New Project March 13, 2009
Posted by Fantastic Four in Translation Projects.Tags: Istanbul 2 Istanbul, travel journal
1 comment so far
I am going to be translating the travel journal of a lovely lovely Turkish adventurer who traveled overland to Africa and back couple of years ago. It was called TurAfrika (Tour Africa) and it lasted about 6 months.
This next one is called Istanbul 2 Istanbul. This one also begins and finishes in Istabul. It has a website of its own. It is under construction at the moment. I will add the link when it’s up and running.
Exciting!
“Happy New Year” In Many Languages December 27, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Language, Mini Glossary, Phrases.Tags: Happy New Year
6 comments
→2009
Hugs and kisses with best wishes for the 2009!
Here’s a little list of the phrase “Happy New Year” in a few languages. This list from Freelang is the best I have found on the net, I changed or checked the languages I speak or know how to say “happy new year” in. Please feel free to include corrections in your comments.
I have put it in a table in Word but when I copy paste it I can’t seem to add the whole table, the lines disappear and only text show. And since I can’t tab, the columns aren’t lined up properly. Any suggestions welcome to fix this and actually put into a table.
AFRIKAANS gelukkige nuwejaar
ALBANIAN gëzuar vitin e ri
ALSATIAN e glëckliches nëies / güets nëies johr
ARABIC عام سعيد (aam saiid) / sana saiida
ARMENIAN shnorhavor nor tari
AZERI yeni iliniz mubarek
BAMBARA bonne année
BASQUE urte berri on
BELARUSIAN З новым годам (Z novym hodam)
BENGALI subho nababarsho
BERBER asgwas amegas
BETI mbembe mbu
BOBO bonne année
BOSNIAN sretna nova godina
BRETON bloavezh mat / bloavez mad
BULGARIAN честита нова година (chestita nova godina)
BURMESE hnit thit ku mingalar pa
CANTONESE sun lin fi lok / kung hé fat tsoi
CATALAN bon any nou
CHINESE xin nian kuai le / xin nian hao
CORSICAN pace e salute
CROATIAN sretna nova godina
CZECH šťastný nový rok
DANISH godt nytår
DARI sale naw tabrik
DUTCH gelukkig Nieuwjaar
ENGLISH happy new year
ESPERANTO felicxan novan jaron
feliæan novan jaron (Times SudEuro font)
ESTONIAN head uut aastat
FAROESE gott nýggjár
FINNISH onnellista uutta vuotta
FLEMISH gelukkig Nieuwjaar
FRENCH bonne année
FRISIAN lokkich neijier
FRIULAN bon an
GALICIAN feliz aninovo
GEORGIAN gilocavt akhal tsels
GERMAN ein gutes neues Jahr / prost Neujahr
GREEK kali chronia / kali xronia eutichismenos o kainourgios chronos (we wish you a happy new year)
GUJARATI sal mubarak / nootan varshabhinandan
GUARANÍ rogüerohory año nuévo-re
HAITIAN CREOLE bònn ané
HAWAIIAN hauoli makahiki hou
HEBREW שנה טובה (shana tova)
HINDI nav varsh ki subhkamna
HMONG nyob zoo xyoo tshiab
HUNGARIAN boldog új évet
ICELANDIC farsælt komandi ár
INDONESIAN selamat tahun baru
IRISH GAELIC ath bhliain faoi mhaise
ITALIAN felice anno nuovo / buon anno
JAVANESE sugeng warsa enggal
JAPANESE akemashite omedetô
KABYLIAN asseguèsse-ameguèsse
KANNADA hosa varshada shubhaashayagalu
KAZAKH zhana zhiliniz kutti bolsin
KHMER sur sdei chhnam thmei
KINYARWANDA umwaka mwiza
