Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[pineapplelu]

Hi, I'd like to ask some questions about English-Chinese translation.
A practice of flase friends~!
If your mother tongue is English, I would appreciate your kindness to help me. Thanks!!
Following are the questions:

1. don't tell me

2. my poor father

3. gold paper

4. land bridge

5. kettle holder

6. bear�s grease

7. hare and hounds

8. ... in the busiest manner I ever witnessed....

9. 外甥打燈籠-照舅(舊)

10. 山雨欲來風滿樓

[CP]

Hello, Pineapple Lu,

I'd like to answer your questions if I can, but I'm not sure what the questions are. If these are expressions from something you have heard or read, it would be helpful to see the whole sentence or paragraph.

Well, I'll try my best anyway, until I know more:

1. don't tell me: Sometimes people say, "Wait! Don't tell me!" Then they go on to guess what is coming next. "Don't tell me! They got married."

2. my poor father: Although "poor" means having little or no money, we also use it to mean pitiable. If someone has only bad luck, whether he or she has money or not, we might say, "The poor guy!" or "The poor woman!" or even "The poor thing!"

"My poor father. First his business partner died, then his best employee quit, and now he has broken his arm in a car crash. Nothing but bad luck!"

3. gold paper: Not sure about this one. There is such a thing as gold-colored paper. What is the context?

4. land bridge: A land bridge is just a strip of land between two larger areas. In the past, the seas were lower because more water was ice than now, and there was a land bridge between Alaska and Russia. People believe that is how people got from Asia to North America.

5. kettle holder: A kettle is a pot; a kettle holder is therefore probably another name for a pot holder -- a padded cloth used to protect the hand when picking up a hot object in the kitchen. Sometimes pot holders are made to look like animals.

6. bear�s grease: Bear grease is a thick ointment. Is that what you mean?

7. hare and hounds: The name of a game. Hounds (dogs) chase the hares (rabbits).

8. ... in the busiest manner I ever witnessed.... : In the busiest / most energetic way I have ever seen.

9. 外甥打燈籠-照舅(舊)

10. 山雨欲來風滿樓
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[redset]

"Gold paper" could be gold leaf - gold that has been hammered until it's thin like paper:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gold_leaf.JPG

And wow - it's edible?! I thought that was a joke
https://ssl.goldgourmet.info/

[pineapplelu]

To CP,
I'd like to say sorry about my questions.
It is a required assignment in my translation class.
What teacher gave us just as the ones you saw.
She did not provide any co-text.
The students also did not know how to cope with it.
However, you helped me a lot!

To redset,
Thanks for your consideration.
You added a picture of it. Thank you very much.