According to the tweets I've been reading, Google has plans to roll out a phone-based translator. Now you can get gobbledegook in real time!
I and my colleagues won't be going out of business anytime soon with translations like the following. In fact, we might get plenty of work correcting them (though people relying on their mobile phone apps will be out of luck. Let's hope Google translations don't start any wars). In the first one, the Google back translation is funnier than the real back translation, so I've put it in instead.
English: He had a weathered face
Google French: Il avait un visage surmonté
Google back translation into French: His face was topped
English: Early in the episode, all 16 competitors did a group program, with each team showing off signature lifts or other moves. (From the Star on November 15th, 2011, concerning Battle of the Blades)
Google French: Au début de l'épisode, les 16 concurrents ont un programme de groupe, chaque équipe exhibant ascenseurs signature ou autre se déplace.
Back translation of the Google French: At the beginning of the episode, the 16 competitors have a group program, each team exhibiting signature of elevators or other deplacing oneself.
English: For crying out loud, he said as he got egg on his face.
Google French: Pour crier, dit-il obtenu d'œuf sur son visage.
Back translation of the Google French: To cry, he said obtained of egg on his face.
English: To make matters worse, the pickup truck driver who was behind me and tailgating started to make his pass on me before I had even cleared the left lane. (From the Star on November 15th, 2011, concerning lane changes – Wheels section)
Google French: Pour aggraver les choses, le chauffeur du camion de ramassage qui était derrière moi et le talonnage commencé à se faire passer sur moi avant, j'avais même ouvert la voie de gauche.
Back translation of the Google French: To worsen things, the driver of the picking-up truck which was behind me and the tailgating begun to make itself pass on me in front, I had even opened the left lane.
And now for some translations of expressions in French:
French: La moutarde me monte au nez quand je vois des mauvaises traductions.
What it really means in English: I see red when I see bad translations.
What Google thinks it means: Mustard up my nose when I see poor translations.
French: J'y ai mis le paquet.
What it really means in English: I went all out.
What Google thinks it means: I put the package.
French: Je n'ai pas les yeux en face des trous.
What it really means in English: I'm half asleep.
What Google thinks it means: I do not have eyes in front of the hole.
French: Elle se met toujours le doigt dans l'oeil.
What it really means in English: She`s always way off base.
What Google thinks it means: She always puts his finger in the eye.
French: Cet homme-là m'a posé un lapin.
What it really means in English: That guy stood me up.
What Google thinks it means: This man asked me a rabbit.
Québec French is even more fun with Google:
French: Y essaye de me passer un sapin.
What it really means in English: He's trying to put one over on me.
What Google thinks it means: Y is trying to do without a tree.
French: J'ai d'la broue dans le toupet.
What it really means in English: I'm flipping out.
What Google thinks it means: I have the brew in the nerve.
French: C'te gars-là, il a du front tout le tour de la tête.
What it really means in English: That guy has one hell of a nerve.
What Google thinks it means: C'te guys, it has the front in the back of the head.
French: La pizza ou le chinois, c'est changer 4 trente-sous pour une piasse.
What it really means in English: Whether you order pizza or Chinese food, it's all the same thing.
What Google thinks it means: Pizza or Chinese, is thirty-change 4 cents for a dollar.
French: Moé, ça m'fait rien d'être habillée comme la chienne à Jacques.
What it really means in English: I don't care if I'm dressed badly.
What Google thinks it means: Me, it makes me not to be dressed like the dog to Jacques.
There. Now you know why you still need us.
Don't forget to call. Or email. My email is domamillette (at) gmail.com.
mardi 15 novembre 2011
jeudi 27 octobre 2011
Traduttore, traditore
L'expression italienne « traducteur ou traductrice, traître » a été démontrée plusieurs fois dans l'Histoire. Sans doute, les exemples les plus intéressants sont tirés de la Bible. Cependant, il existe des cas modernes qui illustrent l'importance de bien saisir les nuances culturelles en jeu dans la langue d'origine.
