9/12/2013

文章?

現在日本語の翻訳に関する本を読んでいる。それによれば、伝統的な日本語文章は特に「始まり」と「終わり=。」がないそうだ。
今風の文章: 「○○は・・・」 ~ 「・・・である。」近代においてヨーロッパ言語の文章を日本語に翻訳された影響で出来たそうだ。

それを別にして、現在漢方に関する文章を翻訳している。頭部におできが出来て、漢方薬の服用で改善されたと言う下りに次の文章が出た:

「そこで、3か月間使用したところ、前額部は消失し、後頭部と頭頂部の丘疹の減少を認めた(写真2)。」

前の話はあるから分かるが、この文章だけを見ると「前額部は消失し」とはとても英語では言えない!その通りに訳せば: "the forehead disappeared ..."
それは惨いことだ。無論即死にも繋がる可能性が大!

この原文を書いた方は言うまでもなく私より遥かに教養のある人。

9/11/2013

New word - "gibberization"

Recently EVERYBODY is talking about "globalization".
On the entire planet everything has to be the same -> "standardized" maybe "globalized" --- if there is such a word. Just one color, one taste, one concept for everybody. The Chinese will be ecstatic!!!

The so-called globalization also brings new/foreign words to the languages of the planet. That is nothing new.
But the mixup of languages resulting in those strange "neologisms" consisting of several parts from different languages, making the language all but unintelligible unless you are a freaky "insider" ...
The situation becomes much worse, if people start to mixup ordinary language with fashionable abbreviations like "LOL" ...

I would like to propose a new word for this trend.
Since "globalization" often leads to "gibberish" ...

How about
        "gibberization"

Term Assist

A littel earlier today I received an advertisement from Proz.com for "Term Assist", something that is supposed to "make your translation easier and faster by helping finding terms".

No offense, but after trying it out A LITTLE, I find it at best "useless".
I set my language combination to Japanese-English.
Select a term.
-> NOT the term selected is displayed, but the different characters taken apart and translation for the individual characters given.
That is NOT what I am looking for.
The given translation are "strange" too.

Apparent "Term Assist" is a Chinese product.

Obviously another example of the "Chinese quality" I have referred to several times before. The kind of "quality" nobody in his or her right mind would spend any money on.

I have seen similar things with "StarDict" - a dictionary software for Linux.
Even considering it being "free" (most of its contents seems to be pirated anyway), that thing too is for me as a translator useless.
I have other software (als FREE!) that works a hundred times better!

9/07/2013

何でも力

「何でも力」・・・ 以前もブログを書いた:
http://transcurio.blogspot.jp/2013/05/blog-post_13.html

今回最近「出会った」私に十分理解出来ない単語を拾ってきた。
何方がその他また面白い物があれば、是非と紹介して下記のリストに書き加えたい。

* 理解力 (ブログ記事の為冗談として私の造語)
* 間抜け力 (ブログ記事の為冗談として私の造語)
- 馬鹿力 (チャントある言葉だと認識している)

以下のものは果たして「チャントした」言葉でしょうか???
責任力
発信力
食事力
精子力
社会人基礎力とは
社会人基礎力
単語力
市民力
地域力
文化力 (http://www.bunka.go.jp/bunkaryoku_project/)
国際力
言語力
毛髪力
漢字力
議員力
経営力
女子力
写真力
自作力
調理力
検索力
教育力
農村力
敬語力
雑弾力
問答力
防災力
親力
匿名力
団結力
本番力
幸せ力
苦悩力

このような言葉はどう思いますか。コメントを書いて下さい。

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9/06/2013

Common sense???

This is nothing new and if there are things that appear strange to me, it is probably because I "just do not get it". And if I am too stupid to "get it", it would probably best to shut up and say nothing.
Yet, I cannot help it ...

The other day there was again one of those "magnificiently strange" job postings on Proz.com. In this case I could not help but write a mail:

Good evening from Japan
Japanese-English translation is what I do for a living in this country (= Japan)for almost 30 years.
HOWEVER
Don't you think:
"Since the volume of the work is very high we need a very minimum quote.
Best quality work required." (quoted from the job post)
that is a contradiction???

If you want to buy high (highest???) quality products - ANY products, anywhere on the world - you will have to pay a higher price than for cheap junk.

A high volume may warrant some discount, but NOT "a minimun rate for best quality work".

But, as I said, I am most likely too stupid to see the logic and reason behind the posting.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
A little later, in a different post it says:
"Only patent translators will be entertained."

WOW! The translators are being pain peanuts, but they are still "entertained". What kind of entertainment will this be??
The author probably meant "will be considered ..."
The proof of the high quality standards of the professional agency ...

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

And yet another one:
"The translator should be a full time freelancer and be able to provide 100% error free quality."

Unfortunately, I can speak only for myself, but "100%" error-free?
I always thought the idiom "nobody is perfect" has appeared in the English speaking cultural sphere PRECISELY because "100%" error-free is NOT possible for "erring humans" -> "to err is human".

Or are they maybe hiring robots and this is another example of me "not getting it" ???