Posted by robertstevenson on July 19, 2008
The world’s most difficult word to translate loses much in translation
In an article published by the BBC on June 22, 2004, “ilunga” was deemed the world’s most difficult word to translate. According to the article by Oliver Conway, “ilunga” topped a list compiled by 1,000 linguists as the “hardest word to translate.” It was reported that “ilunga,” which comes from the Tshiluba language, spoken in south-eastern Congo, means “a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time”.
The survey was conducted by Today Translations, which emphasized, while the ilunga’s definition can be found in the dictionary, the difficulty in translation comes from its cultural connotations and usage.
BUT WAIT, there is a problem.
According to an article in Wikipedia: There is no independent evidence supporting Today Translations’ claim that “ilunga” is in fact the world’s most difficult word to translate. In fact ilunga is apparently a reasonably common family name in the DR Congo, and it has nothing to do with a conditionally forgiving person. Furthermore, according to Wikipedia, the translation company failed to respond to inquiries regarding the survey, made by the same reporter. Also, according to an entry in Nation Master Encyclopedia, not all of the words on Today Translations’ list were even legitimate. Some of them turned out to be mistakes and hoaxes.
In my opinion, the category the “most untranslatable word” is on its face problematic to begin with. It appears the article infers that these words are the hardest to translate into English, but there is no specific mention of this. Despite the 226,000 hits for “ilunga” from my July 19, 2008, Google search (many of which represent blogs recycling the original BBC article), it seems Today Translations’ linguistics need better translators. It also appears the BBC could have done a better job deciphering fact from fiction.
Even so, the list “The ten foreign words voted hardest to translate,” is fun to consider, so here it is:
1. Ilunga [Tshiluba word for a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time; to tolerate it a second time; but never a third time. Note: Tshiluba is a Bantu language spoken in south-eastern Congo, and Zaire]
2. Shlimazl [Yiddish for a chronically unlucky person]
3. Radioukacz [Polish for a person who worked as a telegraphist for the resistance movements on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain]
4. Naa [Japanese word only used in the Kansai area of Japan, to emphasise statements or agree with someone]
5. Altahmam [Arabic for a kind of deep sadness]
6. Gezellig [Dutch for cosy]
7. Saudade [Portuguese for a certain type of longing]
8. Selathirupavar [Tamil for a certain type of truancy]
9. Pochemuchka [Russian for a person who asks a lot of questions]
10. Klloshar [Albanian for loser]
Posted in Interesting stuff, Life, Thoughts | Tagged: BBC, difficult, ilunga, most, problem, research, survey, the, to translate, Today's Translations, word, world's | 8 Comments »
Posted by robertstevenson on July 16, 2008
Hip Hot Games
My pal Mike from New York City is a frequent visitor to Rob’s Megaphone. He’s a very supportive, talented, and witty blogger. I wanted you all to know about his blog: Hip Hot Games. I think it’s a lot of fun. I bet you will too. It’s described as: Fun word and number games. Unscramble words, guess spelling of words, math games, and much more. It also includes fun board games you can buy.
Check it out here.
Are you sitting down, there’s more - a lot more. Mike has 16 other blogs. I hope you get a chance to test drive them. Be sure and tell him Dr. Rob sent you. Thanks.
My favorite rap albums and songs from the 80s. Hot 80s rap beats and rap artists. 80s rap MP3s, music CDs, and DVDs you can buy.
Posted in Interesting stuff | Tagged: blogs, games, hip, hot, mike | 1 Comment »
Posted by robertstevenson on July 15, 2008
If man’s best friend could talk
Rex: “C’mon dead eye, I said the big black cat to the left of the target.”
Fido: “I already said nice post, Jim. Now can we watch cat face plants on Youtube.”
Billy jo: “. . . a bigger dog house, and a chew toy, and a bone for Stephen too. Amen.”
Karen: “Wayne and I paint well together. He’s come along way since we got married.”
