LL-L "Humor" 2009.01.19 (02) [E]

Mon Jan 19 20:09:29 UTC 2009

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L O W L A N D S - L - 19 January 2009 - Volume 02
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From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Humor" 2009.01.18 (01) [E]

Brilliant!

Paul

--- On *Sun, 18/1/09, Lowlands-L List <lowlands.list at GMAIL.COM>* wrote:

From: Lowlands-L List <lowlands.list at GMAIL.COM>

Subject: LL-L "Humor" 2009.01.18 (01) [E]

To: LOWLANDS-L at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG

From: Roger Hondshoven <rhondshoven at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Humour" 2009.01.17 (02) [E]

Lost in translation.

*From:* Roger Hondshoven <rhondshoven at yahoo.com>
*To:* LOWLANDS-L at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
*Sent:* Thursday, January 8, 2009 5:08:46 PM
*Subject:* Lost in translation

Hi everybody who is familiar with Dutch,

There's a monthly magazine that is devoted to everything that pertains to
the Dutch language, *Onze Taal.* The latest number, in January, ran under
the title "Engels in het Nederlands". A few authors discussed the topic
borrowings from Dutch in English and vice versa.

There is a very humorous article by Jan Kuitenbrouwer, which I would like to
share with you. It all has to do with literal translation from Dutch into
English. It is one of the weirdest things you can imagine. At first it might
not be so self-evident what Kuitenbrouwer actually means. It takes a bit of
puzzling.  To give you an idea and put you on the right road I inserted a
few examples (between brackets in italics) of what would have been the
original Dutch text. I hope I'm not spoiling the fun..

'Best people!

It is me a great honor and fun to have this occasion to aim the word at you
on this memorable instant, a milepole in the history of our, eh, history.
Never shot is always missed, as the philosopher said, and better one egg in
the hand than ten birds in the sky, but with that sideways, globally
speaking, I think we can be proud, and gay, of what we  have reached today.
Who would have thought that ever there would come a day for you to listen to
a speech that from start to ending was completely farlanguaged (*vertaald**
)* through computer! It's unbelievably! Ah, a simple speech, you say now
perhaps, that's small beer. Maybe, but as they say, he who doesn't honor the
small, isn't worth the large. And 1 insure you, there's still enough that
stands to wait us in the future!

Yesterday, something shot me through the head, that set me to
thinking. (*Gisteren
schoot me iets door het hoofd dat mij aan 't denken zette.**)* In the run of
times, different cultures and different nations have developed different
languages. Different languages, but often with very resembling terms and
understandings. I am not ovendriving when I say that a hope of sayings and
speechwords, by example, are remarkable umformulous in numbers of languages.
But everydayish words as well! Take a word like  *Kleenex.* In practically
all languages in the world, this means 'paper pocket-cloth'! The same price
for (*Hetzelfde geldt voor**) *a word as *ketchup,* that in tenfolds of
languages inside the world is used for a sour-sweet tomato sauce, although
the recepture tends to walk apart. This is no coincident! This is a sunclear
demonstration of the fundamentous universalitude of our worldly
linguistical heritage, thai successively became shredded by the walk of
history and its    centre-escaping forces.

As they say: completed affairs take no turn, but when it goes around
language, the facts appear to be lying different. Because what are we
seeing? We are seeing a diametrical movement, resulting in a counterforce
towards a turnaround in the opposite direction. Yes*,* the several character
of the linguistical worldcard makes place for a new, reunificational,
togethertying movement. It lies for the hand that we are following this
trend with red ears and Argus eyes, and that we are trampling for more
understudy. So let me say: all hens on cover! Work on the shop! Oh sure, we
will come to stand before surprises, there will be vipers below the
marihuana (*adders onder het gras**)*, maybe the monkey won't come out of
the sleeve one-two-three, but this will not beat us out of the field,
because we know; the onkeeper wins. And as J..C. 'Our Saviour has said: the
ball is round, every advantage has its disadvantage  and you can only score
if you make a goal. And only time will learn who will eventually go to iron
with the honor, and who will cry all the way to the sofa, but I give you
this on a note: the ivory Tower of Babylon has had its longest rime! Let's
bring down the walls that divorce us! One world, one language, one
intercourse! The future is laughing at us!

*  *So raise we now the glass, although I hope there is more than one in the
room, haha, and have some toast. Long live the farlanguage computer!

Jan Kuitenbrouwer

Kind regards,

Roger Hondshoven
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