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Lost in Translation II - totally lost

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  • Lost in Translation II - totally lost

    This forum is getting more boring lately, it's hard to find good threads, but instead of complaining too much about it: Let's play a game!

    I thought about resurrecting the old Lost in Translation and see if we can do better this time. The old one had the problem that we jumped too much around in similar languages - I couldn't find the thread, maybe it was not archived.
    This time if possible I will try to make more radical jumps between germanic, latin, slavic, chinese, japanese and whatever language we can get.

    About the game:
    I will make a graph of all participants that is the path for a text issued by me. The first one will get the text, translate it into the language specified and send it to the second... until I receive the final text again. Both the original and the last version will then be posted and we'll see what has been lost in translation!

    The timeline is as follows:
    1. We'll be searching for participants from now until Sunday or Monday (because I'll be on a festival from Thursday to Sunday, I cannot post inbetween). Everyone please post what languages you can translate FROM and what languages you can translate TO. Also state if it's your native tongue and if you speak it fluently or not. Don't worry about not being able to speak a language very well. I will try to find or create a text that does not use complicated words. If you think you can translate from a language that you don't speak but by using similarities with other languages that you do speak post it under "for fun". I will try to make the text cross some of these to increase the chance for it being fubared.

    2. I will then compile a graph and post who has to translate what language into which and send to whom. Probably mid next week.
    3. The text will be issued. Mid to end of next week.

    The rules:
    You must not use the help of the computer for translating (no internet, no babelfish, no offline dictionaries, no word thesaurus). Allowed is only a "physical" dictionary book for looking up single words.
    When you pass the text on to the next, you must also send a copy to me (use private message).

    When you receive the text you should aim to translate and pass it on within the next 24 hours.

    An example layout of what participants should post (that would make my life easier):
    Code:
    Atahualpa
    
    Translate FROM:
    native: german
    fluently: english, spanish
    non-fluently: french
    for fun: italian (by deducing mainly from spanish and french)
    
    Translate TO:
    native: german
    fluently: english, spanish
    My french has really gotten a big blow lately.
    Ofc, I don't participate, so it's up to you now!


    UPDATE:
    Final list:
    Moved here

    THE GAME IS OVER!!
    Go here for the results
    Last edited by Atahualpa; September 2, 2005, 13:02.

  • #2
    Summary?

    No, all right..

    Code:
    Winston
    
    Translate FROM:
    
    Native: Danish
    Fluently: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian
    Non-fluently: *none*
    For fun: French, Italian, Spanish, Icelandic
    
    Translate TO:
    
    Native: Danish
    Fluently: English, German
    Non-fluently: Swedish
    For fun: *none*

    Comment


    • #3
      Code:
      Az
      
      Translate FROM:
      
      Native: Hebrew, Russian
      Fluently: English
      Non-fluently: French
      For fun: Spanish, Arabic
      
      Translate TO:
      
      Native: Hebrew, Russian
      Fluently: English
      Non-fluently: *none*
      For fun: *none*
      urgh.NSFW

      Comment


      • #4
        I thought this was to be about a sequel to the movie ...
        Why can't you be a non-conformist just like everybody else?

        It's no good (from an evolutionary point of view) to have the physique of Tarzan if you have the sex drive of a philosopher. -- Michael Ruse
        The Nedaverse I can accept, but not the Berzaverse. There can only be so many alternate realities. -- Elok

        Comment


        • #5
          Who would want to see a sequel to that godawful movie?

