Translating and mistranslating a Spanish hotel registration form - lost in translation

 

I kept my registration form from a hotel in Spain, Hotel Zenit Coruna, and used it to revise my Spanish vocabulary. I experienced a few surprises, words I had mis-translated in my mind,

1 Datos del viajero looked like dates of the trip. It was not. It was details of the traveller.

2 Segundo apellido was not second name of middle name, meaning second given name. It was second surname or family name. Spanards use their mother's maiden name or family name as a middle name. 

3 Direccion is not directions but address.

4 Fecha is not facts but dates.

5 Firma del viajero is not confirmation of the trip/journey/stay but signature of the traveller. 

Spanish - English

datos - data/ 

detalles - details

direccion - address

direcciones - direcions

fechas - dates

segundo apellido - second surname

viaje - journey

viajero - traveller

https://translate.google.com/

English - Spanish

address - dreccion

data - datos

dates - fechas

details - detalles

directions- direcciones

journey - viaje

Useful Websites

Trasnslate google

https://translate.google.com/

 

Food and Colours In Local Singapore Street Names

Street names tell you the history of the area, what can be gown in the local soil and climate, and handy words in local languages.

Food
Orchard Road.
The centre of Singapore's shopping. The Orchard has gone.

Dairy Farm - near Hillview MRT.
No more dairy.

Lorong Lada Hitam - Black pepper lane - near Holland Village MRT (train station)
Lorong is Malay for Lane. Hitam is black. Lada is pepper. Pepper black because in Malay the adjective comes second.

Cashew Road, Cashew Heights, Cashew MRT station
Yes, the cashew trees are still there, two on the Cashew Heights condo estate. But not for eating, just decorative.

Colours
Jalan Merah Saga
Jalan is journey or road. Merah is red.

Useful Reference and Websites
Book:
Street Names of Singapore by Peter Dunlop.
Google Translate.
Wikipedia.
Duolingo - to learn languages for free online. Includes Chinese.

Author
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
Please book mark and share links to your favourite posts.

Greetings and conversation in German (and other languages) at the airport

Problem
Next year I am taking a holiday with a group of ex-pats who speak English, Indonesian, German and Dutch. We will be in Bulgaria. So I need to brush up on the basics of sentences in four languages, enough to grasp what they are saying. I have chosen half a dozen vital sentence which I will learn in each of the three languages.

I shall start by spending ten minutes on the German, as I already know German. I need to practise saying these sentences so I can not only understand but speak.

Read the English, then the German / other language. Come back to the English and see if you can remember the German / other language.

ENGLISH
AIRPORT
Excuse me - do you speak English / German / Dutch / Indonesian / Malaysian?
No, sorry. / Yes, I do. I am English!
Only - a little. Slowly, please!
Can you write it down?
I have a dictionary - can you Google translate it?

1
Airport
Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening
Welcome
Excuse me
Can you help me?

2
Where is the check-in? Where is the Lufthansa / KLM desk?
Where is the lounge?
Where is the toilet? The ladies / The gents /
Men / Women/ Boys / Girls/ male / female
And - What time is the shuttle bus?

3
It's due now /
in Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes,
in half an hour, every hour, on the hour
Sorry - it does not run on Sunday / the evening / bank holidays
If you can't wait, how about a taxi - over there

4
Where is the bus stop?
Where is the car park?
We are in a hurry. We are late!
You are late. You must hurry!
Calm down. You are in good time. You've plenty of time.

5
I don't know
I am also looking for it
No idea
I'm a stranger
Ask over there

6
Ask him / her / them
Come with me
I'll show you
Thanks
Bon voyage / have a safe journey

7
Take care
Look after yourself
See you soon
See you later
Goodbye

GERMAN
FLUGHAFEN
Entschuldigung - Sprechen Sie Englisch / Sprechen Sie Deutsch / Niederländisch / Indonesisch / Sprechen Sie Malaysisch?
Nein Entschuldigung. / Ja, mache ich. Ich bin Engländer! Ich bin Deutsche. Ich bin Indonesisch. Ich bin Niederländisch.
Nur ein bisschen. Langsam Bitte!
Kannst du es aufschreiben?
Ich habe ein Wörterbuch - kannst du Google übersetzen?

1
Flughafen
Guten Morgen / guten Nachmittag / guten Abend
Herzlich willkommen
Entschuldigen Sie mich
Kannst du mir helfen?

2
Wo ist der Check-in? Wo ist der Lufthansa / KLM Schalter?
Wo ist die Lounge?
Wo ist die Toilette? Die Damen / Die Herren /
Männer / Frauen / Jungen / Mädchen / männlich / weiblich
Und - Um wie viel Uhr ist der Shuttlebus?

3
Wo ist die Bushaltestelle?
Wo ist der Parkplatz?
Wir sind in Eile. Wir sind spät!
Du bist spät. Du musst dich beeilen!
Beruhigen. Du bist rechtzeitig da. Du hast viel Zeit.

4
Ich weiß es nicht
Ich suche auch danach
Keine Ahnung
Ich bin ein Fremder
Frag dort drüben

5
Frag ihn / sie / sie
Komm mit mir
Ich werde Ihnen zeigen
Vielen Dank
Gute Reise / sichere Reise

6
Pass auf
Sich selbst versorgen
Bis bald
Bis später
Auf Wiedersehen

***

English - German
AIRPORT
Airport
Good morning / afternoon / evening
Welcome
Excuse me
Can you help me?

