Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2014 August 5

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August 5

Chinese: Requests for translations of short content

Does anyone know how to translate the following into Chinese?

• Commons:Base_maps_for_MH370 -> "Marked blank maps with indications of MH370 flight of 8 March 2014" and "Blank map of zones with suspected debris seen by satellite"
• The content at: Commons:Search_for_Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370#Maps_and_graphics (section "Maps and graphics") and also "U.S. Sailor assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 46"

That way MH370 content can be internationalized for Chinese users. Thanks! WhisperToMe (talk) 15:10, 4 August 2014 (UTC)

标注2014年3月8日马航370重要地点的空白地图

标注卫星发现的疑似漂浮物的区域

美国海军VP-46中队海员

These translations are not literal, but they capture what I think is the intended meaning. --50.46.159.94 (talk) 08:37, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

@50.46.159.94: - Thank you so much! They were very helpful! WhisperToMe (talk) 17:04, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

Do you know what these would be?

• "Theoretical fuel range"
• "Initial search area based on last radar contact"
• "Corridors based on satellite data"
• "Areas of possible debris spotting"

Thanks again! WhisperToMe (talk) 17:07, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

deafening self-consciousness

I am not sure about the meaning of "deafening" in the following sentence: "With hesitation, and with deafening self-consciousness, he entered the Public Library." Your explanation would be much appreciated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.249.217.116 (talk) 03:49, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Maybe a twist on "the silence was deafening"? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:16, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

That voice inside your head telling you you suck can get really loud. Probably what was happening here. It's a shame, because people were trying to read. InedibleHulk (talk) 06:34, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

The way I read it is that the "inner voice" deafened the protagonist to what was going on around him. When one is so focused on one's internal communication that actual external sounds are not noticed - that's being deafened by self-consciousness. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 06:49, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Aye. Sorry if I'd implied others should hear it, too. That was just a dumb joke. I've fixed it. I should have kept it in my skull. I'm so stupid. I can never do anything right! InedibleHulk (talk) 07:02, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Is it appropriate to use "ecclesiastical" as a synonym for "religious"?

Is it appropriate to use "ecclesiastical" as a synonym for "religious", or is it more specific than "religious"? 65.24.105.132 (talk) 21:21, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

It's not a synonym of "religious". It pertains to church and its formal leaders, usually Christian. Not to an individual's religiosity, for example. See Wiktionary, M-W, oxford dictionaries, and so forth. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:49, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

I see. Either the definition on this GRE flashcard is wrong, or the company who made it gave a narrow definition of the terms, which isn't surprising, considering the fact that the GRE loves to find the most obscure definitions to some terms that have multiple meanings. Additionally, in my experience, native Anglophones like to conflate "religion" and "Christianity" together, as if they are one, presumably because Christianity largely dominates the Anglosphere. Some Anglophones go a step further and be completely oblivious to their own hypocrisy. 65.24.105.132 (talk) 22:17, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

You might say ecclesiastical is to religion what a teacher (or the faculty) is to learning.←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:56, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

Some Anglophones like to conflate "ecclesiastical" with insurance. Faith, hope, charity, and a "trilateral partnership" between insurer, insured and broker. InedibleHulk (talk) 02:38, 6 August 2014 (UTC)