Une des erreurs de traduction les plus citées est celle du mot hébreu « alma », dans le verset 7:14 du Livre d'Isaïe, qui signifie « jeune fille » plus souvent que « vierge » à proprement parler. Hors, en grec, la langue dans laquelle la Bible a été traduite pour la première fois, le mot « parthenos » a une connotation de pureté sexuelle. Dans la traduction latine, basée sur le grec, on s'en est tenu au mot signifiant « vierge ». Selon plusieurs, ce serait là la raison de la croyance en la conception virginale de Jésus (à ne pas confondre avec l'Immaculée Conception, doctrine selon laquelle Marie est née sans péchés).
Le Lévitique, de son côté, offre un exemple de nuance culturelle qui serait mal comprise, dans le verset 18:22. Ici, le mot hébreu « toevah » a été traduit comme voulant dire « abomination ». En réalité, il paraît que le mot d'origine signifierait quelque chose d'impur au niveau du rite, plutôt que quelque chose de malfaisant.
Un troisième exemple biblique est la traduction du mot « sheol ». En hébreu, ce serait l'endroit des morts, ou celui des esprits. La traduction grecque, « hades », est semblable. Cependant, la traduction anglaise de King James utilise le mot « hell », ou « enfer ».
Enfin, à notre époque, on peut présenter plusieurs exemples du genre qui s'étendent de l'absurde ou du comique au plus sérieux. Celui qui me reste à l'esprit en est un qui aurait pu faire éclater une guerre. C'est une citation attribuée à Nikita Khrouchtchev au moment de la crise de Suez en 1956. Un traducteur anglophone a affirmé que le leader soviétique avait dit que « nous allons vous enterrer ». La remarque a provoqué la fureur au sein du monde occidental, qui y voyait une menace de destruction de leurs capacités. En fait, ce que voulait réellement dire Khrouchtchev était « nous assisterons à vos funérailles »; voilà plutôt une référence à la croyance communiste que le capitalisme ne manquerait pas de tomber sous ses propres contradictions.
Ainsi, on voit clairement l'importance de bien comprendre l'auteur, ou l'interlocuteur, d'origine...
Quite a few examples illustrate the Italian expression « translator, traitor ». Some of the most interesting are from the Bible. However, there are modern incidents which highlight the importance of capturing the cultural nuances at stake in the source language.
One of the translation errors quoted most often is the rendering of the Hebrew word "alma", in 7:14 Isaiah. This word means "young woman" more often than it does "virgin." In Greek, however, which is the language into which the Bible was first translated, the word "parthenos" was used; it has a connotation of purity. Translators into Latin decided to use the word meaning "virgin." According to many, this would be the reason for the belief in the Virgin Birth (not to be confused with the Immaculate Conception, according to which Mary was born without sin).
One of the translation errors quoted most often is the rendering of the Hebrew word "alma", in 7:14 Isaiah. This word means "young woman" more often than it does "virgin." In Greek, however, which is the language into which the Bible was first translated, the word "parthenos" was used; it has a connotation of purity. Translators into Latin decided to use the word meaning "virgin." According to many, this would be the reason for the belief in the Virgin Birth (not to be confused with the Immaculate Conception, according to which Mary was born without sin).
In Leviticus, we find an example of misunderstood cultural nuance in verse 18:22. Here, the Hebrew word "toevah" has been translated to mean "abomination". However, it seems the original word meant something ritually unclean rather than inherently evil.
A third biblical example is the translation of the word "sheol". In Hebrew, this is apparently the place of the dead, or where spirits would dwell. The Greek translation, "Hades", has a similar meaning. However, the English King James Version uses the word "hell".
In our own era, we can find several instances of misunderstood terms and expressions which go from the absurd and the comical to the very serious. One that has stayed with me is a situation which could have led to war. It's a quote attributed to Nikita Khrushchev during the Suez Crisis in 1956. An English translator asserted that the Soviet leader had said, "We will bury you." The comment elicited a furious reaction on the part of the Western powers, who believed it was a declaration that the Soviet Union would destroy them if it could. What Khrushchev really meant was "we will be there at your burial," a reference to the Communist belief that capitalist society will eventually crumble under the weight of its own contradictions.
Therefore, it's quite clear how important it is to understand the original writer, or speaker, very, very well...
jeudi 29 septembre 2011
La traduction et l'interprétation au service de l'humanité. When translators and interpreters help save lives.
