thinking about Data & Deanna Troi, who may look like polar opposites on the surface (one feels everything, the other feels nothing), but they both recognize in the other the experience of being unique and surrounded by people who feel regular emotions. yes i say unique for Deanna too because she does not experience telepathy like her fully Betazoid peers either, she’s the only human-betazoid she knows, just like Data doesn’t know anyone with a brain built like his, not even Lore. and the way Deanna and Data try to understand each other is different from the way their human crewmates try to understand either one of them. the care and respect with which they both approach the other’s perception of the world is what makes their friendship so special to me.
French architect Georges Geffroy, who collaborated with Mr. Ricci on the plan of the chalet, designed the graceful staircase. Plants adorn the Entrance Hall, providing uninhibited contrast to the terra-cotta and marble tile floor.
The Worlds of Architectural Digest - Country Homes, 1982
So do you think post-everyone-learning-Dawn’s-deal Giles ever realizes that he doesn’t know which of his memories of his time with Jenny are actually real, or at least the same as the way she would’ve experienced them?
This is back on my dash! And listen, I love to see Amir Khusrau getting appreciation, but this translation ignores a lot. The original rhymes! And scans! And does playful things with register! And conveys a tone of affectionate banter between the two speakers, not least because it has them both addressing each other as sakhi (translated above as “girl”) in the last two lines. I think taking some liberties with line order is worth it to preserve more of the rest—and I think there’s a better translation of sakhi. And so:
He only visits once a year, I splurge big on him when he’s here, His kisses make my tastebuds tango. Who, bitch, your man? Nah, bitch, a mango.
I’m pretty sure sakhi means “friend” or “companion” though in hindavi, the original language of this poem. It doesn’t literally translate to “bitch” (although i like the way it’s translated!) Affectionate, yes, but not in the way we translate profanity into affection to call our friends “bitch”. It’s like “GIRRRRLLLLL” Source: i speak urdu and hindi
A closer equivalent to calling your friend “bitch” would probably be calling your friend “saali”, the literal translation of “bitch” is “kutti” but it’s more derogatory than affectionate, and although “saali” (“sister in law”) falls into the category of profanity, it still has scope of being used in friendly banter.
All true and valid! As is probably obvious from the translation itself, my tendencies are to prioritize localization and register unless the context or audience demands a more literal translation. (A more detailed write-up of my translation process is here.)
“GIRRRRLLLLL” in fairness is probably a more correct translation of “sakhi” here and one I did consider — or at least I have a draft with “gurrrl” — but in the end I went with “bitch” because (a) read out loud, it felt like it broke up the meter less, and (b) a very good friend of mine regularly calls me “bitch” and means something close to “sakhi,” so this one’s for them.* But I would love to see other translations making other choices!
ALT
ALT
