Apparently, that 'English as it is broken' book has been topping the charts at our local bookstores. Actually, I'm not too interested in that book but this other one may be worth getting my hands on. The article about it, as published in Saturday's (1 Sept) ST:
Joo Ji-hoon fared much better post Goong. I caught him a few times in Mawang where he did well as a troubled and sinister guy who instigated a number of murders. However, I don't like psychological thrillers so it was great when Capital Scandal replaced it.
In the world of international diplomacy, the best-chosen words or phrases can leave an audience laughing, bewildered or simply lost in translation, an insider has revealed.
Undiplomatic Activities, a yet-to-be-launched book by Mr Richard Woolcott, who ran Australia's foreign service for four years, points to the pitfalls of translating thoughts into different languages.
Undiplomatic Activities, a yet-to-be-launched book by Mr Richard Woolcott, who ran Australia's foreign service for four years, points to the pitfalls of translating thoughts into different languages.
Take the Australian diplomat in France who tried to tell his audience that as he looked back on his career, it was divided in two parts, with dull postings before life in Paris.
'When I look at my backside, I find it is divided into two parts,' Mr Woolcott quoted the diplomat as telling his highly amused audience.
'When I look at my backside, I find it is divided into two parts,' Mr Woolcott quoted the diplomat as telling his highly amused audience.
Ex-Australian prime minister Bob Hawke left his Japanese audience bewildered when he used the Australian colloquial phrase 'I am not here to play funny buggers' to dismiss a trivial and pesky question from lawmakers.
The Japanese interpreters 'went into a huddle to consult on the best way to render 'funny buggers' into Japanese', he wrote.
Their translation: 'I am not here to play laughing homosexuals with you.'
The Japanese interpreters 'went into a huddle to consult on the best way to render 'funny buggers' into Japanese', he wrote.
Their translation: 'I am not here to play laughing homosexuals with you.'
Australia's Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd is regarded as a master of Mandarin. But his language skills were far from perfect when, as a diplomat in 1984, he interpreted his ambassador's speech on the close relationship Australia and China enjoyed.
'Australia and China are enjoying simultaneous orgasms in their relationship,' he apparently told the audience in Mandarin.
'Australia and China are enjoying simultaneous orgasms in their relationship,' he apparently told the audience in Mandarin.
Mr Woolcott said the best interpretations sometimes involved no translation at all, like what happened when an Asian minister told a long joke at a banquet in Seoul.
'The Korean interpreter was lost, but did not show it. He uttered a few sentences and the audience laughed and applauded,' he wrote.
After being complimented on his translation skills, the interpreter confessed: 'Frankly, minister, I did not understand your joke, so I said in Korean that the minister has told his obligatory joke, would you all please laugh heartily and applaud.'
'The Korean interpreter was lost, but did not show it. He uttered a few sentences and the audience laughed and applauded,' he wrote.
After being complimented on his translation skills, the interpreter confessed: 'Frankly, minister, I did not understand your joke, so I said in Korean that the minister has told his obligatory joke, would you all please laugh heartily and applaud.'
Ha ha, cute.
On translations, I recently finished Man of the Vineyard. The DVD set is made for the China market and the English subtitles (well, at least there are English subtitles!) are really something to behold and often more entertaining than the show itself. Apart from the more minor ones like 'My arm is very sour' (after plucking grapes) and 'We have to grasp thief', for some reason, 'I' and 'she' were almost always translated as 'he'. Then there were some totally incomprehensible lines and others which you have to think about for a bit before you get what they are saying.
An example: Yoon Eun-hye was comparing the doctor she had a crush on with the guy from the vineyard and said, 'How can hanburg matches souce soup?' I figured 'hanburg' is 'hamburger' but I don't know what 'souce soup' is. But she was saying something like how can the uncouth grape guy (hamburger) be compared with the refined doctor (souce soup, whatever it is).
Anyway, I enjoyed the rural setting which, for once, was not on Jeju Island. However, the
show was at best average. Yoon Eun-hye's character and situation were too 
much like what they were in Goong. I was also disappointed that she totally gave up her dream of being a fashion designer at the end of the show. Anyway, I thought she was more compatible with the doctor (right), and I don't know why everyone kept saying he wasn't suitable for her. Even she herself couldn't explain why she liked the grape guy in the end. And they really should have given him a better hairstyle (left).
show was at best average. Yoon Eun-hye's character and situation were too 
much like what they were in Goong. I was also disappointed that she totally gave up her dream of being a fashion designer at the end of the show. Anyway, I thought she was more compatible with the doctor (right), and I don't know why everyone kept saying he wasn't suitable for her. Even she herself couldn't explain why she liked the grape guy in the end. And they really should have given him a better hairstyle (left). 
Joo Ji-hoon fared much better post Goong. I caught him a few times in Mawang where he did well as a troubled and sinister guy who instigated a number of murders. However, I don't like psychological thrillers so it was great when Capital Scandal replaced it. Vineyard pics from here.
Mawang pic from here.
Comments
Do look out for the book!
Victor,
That's a good one, Elvis Priestly! But it's his name, so they don't have to translate, right?! They just need to copy it, what. Maybe they thought the original was wrongly spelt.