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Favorite Trivia – FOREIGN LANGUAGE
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| “Selecting the best translations was difficult. Seamus Heaney once wrote that the key to translation is to recreate ‘tone’ and ‘tune.’ I undertook to find those poems which most closely approximated Hernández’s original tone and tune, without sacrificing the original meaning. Ironically, some of the most literal translations available are also some of the worst. The syntax of Spanish is entirely different from that of English, but it is more than a simple matter of grammar. Latino poet Alberto Ríos once wrote:
“‘In English, one says, I dropped the glass, should such a thing happen. It is an I-centered instance, rugged individualism in its smallest moment. In Spanish, one says, “Se me calló el vaso,” which means “The glass, it fell from me.” This is a different world view, a way of accommodating the world, of living with it instead of changing it.’ “…The rhythm is different. The sentence structure is often periodic. As in many romance languages, internal rhymes are pervasive. That adjectives follow nouns in Spanish and carry masculine or feminine endings makes it much easier to achieve end rhymes. Often the translator must decided whether to render rhythm or rhyme, exact meaning or mood. These decisions are especially complex when translating the poems composed in form, but the best translators seem to resolve such conflicts with ease.” [preface] The Selected Poems of Miguel Hernandez: A bilingual edition, ed. by Ted Genoways |
| aware – the special poignancy one feels while enjoying ephemeral beauty (Japanese)
débrouillard – making the best of a bad situation (French) feng shui – (literally wind and water) – ancient Chinese art of placement. The goal is to enhance the flow of chi (life force or spiritual energy), and to create harmonious environments that support health, beckon wealth and invite happiness. (Chinese) lares and penates – household goods (Latin) mi sentido pésame – sorry for your loss; my regrets; my sympathies (Spanish) ostranenie – when an artist makes the familiar seem strange so that it can be seen freshly (Russian) por fin llegó el viernes – thank god it’s Friday (Spanish) tokonoma – an alcove in a traditional Japanese home used to display one or two decorative objects at a time. the chosen items reflect the season and evoke an appreciate for both art and nature. (Japanese) qui vivra verra – who lives will see; live and learn (French) sophrosye – appreciation of moderation, a temperate way of life (Greek) tout ça pour ça – all this for this? or all that for this? (French) wabi-sabi – acceptance of transience and imperfection; nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect; art: flawed beauty (Japanese) Wu wei – effortless action; act without acting, do without doing; let your actions flow (Chinese: Lao-Tzu) |
| “Apparently one reason for the queer phraseology that translated Russian speeches often have is that Russian contains so large a vocabulary of abusive words that English equivalents do not exist.”
George Orwell’s Diaries – George Orwell |
Did you know that ALL Japanese words end in a vowel or the letter “n” (Japan, for instance)?
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The Hawaiian language was an oral tradition. The Hawaiian alphabet (piapa), was written by 19th century missionaries. The alphabet contains only 12 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w).
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