I want to chime in here with my experience regarding German translastions....
About five years ago, a new couple bought the house next-door. My DH quickly learned that *he* was a German citizen, while *she* was a US citizen who had majored in German in college and had had several jobs as a translator for the US Government before meeting her husband and moving to our town. So I was very excited about the prospect of having some of my German texts translated!!! Long story, short.... As both of them acknowledged, German is a very "impoverished" language, meaning that one word can be used to mean a multitude of things. Thus, "schlag" can be interpreted as something associated with cream! When I explained what I wanted, and they responded with delightfully gracious hospitality, my DH and I arrived on their doorstep one Sunday afternoon, with book in hand. It did not take long for both of them to realize that the language of lacemakers in Germany is like a secret code!! The American (woman) translated things literally, explaining various "options", and between the two of us, we were able to sort out a number of the descriptions in the book... But we were far short of being satisfied. Eager to be useful, the German (male) picked up his cell phone, and the next thing I knew, he was chatting with his mother in Germany. They had a long and animated discussion!! He read from the book, and he told her (goodness knows what!) about what his neighbor was attempting... And she was not familiar with the terms at all, not having been exposed to lacemaking. So the bottom line was that even for Germans, the descriptions in books which are written in German do not necessarily make a lot of sense! It would seem that people in Germany, who learn to make lace, learn it first from a "live person" who teaches them the vocabulary, and from there, they are able to progress with books. Hmmmmm...... that sounds familiar!! Here in the US, we're constantly telling people to find a guild or a teacher. And that this or that book is helpful AFTER you've learned the basics. So... There's nothing new in all the world. Clay Clay Blackwell Lynchburg, VA, USA -------------- Original message -------------- From: Steph Peters <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > On Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:48:55 +0100, Carol wrote: > >I have also boughtthis book, and love the prickings. But - although there > >is a list of suppliers of the metal shapes into which to place the lace, at > >the back of the book (at least, I think that's what it is!) my German is > >practically non-existent! (I did Latin and Greek at school - and how > >useful they both are nowadays!) So - I will be using the 'TRanslator' > >services on the Internet - and will hope that what I rceive is just what I > >was asking for. > Carol, write to the German suppliers in English. A lot of them will be able > to understand, and the rest will be able to find someone else to help them > out with English. The automatic translation machines on the internet can > make a dreadful mess of something like lace with specialist vocabulary. For > instance the German word for stitch is "Schlag" which is from the verb > schlagen, whose normal meaning is to hit. When making lace on a roll pillow > the bobbins hit the pillow, so it's logical. But the most frequent use for > the noun from schlagen is Schlagsahne, whipped cream, so a stitch can get > translated as cream. The German suppliers will be able to do a lot better > than anything automatic. > -- > Money can't buy everything. That's what credit cards are for. > Steph Peters [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