KIRUNDI umwaka mwiza
KOREAN 새해 복 많이 받으세요 sae hae bok mani badeu seyo
KURDE sala we ya nû pîroz be
LAO sabai di pi mai
LATIN felix sit annus novus
LATVIAN laimīgu Jauno gadu
LIGURIAN feliçe annu nœvu / feliçe anno nêuvo
LINGALA bonana / mbula ya sika elamu na tonbeli yo
LITHUANIAN laimingų Naujųjų Metų
LOW SAXON gelükkig nyjaar
LUXEMBOURGEOIS e gudd neit Joër
MACEDONIAN Среќна Нова Година (srekna nova godina)
MALAGASY arahaba tratry ny taona
MALAY selamat tahun baru
MALAYALAM nava varsha ashamshagal
MALTESE is-sena t-tajba
MAORI kia hari te tau hou
MARATHI navin varshaachya hardik shubbheccha
MONGOLIAN shine jiliin bayariin mend hurgeye (Шинэ жилийн баярын мэнд хvргэе)
MORÉ wênd na kô-d yuum-songo
NDEBELE umyaka omucha omuhle
NORWEGIAN godt nyttår
OCCITAN bon annada
PASHTO nawe kaalmo mobarak sha
PERSIAN سال نو مبارک (sâle no mobârak)
POLISH szczęśliwego nowego roku
PORTUGUESE feliz ano novo
ROMANCHE bun di bun onn
ROMANI baxtalo nevo bersh
ROMANIAN un an nou fericit / la mulţi ani
RUSSIAN С Новым Годом (S novim godom)
SAMOAN ia manuia le tausaga fou
SANGO nzoni fini ngou
SARDINIAN bonu annu nou
SCOTTISH GAELIC bliadhna mhath ur
SERBIAN srećna nova godina / Срећна нова година
SHIMAORE mwaha mwema
SHONA goredzwa rakanaka
SINDHI nain saal joon wadhayoon
SINHALA suba aluth avuruddak vewa
SLOVAK stastlivy novy rok
SLOVENIAN srečno novo leto
SOBOTA dobir leto
SOMALI sanad wanagsan
SPANISH feliz año nuevo
SRANAN wan bun nyun yari
SWAHILI mwaka mzuri / heri ya mwaka mpya
SWEDISH gott nytt år
SWISS-GERMAN es guets Nöis
TAGALOG manigong bagong taon
TAHITIAN ia orana i te matahiti api
TAMIL iniya puthandu nalVazhthukkal
TATAR yaña yıl belän
TELUGU nuthana samvathsara subhakankshalu
THAI สวัสดีปีใหม่ (sawatdii pimaï)
TIBETAN tashi delek / losar tashi delek
TURKISH yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun / mutlu yillar
UDMURT Vyľ Aren
UKRAINIAN Z novym rokom
URDU naya saal mubarik
UZBEK yangi yilingiz qutlug’ bo’lsin
VIETNAMESE Chúc Mừng Nǎm Mới / Cung Chúc Tân Niên / Cung Chúc Tân Xuân
WALOON (“betchfessîs” spelling) bone annéye / bone annéye èt bone santéye
WELSH blwyddyn newydd dda
WEST INDIAN CREOLE bon lanné
WOLOF dewenati
YIDDISH a gut yohr
“Merry Christmas” In Many Languages December 15, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Cultural Diversity, Language, Mini Glossary, Phrases.Tags: Merry Christmas
11 comments
For those of you who celebrate Christmas, here is an alphabetical list of countries and how they say “Merry Christmas” in those countries. I will modify and correct and add to this list as I see fit in the next few weeks. There are so many of these lists on the net, I am hundred percent sure there are many mistakes. Any corrections and alternative suggestions are welcome.
A
Afghanistan: – De Christmas akhtar de bakhtawar au newai kal de mubarak sha
Albania: – Gézuar Krishlindjet
Algeria: – Mboni Chrismen
American: – Samoa – La Maunia Le Kilisimasi
Andorra: – Bon Nadal
Angola: – Boas Festas
Antarctica: – Merry Christmas, Felices Pasquas, Hristos Razdajetsja
Antigua and Barbuda: – Merry Christmas
Argentina: – Feliz Navidad!
