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The Alurhsa Word for Constructed: Creativity in both scripts and languages
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eldin raigmore
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Joined: 03 May 2007
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Location: SouthEast Michigan
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 Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 7:43 pm Post subject: TC: What can run but never walks? |
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What can run but never walks?
Has a mouth, but never talks?
Has a bed, but never sleeps?
Has a head, but never weeps?
(A river).
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StrangeMagic
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Joined: 18 Apr 2007
Posts: 640
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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Chinese Traditional:
甚麽可以走,不過不可以行?
甚麽有個嘴,不過不會說話?
甚麽有張床,不過不可以睡?
甚麽有個頭,不過不會哭箸?
Chinese Simplified:
什么可以走,不过不可以行?
什么有个嘴,不过不会说话?
什么有张床,不过不可以睡?
什么有个头,不过不会哭箸?
Pinyin:
shénme kěyǐ zǒu, búguò bú kěyǐ xíng?
shénme yǒu gè zuǐ, búguò búhuì shuōhuà?
shénme yǒu zhāng chuáng, búguò bú kěyǐ shuì?
shénme yǒu gè tóu, búguò búhuì kū zhù?
(I've been attempting to translate Interview with the Vampire into Chinese and therefore I have chosen to do Chinese first. leeypherion may come later. ^_^) |
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Tolkien_Freak
Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 1231
Location: in front of my computer. always.
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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If you're doing it in Chinese, I'll do it in Japanese, since that's what my brain is automatically doing anyway.
何は走る事が出来るけど、決して歩かない？
口があるけど、決して喋らない?
ベッドがあるけど、決して寝ない?
頭があるけど、決して泣かない?
Nani wa hashiru koto ga dekiru kedo, kesshite arukanai?
Kuchi ga aru kedo, kesshite shaberanai?
Beddo ga aru kedo, kesshite nenai?
Atama ga aru kedo, kesshite nakanai?
And then Kilhiryui:
Eyatuzig keka, yatuyanyeu?
Sayararui, tairyutuyanyeu?
Zanaikemerui, zanaikuyanyeu?
Verarui, uharwaituyanyeu? |
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Hemicomputer
Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 610
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Tsol láyóv, gój úentik neki?
Jî geten jókxón, gój úentik xes?
Jî dlalt jókxón, gój úentik molk?
Jî kognan jókxón, gój úentik sidalu?
/tsOl lA'yoB, NoZ wEn'tik nE'ki/
/ZOI 'NEtEn 'ZokXon, NoZ wEn'tik XEs/
/ZOI dK\{lt 'ZokXon, NoZ wEn'tik mOlk/
/ZOI 'kONn{n 'ZokXon, NoZ wEn'tik 'siD{l@/ |
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StrangeMagic
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Joined: 18 Apr 2007
Posts: 640
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:58 pm Post subject: |
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I alam carni, cansa qeetpulu pulpi?
I ochézo candi, cansa qeetpulu canrini?
I zhung candi, cansa qeetpulu obilubi?
I ainat candi, cansa qeetpulu efili?
I alam carn-i, cansa qeet-pulu pulp-i?
I ochézo cand-i, cansa qeet-pulu canrin-i?
I zhung cand-i, cansa qeet-pulu obilub-i?
I ainat cand-i, cansa qeet-pulu efil-i?
-i <-- is the 3rd person singular present ending for verbs.
cansa <-- but
qeet <-- negative particle
pulu <-- when
The rest should be quite obvious. ^_^ |
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imploder
Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 3
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
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| Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:36 pm Post subject: Re: TC: What can run but never walks? |
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| eldin raigmore wrote: | What can run but never walks?
Has a mouth, but never talks?
Has a bed, but never sleeps?
Has a head, but never weeps?
(A river). |
I wonder how you manage to do it in your conlangs... None of these sentences can be translated into Czech. The river terminology doesn't correspond to these words, as it probably doesn't for most languages. One can only attempt some kind of "creative translation" - in fact creating a different puzzle similar to this one.
