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The ambiguous sense of the word "translated" Thread poster: jyuan_us
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| Not an answer but... | Apr 4, 2016 |
Ricki Farn wrote:
When I paint a horse (on canvas, not paint its fur), I end up with a painted horse - is that the live one or the one in the picture?
When I replicate a server, I end up with a replicated server - is that the source or the target server?
and so on. Strictly linguistic (i.e. scholarly, not practical) question: Does this hold for all verbs that refer to the creation of an exact or modified copy?
Really you end up with a painting of a horse and a replicate server.
Also, I think a "painted horse" could only be the picture, whereas the "horse painted" could be either.
I think the answer to your question is often yes but on a Monday morning my brain can only stretch to being pedantic.
We also only have one word for "language".
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| This is also ambiguous | Apr 4, 2016 |
Balasubramaniam L. wrote:
Otherwise, painted horse could very well mean a horse that has been painted (need not be a live horse, could also be a dummy such as a rocking horse, or the wooden horses on merry go rounds).
It's not actually clear whether you're saying it could refer to the painting or the subject of the painting.
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 11:15
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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| OK, without a context... | Apr 4, 2016 |
English teacher:
1. Someone/a person who teaches English
2. English national (citizen of England) who teaches something
?
Let's stretch our brains on Monday morning... : )
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Kay Denney
France
Local time: 11:15
French to English
| Lunchtime is here, brains duly stretched. | Apr 4, 2016 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
English teacher:
1. Someone/a person who teaches English
2. English national (citizen of England) who teaches something
?
Let's stretch our brains on Monday morning... : )
Lunchtime is here, brains duly stretched.
I'm not an English national, I'm British according to my passport. But I am a person from England. I'll plead guilty to pedantry
Personally I love ambiguity in language. It's what makes it impossible to replace us with machines, as well as providing infinite fodder for humour.
Any more examples to keep giving me laughs?
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| What I learned as a translator | Apr 4, 2016 |
I learned never to take anything for granted. A word may not mean what it seems to mean at first glanced or what it "obviously" means. A writer may have tried to bring something different across than what he actually stated. This makes me question more, and check more, than when I simply was good at languages. Context is almost everything. I think it was the same for the person who originally posed the question.
Btw, I think there is a type of horse with large spots that is com... See more I learned never to take anything for granted. A word may not mean what it seems to mean at first glanced or what it "obviously" means. A writer may have tried to bring something different across than what he actually stated. This makes me question more, and check more, than when I simply was good at languages. Context is almost everything. I think it was the same for the person who originally posed the question.
Btw, I think there is a type of horse with large spots that is commonly called "painted horse". You can have a painting with a horse in it, and that is a "painted" horse (that has been painted on the canvas). But there are also "painted ponies" in merry-go-rounds that children sit on. It was made famous in the song "Spinning Wheel" by Blood Sweat and Tears. So we have three different meanings for "painted" in "painted horse / pony" right there. (sigh) ▲ Collapse
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how many translators send the source file when the client asks for the translated document.
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Roni_S
Slovakia
Local time: 11:15
Slovak to English
That horse is actually known as a 'paint', not 'painted' (from someone who used to have one)
*Off topic!
[Edited at 2016-04-04 14:38 GMT]
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jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 05:15
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
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TOPIC STARTER | The answer to your question is none or zero | Apr 4, 2016 |
TranslateThis wrote:
how many translators send the source file when the client asks for the translated document.
However, the fact that no translator would send the source file when the client asks for the translated document cannot be used as a support for the conclusion that the use of the "translated document" is a good one.
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Jo Macdonald
Spain
Local time: 11:15
Italian to English
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jyuan_us wrote:
I saw someone used "Signing a translated website" as the title in a forum he started. I have always been confused with the use of the word "translated".
If the source text is in Spanish, and it has been translated into English, which text do you refer to when you say "the translated text"?
Both
Web site's in both languages now.
"Signing a translated website" doesn't refer to languages but to the web site. The web site has been translated so it's in 2 or more languages now.
Personally I wouldn't actually say signing the translated English or signing the translated language. Signing the translated web site is fine imo and it's very obvious what the poster meant.
Which text do you refer to when you say "the translated text"?
Again both
The Spanish has been translated into English, the English has been translated from Spanish.
You can't really take a word like that out of context and want to define its meaning in one single way, it really depends on the words around it, the rest of the phrase, and the context it's used in.
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