Armenia: – Shnorhavor Sourp Dzunount
Aruba: – Bon Pasco, Bon Anja
Australia: – Happy Christmas
Austria: – Frohe Weihnachten
Azerbaijan: – Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
B
Bahamas: – Happy Christmas
Bahrain: – Mboni Chrismen
Bangladesh: – Shuvo Baro Din
Barbados: – Merry Christmas
Belarus: – Winshuyu sa Svyatkami
Belgium: – Zalig Kerstfeest
Belize: – Merry Christmas
Benin: – Joyeux Noel
Bermuda: – Merry Christmas
Bhutan: – krist Yesu Ko Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva
Bolivia: – Feliz Navidad
Bosnia and Herzegowina: – Sretam Bozic, Hristos se rodi
Botswana: – Merry Christmas
Brazil: – Feliz Natal
British Indian Ocean Territory: – Happy Christmas
Brunei Darussalam: – Selamat Hari Natal
Bulgaria: – Vessela Koleda
Burkina Faso: – Joyeux Noel
Burundi: – Noeli Nziza, Joyeux Noel
C
Cameroon: – Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel
Canada: – Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Merry Christmas, Selamat Hari Natal
Cape Verde: – Boas Festas
Cayman Islands: – Merry Christmas
Central African Republic: – Joyeux Noel
Chad: – Joyeux Noel, Mboni Chrismen
Chile: – Feliz Navidad China Sheng Tan Kuai Loh
Christmas Island: – Merry Christmas
Colombia: – Feliz Navidad para todos
Comoros: – Joyeux Noel, Mboni Chrismen
Congo: – Joyeux Noel
Cook Islands: – Merry Christmas, Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritime
Costa Rica: – Feliz Navidad
Cote D’ivoire: – Joyeux Noel
Croatia: – Sretan Bozic
Cuba: – Feliz Navidad
Cyprus: – Eftihismena Christougenna, Noeliniz kutlu olsun ve yeni yili
Czech Republic: – Vesele Vanoce
D
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: – Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Denmark: – Glaedelig Jul
Djibouti: – Joyeux Noel, Mboni Chrismen
Dominica: – Merry Christmas
Dominican Republic: – Feliz Navidad
E
Ecuador: – Feliz Navidad
Egypt: – Mboni Chrismen
El Salvador: – Feliz Navidad
Equatorial Guinea: – Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad
Eritrea: – Melkam Yelidet Beaal, Poket Kristmet
Estonia: – Haid Joule, Rôômsaid Jôule
Ethiopia: – Melkam Yelidet Beaal, Poket Kristmet, Merry Christmas
F
Falkland Islands (Malvinas): – Merry Christmas
Faroe Islands: – Gledhilig jol
Federated States of Mirconesia: – Merry Christmas
Fiji: – Merry Christmas
Finland: – Hauskaa Joulua
France: – Joyeux Noel
French Guiana: – Joyeux Noel
French Polynesia: – Joyeux Noel, La ora i te Noera
French Southern Territories: – Joyeux Noel
G
Gabon: – Joyeux Noel
Gambia: – Merry Christmas
Georgia: – Gilotsavt Krist’es Shobas
Germany: – Frohliche Weihnachten
Ghana: – Afishapa
Gibraltar: – Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad
Greece: – Eftihismena Christougenna
Greenland: – Glædelig Jul, Juullimi Ukiortaassamilu Pilluarit
Grenada: – Merry Christmas
Guadeloupe: – Joyeux Noel
Guam: – Merry Christmas, Felis Pasgua
Guatemala: – Feliz Navidad
Guinea: – Joyeux Noel
Guinea-bissau: – Boas Festas
Guyana: – Merry Christmas
H
Haiti: – Jwaye Nwel
Honduras: – Feliz Navidad
Hong Kong: – Sing dan fiy loc, Merry Christmas
Hungary: – Boldog Karácsonyt
I
Iceland: – Gleðileg Jól
India: – Shub Naya Baras
Indonesi: – a Salamet Hari Natal
Iraq: – Idah Saidan Wasanah Jadidah
Ireland: – Nollaig shona duit (thank you Mr Sneeze)
Israel: – Mo’adim Lesimkha
Italy: – Buon Natale
J
Jamaica: – Merry Christmas
Japan: – Merii Kurisumasu
Jordan: – Mboni Chrismen, Merry Christmas
K
Kazakhstan: – Hristos Razdajetsja, Rozdjestvom Hristovim
Kenya: – Merry Christmas
Kiribati: – Merry Christmas
Kuwait: – Mboni Chrismen, Merry Christmas
Kyrgyzstan: – Hristos Razdajetsja
L
Latvia: – Priecigus ziemassvetkus!