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Hemicomputer
Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 610
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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| Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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I can't speak for the other translators, but I just translated literally.
I didn't even realize that the answer was "a river"  |
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StrangeMagic
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| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh yeah, I translated it literally. But I think that in Chinese there is still the river mouth - 河口. But not sure about the others... |
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Tolkien_Freak
Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 1231
Location: in front of my computer. always.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, mine are both literal. I was equally unaware of the answer, so...
It's still a nice translation challenge, even if it doesn't come out right. |
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kyonides
Joined: 28 Aug 2008
Posts: 301
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| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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Kexyana:
Sha posel renai ros minai nin?
Sha nayl nivo Glii ros floshel ninea?
Sha nayl nivo Lirde ros thumnayl ninea?
Sha nayl nivo Ibrede ros weeps(?) ninea?
There's almost the same problem in Spanish, there's a mouth but no bed. (It's cauce, fondo or lecho, but lecho now that I'm thinking about it, lecho may serve as a bed in this case...). The head is what confuses me, because in Spanish there's only a cabeza de agua meaning that a lot of water is currently running and may let the swimmers get drowned easily... I hope you understand what I mean. (Man, that's why I don't like to go to rivers to swim... he he he)
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Last edited by kyonides on Fri Jan 30, 2009 4:29 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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dusepo
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 129
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:03 am Post subject: |
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retafon:
ŋop qach ēmes shanel-sōfōs, thoron en-sōfōs?
ŋop qach hapas mōnad, thoron en-mēses?
ŋop qach hapas lēkō, thoron en-shalaf?
ŋop qach hapas ten, thoron en-karē?
(the answer also doesn't work in retafon)
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eldin raigmore
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Posts: 1621
Location: SouthEast Michigan
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| imploder wrote: | | I wonder how you manage to do it in your conlangs... None of these sentences can be translated into Czech. The river terminology doesn't correspond to these words, as it probably doesn't for most languages. One can only attempt some kind of "creative translation" - in fact creating a different puzzle similar to this one. |
| kyonides wrote: | | There's almost the same problem in Spanish, there's a mouth but no bed. (It's cauce, fondo or lecho, but lecho now that I'm thinking about it, lecho may serve as a bed in this case...). The head is what confuses me, because in Spanish there's only a cabeza de agua meaning that a lot of water is currently running and may let the swimmers get drowned easily... I hope you understand what I mean. (Man, that's why I don't like to go to rivers to swim... he he he) |
Yes, you're right.
It's a sort of a "cultural TC", probably, for most languages.
Even those that use one or two of "mouth, head, bed, run" the way English does for rivers, very well may not use all four.
I really expected "similar riddles", rather than word-for-word translations.
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mrtoast2
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 123
Location: Goromonzi
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:54 am Post subject: |
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Gwákén:
Źómprík hén pánôpśílîgánárwâl kúrśént étfártúk śóptrál káltkúrmátát śálnôn lõtváś.
Źómprík hén glônén éd bõrépśîn étfártúk śóptrál káltréndértát śálnôn lõtváś.
Źómprík hén glônén éln hórkãdân étfártúk śóptrál káltgámhólát śálnôn lõtváś.
Źómprík hén glônén čón díšrítźêb étfártúk śóptrál káltlórmpéśér śálnôn lõtváś.
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Hemicomputer
Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 610
Location: Calgary, Alberta
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| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 3:51 am Post subject: |
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A similar riddle with proper idioms:
Tsol láham, gój jî geten úenjókx?
Jî xár jókxón, gój úentik neki?
Jî syon jókxón, gój úentik glúj?
Mir úig kóm, gój çe úendrem?
What can roar, but has no mouth?
Has a path, but never walks?
Has a stomach, but never eats?
Is full of water, but has not before drank?
In Holxws, a river's "path" is its current/flow. A river's "stomach" is its depth or its bed. |
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