried the fantail) "Mine, mine, mine! (Disney "Pocahontas")
[Edited at 2009-01-23 06:22 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | SarK0Y
Russian to English
TOPIC STARTER
i live in small, nice town of the Rostov region (Volgodonsk); have a dream to move in Siberia: Great, Power Land. what Chinese dialect do you know & what written do you use (simplified or traditional)?
| | | | | Great Scott! Thunderbolts and Lightning. | Jan 23, 2009 |
SarK0Y wrote:
i live in small, nice town of the Rostov region (Volgodonsk); have a dream to move in Siberia: Great, Power Land. what Chinese dialect do you know & what written do you use (simplified or traditional)?
Hello SarKOY
That's very, very good. And impressive. Can I ask - what would you do there? It's up to you, you can say, or not, ...
Actually, I once met lady from Rostov-on-Don. She was teacher, we trained together ... And I taught young lad from Siberia: Irkutsk. This was Auckland. I remember he loved history. We've had quite lot new immigrants in recent years... we have very good young singer who came from Russia as child; her name Yulia.
I come from land-downunder. Great-Southern-Land. Gondwanaland. Zealandia...
You live near the Volga River? maybe? It's famous. I've moved about quite bit in our country, south to north, and back again. Christchurch is home town. There is man I know here who went Siberia, hunting, with group. They took photos.
My dialect? I speak putonghua the common speech from North China, and hanzi 汉字 I use are simplified ones. The Yangtze River (长江 Long River) divides (the) North China and (the) South China. Do you have river like that? In fact it changes name, several times. At first called Jinsha (金沙 Golden Sands)... Are you interested? Am I garrulous? Do you mind I leave out many articles and empty words? maybe easier for you. you are not offended I hope. maybe next time I put them back. what you prefer? Which one you like?
Thank you very much!
Thank you for asking.
Lesley
PS Maybe you can see Yulia's Wedding ... let me know if you find it.
Did you know 春节 Spring Festival is coming?
and Yuanxiaojie 元宵节 14 days later, like Valentine's Day ...
that's the lunar calendar 农历 you know, how about Russia?
BTW do you mind if I ask, have you been abroad?
I mean(s) to another country/any other countries?
莱安 Lai'an
[Edited at 2009-01-23 22:07 GMT]
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