Off topic: Translators and Their Prowess in Board Word Games Thread poster: Tae Kim
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Tae Kim 
United States
Local time: 06:25
Member (2007)
English to Korean
+ ...
Is it just me, but ever since I became a professional full time translator and have gotten some experience being a translator, I have become really good in board word games like literati in Yahoo games and scrabble. I just beat everyone who challenges me in those games. Words come to me so naturally when playing these games! I guess it's all because I write/translate more than 3000 words everyday, haha. There may be some down sides to being a homebound freelance translator, but there are som... See more Is it just me, but ever since I became a professional full time translator and have gotten some experience being a translator, I have become really good in board word games like literati in Yahoo games and scrabble. I just beat everyone who challenges me in those games. Words come to me so naturally when playing these games! I guess it's all because I write/translate more than 3000 words everyday, haha. There may be some down sides to being a homebound freelance translator, but there are some bright sides and 'benefits' of being one!
[Edited at 2009-12-07 00:38 GMT]
[Edited at 2009-12-07 00:40 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 09:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Scrabble at the tournament level is a whole different ballgame... | Dec 7, 2009 |
I don't know about "Literati", but those who hope to succeed at Scrabble at the level of organized tournaments needs to not only memorize thousands of words that really only exist in dictionaries, but also develop a finely tuned sense of knowing almost instantaneously when their racks and the board configuration of the moment allows them to make a high-scoring play. Even with a powerful memory and abundant linguistic gifts, it takes a lot of time to acquire such skills. It seems hardly worth it... See more I don't know about "Literati", but those who hope to succeed at Scrabble at the level of organized tournaments needs to not only memorize thousands of words that really only exist in dictionaries, but also develop a finely tuned sense of knowing almost instantaneously when their racks and the board configuration of the moment allows them to make a high-scoring play. Even with a powerful memory and abundant linguistic gifts, it takes a lot of time to acquire such skills. It seems hardly worth it, since the only decent money to be had is at the very top of the pyramid, it doesn't strike me as all that much fun, and there are so many other things to do.
If you are interested in exploring the obsessive world of high-level Tournament Scrabble further, you should pick up a copy of *Word Freak* by Stefan Fatsis. It is a very entertaining read.
[Edited at 2009-12-07 14:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Agree with Robert | Dec 7, 2009 |
Tae Kim wrote:
Is it just me, but ever since I became a professional full time translator and have gotten some experience being a translator, I have become really good in board word games like literati in Yahoo games and scrabble. I just beat everyone who challenges me in those games. Words come to me so naturally when playing these games! I guess it's all because I write/translate more than 3000 words everyday, haha. There may be some down sides to being a homebound freelance translator, but there are some bright sides and 'benefits' of being one!
[Edited at 2009-12-07 00:38 GMT]
[Edited at 2009-12-07 00:40 GMT]
Not only thousands of English words, but also foreign loanwords too. I myself play Scrabble, but you see some of the weirdest English words you've never come across in daily conversation or in newspapers, magazines, etc. For loanwords, one example could be cited in Korean, kimchee or kimchi, which could be translated as Korean pickled cabbage. There are also foreign loanwords which are translated into English but still acceptable in Scrabble, jihad=holy war, fatwa=Islamic legal decree, etc.
Like Robert said, at the tournament level, the situation is totally different. It's fun as long as you're playing against the computer, and it's true that you learn a lot of new words too.
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 10:25
Portuguese to English
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| Another Scrabble enthusiast here | Dec 7, 2009 |
I am another Scrabble enthusiast but unfortunately do not get the opportunity to play here in São Paulo. When I lived in the UK I ventured to a Scrabble tournament in West Bromwich but did not fare well.
Yes, I agree about the unusual words you need to know from a host of languages. Thanks to Scrabble, I now know that the only five (according to OSW - that's "Official Scrabble Words", the bible of Scrabble players, for the uninitiated) words where Q is not followed by U are: SUQ, Q... See more I am another Scrabble enthusiast but unfortunately do not get the opportunity to play here in São Paulo. When I lived in the UK I ventured to a Scrabble tournament in West Bromwich but did not fare well.
