Lost In Translation

[R. Richard]

If you want to be a technical translator for the US government you have to be a native born speaker of the language and be educated in that language at least through the equivalent of high school. You also have to have a college degree in the specialty area where you are translating. Finally, you also have to be proficient in the English language. Here's why. Comment?

Jerusalem? Never heard of it.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Something always gets lost in translation, but usually not an entire city.

"Jerusalem. There is no such city!" the Jerusalem municipality said in the English-language version of a sightseeing brochure it had published originally in Hebrew.

The correct translation: "Jerusalem. There is no city like it!"

Carrying a photograph of the brochure, Israel's Maariv newspaper said Wednesday tens of thousands of flyers had been distributed before city hall realized its mistake.

 

[Honey123]

If you want to be a technical translator for the US government you have to be a native born speaker of the language and be educated in that language at least through the equivalent of high school. You also have to have a college degree in the specialty area where you are translating. Finally, you also have to be proficient in the English language. Here's why. Comment?

Jerusalem? Never heard of it.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Something always gets lost in translation, but usually not an entire city.

"Jerusalem. There is no such city!" the Jerusalem municipality said in the English-language version of a sightseeing brochure it had published originally in Hebrew.

The correct translation: "Jerusalem. There is no city like it!"

Carrying a photograph of the brochure, Israel's Maariv newspaper said Wednesday tens of thousands of flyers had been distributed before city hall realized its mistake.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Yep...take a look at the web site www.engrish.com they have dozens of examples.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Bless you, Brother Richard. You too, Brother Carter. And a special blessing on Sister Honey for her AV. Y'all done did me some good.

The Right Rev Rumple Foreskin http://bestsmileys.com/religous/1.gif

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Literotica's first version translation of the brand Portuguese section translates the tagline for Transsexuals & Crossdressers, "Erotic tales of gender bending fun", as something like "Erotic reports of diversion of inclined type"

 

[cantdog]

I love that, Lauren! Laughed out loud.

You cannot trust it to machines. On the other hand, god help us all if we learn to read minds and so actually know what one another mean to say.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I love that, Lauren! Laughed out loud.

You cannot trust it to machines. On the other hand, god help us all if we learn to read minds and so actually know what one another mean to say.

How would that help wouldn't you be thinking in your native tongue? I certainly think in English, so how would reading my mind help a Russian who speaks no English? You may be able to pick up impressions or the persons emotions, but would you really know what they are thinking?

 

[Munachi]

i think i mentioned it before, some mistakes that really amused me were on the arrival card i had to fill out at the chilean border. between other things, when they asked for my sex, they gave me the options "mely" and "femely", also they asked where i planned to stay, maybe in a "ghoust house"... you'd think it might be worth the money to pay a native speaker to look over half a page, if it is an official government document...

from what i know, the best idea usually is to be a native speaker of the languague you translate into, rather than of the language you are translating from (though i guess if you are a native speaker of both it might be ideal, especially if you are quite at ease with both cultural contexts etc.)

 

[SeaCat]

Hmmmmmmm,

And what are the attributes needed to be a translator for the government, to translate from Beaurocratese to English?

Cat

 

[McKenna]

Hmmmmmmm,

And what are the attributes needed to be a translator for the government, to translate from Beaurocratese to English?

Cat

You need a B. S. -- A degree in Bull Shit.

 

[SeaCat]

You need a B. S. -- A degree in Bull Shit.

Sounds about right.

Cat

 

[Guest]

 

[oggbashan]

Hmmmmmmm,

And what are the attributes needed to be a translator for the government, to translate from Beaurocratese to English?

Cat

I spent five years of my life translating from officialese to understandable English and since I retired I translate English into officialese to get money for various projects for voluntary bodies.

The buzzwords required vary depending on the funding body. European Community funds are the worst. It helps to have other countries involved in the bid and at least some of the paperwork in another European language. So far I've only managed a bid in English with French and German contributions from our Twin Towns. For the next bid, Hungarian or Czech would be good.

Translation from officialese requires a good knowledge of English. Writing officialese doesn't - knowledge of English grammar and construction is a distinct disadvantage.

Og

 

[Honey123]

Bless you, Brother Richard. You too, Brother Carter. And a special blessing on Sister Honey for her AV. Y'all done did me some good.

The Right Rev Rumple Foreskin http://bestsmileys.com/religous/1.gif

Bless you RRRF...

(Sounds like a little bark there, doesn't it??)

 

[R. Richard]

Hmmmmmmm,

And what are the attributes needed to be a translator for the government, to translate from Beaurocratese to English?

Cat

Actually, the task you speciify is impossible. What you are assuming is that the "Beaurocratese" contains thinking that can be translated into some reconizable form. Your beginning assumption is in error.

 

[R. Richard]

THREADJACK

By the way, Og, I take your signature line, "Revenons à nos moutons," to mean "Revenge upon your sheep."

1) Why do you want revenge upon my sheep?
2) I don't have any sheep.
3) I do have a few wool garments and wonder if your desire for sheep revenge extends to wool garments.
4) If I were to acquire sheep, is there a specific kind you would not consider for revenge?

EIA!
UN-THREADJACK

 

[McKenna]

THREADJACK

By the way, Og, I take your signature line, "Revenons à nos moutons," to mean "Revenge upon your sheep."

1) Why do you want revenge upon my sheep?
2) I don't have any sheep.
3) I do have a few wool garments and wonder if your desire for sheep revenge extends to wool garments.
4) If I were to acquire sheep, is there a specific kind you would not consider for revenge?

EIA!
UN-THREADJACK

I didn't know it was possible to threadjack your own thread.

Tell me, do you also carjack yourself while driving? (No, I'm not talking about masturbation here.)

 

[oggbashan]

THREADJACK

By the way, Og, I take your signature line, "Revenons à nos moutons," to mean "Revenge upon your sheep."

And yours: 'Is there sex after death?' ignores necrophilia, a common fetish with politicians, banned under Lit's rules.

Og (thousands of years dead so answering your question in the positive)

 

[R. Richard]

I didn't know it was possible to threadjack your own thread.

The only limits are those we set for ourselves.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

THREADJACK

By the way, Og, I take your signature line, "Revenons à nos moutons," to mean "Revenge upon your sheep."

1) Why do you want revenge upon my sheep?
2) I don't have any sheep.
3) I do have a few wool garments and wonder if your desire for sheep revenge extends to wool garments.
4) If I were to acquire sheep, is there a specific kind you would not consider for revenge?

EIA!
UN-THREADJACK

Goggle translates that to: "Let us return to our sheep."

So I guess what Og is trying to say is you better watch over your own flock before you go looking to watch over someone elses. Or perhaps I assume too much.

 

[oggbashan]

Goggle translates that to: "Let us return to our sheep."

So I guess what Og is trying to say is you better watch over your own flock before you go looking to watch over someone elses. Or perhaps I assume too much.

It actually means 'let us return to our sheep' a quotation from Maistre Pierre Pathelon or let us get back to the subject i.e. DON'T THREADJACK

Og

 

[Zeb_Carter]

It actually means 'let us return to our sheep' a quotation from Maistre Pierre Pathelon or let us get back to the subject i.e. DON'T THREADJACK

Og

I was close.

 

[arienette]

Yep...take a look at the web site www.engrish.com they have dozens of examples.

LOVELOVELOVE
Whenever I'm sad I go to that site. I am no longer sad.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

LOVELOVELOVE
Whenever I'm sad I go to that site. I am no longer sad.

Glad I coult help.