The Alternative Dictionaries contain swear words and rude expressions in a multitude of languages. There are some inaccuracies in the Hebrew dictionary, but it's still pretty cool. And potentially quite useful for translators.
Link via it's all one thing.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
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3 comments:
No! Stop! Don't point translators at that list!
If you want to curse someone out in another language, use an internet forum, newsgroup or mailing list to locate a native of that culture who is sufficiently rude for your taste, and *ask* them. There are enough inaccuracies in the languages accessible to me on that list to make the translator come out looking like a fool.
(this has been a public service announcement)
Obviously, it's innacurate, and I certainly wouldn't rely on it.
I do, however, think it could be useful as a cross-referencing tool.
Sometimes, you run across a term, and you don't even know what language or region it's from. Anything that helps locate it is helpful at that point.
I trust translators will use their judgement. I certainly try to use mine. And translators who wouldn't use their judgement in using a source such as this... well, I doubt they'd use their judgement at all in their work.
Next time we meet (which may be in some odd place and time) I'll regale you with as many hours as you can stand of stories about people who call themselves translators and actually use that sort of resource-ish thing as gospel, dictionary, and divine inspiration, rolled into one.
And these are all people who consider themselves to be full-time translators. It's enough to make my hair stand on end. (Recent pics, which will demonstrate the extent of the difficulty implied in the above, are being emailed as we speak.)
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