Lebanon: – Milad Majeed
Lesotho: – Happy Christmas
Liberia: – Happy Christmas
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya: – Mboni Chrismen, Buon Natale, Happy Christmas
Liechtenstein: – Frohliche Weihnachten
Lithuania: – Laimingu Kaledu
Luxembourg: – Schéi Krëschtdeeg
M
Macau: – Boas Festas, Sing dan fiy loc
Madagascar: – Joyeux Noel, Arahaba tratry ny Krismasy
Malawi: – Merry Christmas, Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha X’mas
Malaysia: – Selamat Hari Krimas
Mali: – Joyeux Noel
Malta: Il-Milied it-Tajjeb
Malta: Il-Festi t-Tajba
Marshall islands: – Monono ilo raaneoan Nejin
Martinique: – Joyeux Noel
Mauritius: – Merry Christmas
Mayotte: – Krismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpya, Joyeux Noel
Mexico: – Feliz Navidad
Monaco: – Joyeux Noel
Montserrat: – Merry Christmas
Morocco: – Mboni Chrismen
Mozambique: – Boas Festas
N
Namibia: – Geseende Kersfees
Nepal: – krist Yesu Ko Shuva Janma Utsav Ko Upalaxhma Hardik Shuva
Netherlands: – Prettige Kerstdagen
Netherlands Antilles: – Bon Pasco, Bon Anja
New Caledonia: – Joyeux Noel
New zealand: – Happy Christmas
Nicaragua: – Feliz Navidad
Niger: – Joyeux Noel
Nigeria: – Merry Christmas
Norfolk Island: – Merry Christmas
Northern Mariana Islands: – Filis Pasgua, Merry Christmas
Norway: – Gledelig Jul OR God Jul
O
Oman: – Mboni Chrismen
P
Pakistan: – Bara Din Mubarrak Ho
Palau: – Merry Christmas
Panama: – Feliz Navidad
Papua New Guinea: – Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas
Paraguay: – Feliz Navidad
Peru: – Feliz Navidad
Philippines: – Maligayang Pasko
Pitcairn: – Merry Christmas
Poland: – Boze Narodzenie
Portugal: – Boas Festas
Puerto Rico: – Feliz Navidad, Felices Pascuas, Felicidades
Q
Qatar: – Mboni Chrismen
R
Republic of Korea: – Sungtan Chukha
Republic of Moldova: – Craciun fericit si un An Nou fericit!
Reunion: – Joyeux Noel
Romania: – Sarbatori vesele
Russian Federation: – С Рождеством! S’razhdistvam! OR Счастливого Рождества! Sh’aslivava Razhdistva!
Rwanda: – Noheli Nziza
S
Saint Kitts and Nevis:- Happy Christmas
Saint Lucia: – Happy Christmas
Saint Vincent and The Grenadines: – Happy Christmas
Samoa: – Manuia Le Kirisimasi
San Marino: – Buon Natale
Sao Tome and Principe: – Boas Festas
Saudi Arabia: – Mboni Chrismen
Senegal: – Joyeux Noel
Seychelles: – Happy Christmas, Joyeux Noel
Sierra Leone: – Happy Christmas
Singapore: – Sheng Tan Kuai Loh, Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal, Happy Christmas
Slovakia (Slovak Republic): – Vesele Vianoce
Slovenia: – Srecen Bozic
South Africa: – Geseënde Kersfees, Happy Christmas
South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands: – Happy Christmas
Spain: – Feliz Navidad
Sri Lanka: – Subha nath thalak Vewa, Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
St. Helena: – Happy Christmas
St. Pierre and Miquelon: – Joyeux Noel
Sudan: – Wilujeng Natal
Suriname: – Zalig Kersfeest, Wang swietie Kresnetie
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands: – Hristos Razdajetsja, Gledelig Jul
Swaziland: – Happy Christmas
Sweden: – God Jul
Switzerland: – Fröhlichi Wiehnacht, Joyeux Noel
Syrian Arab Republic: – Mboni Chrismen
T
Taiwan: – Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Thailand: – Ewadee Pe-e Mai
The Democratic Republic of The Congo: – Joyeux Noel
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: – Streken Bozhik
Togo: – Joyeux Noel
Tokelau: – Merry Christmas
Tonga: – Kilisimasi Fiefia
Trinidad and Tobago: – Happy Christmas
Tunisia: – Mboni Chrismen
Turkey: – Mutlu Noeller
Turks and Caicos Islands: – Happy Christmas
U
Uganda: – Webale Krismasi
Ukraine: – Veseloho Vam Rizdva
United Arab Emirates: – I’d miilad said oua sana saida
United Kingdom: – Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas, Nadolig Llawen
United Republic of Tanzania: – Krismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpya, Happy Christmas
United States: – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings
Uruguay: – Feliz Navidad
V
Vanuatu: – Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel
Venezuela: – Feliz Navidad
Viet Nam: – Chuc mung Giang Sinh
Virgin Islands (British): – Merry Christmas
Virgin Islands (U.S.): – Merry Christmas
W
Wallis and Futuna Islands: – Joyeux Noel
Y
Yemen: – Mboni Chrismen
Yugoslavia: – Cestitamo Bozic
Z
Zambia: – Happy Christmas
Zimbabwe: – Happy Christmas
Proofreading Assignment Complete! December 2, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Proofreading.Tags: energy depleted, Hermione accent, that's it
6 comments
Must… go… sleep…
Words… words, everywhere (said in a Hermionic accent)
~~~ The End ~~~
Proofreading November 28, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Language.Tags: most hated, proofreading sucks
8 comments
I haven’t been bidding for translation jobs for almost a month now. Been too busy with my other work and study. Yesterday I have received an e-mail from one of my favourite clients, wanting me to do a proofreading job of a few thousand words.
