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A report from their Rome correspondent in today's Melbourne Age mentions the public sign "Grazie per non fumare" (Thanks for not smoking) where all the words are Italian but it does not make sense, as it is an English construction translated word for word.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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What would the proper construction be, then, please?
This brings to mind another question: if this is an
example of anastrophe, if the words were in the correct
order, then would it be a strophe?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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how about: grazie per non aver fumato
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Where's emanuela when we need her??
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Jackie, great pun. But alas, not so. tsuwm, once again you are perfect in the present  Speaking of verbose Italian: trains in Europe (this may have changed - it's been 10 yrs since I rode one - but if it has changed, I will always cherish the thought) sport warning signs posted in 5 languages. Four say, literally: "Do not lean out the window" (German is all I remember: "Nicht hinauslehnen!") Italian, however, tells you WHY: "E pericoloso sporgersi"
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enthusiast
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Anna,
I had enough trouble understanding public transport signs written in my native English. For the first few years of riding Melbourne's trams as a schoolboy, I was puzzled by the signs "HAIL CARS HERE" at tram stops. The expression conjured up images of taxis with a sort of bullet-proof roof to guard against our notoriously inclement weather!
The signs advising passengers how to "alight" were a mystery, too, until my vocabularly improved sufficiently.
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old hand
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old hand
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"E pericoloso sporgersi"
The most I can make of this is "the periscope sponges"
(I don't speak Italian.)
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Marty, if it makes you feel any better, I had a lot of trouble with the sign "MIND YOUR HEAD" over London tram doors.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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(I don't speak Italian.)I don't either. But I read it, to a certain degree. You want the literal translation or the contextual one?
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member
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I remember attending a talk by a US professor speaking on "plain language for lawyers" ( - an oxymoron, I hear you say). One of his examples was a set of fire instructions on the back of a hotel room door which concluded with the message "If you are deaf and/or dumb, please let reception know in advance so that appropriate arrangements can be made."
His point was; why the "and/or", why not simply "or"? Would someone otherwise read the sign and think "Oh it's OK I'm deaf AND dumb so I don't need to let the front desk know in advance"?!?!?
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