For a variety of reasons too numerous to list, the lingua franca of the web is English. Pretty much an unfair tyranny of the economic minority when you think of it.
Although I don't see it changing any time soon, that is no reason why this forum can't serve as a means for increasing our knowledge of each other's language. When you see the locations of people here, it is a community situated around the entire globe, with well over several dozen languages spoken besides English.
So here is my idea. How about the rest of you who are blessed with more than one language teaching the rest of us (who are often too lazy to learn or speak more than one language) how to "talk shop" in your language?
For example, how do I say "distortion" or "clipping" in Romanian or Mandarin? What is the Portugese word for "resistor", "power supply", "pickup", etc. ? What do you call a preamplifier and power amplifier in Greek or Turkish? How would I identify a soldering iron by name in a German electronics store? What do you call a "chip" in Hebrew or Arabic or Swedish?
And so on.
I leave it up to you to identify words that are useful to know, as well as those that are virtually identical or entirely different between your mother tongue and English.
Obviously, using another alphabet is no way to teach English-only speakers to expand their horizons, so if you think it needs to be written in a special way to make the pronunciation clear, go ahead. If it could be spelled different ways, mention that.
I want to learn!! This could be fun.
I speak both dutch and english fluently. Because my parents both speak English in the house, so I knew almost no Dutch when I went to playschool. I learnt within 4 weeks or so though ;)
What do you want to know, Mark? ;)
It's not just me, it's everyone else out there who might accidentally stumble onto a Dutch Elektor article somewhere and has no idea how to recognize words for common components or ideas.
List as many English / Dutch equivalents as you can think of:
Resistor
Capacitor
Diode
Transistor
Silicon
Germanium
Battery
Voltage
Power
Current
Wire
Copper
Solder
Circuit
Schematic
Chassis
Plug
Jack
Cable
.....
etc
etc
I have some trouble finding corresponding names between products and their equivalence to argentinian products. (for example, what the h**l is a decal?). I never found an equivalent to "enamel", i just have to buy imported ones.
By the way, some terms are used in english here (like "clipping") or else adapting the english word to spanish pronunciation and ways (something like "clipping"="clipeo" very ugly!)
Luck
Miguel
A good place would be at the bottom line in the post.
This year, I decided I would like to learn Spanish. It would be a good start. A little everyday.
N.B. You're right Mark. I have problems speaking about effects in French outside this forum. People here in Quebec don't use the same words than I do.
It must be because I spend more time on this forum than on stage (which is none these days...)
Gilles
There is not enough delay in my reverb box. / Il n'y a pas assez de délai dans ma pédale de distortion... 8)
ok Mr Hammer..I am swedish so I'll give you a few...
Resistor = motstånd ( moutstaand )
Capacitor =kondensator
Diode =diod (dee-oh-d )
Transistor =transistor
Silicon =kisel (tjees-el )
Germanium =germanium ( yermaaniuum )
Battery =batteri ( but-erie )
Voltage =spänning ( span-ing )
Power =effekt
Current =strömm (str-uh-mm )
Wire =sladd ( slaaad )
Copper =koppar
Solder = lödtenn
Circuit =krets
Schematic =kretschema
Chassis = chassi
Plug = plugg or propp
Jack = jack
Cable = sladd (again )
many words will be the same becouse the technology is still fairly young ( less than 100 years ) and the global comunication in that time has been such that there has been little or no need to create different words in different parts of the world..but it's still a cool idea
how about "Rör" ( r-uh-r ) for tube or lödfläta ( loedflaata ) for solderwick or spole ( spool-eh ) for inductor/coil..
swedish reporter asking an amerikan.."can you name any swedish people?.."..uhm..the swedish shef?..."well, he's not a real person...." .".no, but he's swedish, isnt he?..."
johan ( yo-un )
Now I need to know the Swedish word for "Thankyou".
Terrific start to what I'm sure will be a thread worth saving.
thank you= tack ( tuck )...but beer will do... :D
Johan
Hi,
This is a fabulous site with a wealth of very useful information. Thank you Aron and everyone else.