Dans la plupart des cas, lorsqu'on se fait une image de la traduction, elle est composée de boîtes de céréales, d'affiches sur l'autoroute ou d'étiquettes et de guides d'utilisateurs variés, entre autres. La profession peut bien paraître un peu banale, pratiquée dans des cabinets stériles par des intellectuels acharnés qui se penchent sur d'énormes livres de référence. On risque de surtout s'imaginer les interprètes à des conférences, couvrant tous les sujets de la politique à la culture. Cependant, de temps en temps (avec ou sans cape et cabine téléphonique) les spécialistes de la traduction et de l'interprétation peuvent aider à sauver des vies. Que ce soit dans les zones de catastrophe ou en aidant les ONG à effectuer leurs tâches essentielles, les linguistes jouent un rôle indispensable au niveau de la libre communication entre les personnes en détresse et les organismes de sauvetage.
Afin de mieux faire connaître cet aspect de l'industrie, le Collège Glendon a invité un conférencier et une conférencière à l'occasion de la Journée internationale de la traduction le 28 septembre : Henry Dotterer, fondateur de l'agence de traduction en ligne Pro-Z et membre du conseil de Traducteurs sans frontières; et Lola Bendana, présidente de l'association internationale des interprètes médicaux et médicales, la International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA).
Deux Canadiennes ont soit fondé, soit aidé à diriger des organismes à faire exactement cela. Lori Thicke est Torontoise basée à Paris et a lancé Traducteurs sans frontières en 1993 après que Médecins sans frontières (MSF) l'ait approchée pour qu'elle leur fasse un prix. Elle a décidé plutôt de fournir le travail humanitaire gratuitement. Comme le raconte Henry Dotterer, MSF a répondu qu'on avait le budget pour le travail. Thicke a répondu que l'argent pourrait servir à fournir davantage de vaccins, le sujet même du travail à traduire.
Depuis, TSF a attiré 678 bénévoles à sa base de données. On évalue des traducteurs à l'aide d'un rigoureux processus d'examen, après quoi il en revient aux organismes humanitaires et aux bénévoles de se retrouver et de s'accorder sur les projets. Les ONG qui profitent du service comprennent Oxfam, MSF, Zafèn, la fondation Fais-Un-Vœu, Enfants du monde et GoodPlanet. Suite au tremblement de terre d'Haïti, des bénévoles ont aidé à traduire des documents sur la gestion des cliniques où on effectuait des amputations; et sur le traitement du traumatisme et du trauma. TSF appuie environ 40 clients actifs. Son prochain défi est d'offrir davantage de services en Afrique et d'aider à y bâtir l'industrie de la traduction, tant pour les langues locales que pour celles qui sont mieux connues.
De son côté, Lola Bendana, la présidente torontoise de l'IMIA, aide à coordonner les efforts effectués pour rejoindre les victimes de catastrophes partout dans le monde. L'IMIA est un organisme de revendication, fondé en 1986, voué à la professionnalisation de l'interprétation médicale. Il regroupe 2 000 membres de 11 pays parlant 70 langues. Diplômée du programme de traduction de l'anglais vers l'espagnol du Collège Glendon, Bendana s'oppose habituellement à l'idée du travail gratuit pour les traducteurs et interprètes. Cependant, le travail humanitaire est une exception fondamentale. Par le biais de sa base de données d'interprètes pour le secours des personnes sinistrées, l'IMIA permet aux interprètes médicaux et médicales bénévoles de communiquer avec les ONG et autres organismes oeuvrant en zone sinistrée.
L'initiative est née du séisme haïtien de janvier 2010. Pendant sept semaines, le navire hospitalier Comfort a soigné les sinistrés; cependant, les premiers bénévoles n'avaient pas de formation professionnelle et ne connaissaient pas la terminologie médicale, ce qui a occasionné des ennuis. Donc, la Croix-Rouge a approché l'IMIA pour demander de l'aide. Le séisme et tsunami au Japon en mars 2011 a fourni une autre malheureuse occasion de prêter secours : la représentante japonaise de l'IMIA, Kazumi Takesako, a organisé un groupe d'interprètes bénévoles et a également demandé l'aide des traducteurs. Ces derniers étaient nécessaires à la traduction de documents concernant les problèmes nucléaires à l'installation de Fukushima. Takesako avait juré d'empêcher les tragédies futures semblables à celles d'une mère qui avait perdu son enfant au cours d'un séisme antérieur, parce que les secouristes ne voyaient pas le bébé et ne comprenaient pas ce qu'elle disait pour les avertir.
