Questions About Language Conventions

StarDotJPG · 01-19-2007, 03:01 PM

I'm trying to learn Esperanto, and I'm not horrible at it, but I don't really have a "teacher" so much as a bookmark collection of online dictionaries and Esperanto courses. There really isn't much anybody to answer the real questions of language.

Anyway, I know that if I want to translate something about a green lantern, I would use the term "verda lanterno." However, how would I translate the title of the superhero Green Lantern? Would I call him "Green Lantern" in the middle of an Esperanto sentence? Somehow, that sounds awkward, as it doesn't fit with the grammar of the language. But "Verda Lanterno" isn't what he is called. There's always the third option of Esperanto-izing the English terms into "Greena Lanterno" ...but that just couldn't be right.

Does anyone know the standard convention for this?

chiara410 · 01-19-2007, 07:12 PM

as far as i know the standard convention is translating the words in esperanto.
for example: windows is vindozo, linus is linukso, vikipedia is vikipedio etc...
i've read a lot of stuff in esperanto and i've never seen any English/French/German or any other "foreign" language in it.
so i guess you should say Verda Lanterno.
anyone else out there confirms/denies....?

kiom ajn mi scias la vortojn kutime estas tradukitaj en esperanto.
ekzemple: windows estas vindozo, linus estas linukso, vikipedia estas vikipedio ktp.
mi legis multajn aj'ojn en esperanto kaj mi neniam vidis anglan/francan/germanan vortojn en mezo de esperanta frazo!
do mi pensas ke vi devus skribi "Verda Lanterno".
c'u iu povas konfirmi/negi....?

LePandaRoux · 01-20-2007, 01:30 AM

I can't confirm, but, personnaly, I would totally trust Chiara

StarDotJPG · 01-21-2007, 05:08 PM

But that's exactly where it get's tricky.

Windows is translated into Vindozo, which is basically a verbal equivalent. To TRULY translate the actual word "windows," you would get "fenestroj." The "direct translation" doesn't exactly jive, but at the same time, "Grina Lanterno" doesn't sound quite right.

And LePandaRoux, I'm sure Chiara is a respected member of the community, and I don't mean to offend anyone by not trusting him, but to me, his answer doesn't make a lot of sense.

But, just like you, I am here to learn. That is why I asked the question. I just want to be absolutely certain.

LePandaRoux · 01-21-2007, 07:54 PM

Maybe, and it's just kind of a guess, but Windows is a really well known "thing"... At the same time, it's a computer word, and because of that, it could have been translated specially by Esperantist around the Internet.

Internet is a weird phenomenon, bringing people from everywhere in the world together. So is Esperanto. Mixted together, these two "phenomenons" could have been needing a special treatment for the translation of certain things.

I don't have any specific reason to think that, it's just the way I see it... but still, I'm just a begginer so...

If you wanna try, go to lernu.net and try to ask people over there, normally, they are really good with Esperanto and it seems to be THE site to know when learning this language. There's people from universities out there, they prolly can help you.

chiara410 · 01-22-2007, 07:01 AM

ok, i might be wrong but i've been reading loads of stuff in Esperanto over the years and every single word is always in Esperanto... never seen any other language mixed with it. I guess this means something.
"Windows" was just the first word that came to my mind, but i think it fits...
If we used "foreign" words in Esperanto we would say "Windows", but we don't.
Just wanted to say that, according to my experience, everything is always translated into Esperanto. But again, i might be wrong.
.... and why using English words in Esperanto? Why not translating Green Lantern into Esperanto? Maybe it doesn't sound right to English native speakers, but to others Green Lantern would sound weird in the middle of an Esperanto sentence.
just my two cents.
btw i'm a "she" not a "he".
Gis revido !

StarDotJPG · 01-26-2007, 01:06 AM

Yeah, I guess I'll use Verda Lanterno. I suppose the absense of words from other languages is the cost of a language with no exceptions to the rules. It is for the best.

And my apologies for the gender mix-up.

Dankon ĝis.

