Help translating an idiom

Have questions or resources regarding Khmer Culture? This forum is all about the Kingdom of Cambodia's culture. Khmer language, Cambodian weddings, French influence, Cambodian architecture, Cambodian politics, Khmer customs, etc? This is the place. Living in Cambodia can cause you to experience a whole new level of culture shock, so feel free to talk about all things related to the Khmer people, and their traditions. And if you want something in Khmer script translated into English, you will probably find what you need.
taabarang
Expatriate
Posts: 3858
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 7:49 am
Reputation: 978
Location: Outside of Kampong Cham city
United States of America

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by taabarang »

Yep, you nailed it thelost. Her father was Chinese. However it's a small village and I have no desire to alienate her. Plus she treats my kids just as well as she treats her "pure" grandkids of my wife's younger sister. She's basically a good woman paying lip service to a dead tradition that hasn't heard of globalization.
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
thelost
Expatriate
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:06 am
Reputation: 0

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by thelost »

i just figured it out that maiyeh means grandmother? me yeay? as in she's the mother of your wife?

honestly, in thailand as birthplace your children would have been accepted as thai more easier than being in cambodia as khmer. even the thais know your children is look krueng / mixed child.

i went to thailand and i'm treated as a thai, they even spoke to me in thai and i am not even born in thailand. when i go to cambodia, they'll think i am taiwanese, thai, chinese, japanese, vietnamese, whatever?

your children have every right to be khmer. i dont know, it's the society and khmers are kind of...wow, is it like a special exclusive club or what?
User avatar
LeesaJohnson
Expatriate
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2017 5:21 pm
Reputation: 0
Location: London

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by LeesaJohnson »

Translation for the sentence. "look at me right/directly in the face."
User avatar
Username Taken
Raven
Posts: 13897
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:53 pm
Reputation: 5962
Cambodia

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by Username Taken »

^^ Nice cut n paste from Jamies post > > > https://cambodiaexpatsonline.com/cambodi ... ml#p157703
User avatar
juansweetpotato
Expatriate
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:45 pm
Reputation: 75

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by juansweetpotato »

thelost wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2017 6:01 am i just figured it out that maiyeh means grandmother? me yeay? as in she's the mother of your wife?

honestly, in thailand as birthplace your children would have been accepted as thai more easier than being in cambodia as khmer. even the thais know your children is look krueng / mixed child.

i went to thailand and i'm treated as a thai, they even spoke to me in thai and i am not even born in thailand. when i go to cambodia, they'll think i am taiwanese, thai, chinese, japanese, vietnamese, whatever?

your children have every right to be khmer. i dont know, it's the society and khmers are kind of...wow, is it like a special exclusive club or what?
Good chat between you two. I was going to mention the sino-Khmer thing just before you did. On closer inspection, quite a lot of people here believe that only the Khmer are Cambodians. They believe it's to do with a direct bloodline to Angkor. The other tribes aren't recognized as being Cambodian even though some of them have been here longer than the Khmer.
My ex was Basque, and I see a lot of similarities as far as being pure this or that.
"Can you spare some cutter for an old man?"
User avatar
Jamie_Lambo
The Cool Boxing Guy
Posts: 15039
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2015 10:34 am
Reputation: 3132
Location: ลพบุรี
Great Britain

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

Username Taken wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:59 pm ^^ Nice cut n paste from Jamies post > > > https://cambodiaexpatsonline.com/cambodi ... ml#p157703
:roll: :wink:
:tophat: Mean Dtuk Mean Trei, Mean Loy Mean Srey
Punchy McShortstacks School of Hard Knocks :x
taabarang
Expatriate
Posts: 3858
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 7:49 am
Reputation: 978
Location: Outside of Kampong Cham city
United States of America

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by taabarang »

Guys, thanks for the great replies. Translating idioms is somewhat of a crapshoot. It's generally difficult or very very easy. An example of the latter would be the Khmer expression,"to look at someone or something like a water buffalo looking at television." which compares rather nicely with the French, " regarder quequechose ou quelqu'un comme le vache regarde passer le train." Both capture the slack jawed expression of total stupefaction.

The idiom under discussion however is of the first kind. I've no quarrel with the translations on a one to one basis. However since we come from countries of democratic origins those renderings such as, "Do you know who I am?" while not unheard-of strike me as extremely crude, perhaps something that a buffoon like Donald Trump would ejaculate. So, I think a reversal is in order to wit, "Who the. Hell do you think you are?". True the nuances get lost but the social context is more to form. Works for me anyway. Feedback please.
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
User avatar
timmydownawell
Expatriate
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:50 pm
Reputation: 1454
Cambodia

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by timmydownawell »

My friend in Australia has posed this question, maybe you guys can help. She writes:

"There's an expression in Khmer pronounced PlerPlern (I think). It literally translates as flickering lights but it described the excitement of people from the province when they see modern things they've never seen before. Can you see if you can kind out more about it and get the correct pronunciation and it written in Khmer?"


I'm guessing from my useless EN-KH dictionary it might be "Pleu Plerng" - but I could be completely wrong.

I assume it might be like the way we'd say in English that someone's face "lights up" when they are excited or delighted?

Any idea what the actual term is and how it's written in Khmer? Thanks.

EDIT: just to add she now tells me the term is used in a negative sense, as a put-down.
You must walk in traffic to cross the road - Cambodian proverb
taabarang
Expatriate
Posts: 3858
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 7:49 am
Reputation: 978
Location: Outside of Kampong Cham city
United States of America

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by taabarang »

TDAW wrote, "My friend in Australia has posed this question, maybe you guys can help. She writes:

"There's an expression in Khmer pronounced PlerPlern (I think). It literally translates as flickering lights but it described the excitement of people from the province when they see modern things they've never seen before. Can you see if you can kind out more about it and get the correct pronunciation and it written in Khmer?"

First things first. No I can't write it in Khmer because I am illiterate in that language. Secondly, after conferring with my wife about this supposed idiom there are other possibilities. My wife, who is pretty astute in Khmer language matters, said that no such idiom is in use. So the other possibilities are 1) that it is an overseas neologism from the Khmer diaspora or your friend heard wrong. Assuming the latter my wife suggested it might be " stoeu pleung" which in cooking means not enough flame or idiomatically
" insufficient experience". The latter could apply handily to the situation you described. In which case I would render the idiom as "overwhelmed", or "dazzled by the big city lights".

I may of course be wrong but until your friend conveys the Khmer script first, it's anybody's guess.

EDIT: So, even if my best guess sucks hind tit
, you've got a new valid idiom at your disposal.
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
User avatar
timmydownawell
Expatriate
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:50 pm
Reputation: 1454
Cambodia

Re: Help translating an idiom

Post by timmydownawell »

taabarang wrote: Sun Apr 16, 2017 7:04 pm Assuming the latter my wife suggested it might be " stoeu pleung" which in cooking means not enough flame or idiomatically
" insufficient experience". The latter could apply handily to the situation you described. In which case I would render the idiom as "overwhelmed", or "dazzled by the big city lights".
Not enough flame could translate as "not very bright", perhaps?
You must walk in traffic to cross the road - Cambodian proverb
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Jlucas and 137 guests