Most of the time when we picture translation, we may think of cereal boxes, highway signs or various labels and manuals. It may seem like mundane stuff carried out in sterile offices by diligent scholars thumbing voluminous reference books. We may picture interpreters mainly at conferences, covering every conceivable subject from the political to the cultural. However, every once in a while – and with or without capes and phone booths – translators and interpreters can serve a higher purpose: helping to save lives. Whether in disaster zones or aiding NGOs carry out their crucial tasks, linguists play a crucial role in ensuring communication flows freely for those in distress.
To highlight this lesser-known aspect of the business, Glendon College invited two guest speakers in honour of International Translation Day on September 28: Henry Dotterer, founder of the online translation agency Pro-Z and board member of Translators Without Borders; and Lola Bendana, president of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA).
Two Canadians have founded or helped direct organizations to do just that. Lori Thicke, a Torontonian working in Paris, founded Translators Without Borders in 1993 after Doctors Without Borders (MSF) approached her for a quote. She decided to provide the humanitarian work for free. As Henry Dotterer tells it, MSF answered they had a budget to pay the work. Thicke replied that the money could be used to provide more vaccine, which was the subject of the work to be translated.
Since that time, TWB has attracted 678 volunteers to its database. Translators are screened through a rigorous testing process before they gain admission. After that, it's up to the humanitarian organizations and volunteers to find each other and agree on projects. Amongst the NGOs served are Oxfam, MSF, Zafèn, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Enfants du monde and GoodPlanet. After the earthquake in Haïti, volunteers helped translate documents on how to manage clinics where amputations are performed; and how to treat shock and trauma. TWB supports about 40 active clients. Its next mission: to expand into Africa and help build the translation industry there, for local languages as well as better-known ones.
Meanwhile, Lola Bendana, the Toronto-based president of the IMIA, helps coordinate efforts to reach out to disaster victims worldwide. The IMIA is an advocacy organization founded in 1986, representing 70 languages, 2,000 members and 11 countries and dedicated to professionalizing medical interpretation. A Glendon College English-Spanish translation programme graduate, Bendana usually opposes the idea of translators and interpreters working for nothing. However, humanitarian work is a crucial exception. Through its Disaster Relief Interpreter Database, the IMIA puts volunteer medical interpreters in touch with NGOs and other organization working in natural catastrophy zones.
The initiative was born from the Haïti earthquake in January 2010. For seven weeks, the Comfort Hospital Ship ministered to patients; however, the first volunteers were non-professionals who did not have any in-depth knowledge of medical terminology, which proved problematic. As a result, the Red Cross approached the IMIA for help. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 provided another unfortunate opportunity to lend assistance, as Japanase IMIA representative Kazumi Takesako organized a group of volunteer interpreters and reached out to translators as well. The latter were needed to help with documents concerning nuclear problems at the Fukushima plant. Takesako had vowed to prevent tragedies such as the case of a mother in a previous earthquake who lost her baby because rescuers couldn't see the child and couldn't understand her entreaties.
Afin de mieux faire connaître cet aspect de l'industrie, le Collège Glendon a invité un conférencier et une conférencière à l'occasion de la Journée internationale de la traduction le 28 septembre : Henry Dotterer, fondateur de l'agence de traduction en ligne Pro-Z et membre du conseil de Traducteurs sans frontières; et Lola Bendana, présidente de l'association internationale des interprètes médicaux et médicales, la International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA).