Me, proofreading
If I haven’t already said so, I hate proofreading with a passion. It’s so much better if I just translate it myself, as no one can do it better than I do anyways. It’s just worse if I have to re-translate every second sentence as opposed to just tweaking it here and there, correcting typos and spelling errors with an occasional paraphrasing to make sure it does not sound inside out and upside down to the intended Turkish reader.
The thing is proofreading doesn’t pay half as much as translating because it is not considered real work… After all, the document is already translated right? I personally think proofreading is underrated and the quasi-translators get away with doing bugger-all when proofreaders get to do the real hard work.
I always hope for a decent translation when I am proofing, but nooooo, I should be so lucky to get a good translation and spend less time re-translating than proofreading.
/rant off.
Word of the Day #1 ~ Vote November 4, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Funnies, Mini Glossary, Phrases.Tags: vote in different languages
13 comments
vote |vōt|
noun
a formal indication of a choice between two or more candidates or courses of action, expressed typically through a ballot or a show of hands or by voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~
How would the rest of the world plead to the US in their own languages:
Turkish: Lütfen Obama’ya oy verin
Russian: Пожалуйста проголосуйте для Obama
German: Wählen Sie bitte für Obama
Irish: Vótáil Obama (Thank you Primal!)
Italian: Voti per Obama per favore (Thank you Nick!)
Spanish: Voti prego per Obama
Korean: Obama를 위해 투표하십시오
Chinese: 请投票支持Obama
French: Votez svp pour Obama
Greek: Παρακαλώ ψηφίστε για Obama
Dutch: Gelieve stemmen voor Obama (Thank you Conor)
Afrikaans: Stem asseblief vir Obama (Thank you Vanilla)
Well, there are so many other languages and people who speak those languages who’d like a certain Mr. Obama to be elected.
Please feel free to let me know how to say this in languages that aren’t included here and I will add more.
Happy Voting America!
Common Mistakes #1 ~ “THE” is “the” problem October 22, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Common Mistakes, Language, Language Study.Tags: a and the, articles, english, learning, mistakes, vocabulary
14 comments
The equivalent of the article the does not exist in many languages. Turkish being one, your average Turkish person is faced with the big problem of either over-using or completely neglecting the when speaking or writing in English. The “the” problem is nothing compared to the hassle of dealing with a variety of articles in German, but that’s my problem and I will deal with it in due time, perhaps in another post.
Proofreading becomes a painful affair, when one has to correct the same mistake in different sentences, over and over again. It’s feels exactly like it did when I was getting a tattoo on my back. I asked the tattoo artist, is it going to hurt much? He shrugged, no, not really. Then he flashed a trust-me-I-know-what-I-am-doing kind of smile and asked, have you ever been scratched by a cat? Now it was my turn to shrug, of course. Ok then, he dragged me to the chair where I had to sit backwards and hug the back of the chair, nothing to worry about. I quickly found out, however, that while he was right about the cat scratch analogy, he forgot to add that it would feel as if the cat is scratching the same spot over and over again for hours. Deleting and/or inserting thousands of the‘s and a‘s as I proofread, I go back in time and find myself sitting on that chair, hugging the back of it real tight. I want to just close my eyes and scream, scream until it is all over.
