Re: Similar (was: 'useful') languages

En réponse à Florian Rivoal <florian.rivoal@...>:

>
> I have a friend, his is french, and is nearly biligual in english. He
> often makes something i find funny : he uses literal translations of
> english idiomatic expressions in french, which is his own mother
> language!
>
I do that too! I think the problem of being bilingual or nearly bilingual is
that I don't translate anymore, i.e. when speaking English, I don't think in
French and then translate in English, but think directly in English (I even
dream in English :)) ), like a native. So when I have to translate in French
what I've said in English, I tend to keep thinking the words in English and
trying to translate them in French, as if I was a native English speaker! :))
Hence the strange literal translations, which my French is full of when I am in
an English-speaking context.

I admire translators, and specially interpreters. I still can't understand how
they manage to do nearly instantaneous translation without having the
translated language full of literal translations...

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.