Translation help wanted!

[rhu]

For a kids' song I'm writing about the Tower of Babel, I need to know how to say "I don't understand you" (or "I don't understand that") or "Excuse me" (or "Sorry") in as many languages as possible. Idiomatic translations are fine.

You can also have fun, if you want, with "Please drop that stone on my foot" or similar ideas. But keep it clean. :-)

Bonus points if you come up with a phrase that rhymes and shares a stress pattern with a phrase in a different language.

Please include some clue as to pronunciation, including word stresses.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[fuldu.livejournal.com]

One of the few Japanese words I still remember, wakarimasen.

from serendipity@puzzlers.org

[(Anonymous)]

FRENCH
(I don't understand you - familiar singular, then formal/plural)

je ne te comprends (zhuh nuh tuh comp-ronh')
je ne vous comprends (zhuh nuh voo comp-ronh')

ITALIAN (I don't understand you (familiar) / it (feminine) / it (masculine) )

in Italian, almost always, the penultimate syllable of a word is emphasized, and you can leave off the personal pronoun if you like

(io) non ti capisco (ee-oh non tee cuh-pee-skoe)
(io) non la capisco (ee-oh non la cuh-pee-skoe)
(io) non lo capisco (ee-oh non low cuh-pee-skoe)

FRENCH (pardon me)
pardonnez-moi (par-dunn'-ay mwah)

[jencallisto]

Mandarin Chinese:
excuse me = dui4 bu qi3
i don't understand = wo3 bu dong3
i don't understand what you are saying = wo3 bu dong3 ni3 zai4 shuo1 shen2 me
i don't understand you = wo3 bu dong3 ni3 [but the meaning of this feels more like "i don't understand you at all" -- that is to say, your motives or behavior, rather than your words]

the bu in the middle of the phrases is light/unstressed, as is the "me"
4 is a straight down sharp stress
3 goes down and then up
1 is held high straight across
2 goes up, and in this case is less stressed than the 1 before it
[the shuo1 can probably be considered the peak of the phrase]

[(Anonymous)]

There's a pretty good page of these at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_phrases_in_different_languages

Griddle

[rev69.livejournal.com]

Ich versteh' euch nicht! (German) From the Frau Rummel's days? Actually, I listen to a lot of Rammstein now, and its part of the chorus of "Ich Will".

[stellavision.livejournal.com]

And "Excuse me" is "Entschuldigung."

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Spanish: "I'm sorry" is "Lo siento."

And I think I remember that "Excuse me" is usually "Perdonme," with the accent on the first syllable.

"I don't understand" is "no comprendo."

[rev69.livejournal.com]

or Entschuldigen Sie mir, bitte in the kiss-ass polite form. :)

[autotruezone.livejournal.com]

Note that "euch" is second person plural, in the familiar form. If you want singular, change it to "dich". For the formal version, change to "Sie" (which, IIRC, works for both singular and plural).

[elainetyger.livejournal.com]

The Caribbean Spanish-speaking people I know say "permiso" (pair-MEE-soh) for excuse me (permission to pass).

I'm sorry in Italian is "mi dispiace" (mee dees-pee-AH-chay).

Excuse me in Italian is "scusate" (skoo-ZAH-tay).

I can find out for Yemeni-style Arabic, if you want.

Re: from serendipity@puzzlers.org

[(Anonymous)]

The French expressions should say "je ne te comprends PAS" and "je ne vous comprends PAS".

[(Anonymous)]

I don't understand you:
- Russian: Ya tebya ne ponimayu. (familiar) [YAH tyee-BYAH nyee puh-nyee-MAY-yoo] / Ya Vas ne ponimayu. (polite and plural) [YAH VAHS nyee puh-nyee-MAY-yoo]
- Yiddish: Ikh farshtey dikh nit. (familiar) [IKH fahr-SHTEY dikh nit] / Ikh farshtey aykh nit. (polite and plural) [IKH far-SHTEY aykh nit]

I don't understand that:
- Russian: Ya etovo ne ponimayu. [YAH EH-tuh-vuh nyee puh-nyee-MAY-yoo]
- Yiddish: Ikh farshtey dos nit. [IKH fahr-SHTEY dus nit]

Excuse me:
- Russian: Izvinite [eez-vyee-NYEE-tyeh] OR prostite [prus-TYEE-tyeh]
- Yiddish: Zayt mir moykhl. [ZAYT meer MOY-kh'l]

[majordomo.livejournal.com]

Applesoft BASIC: "?SYNTAX ERROR"