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On all ? continents
Thread poster: neilmac
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 21:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
Sep 25, 2013

Mid translation there, I was about to use the phrase "on all 5 continents" when I paused and thought I'd better check its veracity. The first thing that came up was this article, which I'd like to share:)

http://cachandochile.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/available-on-all-5-continents/
 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:23
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Great article! Sep 26, 2013

Thanks for posting, neilmac!

 
Diana Obermeyer
Diana Obermeyer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:23
Member (2013)
German to English
+ ...
headache Sep 26, 2013

This gave me a major headache, when I went on a student exchange to Australia. In Germany, I had learned that Australia and New Zealand were different countries, but belonged to the same continent. The locals took offence at this "knowledge". Of course, I tried to argue this case, instead of simply accepting that the entire concept of continents is different. As one of the comments below the article explains: every part of the world belongs to a continent vs big land mass.

In my wo... See more
This gave me a major headache, when I went on a student exchange to Australia. In Germany, I had learned that Australia and New Zealand were different countries, but belonged to the same continent. The locals took offence at this "knowledge". Of course, I tried to argue this case, instead of simply accepting that the entire concept of continents is different. As one of the comments below the article explains: every part of the world belongs to a continent vs big land mass.

In my work I regularly come across a similar cultural understanding issue: England vs UK. In Germany, many people still struggle with the idea that England is only part of the UK, not the equivalent and it surprises me every time that I need to explain this. Things we take for granted.

Excellent article. ▲ Collapse
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:23
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Big problem in the UK Sep 26, 2013

dianaft wrote:

This gave me a major headache, when I went on a student exchange to Australia. In Germany, I had learned that Australia and New Zealand were different countries, but belonged to the same continent. The locals took offence at this "knowledge". Of course, I tried to argue this case, instead of simply accepting that the entire concept of continents is different. As one of the comments below the article explains: every part of the world belongs to a continent vs big land mass.

In my work I regularly come across a similar cultural understanding issue: England vs UK. In Germany, many people still struggle with the idea that England is only part of the UK, not the equivalent and it surprises me every time that I need to explain this. Things we take for granted.

Excellent article.


The big problem in the UK is that sometimes it's in Europe, and at other times "Europe" is "somewhere else" - often in the same sentence !

For example: "The UK has the most expensive train fares in Europe." "I'm going to Europe for my holidays."

[Edited at 2013-09-26 08:35 GMT]
 
Erik Freitag
Erik Freitag  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 21:23
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Interesting Sep 26, 2013

Interesting article indeed.

It's a bit like having to explain to PMs why I translate "Middle East" as "Naher Osten" (literally "Near East").



[Bearbeitet am 2013-09-26 09:45 GMT]
 
Helen Hagon
Helen Hagon  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:23
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
Diplomatic solution Sep 26, 2013

I would be tempted to translate as 'on all continents', leaving the readers to imply the number for themselves, according to preference...

Thanks for posting.
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 21:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Ditto Sep 26, 2013

[quote]Helen Hagon wrote:

I would be tempted to translate as 'on all continents', leaving the readers to imply the number for themselves, according to preference...

Thanks for posting. M/quote]

That's what I did in the end! There are some other real gems in the article though, food for thought.
 
philgoddard
philgoddard
United States
German to English
+ ...
At the risk of being pedantic... Sep 27, 2013

... You haven't told us the context, but I assume it's a business. If so, do they really have an operation in Antarctica?
 


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On all ? continents






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