[Sca-cooks] Translations -- a word from the culprit

[emilio szabo]

> SCA members may have the finest minds but as I recall there are no

>language requirements except English. 

> ... snobish  ...


I am sorry for any irritation I may have caused by posting the link. 

Please let me add two or three remarks.


I am following this list only for a few months (and was unsubscribed in the meantime twice), 

therefore I am not really familiar with the customs. I am sorry to have caused irritation.


I certainly did not mean to be snobish. Being a non-speaker of 5997 languages of the estimated 

6000 languages of the world myself, I have absolutely no reason to be snobish.

(If there are 8000 languages, I am a non-speaker of 7997. Etc.)


As for my untranslated quotation: the starting point was an english translation of an 

Old French cookery text (Enseignemens), where "ailliee" was left untranslated. 

Providing two dictionary links (one to Tobler-Lommatzsch, one to Godefroy)

in passing, I meant to point to the places that might be helpful to the translator and

the people discussion his translation. (I think there are some people dealing with Old

French Texts here.) I meant to be helpful to them.



Translating historical texts accurately is hard work. If I have the time to do that, 

I will do it and I will share the results. If I don't have the time, I won't do it.  If I am not supposed 

to provide findings like the ones I provided without translation, I won't provide them, no problem.



As far as I can see, there are no "little minds" here. (Except for myself.)

Please forgive me highlighting one of the members of this list as

"one of the top minds" for his often witty, open minded and well written

 postings. It was meant as a sincere compliment. "Ésprit" (the ability to draw unusual

connections) is not so often seen since the 18th century. 

It was not meant to downgrade others. 


It is a sad experience that good intentions often turn out to be far off the mark.

Again: sorry.


E.


      Tante idee per la salvaguardia del nostro Pianeta su Yahoo! For Good 
http://it.promotions.yahoo.com/forgood/environment.html