Tell us something TRIVIAL about your life

[jamesp]

What's great fun (especially for someone who touch types) is to change the keyboard mapping to the the German one. Very similar to a normal QWERTY, not like the French AZERTY but the Y and Z are transposed.

At Uni, my supervisor asked a German visitor whether he had read a recent paper by a researcher at another Geram University. He replied, no he was waiting for the English translation because it was easier to read.

In China, our guide was saying that if you got slightly the wrong tone, 'panda' became 'chest hair'.

A guy I used to know was the head of translation for NATO. Fascinating to talk to, I learnt so much about languages from him. He said that translation is an art, not a science and that the true meaning only ever exists in the language in which it was originally written. The challenge in intretation is translating the meaning, not just the words. He gave many examples, a couple I remember

1. A translation he did for Renault as a private job. They had a marketing slogan for one of their cars ' Une exigence internationale' which they insisted were translated with those exact words. In English 'An international exigency'. He tried very hard to exp[lain to them that although the word translated, the meaning didn't. Exigence has quite a different meaning in French for which there is no English equivalent.

2. The phrase 'you can't see the wood for the trees' . Swedish and Finnish use the same word for wood and tree, they tell the difference by context but you can't express that phrase in a way to illustrate the context.

I heard a story once from someone who worked at Airbus, they got hauled in to explain putting ASAP on a message, the French was TTU, tres tres urgent.
He later got hauled in by the translator in the UK, who had his desk covered in dictionaries, trying to work out what TTU was in French from english.
There was another one where a drawing required a painted finish to be left out of a hole; they were trying to work out which side of the whole was the left side.
A literal translation too far.

[Allan Carr]

My translator friend, Harry also explained the difference between Simultaneous and Consecutive translation. Most translators can only do one or the other because they are quite different skills. Simultaneous is where the translator listens through headphones and translates i real time. He recalled one case wher the translator was doing a simultaneous translation for Hans-Dietrich Gensche, the German Foreign Secreatry equivalent at the time. Gensche was giving a long rambling speech with very long sentences and the translator was trying anticipate what he was saying only for Gensche to finish a particularly long sentence with 'nicht' which of course turned the whole meaning on it's head. The translator had to quickly say, forget what I said what Gensche rlsaid was.....

I still think the funniest translation I heard was one many years ago in the European Parliament in a discussion on the Common Agricultural Policy. The French MEP made a statement 'Il serai resolu par la sagesse Normande' to which the translator (correctly) translated into English 'It will be resolved by Norman wisdom'. The British delegation were rolling around laughing much to the puzzlement of most of the other MEP's.

[Stig]

OK, while we're rambling about languages and keyboards does anyone know if it's possible to get the Android keyoard to switch to French auto-complete without it also changing to AZERTY as well?

[notdeadyet]

OK, while we're rambling about languages and keyboards does anyone know if it's possible to get the Android keyoard to switch to French auto-complete without it also changing to AZERTY as well?

Just had a go.

On the keyboard go to settings >> Languages & Types >> Manage input languages >> set to French.

Worked on a Samsung without changing the keyboard.

[Paulo]

Just had a go.

On the keyboard go to settings >> Languages & Types >> Manage input languages >> set to French.

Worked on a Samsung without changing the keyboard.

Samsung ... how conformist of you

[Neilwood]

Samsung ... how conformist of you

Not the sheeple phone though (apple)

[Tim Digger]

To change the subject back to the previous means of communication . I am currently reading Bitch by Lucy Cooke, very good indeed, written for those with an open mind . Darwin is still the correct approach but this attempts to move the position others manouvred him into. So far (half way through the second chapter a very good read , rousing out pre conceived ideas.

[notdeadyet]

To change the subject back to the previous means of communication . I am currently reading Bitch by Lucy Cooke, very good indeed, written for those with an open mind . Darwin is still the correct approach but this attempts to move the position others manouvred him into. So far (half way through the second chapter a very good read , rousing out pre conceived ideas.

If you like that sort of thing then The Mating Mind by Geoffrey Miller is an interesting read as well.

[Noggin the Nog]

Set out from the Hamble this morning, heading for N Wales. Then the weather deteriorated so now we're in Poole, probably until Saturday.

[divechick]

Set out from the Hamble this morning, heading for N Wales. Then the weather deteriorated so now we're in Poole, probably until Saturday.

Bet you're loving our weather!