I remember, the night of completing a relatively large proofreading project, I had a nightmare. It was raining a’s and the’s and my umbrella was made of paper. A’s were snowflakes, not in the traditional star-like snow flake shape but a variety of capital and small a’s, in script or print form. They were pretty and they didn’t hurt me as they landed softly on the ground, like feathers. The‘s on the other hand were very scary, made of thick cut glass in gigantic bold type fonts. I was dodging them successfully but as they crashed onto the pavement to my left and right, I was not able to escape the little sharp shards breaking off the tails of e’s or the tops of the T’s. Blood trickling down my arms and legs, I woke up with a scream. Following the nightmare I took a break from proofreading for a while.
I personally find that, especially when I am tired, the first thing that goes is the correct use of the. Most of the time I say something and notice the mistake as soon as the words leave my mouth, even before they reach the ears of my intended audience, but a moment too late.
To put flesh on the bones of the the problem, here are a few very simple examples of common mistakes I have been talking about:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obama went to the school in Hawai from 1971 to 79.
Shouldn’t we be doing something about green house effect.
I made the mistake. (meaning, I made a mistake)
I made mistake. (meaning, I made a mistake)
She is most sexy woman in the world. (the phrase ‘in the world’ is almost always correct. Yippie!)
Turkish Social Democrat Party has won 30 seats in Parliament. (trick question: two mistakes here – can you spot them both?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don’t mind at all if it is a tourist with a little dictionary in one hand and a phrasebook (perhaps a hand-held electronic translator gadget) in the other making such mistakes. I find it rather cute and charming when I see someone who is trying to communicate with another in that another’s language in that another’s country.
Learning a new language is tough, regardless of which language it is. Unless of course you are fortunate enough to be the toddler of a very international family.
I find the best way to learn a language, is to live and breathe it; immerse oneself in it for as long as possible, i.e. visit and stay in the country of that very language.
If residential learning is not an option, then make sure to listen to a lot of songs while reading the lyrics – Russian pop songs are just as bad as Turkish pop songs. Watch movies with subtitles; make new friends (perhaps on-line even) who are fluent in the target language. Read books simultaneously in both languages. I have books in English and Russian: War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, even a copy of Harry Potter: The Philosopher’s Stone.
Theory of language can easily be put into practice by simply using some of the methods I wrote above; we are only limited by our own imagination.
For over 20 years now, the has not been a big problem of mine. My problem is with my vocabulary. It is an enormous issue, as I usually hide behind the words I am familiar with or have used for a long time, instead of letting myself rush off and adventure into the new ones I read in books or come across in other media. Some say I shouldn’t really worry about it.
I hope I won’t have another nightmare involving the assault of THE‘s, or worse, BIG WORDS tonight.
The End…
GaudiumDeLingua Going Multi-Lingual October 15, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Language, Language Study.Tags: english, german, multi-lingual, project, russian, turkish
14 comments
I have this most exciting project in my mind for this blog. I am going to write posts in four languages, two of which I am still learning. It will be impossible to do this if things get a little too technical but if I do it right, I think my language studies will benefit hugely. Extra-curricular learning via a little effort and research will improve my vocabulary in Russian and German.
The next few weeks I will figure out how to incorporate multi-lingual posts into the blog. I still have another post due, which I have planned in September.
Stay tuned ~ that is if you are still out there dropping by.
Where Did The Translation Go Wrong? Part I September 17, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Cultural Diversity, Funnies, Translation.19 comments
Over the years I have worked not only as a translator but also a proofreader. I have come across some outrageous translations. There were more than a few times when I had to re-translate the whole thing myself since trying to correct the errors would have taken much longer than starting from scratch.
In this first instalment of my “Where did the translation go wrong?” series, I present to you signs and notices from different countries. I am sure some will make you cringe, some laugh perhaps with a whoa here and there. Many of these have been circulating all over the net bouncing back and forth amongst us, the translators. The ones down below are my personal favourites and they are quite popular on the net.
Uhm… ok…
Bangkok ~ In a dry cleaner’s:
Drop your trousers here for best results.
Bangkok ~ In a temple:
It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man.
France ~ In a Paris hotel elevator:
Please leave your values at the front desk.
Greece ~ In Athens:
Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily.
Hong Kong ~ Outside a tailor shop:
Ladies may have a fit upstairs.
Hong Kong ~ In an advertisement by a dentist:
Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.
