Not P but Moby-Dick (70)

[Mike Jing]

It's indeed a mistake that should not have been made in my opinion. But if
I were someone who knows absolutely nothing about Chinese, I wouldn't be so
quick to make fun of the previous translators. It makes even less sense to
make fun of China and Chinese in general.

"is there a rule in Chinese that says you have to state what dimensional
aspect of the nine-inch object is being referred to?"

Not exactly, but most of the time it needs to be specified.


On Thu, Feb 15, 2024 at 11:42 AM O G <octogonalyoyo at gmail.com> wrote:

> Gauges.
>
> No doubt the following is utterly witless and I am missing something
> obvious as usual, for example I only just learned fifteen minutes ago that
> Jupiter is *not*, in fact, a planet, but it is nearly noon and I have
> consumed much hot tea so nonetheless or allthemore in true Ishmaelian
> spirit I will gauge my best.
>
> All previous translations of Moby-Dick have interpreted a nine-inch cable
> as, being, that long?
>
> That is, hard to even throw words at.  How did the translators translate
> the word whale?  Small fish?  Minnow?  Moby the minnow?  Moby-Minnow?
>
> How did they translate the word, ship?  Row-boat?  How about ocean.  Was it
> a pond?
>
> Whadyergonnado with a nine-inch cable.  Queequeg could maybe have tied his
> bike down with it, but didn't he leave that Stateside?  Leaning against the
> totem pole?
>
> Listen, I'm all for China, I really am.  I love China.  Go China!  I hope
> they win Taiwan, I really do.  I hope they tie that sucker down to the
> mainland ship like a speared whale, and to the sharks that come--
>
> But come on, a nine-inch long cable?  Who are these translators?  Can I
> have their email addresses?  No I won't mention where I got their emails
> from.  Is your name really Mike?  Can I call you Mao?  Is Chinese your
> first language?  Which number is English?  How does typing work in China?
> I don't really know how Chinese works, I have only seen the pictures, and
> it seems like a lot.  Keyboards like whales.  But, so, when a, okay I am
> not even going to bother with the concept of Chinese AI right now, but so,
> when a Chinese dude, yes dude only a dude, translates a nine-inch cable, or
> a nine-inch anything, into Chinese, is there a rule in Chinese that says
> you have to state what dimensional aspect of the nine-inch object is being
> referred to?
>
>
>
> > Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2024 03:30:52 -0500
> > From: Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> > To: Pynchon Mailing List <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> > Subject: Not P but Moby-Dick (71)
> > Message-ID:
> >         <
> > CAPs1BB+99E4BmHQuXeZQbcCnB-C37_ioU-KRH-kjjda1_h0fLA at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >
> > >From Chapter 89:
> >
> > First: What is a Fast-Fish? Alive or dead a fish is technically fast,
> when
> > it is connected with an occupied ship or boat, by any medium at all
> > controllable by the occupant or occupants,?a mast, an oar, a nine-inch
> > cable, a telegraph wire, or a strand of cobweb, it is all the same.
> >
> > Here, the "nine-inch" refers to the girth of the rope, is that correct?
> >
> > Previous translations interpreted it as the length, which seems obviously
> > wrong to me.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 5
> > Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2024 06:34:22 -0500
> > From: Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com>
> > To: Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> > Cc: Pynchon Mailing List <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> > Subject: Re: Not P but Moby-Dick (71)
> > Message-ID:
> >         <
> > CAD8KJ4HAKeov2FHQec9LbmOny9a_y3M-Dn3nXzatdNG0Bb96Vg at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> >
> > Standard rope gauges were determined by the number of folds made in the
> > rope walk. Standard sailing ship rigging usually varied from 1?1/4 inch
> dia
> > to 10 inches in diameter, the latter used for towing another ship, tie up
> > to docks, and far less often for anchors, chain being preferred for
> > anchors.
> > 2
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 15, 2024 at 3:31?AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > From Chapter 89:
> > >
> > > First: What is a Fast-Fish? Alive or dead a fish is technically fast,
> > when
> > > it is connected with an occupied ship or boat, by any medium at all
> > > controllable by the occupant or occupants,?a mast, an oar, a nine-inch
> > > cable, a telegraph wire, or a strand of cobweb, it is all the same.
> > >
> > > Here, the "nine-inch" refers to the girth of the rope, is that correct?
> > >
> > > Previous translations interpreted it as the length, which seems
> obviously
> > > wrong to me.
> > > --
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> > End of Pynchon-l Digest, Vol 73, Issue 12
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