Reading Leyla's story about the three turtles on the thread below gave me an idea. One member commented that the same story existed in his own language, and this got me thinking about a way that we can all have a laugh and help each other at the same time.
http://classic.italki.com/discussion/122404
How about if we start off with a simple little story in one language, and then translate it into another? You can just translate into your own language to give some reading practice for learners of that language. Or, if you're feeling brave, you can try translating into a language that you're studying. Then, hopefully, native speakers of that language can offer some comments and corrections.
Let's see how many languages we can translate the turtle story into. Or, if we get bored of turtles, feel free to start another story.
So, begging Leyla's kind permission, here's the story:
<em>Three turtles. </em>
<em>Three turtles decided to have a cup of coffee. Just as they got into the cafe, it started to rain. The biggest turtle said to the smallest one, "Go home and get the umbrella." The little turtle replied, "I will, if you don't drink my coffee." "We won't," the other two promised. Two years later the big turtle said to the middle turtle, "Well, I guess he isn't coming back, so we might as well drink his coffee." Just then a voice called from outside the door, "If you do, I won't go."</em>
<em>
</em>
I'll start by having a go at putting it into French. Feel free to correct any mistakes I might make.<em>
</em>
Here’s part of the Turtle joke in ASCII
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So... did I 'translate' or 'convert' the story?
Les trois tortues
Trois tortues ont décidé d'aller prendre une tasse de café. Juste au moment qu'elles sont entrées dans le bar, il a commencé à pleuvoir. La plus grande tortue a dit à la plus petite, "Rentre à la maison et va chercher le parapluie." La petite tortue a repondu, "Je le ferai, si vous ne buvez pas mon café." "On ne le fera pas," ont promis les deux autres tortues. Deux ans plus tard, la grande tortue a dit à la tortue de moyenne taille. "Eh bien, je crois qu'il ne reviendra pas, alors on pourrait boire son café, non?" À ce moment-là, une voix leur a appelé de l'autre côté de la porte, "Si vous faites ça, je n'irai pas."
@Richard
You wrote:
Far be it for me to say that anyone is being nitpicky
Do you actually say "Far be it for me?" We have always said "Far be it from me."
By the way, did you know that nits are the eggs or little forms of a louse? (One louse, two lice) So nitpicking would originally mean picking the tiny things out of your hair. :)
I'm surprised to see this thread resurrected after all this time.
Mind you, a year and a half is nothing at all in 'tortoise time', is it? A mere blink of an eye for a tortoise.
In German
Drei Schildkröten beschlossen einen Kaffee zu trinken. Als sie ins Café kamen an, began es zu regnen. Die größte Schildkröte sagte dem kleinste: geh nach Hause und nimm einen Regenschrirm. Die kleine schildkröte antwortete:
-- Ich gehe, wenn du meinen Kaffe nicht trinkst:
-- Wir werden nicht -- die andere zwei versprachen
Zwei jahren später sagte die größte Schildkröte der mittlere Schildkröte
-- Ich glaube er kommt nicht mehr. Dann können wir seinen Kaffee trinken. Dann sagte eine Stimme aus draußen:
-- Wenn du trinkst, gehe ich nicht
In Indonesian
Tiga penyu memutuskan minum secangkir kopi. Ketika mereka ke cafe, mulai hujan. Penyu yang paling besar bilang ke pada yang paling kecil: pergi ke rumah dan ambil satu payung. Penyu yang kecil jawab:
-- Saya akan jika kamu tidak minum kopi saya
-- Kami tidak akan -- tiga yang lain janji
Dua tahun depan penyu yang besar bilang ke pada penyu yang menengah
-- Saya pikir dia tidak akan datang lagi, jadi kita bisa minum kopi nya
Jadi suara bicara dari luar:
Jika kamu minum, saya tidak akan pergi
I wanted to translate to Russian too, but I don't have enough vocabulary ):
Someone corrects my mistakes
