Translator's Things

20 | Italy | English, Spanish, French, Russian | Preparing CPE | #langblr #translator #translation studies

[illmakeuhowell]

ok english speakers, explain to me this:

lipstick = stick for lips (understandable)

pancake = cake in pan (um okay)

butterfly = ??

pineapple = ???

cocktail = ???????

[gentleacademics]

Please stop mixing these up, I’m begging you

Because words mean things, here are some definitions. All of these taken from their respective Wikipedia articles.

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, and involves an analysis of language form, language meaning, and language in context.

Polyglotism or multilingualism is the ability to master, or the state of having mastered, multiple languages. Sometimes people who are currently learning languages in an effort to become fluent in them are also called polyglots.

Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary criticism, history, and linguistics.

Ergo:

Some linguists are also polyglots, but not all of them.

Basic linguistic knowledge is necessary to learn a language, but they’re still separate things.

Polyglots know how to drive different kinds of vehicles. Linguists are mechanics.

[haxyr3]

Russian Vocabulary: Personality (Характер)

активный - active, energetic амбициозный - ambitious, high-flying беспечный - light-hearted, easygoing волевой - strong-willed ворчливый - grumbling гордый - proud добрый - kind жадный - greedy жестокий - cruel завистливый - envious замкнутый - unsociable заносчивый, высокомерный - arrogant злой - angry капризный - capricious, fretful коварный, хитрый - sly, clever ленивый - lazy лживый - lying, mendacious личность, характер - personality любопытный - curious наглый - impertinent, rude надежный, верный - reliable наивный - naive оптимист - optimist остроумный - witty отзывчивый - responsive пессимист - pessimist позитивный - positive равнодушный - indifferent рассудительный - reasonable реалист - realist склад ума - mentality скромный - modest смелый - brave, courageous справедливый - fair талантливый - talented темперамент - temperament терпеливый - patient тихий - calm, quiet тупой - dumb умный - smart, intelligent упрямый - stubborn циничный - cynical черта характера - trait чувствительный - sensitive щедрый - generous

Feel free to add all or any of the words in the list to your flash cards!

[land-of-maps]

Do you pronounce the “r” in “arm”? England, 1950 vs. 2016 [OC] [667 x 438]

[sproutaesthetics]

greek myth | THE MUSES

the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. they were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures.

[lilpeachstudies-blog]

helpful essay phrases for spanish  (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و

a juzgar por - judging by

mientras que - whereas

al contrario - on the contrary

la verdad lisa y llana es - the plain truth of the matter is

según una encuesta - according to a survey

que yo sepa - as far as i know

dado que - given that

debido a esto - due to this

con tal de que - provided that

el tema - theme

no obstante - however

por lo tanto - therefore

debería subrayar que - it should be underlined that

cabe destacar - it is worth pointing out

se nota que - it can be noted that

se ve - it is seen

nos hace creer - it makes us believe

se podría decir que - it could be said that

segundo - secondly

en primer lugar - first of all

primero - firstly

por eso - therefore/that’s why

en todo caso - in any case

en resumen - to sum up

en breve - in short

de todos modos - at any rate

de todas formas - anyway

a la vez - at the same time

ya que - since (seeing that)

a pesar de que - in spite of

[wonderful-language-sounds]

Americans try speaking Russian for the first time.

My favorite line is <<Не виновата я. Он сам пришёл.>> - Бриллиантовая рука

I wonder if they had transliterated text or not……

[langloverthings-blog]

Translation blog for language learning

Hello everybody! I woke up with this idea in my mind. I find the langblr community very motivating and super useful with the multitude of tips you all post both in your native and target languages, but looking at those endless lists of words, I realised that maybe something is missing.

Learning a language becomes easier reading real texts than just trying to learn vocabulary and/or grammatical rules by heart. For this reason, I thought we could make a Translation Blog where a text/article about any topic - taken from the Web or originally edited(?) - is published in English and translated into other languages by native (or non-native) speakers from the langblr community.

