Useless, Subman, this joke cannot be translated. ;)

How can that be? The English language is the only language in the world in which you can say exactly how something is. Every other language is not so accurate and typically takes multiple angles to make one. So indulge me on how this cannot be translated!!!! :|\

-S

The german text is like that most people burst in laughing (altjhough it is an old joke over here). You translated precisely word by word, nevertheless there is not the smallest joke in it. That is the difference. It's a word game that does not work in English.

BTW, as a language German is more precise and allows more subtle expressions than English, something that I notice time and again when using the dictionary to get an English translation for something that I know in German only. I often fight in despair with a long multi-word expression I need in English, while in German it is a single, precise adjective only.

That does not mean that I do not like English, I like it very much. But German really is the more complex and precise language. ;)

:D

bs! cough cough! Hmm, you were saying that you have a hard time in translation because of a lack of English skills? :smug:

-S

Here is a quote from Jeff Cooper on the subject of translation:

Sorry about Hijacking your thread kiwi!

-S

I should ask the publishers of dictionaries, maybe. It is them translating a single one-worded German expression into a whole english sentence :lol:

And no, kiwi, I do not apologize to hijack your thread. Anything is better than to stick to depression :smug: And looking at the thread list I conclude this forum is a crazy house, and we all are dumb maniacs. :-j

The problem with chinese (and other Asian languages) is that it is a "nicht-flektierende" language, and it also has not our structure of grammar, and lionear understanding of words. It is totally different and gives us Westerners some trouble. for that reason. but it also is more flexibel. The meaning in chinese is not so much found, in objective terms, but interpreted into it. That's how I understood it when I got it explained by a friend some years ago..

I have often compared poems of English and German origin, especially Sarah Teasdale, and Rainer Maria Rilke, whom I both like very much. I always had the impression, that translating a German poem into English needs more English workarounds, than a translation of an English poem into a German version. The husband of my major English teacher at school was some kind of language professional, I do not remember it excactly, the family had emigrated from Germany to the US (Florida), with that old lady (we loved her!) having returned to Germany. From that source she once told us that English and German vocabularies compared by a number of roughly 550 thousand (Englisch) to 750 thousand (German).

But who cares, both languages are soundign difefrent, but can sound very beautiful., depending on the voice of the person who speaks. Orson Welles reading Edgar Allan Poe at the beginning of the according album by Alan Parson - well, that sounds well, doesn't it?

In general I tend to think English is more pragmatic, German allows more subtle expressions. English is also a bit easier in structure and grammar, I would say.

You keep your head up Kiwi and dwell on the positive things in life. This will all work itself out. One day you will look back and be proud of your accomplishments in life. Speaking of accomplishments, as I remember clearly, you were a very accomplished U-boat captain when we played the multiplayer historical mission. On a number of the historical missions, you scored higher than was historically the case. Get better soon, Erich Topp U-552. P.S. One important thing that a human beings must have in this world, are enough hours of rest in a 24 hour period.

Ouch, in case of depression... no, try not to sleep before you are not seriously tired. Reducing sleep is a well-known antidot in many cases of depressions. DO NOT GO TO BEd UNTIL YOU ARE REALLY HEAVILY TIRED ! And tired means: tired, not just unmotivated, lacking energy, lacking interest, beeing bored. TIRED. In hospital they would send you through 36 or 48 hours without letting you sleep, eventually.

Actually, that's only what they told Skybird. They didn't want him to know he had insomnia. He believes it is perfectly natural to spend 48 hours writing essays, and who knows what would happen if someone told him the truth: "Hey buddy, you need to have a little rest once in a while, you know, sleep and everything, look, your fingers are getting sore, the ink of the letters on your keyboard are fading away, and you are one step away from psychotic bi-writopolasterix* disorder".

I don't want to find out. :doh:

*-German word, no possible translation to English.
:-j :rotfl:

Isn't 4 hours sleep enough for me? :smug: Add 1 hour of meditation to that. :sunny: I can sleep when I have died. Until then - I let the keyboard have it!! :hulk: :rock:

Only 48 hours? Longest I had was 72.5 hours without sleep. That was over 15 years ago though when I was stupid enough to work on fishing boats in AK for a quick buck (did it twice). Bad offload. Almost got killed twice during that offload too. I am still here though! :sunny:

-S

PS. Did I mention that I was in a freezer half that time that was at -60 F? So not only tired, but cold!!! It is actually not half bad at 48 hours though because you become numb to emotion and half brain dead. Anger still works however! :)

I call you the Espresso-man from now on! My longest was around 60 hours, three days and two nights. I was 15 years old or so, and our school-class was on vacation. We used to drink tripleconcentrated Espressos with lots of Advocaat in them. I don't know, but the coffein together with the alcohol and the protein somehow propably did the trick... :hmm:

Avon wrote
:rotfl: Now that made me laugh out loud.

Skybird wrote
Tell me about it, I never sleep, im more like a blardy vampire, i find i can only sleep in short bursts 2-3 hrs at a time, with 10-15 hrs wake but i dont feel exhausted. Well i went with the advice soem of yous pm me and told the doc to give me the medication so im on a 2wk trail and the first day i slept 18 hrs! i actually missed a whole day. Only thing i have a problem with is i dont take much to seriously though with this medication, for instance while playing SH3 last night my lookouts inform me aircarft spotted..... No reaction whatsoeva - plus i dont like the way they look at me now... paraniod. :D