Kwa maudhui
Kujibu

Esperanto in the Huffington Post

ya Alkanadi, 1 Machi 2015

Ujumbe: 10

Lugha: English

Alkanadi (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 1 Machi 2015 4:08:31 alasiri

This is really funny. There is a new couch surfing website or something like that called Servas. This is a quote from the article by the Huffington Post:
"Servas" is an Esperanto word that means something like "open doors." It's the best translation we have.
Are they serious. They couldn't just Google it. Doesn't the word sound kinda like the English word serve... Hint hint. Why would they say that it is the best translation that they have. Do they mean that they hired a translator?

Anyway, I have made stupider mistakes in my life.

It is good that Esperanto is getting some free publicity.

Here is the article

vikungen (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 1 Machi 2015 4:43:59 alasiri

It even says on "Servas'" page what it means.. vespiras..

vikungen (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 1 Machi 2015 4:44:06 alasiri

It even says on "Servas'" page what it means.. vespiras..

Tempodivalse (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 1 Machi 2015 5:00:45 alasiri

I was expecting to see some jibe at Esperanto's expense in the article. That didn't happen, so, I can't complain.

Christa627 (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 3 Machi 2015 12:50:42 asubuhi

Alkanadi:This is really funny. There is a new couch surfing website or something like that called Servas. This is a quote from the article by the Huffington Post:
"Servas" is an Esperanto word that means something like "open doors." It's the best translation we have.
Are they serious. They couldn't just Google it. Doesn't the word sound kinda like the English word serve... Hint hint. Why would they say that it is the best translation that they have. Do they mean that they hired a translator?
And according to the website of Movado, a maker of fine Swiss watches, "movado" is Esperanto for "always in motion"; which I guess is more accurate than the above...

RiotNrrd (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 3 Machi 2015 1:55:05 asubuhi

Christa627:And according to the website of Movado, a maker of fine Swiss watches, "movado" is Esperanto for "always in motion"; which I guess is more accurate than the above...
That Swiss watchmakers would value accuracy isn't terribly surprising. ridulo.gif

RiotNrrd (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 3 Machi 2015 2:06:08 asubuhi

It's the best translation we have.

Which is, I'm sure, a perfectly truthful statement. They just left out the part about "...because we didn't expend any effort whatsoever to find out what it actually means".

Alkanadi (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 3 Machi 2015 1:57:08 alasiri

RiotNrrd:It's the best translation we have.

Which is, I'm sure, a perfectly truthful statement. They just left out the part about "...because we didn't expend any effort whatsoever to find out what it actually means".
Exactly. I think they left that part out.

Or maybe, they hired a team of translators who were all scratching their heads in confusion because they don't know how to translate this word. Each translator gave an educated guess about the meaning and then the Huffington Post had to choose the best one. Some of the translators suggested that the word could mean "apple pie" while others suggested that it could also mean "elephant". Luckily someone figured out that it has something to do with the noun "door" and also the verb "open". Alas, they cracked the code: it means "open doors". I think this is really what happened.

They make it seem like Esperanto is so deep, esoteric and ambiguous that it can't be translated to English.

lagtendisto (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 3 Machi 2015 7:57:50 alasiri

Alkanadi:This is really funny. There is a new couch surfing website or something like that called Servas.
New? Servas was founded in 1949.

kaŝperanto (Wasifu wa mtumiaji) 3 Machi 2015 10:52:29 alasiri

vikungen:It even says on "Servas'" page what it means.. vespiras..
That would have required that they leave the home page - way too much effort okulumo.gif

Kurudi juu