atw: Re: Clone vs Clone

rhardman:
On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:31:48 +0200,  you wrote:
>
> There is another dimension that may be relevent.
> Will your manual:
> a) be used in places where the users have English as a second
> language, or b) be translated into another language?
>
> In the first case, the metaphor could fail completely where
> the reader has only the narrow vocabulary of his or her
> speciality. In the second case, the extra effort and
> inspiration required of the translator to localise the
> metaphor may not be available.

Yep, and while there may be some truth in that, the difficulty may
also be exaggerated. 

The fact is that change is at much at work in other language groups 
as it is in  our own  (largely because the technology is at work there too).

The influence of English is very significant in many technological terms. 

Let's just take a preliminary glance, and look at some European 
languages: 

clone
  an identical copy (of something).
Dutch: kloon (de)
French: clone (m)
German: Klon (m)
Italian: clone
Spanish: clon
        

clone
        to make an identical copy of (something).
Dutch: klonen
French: cloner
German: klonen
Italian: clonare
Spanish: clonar

Then a hint that perhaps metaphorical
use applies in one other language ?

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - klon (biol.), dubbelgångare (vard.), robot (vard. om människa)
v. - klona (biol.), göra en exakt kopia av (vard.)

And as for Asian language groups... here are two important ones...

Mandarin Chinese (PinYin)
kèlóng

Japanese
kuro-n

Are we +really+ having a problem here ?   Somehow I think not.
I would venture to suggest that a good translator is really not going
to have too much trouble with the word "clone" and its associated
concepts.

It does help that many different nations have contributed significantly
to development in this area.    

I'll bet they've got PCs aplenty, too. 

--Peter M


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