I don't know
I am also looking for it
No idea
I'm a stranger
Ask over there

Where do I check in?
Here / Just there / Over there
On the right / left
Upstairs / downstairs
Up the stairs / up the escalator

Through the doors
At the far end
Where is the exit?
Where are the taxis?
Is there a cheap bus /shuttle bus?

Where does it go?
Does it go into the city / to my hotel
Where is the tourist office?
Can you point (to it)?
I see it!

I can't see it
Thank you
You're welcome
I need water
I would like a cup of coffee

We have black coffee
We only have tea
That's fine
No thanks, I'll leave it
Sorry, I haven't time

How much is it?
Is that the right money?
Do you take Euros?
Yes/no
Is that right?

Is that the right money?
Just right / That's it!
Nearly / almost
Another 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Where's my change?
Keep the change
Where's my change
The bill, please
Keep the change

What time is check in?
They are calling my flight!
I have to go!
Please hurry!
Can I get past?

You have time - plenty of time
Please sit down and wait
Can I sit down, somewhere?
Where can I sit?
I'll be over there

Hotel
Welcome to our hotel
Here is your key
Please fill in this form
We need your name
Write it here

We need a credit card?
Do you have another credit card?
We do not take American Express
That's fine / ok
Just a moment / minute!

We need a signature
You must sign it
Cash will do
Do you take credit cards?
I need a taxi

I need a toilet
Where are the toilets:
Over there
To the right
To the left

See the sign
You can't miss it
Is that everything?
Yes, we're finished
You may go

Later post - Restaurant

Later post - Friends

Earworms has recordings of sentences for these situations
You can buy from Berliz direct and through Amazon and ebay
Useful Websites
Berlitz / Earworms
Amazon
Ebay

Author
Angela

Travel Or Stay At Home, Drive And Live stress-free

Problem
I can't drive when I'm stressed. Just as well. If you are distracted, you are likely to have an accident. So I always calm myself before getting behind the wheel or taking a journey. Some people like to travel.

Others feel nervous. I get anxious just before I leave the house. To my astonishment, a very organized and much travelled person told me he feels the same.

Calming
I have a glass of water. I go to the toilet. I wear comfy shoes. If I need a pick-me-up, maybe eat or take with me a biscuit or chocolate bar or banana.

Loving The Past
Tell your life story, only the good bits.
1Your lovely family.
2 Your favourite childhood toy.
3 Your great discovery.

Pick three small things you love about your home or your clothes or yourself.
1 Your favourite dress.
2 Your favourite cup(s).
3 Your chair or curtians.
4 The view, the garden, the birds, the busy, lively street.

The weather
The sun is shining today. Bright green grass. Blue sky.

Optimism
Write down three things you are looking forward to - such as
holidays,
day trips,
restaurants,
seeing friends.
(If you have time, phone a friend. Note 3 good things to tell them about. Find three amusing things in the news. Three medical breakthroughs.)

A mother of small children has devised a system which worked for her, to help others.

A Diary
I keep a travel diary. You could divide it into three columns. Two for good things. One for mishaps which make amusing sotries or speeches.

Anne Frank went nowhere, but managed to write a diary. If you have the internet, you are never short of news and travel stories.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5333755/Is-key-unlocking-happiness.html
www.resetthp.co.uk

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Emergency Shoe and Button Repairs When Travelling: Dental Floss, hair and threads

Problem
The strap of a man's sandal comes apart at an airport. What can you do?

Answer
A quick temporary repair with dental floss.

Story
The sandal came apart at the airport on the way home to London from Stansted. No products or time for a proper repair. An urgent need to stick the shoe together to continue with journey. A piece of dental floss wound around kept the strap together. It was not a permanent repair, but it got the sandal's owner out of trouble.

Dental Floss
If you didn't have dental floss and couldn't see a shoe repair shop, you could dash into the nearest chemist (UK) or drug store (US) and buy dental floss. Most dental floss is white and looks tubular. However, you can also buy flat ribbon floss and green mint.

Shoe Laces
A pair of long shoe laces can be used to make an emergency suitcase handle if your suitcase handle breaks.

Hair
An alternative for a sewing fix is to use your own long hair. or ask a relative for a long hair. You might see a long hair in a hairdressing salon or on the sofa or the clothes of somebody who has long hair. Or even ask a passer by for the donation of a long hair!

Hair comes in many colours, natural and dyed. You might see black hair, blonde hair, red hair, blue hair, purple hair, white hair.

If you don't like the idea of cutting off your own hair or somebody else's, look for hair left in a comb or brush.

Tips
I usually travel with a pair of slipper sox just in case. Note to self - put a pair of slipper sox in the front pocket of my carry on luggage, or a  spare pair of flip flops.

Button Thread Needed
If you want to sew on a button with matching thread, look for a piece of thread dangling from a hem or seam. You need a piece long enough for the size of needle. Pick the smallest needle. If the thread is long enough, sew the whole button on with it. If you have a short piece, secure the button with a near colour thread. Weave the matching thread to cover the top of the non-matching threads on the button.

If all else fails, remove matching thread from the seam, or pull a thread from the woven hem. Make good the now missing piece of cotton with non-matching thread in the hidden area.

Change the button with visible holes to a matching colour button which instead has an underneath shank so the thread does not show.

You can sew over the top of the repair with matching thread when you get home.

Buy a button which has a removable top which you cover with fabric. Cut a small piece of fabric from the garment hem to make a matching button.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.