Thread: NEED HELP WITH TRANSLATING MY POEMS INTO ENGLISH

Originally Posted by DDT

I can't believe that most of you are giving Moscow girl a hard time on this. She was obiously serious about her art and what did she get from some of you? Flirting. That is why she called you maggots. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with a little bit of teasing and flirting in this respect but after you are slapped across the face, you should still show a little chivalry.
And now you are calling her a racist. There is nothing racist in her remarks. Who do you think you are the Thought Police?
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_trash/

You can

[quote=Kamion]You can

Her command of English probably does not allow her to understand the subtlties of the language or the PC of life in the USA. In my experience most people are far TOO sensitive in these matters. For instance, I have worked and lived with a lot of Indians, and they pretty much, laugh at being referred to as Native Americans by the overly senitive. And I think that it is so here! So I suppose that you are going to tell me that the expression "white trash" is racist, next? It is merely a description of a certain segment of our culture. It is not the colour that is important here, it is the Trash.

And no Kamion, I am not a hard ass. I just don't bother to sugar coat my words for everyone. And neither do you sometimes.

If anything, the phrase she used is even more offensive in Russian, I believe. So, pained though my heart be, for once VM is the one acting like a decent human being.

Aww, VM. Who knew you had it in you?

Originally Posted by DDT

And now you are calling her a racist. There is nothing racist in her remarks. Who do you think you are the Thought Police?
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_trash/

Define irony: using Thought Police as a derogatory term while supporting the President whose justification for a war was that the leader of another country was "thinking about" attacking them sometime in the future.

Originally Posted by waxwing

Well certainly if she is simply translating from her own language, the meaning is different. Then it's still racism, just against a different group of people. Maybe this is too delicate subject to get into, but those of you who haven't been to Russia will need to be aware that чёрный has a different meaning there. Actually I doubt she's made that mistake, but it's worth mentioning for everyone's benefit.

Doesn't matter. According to Dogboy she's Flemish by birth, not Russian. Maybe she's the poet laureate of the Vlaams Blok or something.

BTW, to VM about "modern poetry" and its mysterious style: there is none. Here is the trick to making modern poetry:

Write out a paragraph. Now go back and break up the lines at random places without regard to any flow or form, preferably at equal widths to give the appearance of having an actual structure. Rhyme and meter are frowned upon (because they're hard and anything hard isn't worth doing).

How does Dogboy know? What does Flemish mean? I'm confused! She isn't Russian? What?

Originally Posted by Евгения Белякова

How does Dogboy know? What does Flemish mean? I'm confused! She isn't Russian? What?

He talked to her on MSN or something and wanted my opinion on whether or not she's really a dude. The jury's still out on that one. I asked him to see if she was Belgian/Dutch since the email address in her profile was a Dutch surname and apparently she said yes. So: no excuses for misunderstandings over чёрный.

Всё понятно. Does she know Russian?

Originally Posted by Евгения Белякова

Всё понятно. Does she know Russian?

Fuck if I know

Originally Posted by Moscowgirl27

If you want to know what my poems looks like approximatly...
There is a link, please

http://www.stihi.ru/poems/2002/11/25-658.html

One thing I'll be happy to know: is it actually *your* poem? Or just example of "what my poems looks like approximatly"? This makes some difference...

Originally Posted by mike

Originally Posted by DDT

And now you are calling her a racist. There is nothing racist in her remarks. Who do you think you are the Thought Police?
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_trash/

Define irony: using Thought Police as a derogatory term while supporting the President whose justification for a war was that the leader of another country was "thinking about" attacking them sometime in the future.

He just keeps pitching