Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Superman Again

A while back, I posted a VOA news clip about Superman.

With a lot of help from my Thai wife, I have posted a transcript at the link below. I'm using it as a supplement to the audio. I hope it's helpful to other people as well.

Superman บินได้...

Transcribing this made me realize:

1. I need to learn to type Thai properly, so that I don't have to copy-paste from this tool and the online dictionaries at thai2english and thai-language.com.
2. When listening, I still often confuse the short and long "a" sounds อะ and อา.
3. I don't understand spacing rules in Thai very well.
4. Transcription takes a lot of time. :)

(VOA clip used with permission.)

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you have a Thai keyboard? I find it makes things much easier.

As a side note, I still get ruffled when I hear the phrase "นังสือการ์ตูน" or its Thinglish equivalent "Cartoon Book." I just want to scream..."It's called a Comic Book...or Graphic Novel....or even Manga!!!! Not Cartoons! The cultural icons of my childhood: Batman, Superman, the X-Men....are NOT mere 'cartoons'!!!"

*shrugs* Just goes to show how connotation is often lost or mutated in cross-language borrowings.

Scott Imig said...

Thanks for the tip. We do have a Thai keyboard in a closet somewhere. I'll get it out and practice.

I really have to stop using the online phonetic typing tool, because I'm slowly drilling nonstandard keyboard mappings into my brain.

Ha ha. "Superman is not a mere cartoon." Of course he's not. He's the last son of Krypton! :)

Thanks for the comment and for stopping by.