Hungary ~ In a Budapest zoo:
Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.
Italy ~ In a laundry in Rome:
Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.
Japan ~ in a Tokyo hotel:
Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such thing is please not to read notis.
Japan ~ In a Tokyo bar:
Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts.
Japan ~ In an information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner:
Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself.
Japan ~ In a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo:
When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.
Mexico ~ In an Acapulco hotel:
The manager has personally passed all the water served here.
Norway ~ In a Norwegian cocktail lounge:
Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.
Poland ~ On the menu of a hotel:
Salad a firm’s own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people’s fashion.
Rhodes ~ In a tailor shop:
Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
Romania ~ in a Bucharest hotel lobby:
The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.
Russia ~ From the Soviet Weekly:
There will be a Moscow Exhibition of Arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic painters and sculptors. These were executed over the past two years.
Russia ~ In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.
Serbia ~ In a Belgrade hotel elevator:
To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order.
Switzerland ~ On a menu:
Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.
Switzerland ~ In a Zurich hotel:
Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.
Yugoslavia ~ In a hotel:
The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.
AND, one that shows us how some products should never make it to another country promoted with the same name:
Australia To Spain ~ The Mitsubishi four wheel drive marketed in Australia as the “Pajero” was the cause of great embarrassment in Spain where “Pajero” means “masturbator”.
Naturally, when the cars didn’t sell they changed the name to Montero…
I say Pajero you say Montero…
On a box;
Thanks for the warning…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next instalment: The most common mistakes – I have observed – Turkish people make when they speak or write in English language. It mostly points to the differences in the sentence structures and the parts of speech between the two languages. Stay tuned!
"Happy Birthday" in many languages July 15, 2008
Posted by Fantastic Four in Language, Mini Glossary, Phrases, Translation.Tags: Happy Birthday
12 comments
Since this is a linguistic blog, I had to find an equally linguistic way to say “Happy Birthday” to one of my favourite bloggers in the whole wide blogosphere, who is celebrating his birthday on this day, July 15th.
I found this table on the website of Warsaw School of Economics. It lists a whole bunch of languages and how to say Happy Birthday – or something to that effect – in quite a few languages.
| Afrikaans |
Gelukkige Verjaarsdag
|
|
Albanian
|
Gëzuar Ditëlindjen
|
|
Amharic
|
Melkam lidet
|
|
Arabic
|
Aid milad saeed
 |
|
Armenian
|
Ierchanik Daretarts
|
|
Aymara
|
Urupa muñasiñani
|
|
Azeri
|
Ad Gunun Mubarek
 |
|
Bahasa
|
Selamat Ulang Tahun
|
|
Bambara
|
Ala ka san o san ké i kéné gnina
|
|
Basque
|
Zorionak
|
| Belarussian |  |
|
Bengali
|
Janmadivas mater Shubhkamona
 |
|
Bhojpuri
|
Tohara janam din par bahut bahut mubarak ho
|
| Brasilian Portugese |
Feliz Aniversário
|
|
Bulgarian
|
 Chestit Rojden Den |
|
Catalan
|
Per molts anys
|
|
Chobacano
|
Compleanyo
|
|
Chinese
|
 Shēng rì kuaì lè |
|
Croatian
|
Srećan rođendan
|
|
Czech
|
Všechno nejlepši k narozeninám
|
|
Danish
|
Tillykke med fødselsdagen
|
|
Dhuo
|
Cham anyuola maber
|
|
Dhivehi
|
ufaaveri ufandhuvaheh
 |
|
Dolfin
|
Mayin bharatig
|
|
Dutch
|
Hartelijk Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag
Prettige verjaardag Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag |
|
English
|
Happy Birthday!
