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Me in foreign languages: I amaze myself!
By Gina Spadafori
August 21, 2009
The first two books I ever wrote, “Dogs For Dummies” and “Cats For Dummies” (the latter with Dr. Paul Pion), have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
When this happens, I eventually get a copy.
Some of these languages are so very foreign to me that I can’t even recognize them without doing a little research. Such was the case with this book, which arrived yesterday.
I had no idea how many languages in which I am fluent! (As if!)
Thanks to some quick use of teh googles by my friend Sonia, I now know what language this is. But I’m not telling.
Guess!
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Turkish??
Comment by Moira — August 21, 2009 @ 12:33 pm
Yes!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 21, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
Isn’t it great fun? When I found out one of my puppy books was selling great in South Africa I was amazed! South Africa? Me?
And no, I am not doing a book signing there! Waaaay tooo long a plane flight! snicker….
Comment by Liz Palika — August 21, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
Turkish, of course. I grew up there and recognized it immediately. And another connection: I, too, am a “Dummie.”
Lisa in Cape May County, NJ
Comment by Lisa — August 21, 2009 @ 3:27 pm
I had to google some of the other translations including my native Dutch,besides German and French.
Ouch,the Dutch translation is about $40.00. he All had mostly excellent reviews in those countries with the emphasis on humor.
I have always found it very difficult to translate humoristic sentences into another language. Never comes out right.
I did find the French translation title “Un chat pour le nuls ” very funny though. The French are very picky about English words in their vocabulary and translated Dummie to un nul(zero).
Dummie is almost like a universal term of endearment. Not at all like stupid or zero. The Dutch, Germans and even the Turks retained that word in the title. Not the French though LOL.
Trying to translate “dummie” is trying to translate “nuts” or “snafu” IMO.
Comment by serijna — August 23, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
Years ago Professor Chaos and I did a segment for the Animal Planet show K9-to-5. It was about our beloved partner Mel’s work as a cave search dog. (Wonderful experience with their A-list production company, by the way.)
A SAR colleague was vacationing in Argentina, and had the television on in his hotel room as he came out of the shower. He was rather surprised to see me on the screen, speaking perfect Spanish.
It took a moment of swirly cognitive disconnect for him to process that it was not my voice, but was dubbed.
I had no idea that this show would be exported from the North American market, much less dubbed into other languages. Dunno if they did it any other than Spanish. We had been very picky about script approval, because of the sensitive nature of the cave environment and the caving/cave rescue community. Wonder what I was saying in Spanish?
I don’t speak Spanish, alas. Took Latin and Greek. Not so much useful for travel.
Comment by H. Houlahan — August 23, 2009 @ 7:46 pm