Just in case any of you have a chance to visit Akihabara in Tokyo, Japan these translation will help you. As most of you know Akihabara is a DIYer's ultimate dream with over 1000 electronic shops, some as small as 10' by 8' where each store might sell nothing but LEDs or transformers etc.
here are some translations:
Resistor = teiko-o
Capacitor = condensaa (for some reason)
Diode = daio-odo
Transistor = toranjistaa
Silicon = shiricon
Circuit = kairo
Schematic = kairo zu
transformer = toransu
Most English words are the same in Japanese, they only pronounce it quite differently. When in doubt just accentuate every consonant (i.e. plug = puragu) When my wife was exploring Tokyo alone she said no one would help her find a McDonald's. I had to teach her the correct pronunciation which is 'Macudonarudo' a 6 syllable word!
Jun
This is definitely a cool idea Mark.
Now what about those southern red neck boys, they have a language all their own :lol:
Arn C.
:lol: This is good one
I´ll do what I can, but who knows
But just thought few essential words more what you search in an old yellow super spiffy magazine project...
switch
power supply
full wave rectifier
half wave rectifier
input
output
switching
toggle switch
single
double
triple
op amp
phase shifter
delay
summing
difference
differential
but as Mark Hammer said, etc etc
What I have done at my work :x is fiddlin with simple but sometimes big and critical tables with word processor excel and maybe databases. I believe it would be benefit if we can make some kind of indexing for certain or all words. Of course it can be added afterwards but if we can make a decent longish list of most common/useful words/terms in english *then* it´s time to number/index it somehow and after that it is just bobs your uncle anybody who can just add more info referring to the table index
Hi! I don't really think this is going to be mega-useful or anything, but nevertheless here's the list in serbian (or serbocroatian if you like):
Resistor = Otpornik (remember '90ies in Serbia? student's movement against Milosevic "Otpor" = Resistance )
Capacitor = Kondenzator ( much like German - Kondensator )
Diode = Dioda
Transistor = Tranzistor
Silicon = Silikon
Germanium = Germanijum
Battery = baterija
Voltage = napon ( lit. "Tension" just like in German - die Spannung )
Power = snaga ( Snagasko pojacalo - Power Amplifier )
Current = struja
Wire = zica ( zhica)
Copper = Bakar
Solder = kalaj
Circuit ~ kolo, sklop (Electronic circuit = elektronski sklop )
Schematic = shema
Chassis = kuciste (housing) ili kutija (box)
Plug = ? no idea...
Jack = Dzek ( or Jack :-)
Cable = kabel, kabal, kabl
Preamplifier = pretpojacalo ( pred - before, pojacalo - amplifier )
Sound = zvuk
Speaker = zvucnik ( he/it who/which makes zvuk :-)
Thank you = hvala
You're welcome = molim
To je sve za sada = that's it for now
Pozdrav,
Marek
Quote from: Arn C.Now what about those southern red neck boys, they have a language all their own :lol:
Arn C.
surprisingly, a great many of us rednecks are fairly fluent in english, and have adopted many of your yankee terms for electronic components. we just take our time pronouncing them. :D
OK :mrgreen: The fat letters are the stresses in each word.
Resistor - Weerstand (we're-stunned)
Capacitor - Condensator (condense-ah-tor)
Diode - Diode (dee-oh-du)
Transistor - Transistor
Silicon - Silicone (Si-licone-uh) or Silicum
Germanium - Germanium (Ger-mah-nium)
Battery - Battery (Bat-uhr-ai)
Voltage - Voltage (Vol-tah-sjuh)
Power - not sure :?
Current - Stroom (str ohm)
Wire - Draad (like 'drat' but with a bit longer 'a' and a d at the end)
Copper - Koper (cope-er)
Solder - Soldeer (sol-deer)
Circuit - not sure either :?
