Apparently, there aren't people into language translation on this forum to let this pass...
On Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 11:06 PM, Aaron Hosford <hosfor...@gmail.com> wrote: > I challenge you to describe something in a foreign language that can’t be >> formulated in English? If necessary, I will just incorporate whatever >> foreign word you say into English to make sure I win! Obviously every >> language is English, right? > > There are a very finite number of words and ways of arranging them, and so there is a collection of things that can be said, in a continuum of things that can NOT be said. German partially addresses this by allowing any number of words to be run together to craft a specific meaning. Arabic partially addresses this by abolishing the idea of correct spelling, and encouraging varying spelling for emphasis, e.g. by proceeding ever sooooo slowly. When I traveled to Saudi Arabia, I saw the same English words spelled as many as 3 different ways on the same OFFICIAL documents, along with the ubiquitous red stamp DEATH TO DRUG DEALERS. To see an attempt to do a really good job, just look at any of the translations of the Koran. There, you will see more notes than direct translation, and in reading the notes, it becomes clear that there is a LOT lost in the best possible translation. Of course, even notes have their limitations. You have to be there to understand what there is all about. Different places even smell different. Steve ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-f452e424 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-58d57657 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