Deux Canadiennes ont soit fondé, soit aidé à diriger des organismes à faire exactement cela. Lori Thicke est Torontoise basée à Paris et a lancé Traducteurs sans frontières en 1993 après que Médecins sans frontières (MSF) l'ait approchée pour qu'elle leur fasse un prix. Elle a décidé plutôt de fournir le travail humanitaire gratuitement. Comme le raconte Henry Dotterer, MSF a répondu qu'on avait le budget pour le travail. Thicke a répondu que l'argent pourrait servir à fournir davantage de vaccins, le sujet même du travail à traduire.
Depuis, TSF a attiré 678 bénévoles à sa base de données. On évalue des traducteurs à l'aide d'un rigoureux processus d'examen, après quoi il en revient aux organismes humanitaires et aux bénévoles de se retrouver et de s'accorder sur les projets. Les ONG qui profitent du service comprennent Oxfam, MSF, Zafèn, la fondation Fais-Un-Vœu, Enfants du monde et GoodPlanet. Suite au tremblement de terre d'Haïti, des bénévoles ont aidé à traduire des documents sur la gestion des cliniques où on effectuait des amputations; et sur le traitement du traumatisme et du trauma. TSF appuie environ 40 clients actifs. Son prochain défi est d'offrir davantage de services en Afrique et d'aider à y bâtir l'industrie de la traduction, tant pour les langues locales que pour celles qui sont mieux connues.
De son côté, Lola Bendana, la présidente torontoise de l'IMIA, aide à coordonner les efforts effectués pour rejoindre les victimes de catastrophes partout dans le monde. L'IMIA est un organisme de revendication, fondé en 1986, voué à la professionnalisation de l'interprétation médicale. Il regroupe 2 000 membres de 11 pays parlant 70 langues. Diplômée du programme de traduction de l'anglais vers l'espagnol du Collège Glendon, Bendana s'oppose habituellement à l'idée du travail gratuit pour les traducteurs et interprètes. Cependant, le travail humanitaire est une exception fondamentale. Par le biais de sa base de données d'interprètes pour le secours des personnes sinistrées, l'IMIA permet aux interprètes médicaux et médicales bénévoles de communiquer avec les ONG et autres organismes oeuvrant en zone sinistrée.
L'initiative est née du séisme haïtien de janvier 2010. Pendant sept semaines, le navire hospitalier Comfort a soigné les sinistrés; cependant, les premiers bénévoles n'avaient pas de formation professionnelle et ne connaissaient pas la terminologie médicale, ce qui a occasionné des ennuis. Donc, la Croix-Rouge a approché l'IMIA pour demander de l'aide. Le séisme et tsunami au Japon en mars 2011 a fourni une autre malheureuse occasion de prêter secours : la représentante japonaise de l'IMIA, Kazumi Takesako, a organisé un groupe d'interprètes bénévoles et a également demandé l'aide des traducteurs. Ces derniers étaient nécessaires à la traduction de documents concernant les problèmes nucléaires à l'installation de Fukushima. Takesako avait juré d'empêcher les tragédies futures semblables à celles d'une mère qui avait perdu son enfant au cours d'un séisme antérieur, parce que les secouristes ne voyaient pas le bébé et ne comprenaient pas ce qu'elle disait pour les avertir.
Most of the time when we picture translation, we may think of cereal boxes, highway signs or various labels and manuals. It may seem like mundane stuff carried out in sterile offices by diligent scholars thumbing voluminous reference books. We may picture interpreters mainly at conferences, covering every conceivable subject from the political to the cultural. However, every once in a while – and with or without capes and phone booths – translators and interpreters can serve a higher purpose: helping to save lives. Whether in disaster zones or aiding NGOs carry out their crucial tasks, linguists play a crucial role in ensuring communication flows freely for those in distress.
To highlight this lesser-known aspect of the business, Glendon College invited two guest speakers in honour of International Translation Day on September 28: Henry Dotterer, founder of the online translation agency Pro-Z and board member of Translators Without Borders; and Lola Bendana, president of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA).
Two Canadians have founded or helped direct organizations to do just that. Lori Thicke, a Torontonian working in Paris, founded Translators Without Borders in 1993 after Doctors Without Borders (MSF) approached her for a quote. She decided to provide the humanitarian work for free. As Henry Dotterer tells it, MSF answered they had a budget to pay the work. Thicke replied that the money could be used to provide more vaccine, which was the subject of the work to be translated.
