"A Journey into Chinese-English Environmental Translation": How (not) to use dictionaries
Thread poster: Charlotte Blank
Charlotte Blank
Charlotte Blank  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 07:42
Czech to German
+ ...
Feb 9, 2004

"Dictionaries are compiled by people like you and me, with a finite knowledge of the world, and so are not infallible."

Hi,

I just came across this interesting article about the problems when using dictionaries. Though it is about Chinese-English translation it also applies to every other language, I'm afraid...

... See more
"Dictionaries are compiled by people like you and me, with a finite knowledge of the world, and so are not infallible."

Hi,

I just came across this interesting article about the problems when using dictionaries. Though it is about Chinese-English translation it also applies to every other language, I'm afraid...

Enjoy!


http://accurapid.com/journal/27environ.htm
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Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 07:42
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
And take a look at Juliet's rose while you're there! Feb 10, 2004

Following the same link, there's a very useful paper on translating proper names in the margin on the left.

(Juliet's Rose would NOT smell as sweet)

... with a lot of good advice for everyone, not just those who speak Spanish.

Thanks for a good link!


 
CNF
CNF
Local time: 03:42
Great site! Feb 10, 2004

Thanks, Charlotte!

Regards,
Naty :^)


 
Kurt Hammond
Kurt Hammond  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 23:42
Japanese to English
I have seen this phenomena Mar 16, 2004

I have seen this phenomena all to frequently in Japanese to English translation.
When doing web search, I ignore .jp results whenever possible, or to confirm it is 'really a word,' I doublecheck any .jp result with non-Japan results. There are some more obvious examples of Japanese-manufactured English such as 'pair look' (a similarly dressed couple), 'good sense' (fashionable), 'good style' (good body proportions), and so on.

Charlotte Blank wrote:

"Dictionaries are compiled by people like you and me, with a finite knowledge of the world, and so are not infallible."

Hi,

I just came across this interesting article about the problems when using dictionaries. Though it is about Chinese-English translation it also applies to every other language, I'm afraid...

Enjoy!


http://accurapid.com/journal/27environ.htm[/quote]

 


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"A Journey into Chinese-English Environmental Translation": How (not) to use dictionaries







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