Fun translation challenge for our editors

[Sunadmire]

I would like to pose a fun translation problem to our editors. Translations of simple sentences can get tricky if there is no suitable word in the target language. One such Afrikaans (my first language) sentence is:
'Die baba het onderdeur die tafel gekruip'. The individual words' direct translations are:
Die: The
baba: baby
het: has
onderdeur: under-through (the untranslatable word/concept)
tafel: table
gekruip: crawled. The prefix 'ge' denotes past tense. And 'kruip' translates to crawl.
The fully correct meaning is:
1. The baby was initially not under the table and crawled to be under the table.
2. The baby, still under the table crawled to the other side of the table.
3. The baby continued to crawl from under the table out and is no longer under the table.

The easy, but incorrect, translations are:
1. The baby crawled under the table.
The problem is that it does not portray the movement of the baby from one side to the other.
2. The baby crawled through the table.
Can a baby crawl 'through' a table?

Is there an elegant and/or concise translation that portrays all the action?

Am I missing something? (Due to English being my second language with associated challenges...)

 

[Handley_Page]

I suspect that you may have a bit more of a problem than you think.
It depend upon the level of English you seek. Don't forget that the English, as spoken by most folk, is not the same as may be heard on the BBC radio (it's called RP).

Personally, I think that the baby crawled between the legs of the table.

 

[Sunadmire]

Not quite - I think.

Your translation does not convey the message that the baby was initially outside, then under the table and then again outside. The baby were merely crawling between the legs of the table.

 

[AlphaLyon]

This was super fun to think about, so thank you for sharing!
First, the easy one:

Can a baby crawl 'through' a table?

Technically yes, although most people would probably say "crawled between the legs of the table", or "crawled under the table".

1. The baby was initially not under the table and crawled to be under the table.
2. The baby, still under the table crawled to the other side of the table.
3. The baby continued to crawl from under the table out and is no longer under the table.

The easy, but incorrect, translations are:
1. The baby crawled under the table.
The problem is that it does not portray the movement of the baby from one side to the other.
2. The baby crawled through the table.

I think the simplest way would be through descriptive motions that are linked to the consistent/pervasive verb (to crawl) and not through a particular verb tense:
"The baby crawled along the floor, under the table, and to the other side of the room."

This was fun to think about and I'm curious what others come up with.

 

[gordo12]

The easy, but incorrect, translations are:
1. The baby crawled under the table.
The problem is that it does not portray the movement of the baby from one side to the other.


Is there an elegant and/or concise translation that portrays all the action?

Am I missing something? (Due to English being my second language with associated challenges...)

The word UNDER is your misunderstanding of English. It can convey that the baby crawled under and stayed there. It can also mean the baby crawled from one side to the other. It's open to interpretation and would (can) be clarified by surrounding action.

For instance: The baby crawled under the table and stood up on the other side. Etc.
The baby crawled under the table and went to sleep.

Same word, two different outcomes.

 

[KeithD]

Don't forget that the English, as spoken by most folk, is not the same as may be heard on the BBC radio (it's called RP).

Don't you know it. I was watching a segment of "The Crown" last night (I got to watching this series late) and I only understood every third word. And I've lived extensively in British-expatriate-speaking areas of the world.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

The baby crawled through the tunnel formed by the table and its legs.

From the perspective of adult height, the baby went under the table. From the baby's perspective, the table is above, and traversing beneath its top and between its legs is more akin to going thorough a tunnel than to going under the table. I've never heard an adult refer to driving through a tunnel as :going under a mountain from one side to the other."

 

[Kumquatqueen]

So it could mean any of the 3 translations you give?

The baby crawled out from under the table is more succinct than your third.
Otherwise just 'crawled under(neath) the table' should suffice - how much do we really care about where the baby is?

 

[WinsomeWeb]

I think you've made this more complex than it really is. Like others have shown, you just need to describe a sequence of events instead of using a single noun to describe what kind of action it is (as you have in Afrikaans). Really, if you just clean up your second sentence that you use to describe the full meaning, you've translated it properly yourself.

"The baby crawled under the table to the other side."

The starting point of the baby is implied not to be the under the table, then it crawls under the table, then it emerges on the other side. You don't need to specifically state that the baby has emerged because the context says that 'under the table' and 'the other side' are different places (by way of 'to'). You could argue that:

"The baby crawled under the table and out the other side."

makes it cleaner, but I, personally, think the trade-off of clarity for speed is negligible in this specific case, and if I'd first written the former I wouldn't bother revising it to the latter. If you need more specificity about where it's crawled to, you can also always say something like:

"The baby crawled under the table and into the kitchen."

Or replace "kitchen" with any other point in space that the baby has crawled to.

Basically all that's wrong here is you've taken a noun that is a combination of things and only broken it down into one of its component parts. You've described the "under" part, so all you need to do is also describe the "through" part and you'll be all set.

 

[PBAnnie]

Consider:

The baby passed under the table on all fours.
Crawling, the baby passed under the table.
The baby crawled under the table and out from the other side.
​

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Hmmm... as a native English speaker (American) I would have never thought the baby stopped when under the table unless something interesting was happening under said table. I would have expected the baby(he/she) to keep going on the babies quest for things he/she shouldn't get into.

The baby crawled under the table to get to the other side.

This would be that age old answer to the question: Why did the chicken cross the road?