Here are some examples of literally correct translations from an article by Mary-Anne Toy published in The Age.
...Saliva chicken -a cold dish of poached chiken in a peanut, garlic, ginger and green onion sauce - but no saliva.
(My guess is - the chicken dish is so delicious that make your mouth water)
...and pocked-face Ladies Tofu - mapo dofu, the chill hot beancurd dish named after an old woman called Ma.
The article mentions a draft list of translations that the 'Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages' program has posted on the Internet (but I've no luck in my search!). Below are some of the related websites I went to:
Truthiness is the winner of word of the year in the online survey by US dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.
1 : "truth that comes from the gut, not books" (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," October 2005 2 : "the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true" (American Dialect Society, January 2006) Related link: The Stephen Colbert character
According to Merrian-Webster president John Morse, the winner of word of the year best summed up 2006. "We're at a point where what constitutes truth is a question on a lot of people's minds, and truth has become up for grabs".
The result of this survey is a good example of how the emergence of new words is inextricably linked to social values, or at other times, how it gives new meaning to old words.
Langugage is a living thing! Monday, December 04, 2006
"Change and variable are as natural in languages as they are in other areas of human life" (culture!!!) (Quote from Merriam-Webster) - word usage is continuously being tracked by dictionary editors as it is used so that they can decide which words to include in the dictionary and to determine what they mean.
Merriam-Webster website wrote that "Each day most Merriam-Webster editors devote an hour or two to reading a cross section of published material, including books, newspapers, magazines, and electronic publications; in our office this activity is called "reading and marking." The editors scour the texts in search of new words, new usages of existing words, variant spellings, and inflected forms—in short, anything that might help in deciding if a word belongs in the dictionary, understanding what it means, and determining typical usage. Any word of interest is marked, along with surrounding context that offers insight into its form and use".
This year, Merriam-Webster OnLine is also asking users to nominate a word which they've encountered and think best represents the year 2006. Submit your nomination and have your say.
An interesting article relating to 'new word of the year' can be found in Stay In Touch SMH Dec 4 2006 - the verb 'to bone' was as a synonym for 'to sack, remove, dismiss or drive out' - emerged in an allegation that a broadcasting co CEO threatened to do this to one of its presenter.
Each language articulates or organises the
world differently because different cultures take on different
emotions and attitudes when they conceptualise their experiences
or ideas and these are transmitted through their languages.
We must be equipped with an intercultural awareness besides
the language itself because target readers’ expectations
differ by their linguistic conventions as well as their cultural
norms... read more about this blog