Posted in *Silly stuff (signs, news, pics) | Tagged: best, dogs, friend, man's, silly pics | 7 Comments »
Posted by robertstevenson on July 14, 2008
Posted in Amazing | Tagged: Amazing, soccer, steal | 1 Comment »
Posted by robertstevenson on July 13, 2008
I am proud to announce that Curiosity Corner has found a home away from home in the blogsophere right here on Rob’s Megaphone.
Curiosity Corner: Guys and Gals
Dr. Jerry D. Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Lander University
Question: We use the terms “gal” and “guy” to refer to females and males. I can see where “gal” would be a slang contraction of “girl”, but where does “guy” come from? (Asked by a curious guy.)
Reply: I had to look to find this one. We use “guy” to refer to the male species - this guy, that old guy (like me). However, the word originally meant someone that was grotesque or weird looking. And, it is an eponym - a word formed from the name of a real person. The person in this case was Guy Fawkes, the infamous leader of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in Britain. Guy and his buddies hid quite a few barrels of gun powder under the Parliament building, with the intent of blowing up King James I and Parliament members on November 5. The plot was discovered, and Guy and most of his co-conspirators were captured and executed.The day of the planned big boom (Nov. 5) became know as Guy Fawkes Day, and eventually became the equivalent of the American Halloween. Grotesque effigies, know as “guys”, were carried through the streets. There were bonfires and fireworks - masked children begged from door-to-door for pennies for “guy” (fireworks). By the 1800s, “guy” was used in Britain as slang for someone who exhibited weird dress or behavior.
In America, however, the term “guy” got cleaned up and came to mean simply “a man”. This filtered back to Great Britain (U.K.), and “guy” doesn’t imply much of a “weirdo” anymore.
OK, how about you answering some questions.
Here’s a couple I gleaned from The Learning Kingdom and a couple trivia type. Everyone should know the answers.1. How many muscles are there in an elephant’s trunk? 2. What fish travels 800 miles backwards? 3. The longest English words without the vowels a, e, i, o, and u, are “rhythm” and “syzygy”. I’ve got rhythm, do you have syzygy? 4. I was reading an opisthograph the other night. Have you ever read one?Answers: 1. The trunk of a full-grown elephant is about 7 feet in length and weighs 300 lb. This extension of the nose and upper lip has more than 100,000 muscles and no bones. 2. Chinook salmon fry (young fish) are hatched in high mountain streams. When a year or two old, they return to the Pacific Ocean, being carried downstream. But, their current-fighting instinct keeps them facing upstream. For the most part, the 800-mile journey is completed swimming upstream while moving downstream. 3. You might have a syzygy if you’re a heavenly body. In astronomy, this is an alignment of three celestial objects, such as the Sun, Earth, and Moon or a planet (as viewed from above). Syzygy for the Sun-Earth-Moon system occurs at full moon and new moon. 4. I’m sure you have. An opisthograph is a manuscript or book with writing on both sides of the pages. Students sometimes turn in a report as an anopisthograph and waste paper. And now you know.
Check out last week’s Curiosity Corner here.
Curious about something? Send your questions to Dr. Jerry D. Wilson, Science Division, Lander University, Greenwood, SC, 29649, or for e-mail, jerry@curiosity-corner.net. Selected questions will appear in the Curiosity Corner. © JDW
Posted in Interesting stuff | Tagged: curiosity-corner, gal, guy, trivia | 3 Comments »
Posted by robertstevenson on July 12, 2008
NOTE: This short post is about digg.com, a social network site that ranks posts. I was just notified that a new blog desgined to rescue burried diggs has been created. I thought this was a great idea because some great posts get burried by diggers for reasons unrelated to the quality of the post. My post on the Andy Griffith Show group is currently being featured on this new site.
If you like it, I’d really appreciate a digg.
http://www.diggrescue.com/2008/07/new-andy-griffith-show-group-news-from.html
Posted in Interesting stuff | Tagged: digg, post, rescue | No Comments »
Posted by robertstevenson on July 12, 2008
Posted in *Silly stuff (signs, news, pics) | Tagged: cookie, game, is, like, monster, not, of, One, other, pics, sesame, silly, street, the, these, things | 1 Comment »
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