When no doesn’t mean no

Some time ago John Reed shot me a message suggesting a post on expletive no in Spanish. It’s an interesting topic and a good one to summarize.

Which no are we talking about?

“Hasta que no existan precios asequibles, no habrá vuelos comerciales a la luna.”

Of course, all of us who speak or work in Spanish are clear on the fact that only the second “no” actually means no. So what’s the deal with the first “no”?

If it doesn’t mean no, then what does it mean?

The additional no does not contribute meaning, but rather offers a greater expressive value to the phrase. It’s similar to the use of a él in the sentence Le dijo a él que vendría. (Example from El País) Since we have the clitic pronoun le, the phrase a él is redundant… and yet there are occasions when the we want both.

Well, sometimes we want more than one negative term in phrase.

Why does it exist?

Instances of modern day expletive negation are a holdover from this Old Spanish requirement of pre-verbal negation.

This ambiguous no comes from a change in the negation system of Spanish around the fifteenth century.  Spanish had required the use of pre-verbal negation and negative words or phrases functioned as negative polarity items–they came with a no. So, for example, ni phrases need a pre-verbal no.

Ex: No vivo [ni en Bhutan ni en Madagascar].

Around the 15th century, the language changed and these negative phrases no longer needed a no, and when that additional bit of negation was used, it was used for emphasis as part of the general use of negative concord.

If we have Old Spanish experts out there with more details, please feel free to enlighten us!

A podcast for translators

A fellow translator and twitter friend, Celine, tweeted a link to a podcast on  free and open source software for translators.Well, I had a listen and decided to subscribe.

The podcast is Speaking of Translation and the hosts are Eve Bodeux and Corinne McKay. I don’t know them, but I’m glad to have found their show. It’s useful. It looks like they’ve just started–this is their 6th episode. It lasts about 25 minutes. Here are some titles to give you an idea of what they talk about.

Episode 6 – Free and Open Source Software for Translators

Episode 5 – Leverage Payment Methods to keep the Most Money in your Pockets

Episode 2d – New Media for Translators…

Anyway, I’m looking forward to this new podcast, so I wanted to share it with you. Let me know what you think of it.

Updates on useful links

Here are a few new additions to the Useful tab:

• I’ve added a link to the reference material section called Technical English Spanish vocabulary. It’s great for engineering specs and the like.

• There’s also a new category for tools with a word count site that works for PDF, HTML, XML, CSV, and text files.

If you have useful links to share, let us know in the comments!

English-Spanish Dictionary

How in the world do you say that?

James Reed has gotten a hold of a sizable English-Spanish dictionary of business, technological, and legal terminology.

It’s a PDF, so everyone should be able to download it easily. Buy it here.

It’s a  2,545 page dictionary by Jaime Aguirre, each page with four columns.

This dictionary is not kidding! It’s now part of my arsenal.

Oh, and before anyone asks, no one asked me to post this, nor is this an affiliate link. I receive nothing at all in return–that’s the sort of thing I would disclose to you.

This link is posted as a resource for our Mark it Right community. Aguirre’s dictionary really is rather impressive. Since it’s digital, it’s easy to search in either language. And it contains high frequency phrases that can be problematic. I especially like that for many items, there are several options.

And now I know how to say Ziziphus jujube in Spanish.

Note: If you received the original post, I’ve made changes. Originally I thought James Reed had compiled the dictionary. My mistake. He is offering it on his site, but it’s compiled by Jaime Aguirre.

Pic by Ana C.

Fanny pack or bum bag?

by Anna Lamont

Now I thought that bum bags (fanny packs) had gone out with the Ark, but lately I’ve seen all manner of reference to them by perturbed Americans who have come to realise that in Britian, ‘fanny pack’ is not something to be said in public (and if said in polite company may cause an elderly aunt to faint quite away).

Relax, dearest cousins. If you wish to wear one whilst in Blighty, just call it a bag. “Where’s the camera, dear?” “It’s here, dear, in my bag”. There! Problem solved. Right, now we can all relax.

But the subject of stowage is fraught with translation problems, so here’s a guide in case things get a tad confusing:

Handbag – that’s your purse. Whether clutch, Kelly or shoulder-strap, teensy-weensy or big enough for the kitchen sink, it’s a ‘handbag’. (see The Importance of Being Ernest – “a HANDBAG??”).

Manbag – a new term for modern types, that’s his handbag. But never EVER called a handbag. EVER. Usually a ‘monosac’, ‘record bag’ (younger chap) or a European style small zip-bag with wrist strap (older, usually retired chap).

Purse - that’s a ladies wallet, usually with a coin compartment.

Wallet – A man’s wallet, usually with no coin compartment; hence my daughter making a fortune out of picking up coins which have fallen from her father’s trouser pocket and banking them in her ’spotty dog’ moneybox.

