Esperanto > Spanish
Sun Aug 31, 2008 14:52 (UTC -5)I’m home for Labor Day weekend. In fact, I’m about to go to my friend Nick’s house for a barbecue. Will the weather cooperate? Let’s hope. It looks like Hurricane Gustav, which is heading for the Gulf Coast, is bringing some clouds our way. And then there’s Hanna out there too. Oh yes, it is a good time of year for hurricanes. I believe September 12 is the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season (that is, the day of the year that has seen the most hurricanes since recordkeeping began).
In the spring, I got an Esperanto club started at school. I filed the application at the end of the spring semester, and they were supposed to get back to me when it was approved. They didn’t. I asked our faculty advisor, Holly, if she knew what was up. She contacted them, and apparently we were approved. We just need to re-register for the ’08-’09 year as all student organizations do.
Holly was by far the best choice for faculty advisor. She’s a language teacher (Czech, specifically), and she was very impressed by our initiative in starting an Esperanto club. She was also willing to work to promote our club, and that she has done. She told me she had landed a gig for us at a language fair coming up in a week or two. They’re going to have a flyer with some basic phrases in each of the languages that are represented. Apparently, Holly got her to drop Spanish from the flyer in favor of Esperanto.
The phrases in English:
- Hi, how are you?
- My name is ____.
- I speak English.
- What are you doing tonight?
- Goodbye.
- Go Gators!
In Esperanto, with phonetic transcriptions added just for you:
- Saluton, kiel vi fartas? (sah-LOO-tohn, KEE-el vee FAR-tahs?)
- Mi nomiĝas ____. (mee noh-MEE-jahs ____.)
- Mi parolas la anglan. (mee pah-RO-lahs lah AHN-glahn)
- Kion vi faros ĉi-nokte? (KEE-ohn vee FAR-ohs chee-NOHK-tay?)
- Ĝis! (jeese!)
- Ek, Gatoroj! (eck, gah-TOR-oy!)
I’m not sure if I could justifiably shorten “aligatoroj” to “gatoroj,” but I wouldn’t say it’s justifiable in English either. Nicknames are off-limits from logic.
Here’s why you should never use an online translator.
From The Consumerist, it’s false advertising. This water slide thing looks way bigger on the box than it actually is. See the sad children for comparison.
At 1:00 A.M. on Sunday, September 10, 1995, WTVJ-TV, Miami’s NBC affiliate broadcasting on channel 4, and WCIX-TV, the CBS affiliate broadcasting on channel 6, traded channels. At the same time, WCIX changed its call sign to WFOR. Here are videos of the changeover as seen on channel 4 and channel 6.
Prediction: The title of this post will make people mad. Relax, amigos, it’s all in good fun.
3 comments
#1 by Chicken Girl: Sun Aug 31, 2008 20:17 (UTC -5)
Fartas! hee hee!
I oughta learn Esperanto one of these days.
#2 by Mar: Mon Sep 01, 2008 00:29 (UTC -5)
Gratulon! Mi deziras vian novan klubon sukceson!
Yes, Chicken Girl, that’s how we say How are you, in Esperanto, funny isn’t it?
You could say “Kiel vi estas?” but then the answer would be “I’m tall/dark/handsome/whatever…”.
“Kio novas?” (What’s new?) also works.
Mar@GrupoAmikema.org
San Diego, CA
#3 by Jordon: Mon Sep 01, 2008 13:12 (UTC -5)
The verb farti (of which “fartas” is a form) is actually derived from the English “to fare,” or so I’m told.
Kio okazas? (“What’s going on?”) also works. Esperanto-USA made a video touting “Kio okazas?” as the international “whazzaaaap.”