01-19-2007, 03:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
StarDotJPG Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3 StarDotJPG is an unknown character at this point	Questions About Language Conventions I'm trying to learn Esperanto, and I'm not horrible at it, but I don't really have a "teacher" so much as a bookmark collection of online dictionaries and Esperanto courses. There really isn't much anybody to answer the real questions of language. Anyway, I know that if I want to translate something about a green lantern, I would use the term "verda lanterno." However, how would I translate the title of the superhero Green Lantern? Would I call him "Green Lantern" in the middle of an Esperanto sentence? Somehow, that sounds awkward, as it doesn't fit with the grammar of the language. But "Verda Lanterno" isn't what he is called. There's always the third option of Esperanto-izing the English terms into "Greena Lanterno" ...but that just couldn't be right. Does anyone know the standard convention for this?
(Offline)

01-19-2007, 07:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
chiara410 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 214 chiara410 is learning to walk	as far as i know the standard convention is translating the words in esperanto. for example: windows is vindozo, linus is linukso, vikipedia is vikipedio etc... i've read a lot of stuff in esperanto and i've never seen any English/French/German or any other "foreign" language in it. so i guess you should say Verda Lanterno. anyone else out there confirms/denies....? kiom ajn mi scias la vortojn kutime estas tradukitaj en esperanto. ekzemple: windows estas vindozo, linus estas linukso, vikipedia estas vikipedio ktp. mi legis multajn aj'ojn en esperanto kaj mi neniam vidis anglan/francan/germanan vortojn en mezo de esperanta frazo! do mi pensas ke vi devus skribi "Verda Lanterno". c'u iu povas konfirmi/negi....? __________________ Et in arcadia ego
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01-20-2007, 01:30 AM	#3 (permalink)
LePandaRoux TheRedPanda Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Québec city Posts: 28 LePandaRoux is an unknown character at this point	I can't confirm, but, personnaly, I would totally trust Chiara __________________ N'hésitez jamais à me corriger; je suis ici pour apprendre. Never hesitate to correct me; I'm here to learn. Bonvolu korekti min; mi volas lerni.
(Offline)

01-21-2007, 05:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
StarDotJPG Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3 StarDotJPG is an unknown character at this point	But that's exactly where it get's tricky. Windows is translated into Vindozo, which is basically a verbal equivalent. To TRULY translate the actual word "windows," you would get "fenestroj." The "direct translation" doesn't exactly jive, but at the same time, "Grina Lanterno" doesn't sound quite right. And LePandaRoux, I'm sure Chiara is a respected member of the community, and I don't mean to offend anyone by not trusting him, but to me, his answer doesn't make a lot of sense. But, just like you, I am here to learn. That is why I asked the question. I just want to be absolutely certain.
(Offline)

01-21-2007, 07:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
LePandaRoux TheRedPanda Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Québec city Posts: 28 LePandaRoux is an unknown character at this point	Maybe, and it's just kind of a guess, but Windows is a really well known "thing"... At the same time, it's a computer word, and because of that, it could have been translated specially by Esperantist around the Internet. Internet is a weird phenomenon, bringing people from everywhere in the world together. So is Esperanto. Mixted together, these two "phenomenons" could have been needing a special treatment for the translation of certain things. I don't have any specific reason to think that, it's just the way I see it... but still, I'm just a begginer so... If you wanna try, go to lernu.net and try to ask people over there, normally, they are really good with Esperanto and it seems to be THE site to know when learning this language. There's people from universities out there, they prolly can help you. __________________ N'hésitez jamais à me corriger; je suis ici pour apprendre. Never hesitate to correct me; I'm here to learn. Bonvolu korekti min; mi volas lerni.
(Offline)

01-22-2007, 07:01 AM	#6 (permalink)
chiara410 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 214 chiara410 is learning to walk	ok, i might be wrong but i've been reading loads of stuff in Esperanto over the years and every single word is always in Esperanto... never seen any other language mixed with it. I guess this means something. "Windows" was just the first word that came to my mind, but i think it fits... If we used "foreign" words in Esperanto we would say "Windows", but we don't. Just wanted to say that, according to my experience, everything is always translated into Esperanto. But again, i might be wrong. .... and why using English words in Esperanto? Why not translating Green Lantern into Esperanto? Maybe it doesn't sound right to English native speakers, but to others Green Lantern would sound weird in the middle of an Esperanto sentence. just my two cents. btw i'm a "she" not a "he". Gis revido ! __________________ Et in arcadia ego
(Offline)

01-26-2007, 01:06 AM	#7 (permalink)
StarDotJPG Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3 StarDotJPG is an unknown character at this point	Yeah, I guess I'll use Verda Lanterno. I suppose the absense of words from other languages is the cost of a language with no exceptions to the rules. It is for the best. And my apologies for the gender mix-up. Dankon ĝis.
(Offline)

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