Since that time, TWB has attracted 678 volunteers to its database. Translators are screened through a rigorous testing process before they gain admission. After that, it's up to the humanitarian organizations and volunteers to find each other and agree on projects. Amongst the NGOs served are Oxfam, MSF, Zafèn, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Enfants du monde and GoodPlanet. After the earthquake in Haïti, volunteers helped translate documents on how to manage clinics where amputations are performed; and how to treat shock and trauma. TWB supports about 40 active clients. Its next mission: to expand into Africa and help build the translation industry there, for local languages as well as better-known ones.
Meanwhile, Lola Bendana, the Toronto-based president of the IMIA, helps coordinate efforts to reach out to disaster victims worldwide. The IMIA is an advocacy organization founded in 1986, representing 70 languages, 2,000 members and 11 countries and dedicated to professionalizing medical interpretation. A Glendon College English-Spanish translation programme graduate, Bendana usually opposes the idea of translators and interpreters working for nothing. However, humanitarian work is a crucial exception. Through its Disaster Relief Interpreter Database, the IMIA puts volunteer medical interpreters in touch with NGOs and other organization working in natural catastrophy zones.
The initiative was born from the Haïti earthquake in January 2010. For seven weeks, the Comfort Hospital Ship ministered to patients; however, the first volunteers were non-professionals who did not have any in-depth knowledge of medical terminology, which proved problematic. As a result, the Red Cross approached the IMIA for help. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 provided another unfortunate opportunity to lend assistance, as Japanase IMIA representative Kazumi Takesako organized a group of volunteer interpreters and reached out to translators as well. The latter were needed to help with documents concerning nuclear problems at the Fukushima plant. Takesako had vowed to prevent tragedies such as the case of a mother in a previous earthquake who lost her baby because rescuers couldn't see the child and couldn't understand her entreaties.
mercredi 7 septembre 2011
I love you, my cabbage, and other sweet nothings
Aside from wildly incorrect translations, another source of amusement for translators and bilingual people at large is the idiosyncrasy of national idioms. In French, the word "idiom" is "idiotisme", which itself sounds like a funny "false friend".
One of my favourites has always been "mon chou" (my cabbage) as a term of endearment in French. True, "chou" can also refer to a pastry, and therefore something sweet and delicious, but I prefer the vegetable explanation. In a similar vein, it's tough to explain why "être dans les choux" (to be in the cabbage) means feeling distant or being in trouble. According to some , the reason is that "chou" sounds like "échouer" (to fail).
Another expression I encountered comparatively later in life was "avoir du chien" (to have some dog). Again a counterintuitive concept, it means to have style, or to be sexy. When I first heard someone use it, however, I thought it meant something like being assertive and energetic. There are different suppositions as to how dogs came to symbolize sexiness. Some report that "dog" was a quality attributed to talented actors in the theatre. Others believe that the association comes from the mischievousness and playfulness of the dog.
One intriguing idiom from Québec is "le bonhomme sept heures" (the 7 o'clock man), a frightening character parents once invoked to get their children to exhibit desired behaviour. As a young girl, I thought this "bonhomme" always had to show up at 7, but in fact the expression as a whole is a contraction of the English term "bone setter". Itinerant doctors would show up to set the broken limbs of patients in various locations. Patients' resultant screams would invariably frighten children, so parents took advantage.
A last example I like is "avoir coiffé Ste-Catherine" (to have styled the head of St. Catherine, as in put on a hat or do the hair), which means to be older than 25 and unmarried. Ste-Catherine's Day is on November 25th, and she is the patron saint of scholars and unmarried women. At one time, my sister and I used to wear our favourite hats and go out on the town to celebrate our single status each 25th of November. It's traditional to eat toffee on that day, which fits the occasion perfectly.
There are, of course, hundreds of entertaining idioms in every language. One that puzzled me in English was "happy as a clam". I didn't understand why clams were so happy. As it turns out, the expression as we know it today is incomplete: originally, it was "happy as a clam at high tide", since then the clams are hidden and tougher to harvest.
English endearments can be just as strange as their French counterparts: why would anyone be flattered by being called a pumpkin? A "sweet nothing" in itself is equally odd, when you think of it.
