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List of terminology translations: Difference between revisions
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List of terminology translations (view source)
Revision as of 08:25, 21 December 2014
, 21 December 2014→Controversial translation by language
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==Controversial translation by language== | ==Controversial translation by language== | ||
===French=== | |||
Generally, there are two main sources for French terminology: the French Federation of Mah-Jong (FFMJ), and Club Riichi de Montréal (CRM), as well as various authors hailing from the spheres of influence of the two organizations. Some terms may not reflect the words in usage in either area and there is no sustained effort to either harmonize or even officialize the terminology used. While Senechal's point of view is heavily biased towards CRM, the goal is to maintain as much similitude as possible. French has a wide gamut of precise terms to describe more things than in English. The caveats to this are when a translation was poorly done on either end, or if a non-riichi version of mahjong introduces a term conflicting with Japanese mahjong. | |||
====Pinzu: Cercle versus sapèque==== | |||
Pinzu have been referred to as "cercles" by the Réunion Federation of Mah-Jong (FRMJ), a sub-group of the FFMJ, as well as in books by Stéphane Parcollet. Everyone can understand that circles are round. The problem lies in the fact that circles are monolinear abstract objects, whereas the concrete objects represented are coins used in China, with holes in them. Whereas the English term for them (cash) has not caught on, the French language has the term sapèque, which is quite precise, unambiguous, and does not raise eyebrows related to anti-gambling prejudice like cash would in English. | |||
As cercles would cause a shorthand conflict with caractères or chiffres (see below), it also poorly serves a disambiguative purpose. | |||
'''Ruling''': Use ''sapèque'', never ''cercle'' (imprecise). | |||
====Manzu: Caractère versus chiffre, nombre==== | |||
The word characters is a poor choice in any language, as Asian languages use characters for everything. Mahjong tiles themselves have 15 different tiles (from the base 34 types) that have Chinese characters on them. This leads to a lot of confusion with character, number, digit and word. All tiles from 1 to 9 (108 tiles) are called suupai (number tiles), and all other tiles (28 tiles) represent winds and dragons, called jihai (word tiles). But if words on word tiles are characters, then why call anything characters? | |||
'''Note''': TBD in English. | |||
'''Ruling''': Use ''chiffre'' in French, not ''caractère'' (imprecise) nor ''nombre'' (other use). | |||
==Cross-language issues== | ==Cross-language issues== | ||