Everyone could collaborate and submit their translation to let the learners of their language see how the TL is actually used - with its grammatical structures, vocabulary, fixed and idiomatic expressions. Maybe the translator could add a note where they mention particular structures and use of language in order to help learners.

It would help both the translator and the readers to improve their knowledge of their respective TLs, but also people who like writing original texts and see how they would in another language.

In addition, it would be a way to meet new people allover the community, since we could make a chat group to collaborate and help each other with the translation and propose new texts to publish.

I don't know if I managed to explain it well (lol) or to "inspire" you, but if someone thinks is a good idea, then comment or just send me a PM.

[langloverthings-blog]

When you would love to do something with your life - like losing weight, reading books, learn languages, improve your grades - but all you actually do is lay in bed daydreaming about how wonderful you would be.

[theyuniversity]

[bonbonlanguage]

[awed-frog]

– John Ciardi

Ciardi was an Italian-American translator who’s mostly remembered for his translation of Dante’s work - and, well, spare a thought about what it means to translate a 111K words medieval poem in ancient Italian where stuff actually rhymes and everything has a hidden meaning and oh, by the way, is also the most revered Italian book ever, so people will likely hate you and curse you and your ancestors if you get it wrong. And what makes this feat even more jaw-dropping is that Ciardi was never destined to be the right person for the job - he was brought up by an illiterate mother in a poor immigrant family, but that didn’t stop him from becoming not only a translator, but a poet in his own right. Oh, and he also fought in WW2, and was an activist for various social issues - for instance, in favour of unrestricted access to abortion and contraception. 

(In the quote above, a preface his translation of Dante’s Inferno, Ciardi is explaining why a word-for-word translation of any literary masterpiece would be an unfaithful mess. In his note, Ciardi concludes that “language too is an instrument” and “poetry is not made of words, but of word-complexes, elaborate structures involving, among other things, denotations, connotations, rhythms, puns, juxtapositions, and echoes of the tradition in which the poet is writing” and therefore “it is difficult in prose and impossible in poetry to juggle such a complex intact across the barrier of language. What must be saved, even at the expense of making four strings do for eighty-eight keys, is the total feeling of the complex, its gestalt”.) 

So, you know - translators tend to be invisible, and, in a way, that is their goal, because when a translation is well made we should forget we’re not reading an original text; it always strikes me as perverse, though, that as a society we rely so much on language specialists of every kind and yet we never even bother to learn their names or acknowledge their work. Maybe it’s time we change that?

[more on John Ciardi | full text of Ciardi’s translation of the Inferno]

[susielesbian]

me this morning: today’s the day i Get Stuff Done!

by 9 pm:

[xfirechickx]

For fanfiction writers:

quiet - making little or no noise quite - to the utmost or absolute extent or degree

massage - the rubbing and kneading of muscles and joints of the body with the hands message - a verbal, written, or recorded communication sent to or left for a recipient

college - an educational institution or establishment collage - a piece of art made by sticking various different materials onto a backing

wonton - a small dumpling or roll wanton - sexually immodest or promiscuous

shudder - to tremble convulsively shutter - hinged panels fixed inside or outside of a window

[theyuniversity]

In the above advertisement for Subaru, the tortuous road was also torturous. 😱

[dianastudiesmath-blog]

07.09.17 //  25/100 days of productivity. English grammar of this morning :). 

Now it’s time to study for my rings theory exam! :D ————————– Gramática de inglés de esta mañana :).

¡Ahora es tiempo de estudiar para mi examen de teoría de anillos! :D

[just-shower-thoughts]

Books are special because they are like someone talking to you without you having to make an effort to keep the conversation going on

[hallolanguages]

Me: “I need to learn more [insert language] vocabulary”

Me: *reblogs numerous vocabulary lists in that language*

Me: *never looks at the vocabulary list again*