Yes, I agree about the unusual words you need to know from a host of languages. Thanks to Scrabble, I now know that the only five (according to OSW - that's "Official Scrabble Words", the bible of Scrabble players, for the uninitiated) words where Q is not followed by U are: SUQ, QAT, QADI, QIBLA and QI - plus their respective plurals. I even remember that QAT is a tea-like drug and QADI is an Islamic magistrate. I also heard of EUOI, the only long word with vowels only. (Apparently QAT can also be spelt KAT and KHAT, also playable in Scrabble).
So yes, Scrabble is a definite way to increase your word power - which may come in very handy in a translation.
[Edited at 2009-12-07 19:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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I'm a Scrabble junkie too.
One of my few achievements in life was to set up a Cambridge University Scrabble team and organise the first-ever Varsity (Oxford vs. Cambridge) match. That was 30 years ago, and two of the members are still close friends. One is now a priest, and he presided over my wedding last year - we played Scrabble on the morning of the big day and he scored 206 in one go with CRAPPILY on two triple word scores. That was almost as exciting for me as getting married... See more I'm a Scrabble junkie too.
One of my few achievements in life was to set up a Cambridge University Scrabble team and organise the first-ever Varsity (Oxford vs. Cambridge) match. That was 30 years ago, and two of the members are still close friends. One is now a priest, and he presided over my wedding last year - we played Scrabble on the morning of the big day and he scored 206 in one go with CRAPPILY on two triple word scores. That was almost as exciting for me as getting married, which doesn't say much for my personality.
Robert: I've read Word Freak. A lot of it was about guys who sit in smoke-filled rooms in New York all day and earn a living of sorts by playing Scrabble. I thought that would be a nice alternative to translation. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 09:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
Hi Phil et al.,
The thing that struck me about the guys (they were all men) featured in this book was that they seemed generally to be a bunch of social misfits who really lived, ate, and breathed Scrabble. I was for a number of years an enthusiast myself (i.e., at the "living room" level). If anything, reading this book and participating in one Scrabble session with a local group playing with tournament rules made me realize that I really preferred to invest my time in doing things... See more Hi Phil et al.,
The thing that struck me about the guys (they were all men) featured in this book was that they seemed generally to be a bunch of social misfits who really lived, ate, and breathed Scrabble. I was for a number of years an enthusiast myself (i.e., at the "living room" level). If anything, reading this book and participating in one Scrabble session with a local group playing with tournament rules made me realize that I really preferred to invest my time in doing things other than memorizing lists of 3 and 4 letter words that are never used in the real world and spending countless hours playing a board game. When measured against the time invested by those who compete at the highest level, the prize money is something of a joke (except for the Grand Prize for the very top tournaments). I think one would be better off working even the most miserably paid projects off the proz.com job board....
All the best..... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Andrea Riffo
Chile
Local time: 09:25
English to Spanish
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| Another scrabble junkie | Dec 8, 2009 |
I play quite often at http://www.isc.ro to get my fix. Matches can be in English, Italian, Romanian and a couple of other languages (no Spanish, sadly).
Sooo... if any of you decides to create an account, let me know! I've been dying to find some colleagues to play with (though I'm at a disadvantage against native EN speakers, but that has done wonders for my vocabulary).
Greetings ... See more I play quite often at http://www.isc.ro to get my fix. Matches can be in English, Italian, Romanian and a couple of other languages (no Spanish, sadly).
Sooo... if any of you decides to create an account, let me know! I've been dying to find some colleagues to play with (though I'm at a disadvantage against native EN speakers, but that has done wonders for my vocabulary).
