I need a French translation for "World's Best Grandpa" but do not know French. My best candidate is "Le meilleur grand-père sur le monde" which I suspect is too formal, ungrammatical, or hopelessly wrong. I'm also stumbling over the sur/dans distinction and suspect there is likely an idiom which is just better in every way. This is intended to be embroidered on a pillow so brevity and informality are prized in that order.
posted by fydfyd on Dec 23, 2009 - 7 answers

My wife and I always joke about the preponderance of shitty luck we have and how if our family had a crest part of it would be the words "Always an Ordeal" written in Latin. I'm thinking I'd like to actually design it as a gift but know nothing of Latin. Anyone out there know how "Always an Ordeal" would be written in Latin?
posted by Nyarlathotep on Dec 9, 2009 - 17 answers

How can I determine how many unique words and how many repetitions are in a text? [more inside]
posted by OLechat on Dec 3, 2009 - 21 answers

Can anybody recommend a good collaborative online translation tool? Not an automated translator, something to help manage and co-ordinate a translation workflow in a team of people. [more inside]
posted by tkbarbarian on Dec 1, 2009 - 6 answers

You're talking to some people about computers when you realize that somehow, they know even less than you do. How do you figure out what they need to hear? How do you phrase it clearly, simply and accurately, but not condescendingly? How do you know when you're screwing that up, and how do you recover? And conversely, when people talk to you about computers, how do you figure out what they mean even when they are using a different set of jargon from what you've learned, or incorrect jargon, or plain don't themselves know what they mean? [more inside]
posted by d. z. wang on Nov 27, 2009 - 14 answers

Just downloaded Play65 but it isn't in English! Help! [more inside]
posted by crazylegs on Nov 26, 2009 - 2 answers

Beckett translation needed badly, please. En Francais. Please look up, or translate the last couple lines of The Unnameable ( L'Innommable ) for me. In English, it works out to: "I can't go on. I'll go on." What is the French? [more inside]
posted by cascando on Nov 26, 2009 - 5 answers

I need some help with creating a DVD with subtitles. My computer is a Mac, but also runs Parallels and XP. [more inside]
posted by Silky Slim on Nov 14, 2009 - 4 answers

Asking for a friend who bought a shirt in Spain which reads "Por crisis alquilo 50% de mi cama". Can anyone translate? [more inside]
posted by nextian_geometry on Nov 5, 2009 - 8 answers

I'd like to find, or build, a tool for stripping differently encoded text from bilingual (Chinese/English) text documents. Bonus - since this is for subtitles, I need to be able to train it to recognize timecodes and unique characters like returns and hyphens. Double bonus - I know jack about programming, but since the only way to do this right now I have is by hand, which costs me hours and hours of tedium and is putting me at risk for carpal tunnel, I'm definitely willing to put in the time to learn. [more inside]
posted by saysthis on Nov 5, 2009 - 8 answers

Is there a Medieval Linguist in the house? I need a very short conversation between Cistercian nuns in Saxony translated into Medieval Latin. Any help so I don't sound like a complete idiot warmly welcomed. [more inside]
posted by The Whelk on Oct 23, 2009 - 7 answers

Looking for a Marcel Proust quote in the original French. [more inside]
posted by 1f2frfbf on Oct 23, 2009 - 3 answers

emergency translation alert: What phrase would a Latin American Spanish speaker use to describe the following piece of closet hardware: [more inside]
posted by Chrischris on Oct 15, 2009 - 2 answers

I am looking for translations for the words "twin" and "sister". I have used babelfish and other sites but really want the pronunciation not just foreign writings I can't decipher. Also, translations in other languages not listed such as different Native American tribal translations. Help?!
posted by madmamasmith on Oct 14, 2009 - 24 answers

Spanish filter: please translate this short paragraph. [more inside]
posted by twistofrhyme on Oct 9, 2009 - 5 answers

Automatic language translators: which is the best, for now? What efforts are underway to improve them? How much progress have we seen, on what sort of time scale? My interest pertains to Latin script languages, but I'm curious about the matter generally.
posted by woodway on Oct 8, 2009 - 7 answers

This proverb has me stumpified... [more inside]
posted by shino-boy on Oct 7, 2009 - 20 answers

Polish translation for "I have nothing"? [more inside]
posted by rickim on Oct 6, 2009 - 1 answer

Do you speak Thai? Can you translate this song into English?* This mp3 link is performed by the original artist, who remains unknown, and was infamously plundered by the Butthole Surfers in 1987 to create the track "Kuntz" on the album Locust Abortion Technician. [more inside]
posted by not_on_display on Oct 3, 2009 - 6 answers

How would I write “Peanut Butter Cups” in French? [more inside]
posted by hydrophonic on Oct 2, 2009 - 15 answers

Can someone translate the Japanese in this song for me: The Razzleberry Jam, the theme song of the Razzleberry frozen yogurt franchise in Tokyo. If you don't already have it, you can download it here: http://razzleberry.jp/ Under Special Download near the bottom. Thanks!
posted by slowcat on Sep 28, 2009 - 2 answers

