Care avoids err Publicador del fil: George Trail (X)
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George Trail (X) 
Regne Unit
Local time: 02:06
Francès a Anglès
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"Care avoids err" is a Chinese proverb - although if this is the first time you've heard it you could be forgiven for thinking that it is an English one. The reason? Oh, go on, have a guess. Yes - it rhymes.
When it was first translated, do you think the original expression rhymed in Chinese (because "err" is hardly as commonly used a word in English as "mistake" or "fault", is it?)? And who could deny that sayings are much easier to remember when they rhyme. What is the original ex... See more "Care avoids err" is a Chinese proverb - although if this is the first time you've heard it you could be forgiven for thinking that it is an English one. The reason? Oh, go on, have a guess. Yes - it rhymes.
When it was first translated, do you think the original expression rhymed in Chinese (because "err" is hardly as commonly used a word in English as "mistake" or "fault", is it?)? And who could deny that sayings are much easier to remember when they rhyme. What is the original expression in Chinese, anyway, if anyone out there knows? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Latortrans
Local time: 03:06
Francès a Italià
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Apparently "err" it's a !Kung word and stays for "what"... funny!
| | | | | In which English variant/dialect? | Nov 17, 2010 |
George Trail wrote:
Yes - it rhymes.
Not in any I know of.
Edited to acknowledge that I've ur'd as a bit of googling informed me that there are those who will consider me to have air'd.
[Edited at 2010-11-17 23:06 GMT]
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Not in any [dialect] I know of.
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Maybe it roimes in Brummie.
(Sorry, oldest joke in history coming up:)
Did you know Noddy Holder is touring again with Slade?
He went into a shop to get all the 70s gear for the tour.
The guy says............How about a top hat and a gliterry waistcoat?........Great, says Noddy.
What about a pair of platform boots?................Yeah, fab', says Noddy.
Kipper tie?.....Ta... See more [/quote]
Not in any [dialect] I know of.
[/quote]
Maybe it roimes in Brummie.
(Sorry, oldest joke in history coming up:)
Did you know Noddy Holder is touring again with Slade?
He went into a shop to get all the 70s gear for the tour.
The guy says............How about a top hat and a gliterry waistcoat?........Great, says Noddy.
What about a pair of platform boots?................Yeah, fab', says Noddy.
Kipper tie?.....Ta, says Noddy, milk and two sugars, please. ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Països Baixos
Local time: 03:06
Mebre des-de 2006
Anglès a Afrikaans
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| On dialectical pronunciation | Nov 18, 2010 |
TonyTK wrote:
Kipper tie?.....Ta, says Noddy, milk and two sugars, please.
This reminds me of a cartoon in lesson we had at school about English pronunciation, where the one guy says "I'm a clerk" and the other guy says "You mean you sit on a shelf and go 'tick-tock'?"
| | | | Samuel Murray
Països Baixos
Local time: 03:06
Mebre des-de 2006
Anglès a Afrikaans
+ ...
| I think it is universal | Nov 18, 2010 |
George Trail wrote:
When it was first translated, do you think the original expression rhymed in Chinese (because "err" is hardly as commonly used a word in English as "mistake" or "fault", is it?)? And who could deny that sayings are much easier to remember when they rhyme. What is the original expression in Chinese, anyway, if anyone out there knows?
I think the sentiment that being careful helps to avoid problems is universal, and not specifically Chinese.
I also think that when sayings are translated in a text, the translator is free (or even required) to come up with something that is catchy in the target language too. It is therefore quite possible, IMO, that the original Chinese expression did not rhyme but that the translator decided to be creative enough to make it rhyme in English.
As you point out, the fact that this expression rhymes in English can make some people think that the expression wasn't translated from Chinese at all, so some translators may choose to take this into accocunt and deliberate choose a translation that does not rhyme, to avoid readers from jumping to conclusions.
As for pronunciation of "err", I find it interesting that although I say "ur" when I say the expression "to err is human", my initial pronunciation of "err" in your phrase was "er" (or "air", as Madeleine wrote it), because it lends itself to the rhyme so nicely.
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Samuel Murray wrote:
As for pronunciation of "err", I find it interesting that although I say "ur" when I say the expression "to err is human", my initial pronunciation of "err" in your phrase was "er" (or "air", as Madeleine wrote it), because it lends itself to the rhyme so nicely.
I did just the same.... and must admit that I was initially a bit taken aback at the first response from Madeleine! How easilly we can forget certain things when we live away from the mother-land/tongue
| | | | Steve Booth (X)
Local time: 02:06
Anglès a Àrab
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| it rhymes where i come from | Nov 18, 2010 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
As for pronunciation of "err", I find it interesting that although I say "ur" when I say the expression "to err is human", my initial pronunciation of "err" in your phrase was "er" (or "air", as Madeleine wrote it), because it lends itself to the rhyme so nicely.
Interestingly i didn't have to think about it as it just rhymes. however now having read what you have put you say your pronunciation was 'er' or 'air' as it rhymes with 'care'
well I didn't think of it like that my pronunciation of 'care' is more like cur so it rhymes with err pronounced 'ur'
a bit like how furry and fairy sound the same.
what a wonderful language we have (especially with the varied accents) it would be even more difficult if we all still spoke in our local dialect rather than all speaking English just with regional accents
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Rachel Fell
Regne Unit
Local time: 02:06
Francès a Anglès
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| Liverpool area(s)? | Nov 18, 2010 |
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote:
Yes - it rhymes.
Not in any I know of.
. [Edited at 2010-11-17 23:06 GMT]
[Edited at 2010-11-18 22:33 GMT]
| | | | Jack Doughty
Regne Unit
Local time: 02:06
Rús a Anglès
+ ...
In memoriam
In the Cockney dialect, "care avoids err" would mean "Care keeps you out of the lady's way".
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