Schematic - Schematisch diagram (Skay-mah-tisj diah-gram)
Chassis - Chassis
Plug - Plug (Plugggg, rasp the G's in your throat)
Jack - Same as plug
Cable - Kabel (Kah-bul)
Some additions:
QuoteSilicon - Silicone (Si-licone-uh) or Silicum
That would be silic
ium instead of silicum
QuotePower - not sure
Power - vermogen (ver-mo-gggun, again rasp the G's in your throat)
Cool idea Mark!
You have no idea how much stuff can be found on Russian or Japanese sites.
Some time ago I found the Japanese word for schematic (in Japanese symbols) and typed it in in Google. You can find some pretty cool things that way :mrgreen:
power = vermogen;
circuit = schakeling;
in dutch
beer = Bier (german);
:P Of course, vermogen. Stupid me :P
..yes ofcourse...beer in swedish is ÖL ..witch incidently is the same word the Germans use for oil....I guess it makes us run smoother? :roll: ....
Johan
Claydavis wrote:
Quotesurprisingly, a great many of us rednecks are fairly fluent in english, and have adopted many of your yankee terms for electronic components. we just take our time pronouncing them.
hehehehhehehehehehe You're too much man!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
A couple of my favorite comedians are from the south : Ron White(Texas)
Larry the Cable Guy(Mississippi) and Rodney Carrington(?)...
Peace!!!
Arn C.
Ok, here you have some tips in Argetinean Spanish (o criollo pa los amigos):
Resistor : resistencia
Capacitor : capacitor or condensador
Diode : Diodo
Transistor
Silicon : Silicio
Germanium : germanio
Battery : Bateria
Voltage
Power : Potencia
Current : Corriente
Wire : Cable
Copper : Cobre
Solder : Soldadura
Circuit : Circuito
Schematic : Esquema, diagrama
Chassis : chasis
Plug
Jack
Cable
The ones without a match are the same. Mind that the pronuntiation of the vocals are quite different. If you don't know how vocals are pronounced in spanish, check out the appendix in Tolkien's Silmarillion about pronuntiation of the elven language, the vocals are pronounced just like he says (or ask some spanish speaking friend).
Some other interesting words you might want to lear if you plan visiting us are:
Food: comida
Beer: cerveza (birra as well)
Wine: vino
Meat: Carne
Roast meat: Asado
With those five words you can survive and even make very good friends ;)
Ah! te me adelantaste!!!!!
You got ahead of me!
bueno, completemos el asunto:
switch = switch, interruptor, conmutador
power supply = fuente de poder
full wave rectifier = rectificador de onda completa
half wave rectifier = rectificador de media onda
input = entrada (entrada also translates as entrance, as in a theatre, or restaurant)
output = salida (exit as well)
switching = interrumpiendo (switch is a verb and a noun)
toggle switch = interruptor de palanca
single = simple
double = doble
triple = triple
op amp = amplificador operacional
phase shifter
delay = retraso (although in this biz we ALL use delay as the word...maybe echo)
summing = sumando
difference = diferencia, restando
differential = diferencial
... following Johan's lead ... here's my stab at heavy Montreal "French Electronics" - bear in mind there's rolling here too ...
Resistor = une resistance
Capacitor = un condensateur
Diode = une diode (dzi-ode)
Transistor = un transistor (transis-tohr)
Silicon = Silicium
Germanium = Germanium
Battery = une batterie (bat-ree) ... same as for Drum Kit !
Voltage = un voltage
Power = un pouvoir (which translates into "to be able")
Current = un courrant (coo-ranh)
Wire = un fil
Copper = cuivre (kuwivrhh)
Solder = une soudure (soo-dzur)
Circuit = un circuit (sir-kwi)
Schematic = un schema (shay-ma)
Chassis = un chassis (shah-sy)
Plug = une plogue (ploh-gh) !! ... in the east end they might say "ployye"
Jack = un jack
Cable = un cable (cah-bleh)
Solder Gun = un Fer a Souder (translates into "Iron to Solder" [... with])
Vacuum Tube = une lampe (lam-peh)
Amplifyier = un ampli/ampliff (am-plee)
Headstock = un 'eadstok (ed-stock)
Guitar = ma guitare (gee-tohr)
Speaker = un speaker (spee-kehr)
Fuzz = un fuzz
... well, you've guessed it - after a while techno-Quebecer becomes very anglisized ... it's all in the pronounciation and the superlatives that are added to these words ... I demonstrate:
... "... stupid ^%#ing piece of shit tube !! ..."
translates: "... maudite lampe du saint-sacrament !! ..."
or ...