Placky bag – A thin plastic (usually grocery store) bag (may also be called a ‘plaggy bag’ in some regions). Many shops now don’t give out bags for free in the name of saving the environment, so we all carry a ‘placky bag’ in our handbags for our purchases. Complete posers will ensure it’s a ‘Mulberry’ bag and I freely admit to once stuffing in an ‘LK Bennett’ bag, but really, Tesco’s bags should be good enough for anyone. Are we being green or trying to preen? Hmmm?

Luggage – Baggage, but not the emotional kind. Usually more, well, suitcasey.

Car boot – trunk. Although, should you arrive at your hotel and ask the porter (bellboy) to retrieve your luggage from the trunk, fear not; he will perfectly understand and will not be looking for your pet elephant.

Trunk – A large chest. No!!! Not THAT kind of large chest! Shame on you.

Old bag – A Chav’s wife or mother.

Granny bag – A wheeled shopping bag, usually with a steel frame and made from colourful checked (plaid) fabric, this evil weapon of mass destruction can mow down a dozen innocent shoppers in seconds when wielded by a mean, bargain hunting granny in a crowded market-place.

Trug – A very shallow, flat-bottomed basket made from flat strips of woven wood for collecting freshly cut flowers or vegetables from one’s garden. Its shape is similar to an old American grape basket, with a generous handle to carry the basket over the crook of one’s arm.

There! So hopefully on your next visit to Blighty you’ll be faux-pas free, know your trunk from your trunk, your wallet from your wallet and your purse from your handbag (although many Brits don’t even know their arse from their elbow).

Originally published at The Anglofile where Anna blogs on being British, Englishness, and of course, the English language.

The 411 on Business Networking – MIR discount!

It’s official. As of a few minutes ago, The 411 on Business Networking is available.

I’m rather excited. So far, the feedback from my test readers is positive. They’re using words like “fun”, “easy to digest”, and “quick reference” to describe it. You guys are going to like it.

About the most common word by both readers and editors has been “useful.” This word makes me the happiest. The idea is to make networking easy, effective, and painless.

As promised, Mark it Right readers get a big discount: 40% off.

Here’s your code: EXPIRED

Feel free to pass the code on to your friends. And if you send it with a link to Mark it Right, I would truly appreciate it. I’ll leave the discount code up for a while.

You can click here or on the picture to buy.

Thanks again for all the support!

Update: The initial discount has expired, but there will be more specials and goodies to be had soon.

One year anniversary!

Thanks to everyone!

I was checking the blog’s stats last night, as I always do before I go to bed. Those among you that blog may be familiar with the obsessive checking of the stats. So far, staring intensely at the chart hasn’t magically brought more readers, but it’s kept me focused.

Tomorrow Mark it Right will be one year old. To be honest, I don’t have anything prepared, but some sort of birthday celebration is in order.

For starters, I want to thank you guys for reading, commenting, sharing the link, and all the things you do to support Mark it Right.

Since we are not in a banquet hall full of round tables with white table cloths and champagne flutes, I can’t really ask you to stand up so that I can toast you and give a grateful applause. But I can still give you a little public recognition in the form of link love.

Please add your link in the comments with a note on what your site is about.

Thanks again!

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¡Primer aniversario!

¡Muchisimas gracias a todos!

Anoche estaba revisando las estadísticas del blog, como siempre acostumbro hacer antes de irme a dormir. Los que también sean bloggers quizás estén familiarizados con esa manía obsesiva de monitorear las estadísticas. Hasta ahora, mirar la gráfica intensamente no ha mágicamente atraído a más lectores, pero, eso sí, me ha mantenido enfocada.

Mañana Mark it Right cumple un año. A decir verdad, no tengo nada preparado, pero esto merece algún tipo de celebración.

Para empezar, quiero darles las gracias por leer, comentar, compartir el enlace y por todo lo que hacen para apoyar a Mark it Right.

Como no estamos en un salón de banquetes lleno de mesas redondas con manteles blancos y copas de champagne,  no puedo exactamente pedirles que se paren para brindar a su salud y darles un fuerte aplauso en agradecimiento, pero si puedo darles un poquito de reconocimiento público listando sus sitios.

Por favor agreguen sus enlaces en los comentarios con una nota indicando de que se trata el sitio.

¡Nuevamente, mil gracias!

Career Development for Translators and Interpreters

I’ve got a great link for you guys–especially for new translators, but useful for all of us.

Sara Dillon of There’s Something About Translation Interviewed French-English translator Karen Stokes and posted a link to a broadcast of her talk. You can read the interview here and watch the video here.

She covers a lot of things, including professional development, goal setting, and business matters.

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The 411 on Business Networking

The 411 on Business Networking eBook is almost here!

I’ve uploaded the description and cover at my writing website, Delighted Scribbler. Who would have thought a little brainstorming would turn into a 35 page extravaganza? LOL

It’ll be a PDF, and I’ll probably format for Kindles, too.

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