Untranslatable Words - Page 21

RickyMaveety · 06-10-2008, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i'm pretty sure the french version is worse, unless in english there's an implied f*ck at the beginning of the sentence as well...

Like "Your mother f**ks army boots"??

tirsales · 06-10-2008, 08:29 PM

Wouldn't f**king army boots be pretty uncomfortable?

RickyMaveety · 06-10-2008, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tirsales

I know what you mean. A french speaking german with a french accent? Thats sexy.
Me speaking french? Thats ... no, not sexy. Not in the least

And I can read English very well, I can understand it when spoken, I can even write in English sometimes

- but you really dont want to listen to my attempts at English...

That's what I like best about the internet. Of course, that assumes that everyone understands those languages that I understand, but hey ... your written English is perfectly unaccented.

tirsales · 06-10-2008, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

but hey ... your written English is perfectly unaccented.

Just dont try to run it through a text-to-audio-software!

RickyMaveety · 06-10-2008, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tirsales

German

Ooooooo, you live in Germany and you speak German?? How intensly convenient for you.

would that word translate as "clueless" directly or does it just mean something generic like stupid.

RickyMaveety · 06-10-2008, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tirsales

Wouldn't f**king army boots be pretty uncomfortable?

Depends on whether you are on top of or underneath the army boot, I suppose.

RickyMaveety · 06-10-2008, 08:38 PM

Well, this has been fun .... I've read every page of this thread and posted about a zillion or so comments. I've finally reached the point where I bore myself.

tirsales · 06-10-2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Ooooooo, you live in Germany and you speak German?? How intensly convenient for you.

Just imagine if I was born in e.g. Russia - I wouldnt be able to understand a single word! I guess I got lucky.

Quote:

would that word translate as "clueless" directly or does it just mean something generic like stupid.

AFAIK it translates pretty directly - at least I always used clueless were I would have used ahnungslos in german.

tirsales · 06-10-2008, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Depends on whether you are on top of or underneath the army boot, I suppose.

I dont know about your army boots, but the kind I know is pretty uncomfy even to sit on. Oh well, theres no accounting for taste.

zelda_pinwheel · 06-10-2008, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tirsales

Just dont try to run it through a text-to-audio-software!

GeoffC · 06-11-2008, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

I think what has kept me from speaking some of the languages that I understand, is the fear of sounding foolish.

I don't know why that is ... I've always thought people speaking English with an accent sounded ... I don't know ... smart/sexy/interesting ... pick your own word. You get the idea. Yet, I always thought I would sound positively idiotic trying to speak Spanish/French/German ... so I stopped trying. Now, I can still read in them (albeit with some difficulty as I get older and have less opportunity), but I've really lost the ability to think on my feet and speak in anything other than English.

I lost the ability to do both ...

RickyMaveety · 06-11-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I lost the ability to do both ...

20 humor points and a bucket load of karma for the man ....

nekokami · 06-11-2008, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

To an extremely limited extent we have that in English buy sticking "y" or "ie" at the end of the first name to make it a diminutive. Can be really insulting when used with someone who has (or thinks he has) higher status than you.

Yes, I agree, that's the closest equivalent to "-chan."

In Mandarin Chinese, you form this kind of diminutive by doubling the syllable. (Many Chinese words only have one syllable, but I think you double the second syllable if there are two.) So, for example, my younger daughter's Chinese name is Yang, and Yangyang would be the diminutive.

nekokami · 06-11-2008, 11:14 AM

Oddly enough, when I became moderately fluent in Chinese-for-kids, I lost the ability to manage even basic phrases in any other language (besides English). I'd try to say something simple in Japanese, French, or Spanish, and it would come out in Chinese. Most unhelpful. My very limited facility in those other languages has gradually returned. I think it was kind of like "replacement monolingualism" when adopted or immigrant kids completely lose their first language in the process of picking up the new language, only it happened with my non-first-language.

zelda_pinwheel · 06-11-2008, 11:14 AM

that's pretty funny : a "diminutive" which is actually twice as long as the original it's diminishing...

i still prefer "chan". "nekokami-ie" just sounds like i have the hiccups, and taylor-ie sounds like i am referring to some ersatz approximation (whereas it really has to be the real thing). and how would i apply the other method ? nekokokami ? nekokamikami ? it's confusinging. i will answer to zeldazelda if anyone is so inclined. maybe not zelda-ie though.

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06-10-2008, 08:29 PM	#302
tirsales MIA ... but returning som Posts: 1,600 Karma: 511342 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Germany Device: PRS-505 and Really not owning a PRS-700	Wouldn't f**king army boots be pretty uncomfortable?

06-10-2008, 08:38 PM	#307
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	Well, this has been fun .... I've read every page of this thread and posted about a zillion or so comments. I've finally reached the point where I bore myself.

06-11-2008, 11:14 AM	#314
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	Oddly enough, when I became moderately fluent in Chinese-for-kids, I lost the ability to manage even basic phrases in any other language (besides English). I'd try to say something simple in Japanese, French, or Spanish, and it would come out in Chinese. Most unhelpful. My very limited facility in those other languages has gradually returned. I think it was kind of like "replacement monolingualism" when adopted or immigrant kids completely lose their first language in the process of picking up the new language, only it happened with my non-first-language.

06-11-2008, 11:14 AM	#315
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	that's pretty funny : a "diminutive" which is actually twice as long as the original it's diminishing... i still prefer "chan". "nekokami-ie" just sounds like i have the hiccups, and taylor-ie sounds like i am referring to some ersatz approximation (whereas it really has to be the real thing). and how would i apply the other method ? nekokokami ? nekokamikami ? it's confusinging. i will answer to zeldazelda if anyone is so inclined. maybe not zelda-ie though.