test please delete

[NickFitz]

A consortium of rock stars. Rick Wakeman was one, so he is now the Saturday morning show presenter.

He started his Saturday show in 2006, IIRC - I was working at the Bristol office at the time, and had to re-jig the home page and create a show page for him. Horrible ASP site it was, with hideous table markup

I used to see him going in or out of the Leicester Square offices now and again when I was there

[FiveTimes]

I'm selling an item on the bay - it finishes soon only 1 bidder but 12 watchers. I'm hoping some of them break cover soon

[BrowneIssue]

I've just had to turn off "Any Questions?"

It was making me

[BrowneIssue]

dogs are not play fighting anymore.

Are they fighting any less?

[zenny]

Švejk "humble"? Try again ...

I am reading "A Life on the Hop" by some CAMRA beer writer.

He mentions the good soldier Švejk - it is relevant to one of the breweries or brewing towns.

I am delighted to see that The Good Soldier Švejk has been quoted here in a long string of posts a couple of years ago. I couldn't help but notice that he was being quoted as saying "humbly report". That is perhaps the correct rendition into the British military jargon (I presume), but is very misleading. Let me quote a reader of the new translation:


I just finished the first book and only wish I had more. I found your translation better in many ways, whether because the use of language is more modern or because it’s more true to the original, I can’t say. I notice such little things as this:

in the Cecil Parrott translation, Svejk’s trademark phrase is “humbly report, sir, that ... “

in your translation, it’s rendered as “dutifully report, sir, that ... “

At first I didn’t like the change, not because of its meaning but because of how it plays on the tongue, humbly report being easier and I believe more commonly used in English (aside from Svejk). The phrase “dutifully report” is a bit harder on the tongue and almost never used in English (outside of your translation). As I continued reading, however, the meaning of the phrase began to resonate: dutifully means that the speaker did or is reporting whatever, not so much of his own volition, but because as a soldier, everything he does is subject to his being ordered. The difference in meaning is huge, though since I neither speak Czech nor have a copy of the book in Czech, I can’t say which is truer to the original. From what I know of the Czechs I have met, I believe yours fits the passive-aggressive posture of Svejk and as I’m told – by Czechs -- but haven’t witnessed, of many Czechs.

Of course, there are many other differences that I find reflect better on your translation. I do speak and understand German, so the use of the terms “putzfleck” works MUCH better than Parrott’s use of “batman,” which no longer retains much of its original meaning in English thanks to the comic book hero of the same name. Putzfleck is so “typisch deutsch” that it makes me laugh each time I see it.

[BrowneIssue]

gotta clean the kitchen, get the leaf blower out, blow leaves into a big pile, stuff leaves into the recycle bin, go to the post office depot to pay for and collect a parcel addressed to us that was not properly stamped, finish my accounts, go out and buy more beer, clean the house, await guests for this evenings gathering.

I think those activities may not be in the correct order.

[BrowneIssue]

right o.

let's go!

What's the difference between a left o and a right o? And how do you tell?

Surely it has too much symmetry to be left- or right-handed?

[BrowneIssue]

Is today 200k day?

[BrowneIssue]

Is today 200k day?

Yes.

Get drivelling.

[BrowneIssue]

You've gotta be in it to win it.