Meanwhile, I don't mean to "let the cat out of the bag", but the bag in question was supposed to contain a pig obtained in a medieval market place. Dealers would substitute a cat for the pig on display and the shady switcheroo would only be discovered on arrival.
All in all, idioms enrich language even as they often stump the efforts of translators. They certainly lead to entertaining discussions, in any language of choice.
One of my favourites has always been "mon chou" (my cabbage) as a term of endearment in French. True, "chou" can also refer to a pastry, and therefore something sweet and delicious, but I prefer the vegetable explanation. In a similar vein, it's tough to explain why "être dans les choux" (to be in the cabbage) means feeling distant or being in trouble. According to some , the reason is that "chou" sounds like "échouer" (to fail).
Another expression I encountered comparatively later in life was "avoir du chien" (to have some dog). Again a counterintuitive concept, it means to have style, or to be sexy. When I first heard someone use it, however, I thought it meant something like being assertive and energetic. There are different suppositions as to how dogs came to symbolize sexiness. Some report that "dog" was a quality attributed to talented actors in the theatre. Others believe that the association comes from the mischievousness and playfulness of the dog.
One intriguing idiom from Québec is "le bonhomme sept heures" (the 7 o'clock man), a frightening character parents once invoked to get their children to exhibit desired behaviour. As a young girl, I thought this "bonhomme" always had to show up at 7, but in fact the expression as a whole is a contraction of the English term "bone setter". Itinerant doctors would show up to set the broken limbs of patients in various locations. Patients' resultant screams would invariably frighten children, so parents took advantage.
A last example I like is "avoir coiffé Ste-Catherine" (to have styled the head of St. Catherine, as in put on a hat or do the hair), which means to be older than 25 and unmarried. Ste-Catherine's Day is on November 25th, and she is the patron saint of scholars and unmarried women. At one time, my sister and I used to wear our favourite hats and go out on the town to celebrate our single status each 25th of November. It's traditional to eat toffee on that day, which fits the occasion perfectly.
There are, of course, hundreds of entertaining idioms in every language. One that puzzled me in English was "happy as a clam". I didn't understand why clams were so happy. As it turns out, the expression as we know it today is incomplete: originally, it was "happy as a clam at high tide", since then the clams are hidden and tougher to harvest.
English endearments can be just as strange as their French counterparts: why would anyone be flattered by being called a pumpkin? A "sweet nothing" in itself is equally odd, when you think of it.
Meanwhile, I don't mean to "let the cat out of the bag", but the bag in question was supposed to contain a pig obtained in a medieval market place. Dealers would substitute a cat for the pig on display and the shady switcheroo would only be discovered on arrival.
All in all, idioms enrich language even as they often stump the efforts of translators. They certainly lead to entertaining discussions, in any language of choice.
jeudi 23 juin 2011
Vive les verres de terre et chauve-souris de baseball
Parmi les joies de la traduction et de la révision, il y a les perles et les coquilles, la syntaxe ambiguë et les traductions complètement hors contexte.
Le titre en donne deux exemples, tirés d'un client récent. Il existe sûrement des verres de terre, par exemple en céramique. Cependant, ce n'est pas une bonne idée de les rattacher à une canne à pêche. Les poissons pourraient peut-être s'y aventurer, mais y resteront-ils ?
De son côté, la chauve-souris de baseball est probablement beaucoup plus efficace qu'un bâton lorsqu'il s'agit de contrôler la balle. Il ne reste plus qu'à la dresser : voilà le grand défi, puisqu'elle dort le jour. On pourrait dire qu'elle fait comme les ados... qui ne jouent pas forcément, cependant, au baseball pendant la nuit.
De la même sources, je vous propose les perles suivantes, en vous invitant à déchiffrer l'anglais si vous le pouvez :
1) Les dames Jouent au golf des Bouchons
2) La Crise Parfaite
3) Le grand périmètre de tête a pesé du fer
4) Le Golf Plafonne
...
Vous donnez la langue au chat ? Voici la clé du mystère :
1) Ladies Golf Cap
2) The Perfect Fit
3) Large head perimeter weighted iron
4) Golf Caps
Il va sans dire qu'avec des traductions pareilles, je ne devrais jamais manquer de travail.
