Categories: translation
Date: 12 October 2007 01:12:52
Continuing with my theme of titles (broadly speaking) borrowed from literature, it occurred to me today that I might be some sort of Gulliver figure.
You may recall that six or seven weeks ago, I translated a great long piece on cars and became (briefly) acquainted with the German terms for “anti-locking braking system”, “standard 16-inch alloy wheels” and “low-lying chassis”.
Today (which is now yesterday) and tomorrow (which is actually strictly speaking today, but I haven't gone to bed yet so the day doesn't start until I get up) I am working on another text about cars. But not the sort you drive - the sort you might collect: model cars. Funnily enough, the models are the same make as the real life- size ones of seven weeks ago. Seven weeks ago, I was extolling the virtues of the full-size car company - now I'm using the same vocabulary singing the praises of the model car company talking about the cars produced by the full-size car company. And as I'm translating on behalf of different agencies, neither end-client will know that the same person has done the two translations (unless I manage to make telltale mistakes, of course!). It all feels a bit bizarre.
The alloy wheels won't be "standard 16-inch" ones on this occasion. The scale is 1:43 (in case you're interested) - I've no idea how big that makes them - but fortunately, I don't need to know. I just need to know how to finish it all by lunch time.
I think the first thing on the agenda is Bed. Oh, I almost forgot. The first thing is "Brush the Grand Tooth Canyon". (That echoing of pained cries....Yes, it'll be me....Sorry to disturb your slumbers).