Let's Translate This...
I'm watching the Obama inauguration on CNN, and I'm suddenly wondering how to translate this Tagalog question into English:
"Pang ilang presidente si Obama?"
Sa Tagalog, simple! But in English?
*What number is Obama president? (ang pangit!; trans. ugly)
*Obama is president number what? (maspangit pa!; trans. "FUGLY")
*What is Obama in the order of presidents? (ang pormal! hindi simple! trans. Too formal! Not simple!)
*In the sequence of presidents, Obama falls under what number? (kailangan bang mag-kurbata pag tinatanong to? trans. is a tie necessary when asking this question?)
*What is Obama's number? (cellphone o landline? trans. mobile or fixed-line?)
I know the answer to the question (it's 44); it's getting the translation right that bugs me right now.
"Pang ilang presidente si Obama?"
Sa Tagalog, simple! But in English?
*What number is Obama president? (ang pangit!; trans. ugly)
*Obama is president number what? (maspangit pa!; trans. "FUGLY")
*What is Obama in the order of presidents? (ang pormal! hindi simple! trans. Too formal! Not simple!)
*In the sequence of presidents, Obama falls under what number? (kailangan bang mag-kurbata pag tinatanong to? trans. is a tie necessary when asking this question?)
*What is Obama's number? (cellphone o landline? trans. mobile or fixed-line?)
I know the answer to the question (it's 44); it's getting the translation right that bugs me right now.
posted by pgenrestories at 5:45 PM
5 Comments:
I've been thinking about this question for years (under Cory Aquino). And I'm not alone.
The construction doesn't exist in English, but the best translation (for trivia cards) seems to be "What is Obama's ordinal rank among the US presidents?" or "In what order does Obama fall under among the line of US presidents?"
A similar discussion can be found here: http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/832717.aspx
btw, a shorter, more elegant way of saying it (though a bit imprecise) is "Which US president is Barack Obama?" This formulation is likely to appear in quiz shows. It's crystal clear with multiple choice answers. So in speech, you may say, "Which US president is Obama? The 44th or the 45th?"
Hi Kenneth! I do remember this question during Cory's time as well (even if I was only nine years old then). I think I replied something like, can't we just say, "How many Presidents were there before Cory?" Cheers,
Hi, Mike and Catherine! Thanks for your comments! Makes sense to me, what you guys wrote, and thanks too for the link, Mike. I see now that there's no literal translation. Same thing was said over at the PGS Multiply mirror.
Congratulations too, Catherine, on your story in the Philippines Free Press, "Penny Blacks In Storage".
You're right Mike! I've watched many quiz shows on tv and have heard similar questions asked in that manner. Cheers!
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