Darren New wrote:

> I always amuse my wife when we go in a chinese restaurant and I write 
> "big man" (Da-ren) on the waiting list. Of course, it's the only version 
> of the characters pronounced that way that's simple enough for me to 
> remember how to "spell".

My last girlfriend [Jesus that was a long time ago...] had several 
tattoes on various parts of her body. [I paid for one of them!] For 
example, she had a couple of characters tattoed to the back of her leg 
which evidently mean "hard and strong".

But that's the part that gets me thinking... how do *we* know that's 
what it means? I mean, the *shop* says that's what it means. But for all 
we know, maybe she's actually walking around with "I am a dork" tattoed 
to her leg? [Which, actually, would be kinda appropriate in her case...]

Just a thought. ;-)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Orchid XP v7 wrote:
> But that's the part that gets me thinking... how do *we* know that's 
> what it means? 

I saw a picture of one that my police-man brother wanted translated, 
found on someone they'd arrested or something. It said "Trust no money", 
according to my wife.

It took us a while to figure out he's asked for "trust no-one" and got 
"trust no yuan" instead.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     On what day did God create the body thetans?

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Darren New wrote:

> It took us a while to figure out he's asked for "trust no-one" and got 
> "trust no yuan" instead.

Well he's gettin a tattoe,
Yeah, he's gettin ink done.
He asked for a thirteen,
But they drew a thirty one...

[Name it! >:-D ]

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Invisible wrote:
> 
> Hmm. I've just spent several hours translating every naughty phrase I
> can think of from English to French. Damn, this has got to the the
> silliest thing I've done in a long, *long* time... ;-)
> 
> Je me demande, cela fait un sens?
> 

My favorite Japanese phrase book is actually just that. It starts with
how to order a beer, progresses through how to pick up a date at the
bar, and ends with how to accept or turn down a marriage proposal. With
all the other good phrases in between.

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>> Je me demande, cela fait un sens?
> 
> My favorite Japanese phrase book is actually just that. It starts with
> how to order a beer, progresses through how to pick up a date at the
> bar, and ends with how to accept or turn down a marriage proposal. With
> all the other good phrases in between.

Wow... LOL!

Do they have such a book for English? ;-)

I do recall somebody made a website featuring translations of the phrase 
"My God, there's an axe in my head!" into every concievable language. 
(Including Tolkein Elvish, among others.)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Orchid XP v7 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> >> Je me demande, cela fait un sens?
> >

> I do recall somebody made a website featuring translations of the phrase
> "My God, there's an axe in my head!" into every concievable language.
> (Including Tolkein Elvish, among others.)

Which would translate to:



in my tongue. ;-)

Hildur



>
> --
> http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
> http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Hildur K. wrote:
> Orchid XP v7 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>>> Je me demande, cela fait un sens?
> 
>> I do recall somebody made a website featuring translations of the phrase
>> "My God, there's an axe in my head!" into every concievable language.
>> (Including Tolkein Elvish, among others.)
> 
> Which would translate to:
> 

> 
> in my tongue. ;-)
> 
Iceland?

( http://www.yamara.com/axe/ )
> Hildur
>

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andrel <a_l### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> Hildur K. wrote:
> > Orchid XP v7 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> >>>> Je me demande, cela fait un sens?
> >
> >> I do recall somebody made a website featuring translations of the phrase
> >> "My God, there's an axe in my head!" into every concievable language.
> >> (Including Tolkein Elvish, among others.)
> >
> > Which would translate to:
> >

> >
> > in my tongue. ;-)
> >
> Iceland?

Yes, how did you guess?
>

> > Hildur
> >

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Hildur K. wrote:
> andrel <a_l### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
>> Hildur K. wrote:
>>> Orchid XP v7 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>>>>>> Je me demande, cela fait un sens?
>>>> I do recall somebody made a website featuring translations of the phrase
>>>> "My God, there's an axe in my head!" into every concievable language.
>>>> (Including Tolkein Elvish, among others.)
>>> Which would translate to:
>>>

>>>
>>> in my tongue. ;-)
>>>
>> Iceland?
> 
> Yes, how did you guess?
> 
ehh, pattern matching?

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> >>>

> >>>
> >>> in my tongue. ;-)
> >>>
> >> Iceland?
> >
> > Yes, how did you guess?
> >
> ehh, pattern matching?



What I wrote is not a 100% match but means the same. Which only proves that
there are always several ways to say the same thing in any lanuage.

This only makes it even more difficult for the rest of us to figure things out

on-line translators necessary but usually not very helpful.

Like a simple news headline: "Bush and Sharon met in Washington" translates to
"A shrub and a piece of broken flower pot met in the laundry".

Makes you wonder... a lot.


trying to read the German or French or Spanish or worse. Not even the
translated versions, even though I can make out some of the words on my own. (I
did learn some basic French and Spanish at high school years back and German


By the way, in my language we have a single word to describe "a piece of broken

in English. Is there one? Like "a piece of broken glass" translates -glerbrot-
the same way ;-)

???

Hildur

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