# Comment on new summary of RULES **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 4, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391 "2006-09-04T11:59:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/21 "2006-09-06T14:54:42Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] I tend to see foreign language (with or without translations) of short statements to fall under the codes for suggested etiquette rather than absolute rules. In a thread where people are exchanging quips (or even barbs), someone could, conceivably, post _après moi, le deluge_[sup]1[/sup] or _lucus a non lucendo_[sup]2[/sup] and the literal translation would still force someone who was out of the loop and had no access to Google[sup]™[/sup] to post a request asking what in the world was being said. On the other hand, explaining jokes is the fastest way to kill humor and I am not in favor of reducing the humor we find in this bitter world. For those who are sticklers for the proposed rule: [1] [After me, the flood](http://www.bartleby.com/81/4834.html) [2] [a grove by not being light](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucus_a_non_lucendo) [/QUOTE] The point is that the poster can provide a translation that is not literaly word for word, but is a reasonable translation. You get goobly gook out of the translators that are literal word for word translations. Explaining a jumble of foreign words doesn’t ruin a joke for most persons, because they don’t see a joke in the first place. Not all are jokes either. Maybe putting the word joke in front of the phrase to let everyone know it’s something that wouldn’t be funny when translated is appropriate. It doesn’t matter to a great degree for me. I figured maybe a change should be thought about by the staff, so they didn’t have to to break the rules they are meant to enforce. I didn’t recommend dropping the rule. We’d end up with full threads in non-english again. I’m ok with the current balance. It still kills the thread when four or five non translated posts are in a row. It seldom happens, but it does. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/22 "2006-09-06T15:03:43Z")
The question of translation (literal vs figurative) is a complex one. My favorite was watching a French movie with English subtitles: “Merde!” screams the actress, clear as a bell, translated as “Phooey!” by the subtitle. I guess I still think that the Rule, as written, allows that there are exceptions, but makes clear what the purpose is behind the Rule. That seems to me to cover the situation fairly well. Do we need to _khock a chinik_?\* [sub]\* Yiddish: literal translation: chop a teapot. Meaning: make a mountain out of a molehill.\*\* \*\* English: literally translation: think that you see a mountain, when it’s only a molehill. Meaning: Get too wound up over nothing.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/23 "2006-09-06T15:24:31Z")
C K Dexter Haven: I just lost my post to you and the clip board only had your name in it. grrrrr. A quick summary. The boards are fine and I don’t have any major gripe. I’m just posting these minor things for consideration at this time before the rewrites are set in stone. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/24 "2006-09-06T20:28:18Z")
Many thanks for doing this. With regard to copyright and mathematics, perhaps it might be worth copying [**Gfactor** ’s excellent post in this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=346526). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/25 "2006-09-06T21:18:01Z")
I hope I linked this right. Here in the [rules](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7696935&postcount=2) it says that it is ok to call some one a troll in the Pit. Is this a change? I thought that accusing someone of being a troll is _verboten_ (forbidden) sorry couldn’t resist. Even in the Pit. It always seemed to be the policy to report the trolling to a mod and not comment on it and feed the troll. I don’t remember what it said in the official rules before. Please clarify. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/26 "2006-09-06T21:39:06Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] Get too wound up over nothing. [/QUOTE] [Swedish] Göra en \*\*höna \*\* av en **fjäder** [/Swedish] Make a \*\*hen \*\* from a **feather** ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/27 "2006-09-07T03:37:01Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Is this a change? I thought that accusing someone of being a troll is _verboten_ (forbidden) sorry couldn’t resist. Even in the Pit. It always seemed to be the policy to report the trolling to a mod and not comment on it and feed the troll. I don’t remember what it said in the official rules before. Please clarify. [/QUOTE] From the thread currently stickied at the top of the **Pit** : [HEY, LOOK UP HERE! Rule on troll-calling changed!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=374782) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391/28 "2006-09-08T02:00:57Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] From the thread currently stickied at the top of the **Pit** : [HEY, LOOK UP HERE! Rule on troll-calling changed!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=374782) [/QUOTE] Thanks. I go to the Pit probably half as much as the other forums and I didn’t see it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-new-summary-of-rules/371391.md?page=1)