En terminant, je souhaite célébrer l'ambiguïté en offrant l'expression suivante : « système de musculation pour la porte ».
Après tout, on ne peut jamais avoir de porte trop musclée.
dimanche 12 septembre 2010
Le français et l'anglais langues secondes
Je commence à faire du tutorat d'élèves inscrits en français et en anglais, langue seconde. Étrangement, c'est exactement ce que faisait ma mère, il y a 40 ans.
On dit parfois qu'il est mieux de ne parler que la langue qu'on enseigne, afin d'obliger les élèves à la parler et la comprendre. Cependant, mon avis là-dessus est partagé. Surtout, si les élèves se découragent, cela risque de les démotiver. Si la leçon est trop facile, évidemment,ils s'ennuieront. Cela n'est pas mieux.
Je me trouve donc portée à modifier le matériel régulier utilisé pour les niveaux en question. C'est davantage de travail, mais j'estime que c'est nécessaire.
On dit parfois qu'il est mieux de ne parler que la langue qu'on enseigne, afin d'obliger les élèves à la parler et la comprendre. Cependant, mon avis là-dessus est partagé. Surtout, si les élèves se découragent, cela risque de les démotiver. Si la leçon est trop facile, évidemment,ils s'ennuieront. Cela n'est pas mieux.
Je me trouve donc portée à modifier le matériel régulier utilisé pour les niveaux en question. C'est davantage de travail, mais j'estime que c'est nécessaire.
dimanche 15 août 2010
What's the deal with bilingual signs?
(Une discussion en français est ci-dessous, dans l'article précédent)
Bilingualism has been in the news again in Canada recently, this time with the issue of bilingual signs in Russell and in New Brunswick. Both these areas have significant French-speaking populations. They also have had anglophone backlash.
What's the big deal with bilingual signs, anyway? If it's a question of money, a tax break or subsidy program should fix that quickly for existing businesses. However, the issue raised most often by people who oppose compulsory bilingual signs is freedom of expression.
This angle never comes up in places like Chinatowns. Where I live now, most people are Chinese and South Asian. Their signs all have English translations on them. No one bothers measuring the size of the fonts in either language on the signs. So far, I haven't heard of any complaints on the part of business owners that they have to include English — even though the majority of their customers speak another language. Apparently, they do not feel oppressed by the bilingual nature of their signs. "Freedom of expression" simply doesn't come up.
In response to this argument, many will say "but of course you have to include English! It's the language here!" Yes it is, although it isn't the only one. And Canada is officially bilingual. So: bilingual signs in French and English, especially in those areas that have substantial numbers of both populations, reflect our national heritage.
Our two official languages in Canada reflect our history, if not always our present composition. It's a cultural issue, one of many possible ones. It makes us distinct from both our American neighbours and our British colonizers. Bilingual signs are part of being Canadian.
Bilingualism has been in the news again in Canada recently, this time with the issue of bilingual signs in Russell and in New Brunswick. Both these areas have significant French-speaking populations. They also have had anglophone backlash.
What's the big deal with bilingual signs, anyway? If it's a question of money, a tax break or subsidy program should fix that quickly for existing businesses. However, the issue raised most often by people who oppose compulsory bilingual signs is freedom of expression.
This angle never comes up in places like Chinatowns. Where I live now, most people are Chinese and South Asian. Their signs all have English translations on them. No one bothers measuring the size of the fonts in either language on the signs. So far, I haven't heard of any complaints on the part of business owners that they have to include English — even though the majority of their customers speak another language. Apparently, they do not feel oppressed by the bilingual nature of their signs. "Freedom of expression" simply doesn't come up.
In response to this argument, many will say "but of course you have to include English! It's the language here!" Yes it is, although it isn't the only one. And Canada is officially bilingual. So: bilingual signs in French and English, especially in those areas that have substantial numbers of both populations, reflect our national heritage.
Our two official languages in Canada reflect our history, if not always our present composition. It's a cultural issue, one of many possible ones. It makes us distinct from both our American neighbours and our British colonizers. Bilingual signs are part of being Canadian.
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