I have found a written reference to a person with a last name of: ten Thije ook genoemd Boonkkamp. I am assuming that it is Dutch? and can anyone transliterate it into English, especially the non-capitalized parts? Does it mean 'Thije' who is married to 'Boonkkamp' or anything like that?
posted by eaglehound on Sep 25, 2009 - 8 answers

硬背. Please translate this into English for me. [more inside]
posted by killdevil on Sep 22, 2009 - 4 answers

I would like advice, suggestions, and knowledge concerning my intention to enter into the field of translation. [more inside]
posted by lazaruslong on Sep 17, 2009 - 14 answers

Chinese Translation Filter: What is the best translation of, "a woman ahead of her time." [more inside]
posted by hybridvigor on Sep 16, 2009 - 3 answers

In need of Finglish (Farsi) translation. Original text inside. [more inside]
posted by pantheON on Sep 8, 2009 - 4 answers

Translation filter: What does the text on this box of tea say?
posted by tdreyer on Sep 2, 2009 - 3 answers

I am designing a poster in which i would like to include one phrase in roughly 15-20 languages, but would like to know how to say this phrase PROPERLY... [more inside]
posted by slograffiti on Sep 1, 2009 - 37 answers

Are you a translator? What software do you use or recommend? [more inside]
posted by ask me please on Aug 31, 2009 - 7 answers

What options do I have for web translation? [more inside]
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious on Aug 28, 2009 - 2 answers

Does anyone know of a good English translation of The Trojan Women by Euripides in the public domain? [more inside]
posted by firemonkey on Aug 22, 2009 - 2 answers

What's the literal translation of the French film title "S'en fout la mort"? [more inside]
posted by Awkward Philip on Aug 17, 2009 - 12 answers

Is there any way for Google Translate to process long files? It seems to kick out at around 38K.
posted by Yakuman on Aug 16, 2009 - 3 answers

How to translate the scientific/statistical English words "accuracy" and "precision" into scientific/statistical Russian? [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis on Aug 14, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm looking for a Latin translation of an American colloquialism (knowing that such translations are at best approximations/don't work because the idiom never existed in Latin.) [more inside]
posted by usonian on Aug 12, 2009 - 5 answers

I'm looking for software that will let me capture programs with the closed captions intact. Does anybody know of anything? I have a Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick tv tuner.
posted by Yakuman on Aug 8, 2009 - 1 answer

Swedish drunk text translation help please :) Note: may be slightly off color language, THAT word I think I recognize! [more inside]
posted by rampy on Aug 4, 2009 - 14 answers

Latinfilter: Help me translate "From the library of humanity/man/" into latin. So "Ex libris …" something or other…
posted by monocultured on Jul 16, 2009 - 10 answers

Can anyone please translate this short phrase into German? It's from the Rankin-Bass movie, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. [more inside]
posted by rahnefan on Jul 10, 2009 - 16 answers

Can someone help me translating this Poe quote into Latin? [more inside]
posted by Tchad on Jul 10, 2009 - 9 answers

Elementary Latin Filter: We'd like to thank a priest... in Latin. [more inside]
posted by Spinneret on Jul 9, 2009 - 6 answers

I need help finding a romantic phrase in Tagalog [more inside]
posted by sporaticgenius on Jul 7, 2009 - 8 answers

I want to invite a woman (via letter) I like out on a date to see a Shakespearean play later this month. I want it to read somewhat like the general language used in his writings, but also instantly understandable to someone not very familiar with his plays and/or language. If someone could point me to a resource to help out or if you're willing to rewrite it yourself, I'd be very thankful. [more inside]
posted by Jason Land on Jul 5, 2009 - 7 answers

Spanish Translation, por favor. My customer in Mexico with limited English is angry at me. Maybe I could appease her in the native tounge. Please translate the following into Spanish: Hello Claudia, Our warehouse has notified us that your order will ship by this Friday. Unfortunately, your order was delayed a couple of days because it arrived to the wrong fax machine. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you. (Gracias. Ha I know that one!)
posted by ieatwords on Jun 17, 2009 - 7 answers

I'd like to study about Comparative Literature, but as I've looked around at CompLit university departments it appears that there isn't really anything like an introductory course or textbook. [more inside]
posted by elfgirl on Jun 11, 2009 - 5 answers

Hi, Can anyone help us translate the following into Latin for our wedding ring inscription? "Never to be parted" Any help will be much appreciated!
posted by shabba300 on Jun 10, 2009 - 12 answers

TranslationFilter: Can you help me track down a particular translation of Cavafy's poem 'Ithaka'? [more inside]
posted by collectallfour on Jun 9, 2009 - 2 answers

How do I become a better translator for the open source project that I'm volunteering for? [more inside]
posted by Foci for Analysis on Jun 6, 2009 - 2 answers

I want to send a text to someone who is having her first Japanese class tomorrow that says "How was your first class? What did you learn to say in Japanese?" except in Japanese. [more inside]
posted by 23skidoo on Jun 3, 2009 - 12 answers

As it seems others have found, it's difficult to find/figure out a Scottish Gaelic translation on the intarwebs. I need a phrase translated and I've come up dry. [more inside]
posted by Medieval Maven on May 28, 2009 - 5 answers