          Comment


          • #6
            Code:
            Adagio
            
            Translate FROM:
            
            Native: Danish
            Fluently: English
            Non-fluently: german
            For fun: *none*
            
            Translate TO:
            
            Native: Danish
            Fluently: English
            Non-fluently: *none*
            For fun: *none*
            Last edited by Adagio; August 16, 2005, 08:49.
            This space is empty... or is it?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Lost in Translation II - totally lost

              Code:
              Spiffor
              
              Translate FROM:
              native: French
              fluently: english, German
              for fun: Spanish (by deducing from French)
              
              Translate TO:
              native: French
              fluently: english, German
              "I have been reading up on the universe and have come to the conclusion that the universe is a good thing." -- Dissident
              "I never had the need to have a boner." -- Dissident
              "I have never cut off my penis when I was upset over a girl." -- Dis

              Comment


              • #8
                Keep 'em coming!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Lost in Translation II - totally lost

                  Code:
                  Aivo½so
                  
                  Translate FROM:
                  Native: Finnish
                  Fluently: Swedish, English
                  Non-fluently: Norwegian, Danish, German
                  For fun: French, Italian
                  
                  Translate TO:
                  Native: Finnish
                  Fluently: Swedish, English
                  Non-fluently: German
                  For fun: Norwegian, Danish

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Lost in Translation II - totally lost

                    Ah, why not.

                    Code:
                    Pave
                    
                    Translate FROM:
                    native: finnish
                    fluently: english
                    non-fluently: german, swedish
                    for fun: russian
                    
                    Translate TO:
                    native: finnish
                    fluently: english
                    non-fluently: german, swedish
                    for fun: *none*
                    The Chuck Norris military unit was not used in the game Civilization 4, because a single Chuck Norris could defeat the entire combined nations of the world in one turn.
                    - Chuck Norris Facts

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      code:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lord of the Mark

                      Translate FROM:
                      native: English
                      fluently: none (sadly, i must be realistic)
                      non-fluent:French (Well not too bad, but still nonfluent), Hebrew (VERY nonfluent - maybe should be "for fun")
                      for fun: Spanish (VERY fun)

                      Translate TO:
                      native: English
                      fluently: none (ditto above)
                      non-fluent: French (again, not bad, but not quite fluent) Hebrew (again, very non-fluent)
                      for fun: Yiddish


                      Dont have me translate between French and Hebrew, and expect anything halfway intelligble to come out(unless Im VERY lucky in choice of topics). We tried that already.
                      "A person cannot approach the divine by reaching beyond the human. To become human, is what this individual person, has been created for.” Martin Buber

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        If you won a strange languaje, I know one of the most ancient languajes in Europe... but I think I'm the only one in Poly.

                        Translate FROM:
                        native: spanish
                        fluently: basque
                        non-fluently: english
                        for fun:

                        Translate TO:
                        native: spanish
                        fluently: basque
                        non-fluently: english
                        for VERY fun: french (by deducing from spanish)

                        Perhaps the 24h. limit to pass the message is too short for me, specially if it is week end. If I can't take part for this, no problem.
                        Cuando la gente tiene lo suficiente para vivir,
                        se advierte que no sabe para qué habría de vivir.
                        Viktor Frankl

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Actually the main problem was exactly what LOTM said.
                          95% of the distortion happened in one translation, because he didn't know Hebrew that well, so all the other people's effort were wasted in a sense.
                          I think this activity is more fun if each translation is very accurate. The fun is seeing how many very accurate translation can still fail miserably given much time, not in seeing how one translation can totally **** it up.

                          I would participate, but I will be away in Japan for a few weeks.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Kassiopeia

                            Translate FROM:
                            native: Finnish
                            fluently: English
                            non-fluently: French, Swedish
                            for fun:

                            Translate TO:
                            native: Finnish
                            fluently: English
                            non-fluently:
                            for fun:
                            Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Lul Thyme
                              Actually the main problem was exactly what LOTM said.
                              95% of the distortion happened in one translation, because he didn't know Hebrew that well,
                              er, AND because the topic was some fairly abstruse philosophical rumblings from Nietsche. I mean when i suggested i could trasnlate from Hebrew, I assumed something more, shall we say, conversational. Thus Cheesy Hobbits.
                              "A person cannot approach the divine by reaching beyond the human. To become human, is what this individual person, has been created for.” Martin Buber

                              Comment

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