Translating Thief games... need help. - by bukary
Random_Taffer on 25/8/2006 at 12:45
Quote Posted by bukary
Thanks for the help!
Another question: in the final movie of Thief 2 Karras says: "let all thy endeavours be objected unto thee". What does it mean? :confused:
I think the reason that this statement is worded this way is because Karras is quoting scripture. These are most likely the words of the master builder addressing his followers.
jtr7 on 25/8/2006 at 19:34
Okay, bukary, I'll start on the T1 quotes.
If you like what you see, I'll do the T2 quotes, as well.:thumb:
bukary on 31/8/2006 at 00:55
Is there any transcription of Thief 1 intro avaible? There are some 'flashing' and hard to read sentences there... :(
theBlackman on 31/8/2006 at 07:30
The first explanation of "Keystone" is correct. If you look at the trees from the balcony, they form an arch. The switch is by the tree at the top which would be where the "keystone" in a stone arch would be.
It is metaphoric, but the top tree of the arch pattern equates to a "Keystone".
For the rest, JTR7 did an outstanding job.
Dreckbourn as described could be a place name for a portion of the town built on landfill over a former garbage dump.
Pure speculation regarding sanitation in the era suggests that the outskirts of town have open sewers in the center of the byways (a very common thing in medieval times) and the disposal of garbage moved out of town would not be taken a long distance to be dumped.
Over time the expansion of the town would reach the dump. And, as we do today, the garbage would be filled over and the "suburban" areas on top of it built up.
As I said, speculation from a historical perspective. Canon at the moment, has no firm information.
hopper on 31/8/2006 at 13:35
Quote Posted by bukary
4) I'm translating all gambling pits' names into Polish. But does Dreckboun has any meaning?
6) "Cutty" might mean "short" and "not very tall"?
Unless it's common practice in Poland to translate people's and place names in books and movies as well, I'd leave them as they are. :)
Two alternative explanations on Cutty:
Cutty is Garrett's fence, i.e. he sells Garrett's stolen goods for him on the black market. Garrett then gets the price of the goods, minus Cutty's "service charge", or cut. Hence the name.
Or he is also a loan shark and has a reputation for carving up people who lag behind with their return payments.
Quote Posted by bukary
7) What does "hammers saws" mean here? And "hammers saws tear" Are these all verbs? If so, why no commas? Why no "s" after "tear"?
I'd say simply "hammers and saws":
"And the [non-woodsie-lord-worshippers] piled rock on rocks and raised a wooden roof; their hammers and saws tore the bark off good wood."
Quote Posted by bukary
9) What does "stringsie foolsie man" mean here? And could anyone explain the meaning of the last sentence to me?
A foolsie man or manfool is always a non-believer to the Pagans. I'd say stringsie means either "tied up" or "hung". Meaning, the woodsie lord danced either with a non-Pagan man whose hands and feet were bound together, or with the corpse of a hung man, and they later sacrificed him in the fire.
Quote Posted by bukary
10) Does "momentum" refer to the 'movement' of Garrett down the hill? Does it mean something like "now you must move in the right direction", or "now you must properly control your movement"?
Garrett has developed his skills and abilities even much further than they were when he left the Keepers, but now the time has come to put them to a better use (than simply filling his own pockets). "Momentum" means he's become so skilful that almost nothing will be able to stop him.
Random_Taffer on 31/8/2006 at 14:29
Quote Posted by hopper
A foolsie man or manfool is always a non-believer to the Pagans. I'd say stringsie means either "tied up" or "hung". Meaning, the woodsie lord danced either with a non-Pagan man whose hands and feet were bound together, or with the corpse of a hung man, and they later sacrificed him in the fire.
I always took stringsie to mean skinny or scrawny, of little substance, or pathetic, although your version is also possible. It shows how little the pagans think of mere manfools. Small, weak, and pathetic.
bukary on 3/9/2006 at 08:54
In "Casing the Joint" we can find a letter from Steward Duma to Foreman Hobart:
Quote:
Also, tune the harp when you get a chance. Lady Weatherington fancies herself an accomplished pianist and is an unrepentant showboat. She will take it as an insult if she is not shown to the harp during the reception so that she may display her meager skills.
What does "showboat" mean in this context? A woman that wants to show herself constantly? I guess it sounds like an insult, right?
theBlackman on 3/9/2006 at 10:06
A "Showboat" was a riverboat with a traveling troupe of entertainers. In the 1800's they were a common sight on the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri rivers.
The word is used today, as it is in THIEF. It means a person who hogs the attention of a gathering. The person wants to be the star attraction of the evening.
To show off, be in the forefront of the crowd. You see them at athletic contests, or concerts. They are the ones who jumpup in front of the TV cameras and push into the front of the crowd saying "look at me" these people are "Showboating".
So the same appelation could be used for them as it was for Lady Weatherington.
bukary on 4/9/2006 at 15:05
Thanks again!
Another question:
1)
Quote:
Entry 1 -- Today was indeed a fine day, for Karras was on hand for the commissioning of this, the finest of vessels -- the Cetus Amicus. In all my years as captain of seagoing craft, I never sailed a ship so sleek or strong. Verily, the Cetus Amicus mocks those wave-bound barges! To glide below the flotsam and jetsam...to stand safely in the womb of this steel shark as she cuts through the briny deep. Never again shall there be a vessel as fine as this.
What does "commissioning" mean in this context? Preparing the ship for war?
2)
Quote:
My eye spied another nugget of silver today. The veins are rich with the Builder's bounty! Methinks I'll keep this little discovery to mine own self....
"The veins are rich with the Builder's bounty!" - what does it mean? Some proverb?
ffox on 4/9/2006 at 18:26
"Commissioning" means formally accepting the ship as being ready for active service. Prior to that it will have been undergoing tests and crew training.
In mining terms, a "vein" is a naturally occurring tube of minerals which threads its way through the underground rock strata. These veins contain many silver nuggets, so are rich ones. The writer is crediting his "God" (the Builder) for their existence.
