Re: Request: translate the following phrase into a non-English language

From: Paul J Kriha (paul.nospam.kriha_at_paradise.net.nz)
Date: 09/27/04 

Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 22:12:00 +1200

Helmut Richter <a282244@mail.lrz-muenchen.de> wrote in message
news:slrncl8ihr.nhe.a282244@lxhri01.lrz.lrz-muenchen.de...
> S Kaufman:
>
> > I'm working on a piece right now where I need the phrase: "Yours is
> > the one true God" in many different languages,
>
> So intricate sentences are impossible to translate without context.
> In German, for instance, the translation of "yours" depends on whether
> it is to mean in the context:
>
> a) something or someone belonging to you
> b) of all gods in question, the one belonging to you
>
> 1) belonging to you (singular), "thine"
> 2) belonging to you (plural)
> 3) belonging to you (polite form)
>
> Result for German:
>
> a1) dein
> a2) euer
> a3) Ihnen or Ihr
> b1) deiner
> b2) eurer
> b3) Ihrer
>
> where (a3) sounds awkward as the construct sounds archaic whereas the
> usage of "Sie" as polite form is fairly recent.
>
> Possible translation, assuming (b2):
>
> Eurer ist der eine wahre Gott.
>
> Just to illustrate the possible pitfalls. In other languages, for
> instance Hebrew, the form of "yours" might be dependent not only on
> singular/plural but also on the gender of "you".

And in many languages, the form of "yours" would also be dependent
on the gender of God. :-)

Paul JK

> Helmut Richter

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