David on TEFL Smiler asks:
bq. Finally, for the moment here’s a totally unrelated question: shirts have sleeves, right? But what about jumpers? I say they have arms, whereas someone I know here (from London) insists that they have sleeves, just like shirts. Any thoughts?
And here’s the rub: two of his commenters actually agree with him!
This is almost as bad as Germans calling a sleeveless (armless?) jumper a Pullunder.
Is it correct to translate ‘Quel jeu doit-on jouer vis-à-vis des autorités de Californie?’ as ‘What game must we play with the California authorities?’
This question came up for consideration by a United States District Judge recently. He certainly felt competent to answer the question with the help of a bilingual dictionary (I think I could work twice as fast if I had the self-confidence about legal translation that some judges have). I can’t really judge this French, though.
bq. 10/02/2005 : John Garamendi, vs. Altus Finance S.A., et al. – Order Denying MAAF’s Motion to Preclude the French Phrase “Quel jeu Doit-on Jouer Vis-a-Vis Des Autorities De Californie?” as Used in Mr. Simonet’s Notes From Being Translated as “What Game Must We Play With the California Authorities?” [Motion 12] Case No. CV 99-2829 AHM (CWx)
Eugene Volokh writes that French will never rise to the importance of Yiddish in court opinions. Here is a paper on that subject by Volokh and Judge Alex Kozinski
bq. The more likely explanation is that Yiddish is quickly supplanting Latin as the spice in American legal argot. As recently as 1970, a federal court not only felt the need to define “bagels”; it misdefined them, calling them “hard rolls shaped like doughnuts.” All right-thinking people know good bagels are rather soft. (Day-old bagels are rather hard, but right-thinking people do not eat day-olds, even when they are only 10 cents each.) Weve come a long way since then.
(Thanks to Chris Durban. Netlex blog (French)
Familien-Landhotel Moerisch, Towersuite/Chimneysuite:
bq. Elegant suite with Italian style furniture in the 3rd cane, large living room, equipped with minus bar, desk, telephone, internet connection, safe, Sat-TV, south balcony. Bathroom with Whirlbowl and large panorama window, divided shower, WC, make-up mirror and hair blower. The bedroom is in the terminated upwards and controls Sat-TV.
Furthermore in that upwards: infrared sauna, shower and extra WC… One grants himself otherwise naught….
bq. My grandfather Sigismund Eduard opened an inn with a Gemischtwarenhandel with its woman Elisabeth in the between wartime and he managed the agriculture. My father Sigismund Albert in the year 1955 harbored the first guests – at that time yet as a bachelor with its mother. Instead of large bathroom, there were Waschschuesseln and water pitcher at the room.
But Power Walking should not have become Power Whale King, should it? Or Golfpauschale Gulf Lump Sum. Or die verschiedensten Wanderwege as the most deceased.
These are German Advent tablecloths. You don’t often see them except in December. Each of the four corners stands for one of the four Sundays in Advent. At the end of the day, the corner for that Sunday is ceremonially burnt, so after the fourth Sunday, there is only a charred heap remaining, and at the beginning of January embroidery starts on the one for the following December.
I missed this German Identikit picture when it was first produced in 1991.
The Civil Partnerships Act came into force in the UK on December 5 – after a period of notice, the first ceremonies will take place in England and Wales on December 21, and in Scotland on December 20. (The Guardian). This is not a marriage, but it contains most of the rights associated with marriage. Another Guardian article:
bq. Gay couples who register as civil partners will take on the obligation to support each other financially, even after the relationship ends. To split, they will have to go through a “divorce” process, with the courts dividing up the assets regardless of ownership if they fail to reach a settlement. They will be exempt from inheritance tax when the first partner dies, and will have the same pension rights as married couples.