Week update

[jack]

Monday pizza

The major topic of conversation was "How do you translate spotted dick into spanish," with a side order of "The Afmaelisdagr is on 28/29 jan."

- "Spotted dick," The name is entirely meaningless, so when you're talking about the english dish, you might as well treat it as a proper name/loanword.
- "Polla Manchado." A fairly literal translation (if I happen to remember it correctly) that *sounds* like chicken.
- "Dick Manchado." Translate fairly directly, assuming 'dick' has lost all meaning, but 'spotted' is relevant.
- To a word for pudding, if that's all that's important to what you're saying.
- To a name of a suggestive sounding spanish pudding, if you're eg, translating a novel where the humour is important.
- To "English Sultana Pudding" or something completely different if you -- for some reason -- wish to try to serve it on a spanish restaurant menu.
- Any way, with a little footnote. Or expand it out.

Tuesday, games evening. I did badly at Samurai. Acceptably at Articulate. And eventually won an insanely drawn out game of magic. I dither too much, and aren't familiar enough to know what can be taken for granted, but eventually wore people down.

During the game, I think I drew or played exactly one creature, and caused damage pretty much only with galvanic arc (three points burn when played). I can't help wonder what life would be like for that mage. Alone, except for a large number of copies of herself, and a large number of enchantments, single handedly holding off lots of evil enchantments. But eventually we reached the point where she kept causing enough damage that I slipped through the cracks.

It's a very "three gunmen" sort of thing. When you have three players, whoever kills someone will generally be immediately targeted by the other, so there's a lot of holding off waiting for a big kill. unless you think you're going to lose anyway.

Wednesday, office party

These are never promising, but it was fun. I enjoyed talking to Katie, was sat near people from work I get on with, the food was fairly good, the hotel was shiny, the beer was good, I spoke to everyone, danced for a bit, and weaved home safely. Again, memo: still not everyone is bi. Innuendo mayn't mean what you would assume.

Thursday, evening in

I've almost forgotten what these are like. What do I do? I can write, or spod, but I do that anyway. I could phone someone, but it's got late. I tidied my flat a bit, but I like to do it in bits.

But I settled down with a book from the "read soon" pile, and watched a spot of TV, and everything was fine. And I was in bed by 1, though not 11, as I'd hoped. But still, more sleep than I've had in a while.

Coming up this Weekend

Theathon, King Kong, and Justin's Digital Projector Party

Comments

[atreic.livejournal.com]

with a side order of "The Afmaelisdagr is on 28/29 jan

You know, it might be good to tell Jómsborg this instead of just hoping they read your LJ ;-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Indeed, the last choke point being the reeve isn't on the cusfs mailing lists: ask me again tomorrow.

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

*boing* Have you ever read Le Ton Beau de Marot? Professor Hofstadter doesn't actually touch on the subject of spotted dick as such, but he covers all the kind of translation issues you're talking about.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

No, but I read some of his articles about it -- he and Umberto Eco are who I always think of about translation.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

"Pudding to make you fat for a cold winter".

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

Justin's Digital Projector Party

I didn't know you were a Digital Projector...

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I had to read it several times to get what you meant. I wondered if you disliked my apostrophy or something. That's not a party for digital projectors, but a party *themed* on digital projector. Or perhaps, in honour of one specific projector.

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

I wondered if you disliked my apostrophy or something

Yes, would be far better in a different font.


Or perhaps, in honour of one specific projector.

Justin's Digital Projector?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Justin's Digital Projector?

What else might I have meant?

[mhw.livejournal.com]

I think it would be better left untranslated as a loanword, because any translation is going to be unwieldy. "English steamed suet pudding with sultanas" – "Inglesa empañado sebo budín con sultanato"?

To a name of a suggestive sounding spanish pudding

Are there any innuendo-laden Spanish puddings?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I don't know if there are, but it depends on the level of the translation. If you were translating a novel, you might change the conversation to be about something other than food entirely, if the sense of humour of the narrator was the point.

Suggestions for suggestive spanish puddings welcomed, though. Surely *they* *must* have some? :)