From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 4.0.1 (2024-03-25) on ip-172-31-91-241.ec2.internal X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=3.0 tests=LOTS_OF_MONEY autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=4.0.1 Path: nntp.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: =?UTF-8?Q?Niocl=C3=A1s_P=C3=B3l_Caile=C3=A1n_de_Ghloucester?= Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Wasteful internationalization Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2025 20:17:35 +0200 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Message-ID: <3733c05e-d06c-a058-c79c-bd6624dc0ed1@insomnia247.nl> References: <51p83bF1k9di7U1@mid.individual.net> <3fSth.30294$E02.12318@newsb.telia.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; BOUNDARY="708268602-1006612638-1756577805=:159156" Injection-Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2025 18:17:46 +0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="a0819d33fca20a7118928a255bdfd50d"; logging-data="2923853"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18g2UAMwiDL0znPuO1DCAA2vtcm+pV0KplC9ATZl1K/Bg==" Cancel-Lock: sha1:F4pHk3gKkJ6qB5J4xevbIJm/YoE= In-Reply-To: <3fSth.30294$E02.12318@newsb.telia.net> Content-ID: <56844827-f0e9-7fb7-853c-1da9182c7b5a@insomnia247.nl> Xref: feeder.eternal-september.org comp.lang.ada:67000 List-Id: This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. --708268602-1006612638-1756577805=:159156 Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE Content-ID: On Wed, 24 Jan 2007, Bj=C3=B6rn Persson wrote: |---------------------------------------------------------------------| |"[. . .] If translations are | |bad it's because the translators aren't good enough at what they do."| |---------------------------------------------------------------------| Not always. Languages differ significantly, such that faithful=20 translations can be awkward. |--------------------------------------------------------------------------= --| |"I = | |don't know about Russian translators but good Swedish translators do exist= =2E"| |--------------------------------------------------------------------------= --| So? If we translate "The 21st integer is good." to Swedish and if we=20 properly translate "The 21st century is good." then we get two sentences=20 which differ by strictly one word. But persons who speak Swedish are=20 innumerate so they miscount the 21st century to supposedly be the 20th=20 century. So an interpreter may dumb it down for them by producing a=20 sentence which differs by 2 words instead of by strictly 1, whereas a=20 translator will not. Persons who speak Swedish avoid conjugating in=20 Swedish (and fail occasionally to conjugate in English). Persons who speak= =20 Swedish say =E2=80=9C=C3=A4ger=E2=80=9D when they mean =E2=80=9Cbesitter=E2= =80=9D. So a translator suffers a=20 tricky Catch-22 job! Consider "YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN IN SWEDEN TOO LONG WHEN... 408 reasons and going strong! [. . .] 51. You accept that 80 degrees C in a sauna is chilly, but 20 degrees C=20 outside is freaking hot. [. . .] 64. You think nothing of paying $50 for a bottle of 'cheap' spirits at=20 systembolaget [. . .] 88. You have an uncontrollable urge to mail this list and point out the=20 numbering is incorrect! [. . .] 141. "It's 5 degrees outside" does not necessarily mean PLUS 5, it could=20 mean minus 5. 142. You talk of 10C as "10 degrees cold", when in Australia +10C would=20 be considered cold. And who else calls +1C, "one degree warm"! [. . .] 248. England, Scotland and Wales can all be called England. [. . .] 269. You use the word "or" as a question. [. . .] 355. And paying $800,000 for a 3 room (living room, 2 bedrooms, 2=20 bathrooms, kitchen) house in a suburb of Stockholm seems cheap.> [. . .] =C2=A9 1996 to 2010 Australians Abroad - Aussies in Sweden" said HTTP://WWW.AustraliansAbroad.com/sweden/youknow.html --708268602-1006612638-1756577805=:159156--