Greetings
[Edited at 2009-12-08 03:23 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 10:25
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| A Scrabble Poem | Dec 8, 2009 |
I found this on the Web, although not quite keeping to the topic as proposed I thought this would inspire the "scrajunts" (Scrabble junkie translators - could this word be accepted in Scrabble some day?) among us:
SCRABBLE BABBLE
There's a wordy little game of crisscrossing lines
A unique test of wits between two probing minds…
An assortment of tiles with letters are placed
Gaining points on a grid when they're carefully laced…
Each player is... See more I found this on the Web, although not quite keeping to the topic as proposed I thought this would inspire the "scrajunts" (Scrabble junkie translators - could this word be accepted in Scrabble some day?) among us:
SCRABBLE BABBLE
There's a wordy little game of crisscrossing lines
A unique test of wits between two probing minds…
An assortment of tiles with letters are placed
Gaining points on a grid when they're carefully laced…
Each player is guided by the luck of the draw
As they ponder each move that will add to their score…
But sometimes these letters that sit on a rack
Are hardly worth playing and need to go back…
So after passing your turn in trading some tiles
You suddenly realize you're nothing but smiles…
Except you must hold that silly smirk from your face
And quick find an opening that might afford you a place…
Now an opponent who's clever and knows you too well
May sense there's a big one you're looking to spell…
So in making their move and being a schnook
The board is closed off and you're missing a hook…
You desperately scramble through the layers of lingo
Looking harder and harder where to place your poor bingo…
Your eyes dance about as they constantly roam
Only soon do you realize your word has no home…
The clock, it moves swiftly as you're feeling the strain
But those gears in your head keep churning your brain…
Then in shuffling your tiles you come across a new word
Though you're not quite so sure as it looks slightly absurd…
It might be a mineral or a weird kind of thing
It looks awfully familiar - has a bit of a ring…
Now it fits in just right and looks pretty cool
Only you know your opponent who is hardly a fool…
Jeez, it's worth nice points and it's late in the game
So you play it with confidence and the least bit of shame…
Your opponent may gasp or be possibly floored
As you fit in this strange word on this very tight board…
Then in hitting the clock as the score it is told
You hear a faint utter of the dreaded word "hold"…
An eternity will pass in less than a blink
While your opponent takes pause in trying to think…
If the word should be good on a challenge of play
Then their turn will be lost and the letters will stay…
But if the word is a phony and there's a call on your bluff
Then your turn will be wasted and that will be tough…
So such is this creation by the late Mr. Butts
With so many players just a little bit nuts…
It's certainly more than a pastime of dabble
This interest we keep in this game called Scrabble.
by Bernie McMahon…….. 2/8/04
Obtained from: http://www.spitenet.com/scrabby/poem.html ▲ Collapse
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| Addicted to scrabble | Dec 8, 2009 |
... online at Pogo.com (lol). Good for my English, and yes, I win most of the time (big)... but I must admit that you can ask for 1 hint per game and you can also look up things online... a whole different ballgame if you want to scrabble professionally!
| | | | | I went through a phase of playing it online... | Dec 8, 2009 |
... but I got depressed because people were so obviously cheating. They used to play really good words, but in silly positions that either scored nothing or left triple word scores open. There's no way to stop your opponent using a dictionary or an anagram generator.
| | | | Trisha F
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:25
English to Spanish
+ ...
I had played a couple of times a long, long time ago, then I moved to this house of scrabble lovers . I have just played once with them and I was not very confident at first because I had barely played before. A few minutes later I was completely hooked and managed to make a triple word in one move. I didn't win but it wasn't bad at all for a beginner, maybe all those afternoons watching Countdown were not a waste of time after all!
| | | | | Few more words starting with "Q" without an "u" followed | Jan 5, 2010 |
Paul Dixon wrote:
I am another Scrabble enthusiast but unfortunately do not get the opportunity to play here in São Paulo. When I lived in the UK I ventured to a Scrabble tournament in West Bromwich but did not fare well.
Yes, I agree about the unusual words you need to know from a host of languages. Thanks to Scrabble, I now know that the only five (according to OSW - that's "Official Scrabble Words", the bible of Scrabble players, for the uninitiated) words where Q is not followed by U are: SUQ, QAT, QADI, QIBLA and QI - plus their respective plurals. I even remember that QAT is a tea-like drug and QADI is an Islamic magistrate. I also heard of EUOI, the only long word with vowels only. (Apparently QAT can also be spelt KAT and KHAT, also playable in Scrabble).
So yes, Scrabble is a definite way to increase your word power - which may come in very handy in a translation.
[Edited at 2009-12-07 19:41 GMT]
The words are "qaid", also spelled caid (a Muslim leader) and Qindar (Qintar) meaning a monetary unit of Albania.
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