Zompist Phrasebook
am 18.07.2005 von http://transblawg.euDesbladet informs us that the ‘legendary’ Zompist Phrasebook is now available in Dutch (Russian, Italian and Danish are there too): I wish to complain. Gde kniga jalob? Ho …
The given horse if does not look at to it for the tooth
Transblawg / Zompist (Mark Rosenfelder?) says: In 1855 two Portuguese translators, José da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino, produced an English phrasebook so unbelievably bad that it was reprinted for half a century as a masterpiece of hilarity, under the title…
Poetry meme
Transblawg / There’s a meme going around weblogs at the moment that says ‘When you see this, post a bit of poetry in your blog’. (Via Desbladet, dust from a distant sun) I nearly posted part of Huchel’s ‘Wei Dun und die...…
Spelling book aims for high sales
Transblawg / Lynne Truss’ publishers have now published Vivian Cook’s ‘Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary or why can’t anybody spell?’ (I pasted that. I can’t be bothered to misspell). Amazon.co.uk already has a five-star re…
Websters online dictionary - Rosetta edition
Transblawg / What on earth is this ‘dictionary’? Here it is on translator. There are seven pictures of translators, none of which are me. Very bizarre. If you click on ‘references’, you are taken to amazon.com. We know ‘Webster’…
Greeting people in Switzerland / Grüße in der Schweiz
Transblawg / Quote: Was sagen Sie einem Menschen, der im Garten arbeitet? [What do you say to a person who is working in his or her garden?] Older informants: - 4 x ‘Wachst’s?/Wott’s wachse?’ [Are your plants growing?] - 3 x ‘Brav!&#…
Internet directories/Internet-Adressendatenbänke
Transblawg / I have just phoned Kelly in London, since they ignore my emails and I don’t want to get a ‘personal login’. Now they may understand that I don’t sell curtains or tables. The woman promised me that my address will be removed -…
Germans pronouncing Hurrikan
Transblawg / It has been pointed out to me by Anon. of Frankfurt am Main that, as with ‘curry’, German newscasters have difficulty pronouncing ‘Hurrikan’ or ‘hurricane’. Some pronounce it in an acceptable English way, but other…
Software for less plain English
Transblawg / The program WhiteSmoke will ‘enrich’ your English. The demo on the site shows how you can start with a simple sentence like ‘I admire your work’ and finish with a strangely un-English one like ‘I greatly appreciate your…
© 2004-2008 JuraBlogs | Impressum
