we get quite a few spanish-only customers here, and unfortunately do not have that many spanish-speaking techs. could any spanish speakers here help me with these phrases that i translated on alta vista? just help me polish them up?
i’m sorry, i don’t speak spanish. estoy apesadumbrado, no hablo espanol.
let me see if someone is available. déjeme ver si alguien está disponible.
i’m sorry, no one is available. estoy apesadumbrado, nadie estoy disponible.
can we call you back? podemos llamarle detrás?
what is your name and phone number? cuál es su nombre y número de teléfono?
Let me just say that there were some rather odd translations there. “Estoy apesadumbrado” is completely new to me. Had to look it up–it means sad, distressed, grieved. Wow, you’re really sorry!
Meanwhile, when you asked if someone could call them back, Alta Vista gave you a different kind of back–“detras” means behind, or in back of. That’s the thing with inhuman translators, at least at this point in time–they can take you a little too literally, and a little too seriously. Some English sayings/idioms (“call you back”) cannot be translated verbatim and preserve meaning. You’ll get a lot of “Que??”
ok, last question. this is how i think everything is pronounced. is it correct?
i’m sorry, i don’t speak spanish. lo see-ento, no ah-blo espan-yol. right.
let me see if someone is available. me permit-ay ver see al-gee-en ess-ta dees-pone-ee-blay. "May permeetay vare see al-gee-en (gee as in geese) ess-TA dees-pone-ee-blay"
i’m sorry, no one is available. lo see-ento, pero nod-ee ess-ta dees-pone-ee-blay.
Lo see-ento, pero nod-ee-ay ess-TA dees-pone-ee-blay
can we call you back? ess poss-ee-blay ya-mar-lay más tard-ay?
Yes. “mas” like "mahs"
what is your name and phone number? como say yama oo-sted ee cwal ess su noomm-ero de telay-fono?
correct. I was so busy looking at the EH part, I didn’t see what I wrote.
is —me in Spanish EVER pronounced may? or as for that matter, is any e in spanish pronounced ay?
I can’t think of an example.
me is MEH.
examples:
let me see if someone is available.
not correct:
me permit-ay ver …
using me makes it sound like this me in english: me myself and I
not correct:
May permeetay vare
may permeetay is just plain wrong. It almost sounds hillbillyish.
Its not pronounced May or ay (as in the month of May).
it is MEH.
off the top of my head, say the word mets. as in the NY Mets. that is a closer approximation of the sound. imagine saying it mayts (saying it like:mate) not the same is it?
and its vehr. vare makes it look like its rhymes with fare or fair.