... " ... where's that damn soldering gun again ??"
translates: "... y'e' ou mon tabarnaque de fer a souder la`h ... ??!"
... of course, you can act out this shit in exaggeration - I think it's a built in self-mocking aspect of the culture ... great for clowning around ...
... the linguistical thing about Quebecois is you can create composite swear words by linking them together with "de" (of) which produces a functional aspect - as in mathematics y = f(x) ... f of x ... but in a quite creative way ... sometimes I feel like our little pesky nation is on earth just for the purpose of coming up with a new dimension on swear strings ... for example ...
"... le Calice d'Enfant d'Chienne de Siboire de Tabarnaque de Transformateur pourrie a brule' ! ..."
closest possible translation in English I can think of ...
"... the f'kn son-of-a-bitch Piss Shit rotten transformer is burnt ! ..."
As you can see it's a pretty sophisticated style of barking.
... salut les boyz !
jc maillet
Some words in portuguese:
Resistor = resistor or resistência
Capacitor = capacitor
Diode = diodo
Transistor = transistor
Silicon = silÃcio
Germanium = germânio
Battery = bateria (same for drum kit too!!!)
Voltage = voltagem
Power = I think you can use voltagem too. If you put power in a translator, you will get poder, wich isn't the same thing.
Current = corrente
Wire = fio
Copper = cobre
Solder = solda
Circuit = circuito
Schematic = esquemático or esquema
Chassis = chassis (caixa for box)
Plug = plug
Jack = jack
Cable = cabo
Solder Iron = soldador or ferro de solda
Tube = válvula
Amp = amplificador
Acoustic Guitar = violão
Electric Guitar = guitarra
Bass = baixo
Speaker = auto-falante
Beer = cerveja
Wine = vinho
Friend = amigo
Car = carro
Thanks = obrigado
sounds great , 'wish i had the time. :oops:
coooooooooool,
-t om
Quote from: troubledtomsounds great , 'wish i had the time. :oops:
coooooooooool,
-t om
Just learn the words for beer, and I think you will be fine in any bar. :lol:
I grew up in the western US, and australia.
I learned a little spanish from mi amigos de chicano.
i only can think of one related word that i know for sure
guitar= la guitara.
mi gusta tocar la guitara.
most of the rest of the spanish i know could probably be used to either get in a fight, or find a bathroom if i were lost in mexico.
mi gusta comer tu madre's penoche = please beat me to a bloody pulp.
donde esta el bano? I need to take a crap.
buenos dias
Brian
In Australia:
resistor = bloody resistor
cap = bloody cap
Mark Hammer = Bruce Hammer
..you get the idea!
Seriously, another source of 'happy accidents' is searching in google images, looking for fuzz, effect and so on. :shock:
Hi,
i post the German words.....:
Resistor = Widerstand
Capacitor = Kondensator
Diode = Diode
Transistor = Transistor
Silicon = Silizium
Germanium = Germanium
Battery = Batterie
Voltage = Volt
Power = Strom
Current = Stromstärke
Wire = Draht / Kabel
Copper = Kupfer
Solder = Löten
Circuit = Schaltkreis o. Schaltung
Schematic = Schaltplan o. Schaltbild
Chassis = Gehäuse
Plug = Stecker
Jack = Buchse o. Steckerbuchse
Cable = Kabel
some Additions (ein paar Ergänzungen):
Guitar = Gitarre
Amp = Verstärker
Distortion = Verzerrung
Clipping = Abschneidung (to clip = abschneiden)
Overdrive = Ãœbersteuern
Fuzz = Fussel
Crunch = Knirschen
Feedback = Rückkopplung
OK end of lesson :D
bye
Oliver
let me correct the above german: power = Leistung