utopiacowboy

The internet translators are useful and I used to rely on them a lot but I quickly found out you have to be careful with them. Especially if you are feeding them Spanish without the accents. Year easily becomes anus! Did you teach your husband Spanish or could he already speak it?

Hypertweeky

Mucho demorado??
The online translator makes me laugh big time!!, I tried translating " Sabe mas el diablo por viejo que por sabio" and this is what the online translator did to one of my fave sayings "The devil by old knows but that wise person" :scared:

ironporer

Me parece que te has confundido maja... no es..." Sabe mas el diablo por viejo que por diablo"???

Folinskyinla

Hi:

The translation back problem pre-dates the internet. In fact, when a legal document is stated in two languages with both being given effect, the classic test of the translation is to have another translator tranlate the translation back into the orignal language.

Back in the days before the NVC [or its predecessor, TIVPC], approved visa petitions were strored at the overseas embassy/consulate, even if the petition was in a back-logged category. The consulates would generate the Packet 3 notices.

When the Embassy in Tehran was taken over on November 4, 1979, the US government lost possession of many thousands of approved immigrant visa petitions. I remember seeing english translations of Farsi language Packet 3-A's and Packet 3 notices -- I found them to be quite amusing.

I once had a motion to reopen granted on an asylum denial due to the quirks of translation. The BIA had held that there was no independent corroboration of my client's testimony. However, the "Country Report" of the State Department DID corroborate it. However, my Armenian client had testified in Russian with a court translator translating from Russian into English. Plus the transcript butchered the spelling of people's names. I argued that it was equivalent to "President Clinton of the Demcratic Party" becomeing "Premier Klinten of the Rule By the People Faction." By this means, we did not have to introduce new evidence contradicting the hearing. Also, the situation in Armenia had deteriorated as per the State Department Reports.

Hypertweeky

LOL typo, sorry!!!!

utopiacowboy

I agree that "muchas demoras" makes more sense but "mucho demorado" is what they say.

bequibar

LOL, this is too funny... I'm loving this thread!


utopiacowboy - My husband doesn't speak any spanish.
He knows a few words and makes funny attempts at phrases as a joke, but he hasn't pursued the learning of spanish as a formal language. His native language is english and he has studied russian as a second language... he's quite fluent in it too.

My native tongue is spanish and my second language is english.
We've both studied french for a bit in the past as well, so we figure that between the two of us we have a good array of languages covered to get by in travels.

utopiacowboy

You certainly do have an array of languages! When I lived in Montreal, I was fluent in French but it has slipped away due to lack of use. When I was first learning Spanish, all I could remember was my French - sometimes it helped and sometimes it didn't. Ahora es todo Espanol puesto que mi querida esposa no habla nada en ingles!

It's interesting that many people in Mexico especially in the north speak some English and quite a few are fluent. In Colombia, my Spanish is better than the English of any person I have met thus far. Which isn't saying much. Where are you from in Mexico? Philly's a long way from home!

bequibar

I spent a couple of weeks in Montreal and Quebec once and I was amazed at the ease with which my french came back and I put it to use. I was getting to be quite fluent in it! Too bad it all goes immediately away if you don't use it... I should take another course just to brush away the cobwebs.

Yes, I would say most mexicans upper-middle class and above are fluent in english. Middle class and below are another story. Sometimes their second language is an indigenous tongue.

I'm from Mexico city, the capital. Met my husband in a party in New York (odd huh) and the rest is history. Where are you from and how did you meet your colombiana?
I've never been to Colombia, but my husband has been there to attend one of his best friend's wedding and he's in love with the country and the people.

utopiacowboy

Wow, I am impressed with your linguistic abilities. I certainly wish I could speak Spanish the way youc an speak English. Algun dia, espero.

Many Mexicans have houses here in San Antonio and sometimes the whole family lives here while the father works in Monterrey or elsewhere. Although after having visited San Pedro Garza Garcia, I don't understand why they would bother living here because that was as nice or nicer than any of the upper class suburbs here.

I don't think it's so odd to meet at a party, what were you doing in New York? At least you don't have to bear the stigma of having met on, God forbid, the Internet! Actually I was hoping to meet a Mexicana from one of the border towns close to where I live - in my part of Texas, a long way west of San Antonio, the only sizeable concentrations of people are across the river. So that was my plan when I went to a Latin site. Then I happened to see among the new profiles, the face of my now wife. Dios! She looked so familiar to me and I could not put her out of my mind even though she was Colombian and spoke no English and I spoke no Spanish. So learning Spanish became my labor of love for her. Everyone says that I have to start speaking English to her but somehow I just can't manage it.

I must admit that in spite of its bad press, which is only partly deserved, I am quite fond of Colombia and the Colombians myself. You would probably enjoy a visit yourself.

bequibar

I replied to you by pm.