OKAY I PROMISE TO TONE DOWN the translations after this one. This is a genuine comment I wrote to Johnny Padilla in Chile, only to translate it back to English:
Hi I am using babelfish to put this to you in Spanish. Thanks much for its commentary. Master obtaining in tact internationally. When I at random press that following button of blog and something comes for above in Spanish, Chinese Portuguese or (those are to a great extent the more popular foreign languages of blogosphere) and I are in right humor, I say hello. But for above until this moment I have had always ashamedly to do it in English. Now it barks "I speak" those languages same! I know that the translations are wonky because I put Shakespeare inside and outside Chinese and I fixed the results for above to blog of today! Easy Tómelo, Gleds
His profile came out rather well from the translator:
My name is Rodrigo. Student of Journalism. I consider myself "special", perhaps different from the rest, or at least nonencounter much people similar to me. This is a reflection of my distorted existence.
You can have fun yourself the Babelfish way! My friend Ruth told me about it. I had dimly heard about some internet translating service but had assumed you'd have to pay for it. Their url is http://babelfish.altavista.com/.
I went to the clinic today as I got ejected yesterday for being too late. Not being in the mood to wear my usual short-sighted goggles (& I don't count myself as a glasses-wearer, as have been on contact lenses for years. Just wanted to give my eyes a break for the past 3 months and have not been round to getting more.) My one and only pair of glasses is broken. So I wander the streets of London resembling a walking percentage sign. I took these glasses off during the appointment. The Worker looked at me with enormous concern and said, "You look really tired." (I look like I've got two black eyes.) I said "yes I am," and have now scored a doctor's appointment for being run-down.
Later on I saw my pal Valium Marilyn, who gave me three beautiful pieces of curried chicken. I did wonder why she was giving this away. Bought boil-in-bag rice from Sainsbury's. Dished up reheated curry with this... She did say, "do you like hot curry". Readers, if you put silver coins on top of this chicken, the spices alone would have melted them to solder. I wiped them off in the gummy overcooked (despite religiously following the instructions) rice. And ate them exceedingly enthusiastically.
Desperate Housewives was on when I logged in tonight. I used to think I liked it. Maybe it's the strain of trying to follow it all on a 2.3 inch TV but something has gone ...
Other news: I ate about 25p worth of Double Gloucester cheese and felt guilty as I only ever by cheese for grating purposes. Usually if I want to eat some I force self to cook a meal and grate it over it, thus precluding eating any more cheese than absolutely necessary. I am very strict with myself on these matters.
Yes in other words practically nothing happened today. But hey it could be worse. I could be yabbering on about how tired I feel ... or dissecting the literary heritage of Danielle Steel!
It's good to see you so enthusiastic about the translations though...please, don't "tone down" anything done with passion and excitement.
ReplyDeleteCurried chicken...I make that. My son likes it really spicy - me, not so much. I'm glad you have friends that look out for you...that's nice.
Good thing to see the doc too...I have two appts. booked in two weeks. Getting a tune up.
You know Gled, Ms. Steele is a neighbor of mine here in San Francisco. I can view her neighborhood from my window. Amazingly, I cannot see her home and it occupies a entire city block she shares with no one. This, I think, is very telling especially given the pickle she found herself in a few years back where she was caught buying parking permits from her neighbors and passing them out to guests so they would have a place on her block to park their cars while in attendance to one of her huge and ever so posh sit down dinners.
ReplyDeleteShe has a reputation here for being a very, very hard task master as a hostess, an icon and a writer of sorts.
Some other time I will tell you the story about an overly imbibed, aging (ergo eccentric) local socialite who missed the ash tray and put her cigarette out on Ms. Steele's brand new über expensive table cloth (for a table that seats fifty or so). If one were to believe there truly are no accidents then what is one to believe of this?
The entitled must surly be strong to endure the relish with which they are unfairly (or not) attributed such urban legends.
It all reminds me of what Yoko Ono once said to Malcom X in a bistro in Rome. "The food is horrible but the waiter's hilarious!"
—Buddy Cole, Kids in the Hall
Hope your spirits are high if nothing else.
WS
Danielle Steele's "literary heritage"???? Gledwood, you must promise me to stop rooting about in the rubbish bins... ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the babel fish tip... I'll trade an author tip for it. Have you ever read any Wilkie Collins?
E
Gledwood, thanks for the comment at the Kay Blog, I will put you on as a link hookup.
ReplyDeletehey u ate so much cheese? :)
ReplyDeleteHappy V-day to ya!
Keshi.
Hey, I'm back! This entry is making me hungry. Can't wait to get to the UK next week; I'm sure my mates will take me out for a curry while I'm there. Best of luck with the doctor's appointment -- make sure he listens to you. (I've npoticed that doctors seem rushed and rarely listen well ...)
ReplyDeleteOK, not a Babelfish translation but a true cock up made by a German tourist in London whilst waiting for a bus. What he wanted to say was
ReplyDelete"excuse me. I don't know what the custom here in England is, must I wait in a que?"
WHAT came out was "Excuse you, I know me not here out, must I stand here snake?"
Not suprising realy as the german for this phrase goes "entshuldigung sie, (excuse you) ich weiss mir nicht hieraus, ( I know me not here out) muss ich heir schlange stehen?" (must I stand here snake?)
Footnote:
In germany one stands in a "snake" not a que!