Re: HURRICANE KATRINA / THE STORM
El huracán Katrina / La tormenta

This is some of what the Spanish version of Yahoo news was saying about Hurricane Katrina now ravaging the Gulf Coast states. As with all languages, literal translations from the source language to English are not always possible. Oftentimes, translators will translate the ‘thought’ rather than the words.

Los fuertes vientos arrancaron árboles, pancartas, carteles, rompió vidrios y causó estragos por donde pasó.

‘The strong winds tore up trees, signs, posters, broke windows and caused damage wherever they passed.’

"Nunca he visto algo así en mi vida. (El agua) crecía y crecía", dijo Bryan Vernon, quien estuvo tres horas en el tejado de su casa mientras sus gritos en busca de ayuda se ahogaban entre los apabullantes vientos.

"I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It (the water) just keeps on rising." said Bryan Vernon, who was on the roof of his house for three hours  while his cries for help were drowned out by the overpowering winds.

...la crecida de las aguas.
...‘the rising of the rivers.’
(literally "The growth of the waters")

Spanish - Type of language - Indo-European - Italo-Celtic - Romance - Ibero-Romance.

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=translate;num=1125389016;start=0#0 date=08/30/05 at 04:03:36]Spanish - Type of language - Indo-European - Italo-Celtic - Romance - Ibero-Romance.

‘Italo-Celtic’... quite old fashioned way of lumping together two language families…

F

‘Italo-Celtic’... quite old fashioned way of lumping together two language families…

perhaps they made an offer that couldn’t be refused?

Azh

<<<perhaps they made an offer that couldn’t be refused?<<<

I almost start to feel silly when writing something in connection with language on this language board, but anyway.

Which kind of offer do you have in mind?

F

What’s special about the text?  The translation seems pretty literal to me.

Los fuertes vientos arrancaron árboles, pancartas, carteles, rompió vidrios y causó estragos por donde pasó.

rompieron, causaron, pasaron Los fuertes vientos is the plural subject.  There’s no agreement between the verbs and the subject in that sentence.

Brazilian dude

Whoa, you beat Yahoo…

J

As if that meant something.

Brazilian dude

[font color="red"][move]BURN[/font color="red"][/move]

[quote author=frank link=board=translate;num=1125389016;start=0#3 date=08/30/05 at 05:43:25]<<<perhaps they made an offer that couldn’t be refused?<<<

I almost start to feel silly when writing something in connection with language on this language board, but anyway.

Which kind of offer do you have in mind?

when you come across a post that is fairly obviously a throw-away line, such as my comment above, you need not feel compelled to treat it seriously, nor to reply to it.

None-the-less, having replied to it, you compel me to admit I was thinking of the type of offer made by large gentlemen in very serious suits, possibly with names like "Guido Jones", "Mario Evans" or "Nunzio Llewellyn", aka "Jones the knuckleduster", "Evans the shiv" and "Llewellyn the tommy-gun".

I wasn’t previously aware that Cymru had its own Cosa Nostra, however I’m quite a believer that if there has to be crime, it should be organised.

Azh
(stranger than fiction)

"I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It (the water) just keeps on rising." said Bryan Vernon

Bryan, you need to get out more.

‘Italo-Celtic’... quite old fashioned way of lumping together two language families…

But in a way fitting, since they aged gracefully together.

I’m quite a believer that if there has to be crime, it should be organised.

Finally, a voice of reason, if Cymru’s crime scene was in the least bit disorganised, the Brits would volunteer to help keep it that way

you need not feel compelled to treat it seriously, nor to reply to it.

I have never felt compelled to treat anything seriously,  but I’ve felt compelled to reply to all kinds of arguments.  And your argument  I have no argument against.

-melissa

[quote author=Katy link=board=translate;num=1125389016;start=0#9 date=08/30/05 at 22:02:04]
I know what you mean there Azh the new-Goth,  :o

hmm, I’m not sure how I take to being considered Neo-Gothic. In-spired is one possibility. Also butressed,  I would respond archly.

Most of mine are throw aways, or break-aways,   :o :o

One enjoys the opportunity to indulge in a little harmless punnery amongst the cognoscenti who will at least appreciate that one was making an attempt on humour.

Most of the rest of the time these little bon mots that are slipped into conversation go utterly unnoticed and unappreciated. Even though I work in an academic environment where people are far more au fait with the subtleties of the English language (not to mention French, Italian, Greek and various other languages), it is hard sometimes to have worked out a subtle and recondite pun, awaited the opportunity to slip it into a conversation, and if one is lucky, there is the conversational equivalent of the silent beat before the talk turns to other matters.

Azh
(paranomaniac)

Do we have a word for that? Opposite of "l’esprit de l’escalier"  when you think of the response and wait for it to sink in but then someone changes the subject?  There should be a word for that.

[quote author=melissa link=board=translate;num=1125389016;start=0#12 date=08/31/05 at 03:14:24]Do we have a word for that? Opposite of "l’esprit de l’escalier"  when you think of the response and wait for it to sink in but then someone changes the subject?  There should be a word for that.

"Bloody annoying" is the term I’d use

However, since l’esprit de l’escalier transliterates as "the spirit of the staircase", perhaps we could nominate l’esprit du chambre? Although that has connotations of an entirely different kind of spirit altogether

Perhaps chambre is too literal a usage here. Maybe we really mean salon, which conjures up images of earnest young men engaging in witty conversations in vain attempts to attract the attentions of demoiselles.

Or maybe not.

Azh
(who would prefer to be rather more littoral at the moment)

[quote author=melissa link=board=translate;num=1125389016;start=0#12 date=08/31/05 at 03:14:24]Do we have a word for that? Opposite of "l’esprit de l’escalier"  when you think of the response and wait for it to sink in but then someone changes the subject?  There should be a word for that.

Perhaps l’esprit [s]de le[/s] du commutateur soumis...

-Tim

Esprit DE LA chambre

Brazilian dude

[quote author=Brazilian_dude link=board=translate;num=1125389016;start=15#16 date=08/31/05 at 11:42:41]Esprit DE LA chambre

eep. Tu es vrai. Je suis désolée.

My only excuse is that I’ve been trying to concentrate on Russian for the last few days, and realising just how little of it I have retained, and wondering where I can find a conversation partner to help bring me back up to a comfortable level

Azh