|
|
Estonian
|
Palju õnne! |
|
Filipino
|
Maligayang Kaarawan
|
|
Finnish
|
Hyvää Syntymäpäivää
|
|
French
|
Bon anniversaire
Joyeux anniversaire |
|
Galician
|
Feliz Cumpreanos
|
|
Georgian
|
gilotsav dabadebis dges
 |
|
German
|
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag |
|
Greek
|
|
|
Greenlandic
|
Inuuissiorninni pilluarit
|
|
Gujurathi
|
Vadhdeevasanimate shubetsha
 |
|
Hawaiian
|
Hauoli la hanau
|
|
Hebrew
|
Yom Hooledet Samea’ach
 |
|
Hindi
|
Varshaghat ki shubhakamana
Janam Din Ki Subhkamana  |
|
Hungarian
|
Boldog születésnapot
|
|
Icelandic
|
Til hamingju með afmælið
|
| Indonesian | Selamat ulang tahun (Thank you Yuliana) |
|
Irish
|
Lá breithe shona dhuit
(as corrected by Conan) |
|
Italian
|
Buon compleanno
|
|
Japanese
|
Otanjoubi omedetou
 |
|
Kalenjin
|
Baibaitu eng’ betut ne kikisigin
|
|
Kannada
|
janma dinada subhashayagalu
|
|
Kashmiri
|
Voharvod Mubarak Chuy
|
|
Kazak
|
Tugan kunumen kuttiktaem
|
|
Kikuyu
|
muthenya waguciaruo muega
|
|
Kiswahili
|
Heri ya siku yako ya kuzaliwa
|
|
Korean
|
Saeng il Chuk ha hae
 |
|
Latin
|
Boenos Anos
|
|
Latvian
|
|
|
Lithuanian
|
Su Gimimo diena
|
|
in Luxemburg
|
|
|
Macedonian
|
Среќен роденден
|
|
Malay
|
Selamat Hari Jadi
|
|
Maltese
|
Il festa it tajba
L-isbaħ xewqat f-għeluq sninek
|
|
Malyalam
|
 |
|
Marathi
|
Vadhdeevasachya shubetchha
 |
|
Mongolian
|
Tursun udriin mend hurgey
 |
|
Nepalese
|
janma din ko subhakamana
|
|
Norwegian
|
Gratulerer med dagen
|
|
Oriya
|
Shubah Janma Dina
 |
|
Papiamento
|
Masha Pabien
|
|
Persian
|
Tavalodat Mobarak
 |
|
Polish
|
Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin
|
|
Portugese
|
Parabéns
|
|
Punjabi
|
Sode janamdin diya lakh lakh badhaiya
|
|
Quechua
|
cusicuy causayquimanta diayquipaj
|
|
Romanian
|
La multi ani
|
|
Russian
|
 |
|
Samoan
|
manuia le aso fanau
|
|
Sanskrit
|
|
|
Schweizerdeutsch
|
schönä Geburtstag
|
|
Serbian
|
Sretan rođendan
 |
|
Sesotho
|
Mahlohonolo a letsatsi la matswalo
|
|
Setswana
|
letsatsi la matsalo le le boitumelo
|
|
Shona
|
makorokoto makore akoawande
|
|
Sinhalese
|
Suba oopan dinayak vayva
 |
|
Sindhi
|
Thuhinji zindagi mein hamesha khush-haali rahe
|
|
Slovak
|
Vsetko najlepsie k Tvojim narodeninam
|
|
Slovenian
|
Vse najboljse za rojstni dan
Vse najboljše |
|
Spanish
|
Feliz cumpleaños
|
|
in Swaziland
|
Lusuku Lwekutalwa Loluhle
|
|
Swedish
|
Grattis på fodelsedagen
|
|
in Taiwan
|
|
|
Tamil
|
Pirandhanaal Vaazhththukal
 |
|
Tagalog
|
Maligayang Bati sa iyong Kaarawan
|
|
Telugu
|
Janma dhina shubhakankshalu
 |
|
Thai
|
Suk Son one Gurt
 |
|
in Togo
|
dzigbe za be dzogbe nyuie na wo
|
|
Turkish
|
1) Doğum günün kutlu olsun /
2) Nice yaşlara |
|
in Uganda
|
kulikka okutukka kumazalibwa
|
|
Ukrainian
|
 |
|
Urdu
|
Saalgirah Mubarak
|
|
Valencian
|
Feliç aniversari
|
|
Vicaya
|
Malipayan Katawhan
|
|
Vietnamese
|
Chuc Sinh Nhat Vui Ve
|
|
Warlpiri
|
Yimi nguvrju
|
|
Welsh
|
Penblwydd Hapus
|
|
Xhosa
|
Ube nemini yokuzalwa emnandi
|
|
Yiddish
|
freylekhn geburtstog
|
|
Yoruba
|
E ku ajoyo ojo ibi
|
|
Zulu
|
Usuku lokuzalwa olumnandi
|
Gaudium De Lingua 