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Where do you get Character Names


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Oh, and yes, Battlestar Galactica was huge here back in the days. The new version has been broadcast here since 2005, dubbed of course, but not on a free-to-air (or free-to-cable) channel.

 

On the subject of dubbing, which is of course a major issue for German commercial broadcasters who buy in seemingly 80% of their content from the US and the UK, I found it surprising for some reason that most actors are assigned a dubbing-speaker in their first production to be broadcast here (or shown in cinemas) and are stuck with that voice for the rest of their career. It makes sense, of course, but it can create issues when the 'voice' dies whilst the actor is still active. And these speakers mostly do several actors, which can also create difficulties when they find themselves speaking for two roles in a single film; this is mostly avoided by using a different voice for that one film.

 

I confess to having been a bit of a fan of Ally McBeal for a while, mostly because of the good mood it put my then girlfriend in. I only got to know the show in German, though, and when I saw it in the original a year or two later I couldn't enjoy it at all. Calista Flockhart's voice just didn't seem right coming out of that mouth.

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I have never heard 'frak' in that sense here. 'Frack', pronounced the same, has the Swedish meaning of a tailcoat, or also of the full formal 'white tie' ensemble for men.

The original spelling on the original Battlestar Galactica was "frack" (as in the short form of Hydraulic fracturing). In the remake the spelling was changed to "frak" to make it a true four-letter-word.

 

Wait! How does he know the spelling?

Research. Mwahahahah.

-T

 

P.S. W.R.T. the hat: I had one just like it and wore it all of one summer. Then I fell out of love with it. It happens.

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And on a somewhat related topic: Couple names child after 'Skyrim' character. (Yes, click there.)

-T

Poor kid, weird parents.

 

I had dealings with a kid called Luke Sky Walker. He stated he was always in trouble because he got so much grief over his name.

 

I also saw the first name of Nimrod on paperwork at work. I laughed so hard until my office mate said his uncle was Nimrod. I never knew it was not just a derrogatorry name but an actual hunter from the Bible.

 

Sorry I never saw Battlestar Galactica although my younger brother enjoyed the original series. Don't know if he followed the other one.

 

-W

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Poor kid, weird parents.

True. But—as long as we're talking about names—consider: Apple, daughter of musician Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay) and actress Gwyneth Paltrow; Camera, son of tennis star Arthur Ashe; Tu Morrow, daughter of actor Rob Morrow; Blanket, son of musician Michael Jackson; Kal-El, son of actor Nic Cage (who played Superman in one of the Superman movies); and my favorite, Moon Unit, daughter of musician Frank Zappa (he also has three more kids named Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva).

 

Who would name anything Apple? The name is already taken by the fruit.

 

Reasonably named,

-Thoth

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I also saw the first name of Nimrod on paperwork at work. I laughed so hard until my office mate said his uncle was Nimrod. I never knew it was not just a derrogatorry name but an actual hunter from the Bible.

 

 

Yes, Nimrod was a mighty hunter.

 

Edward Elgar, that rarest of species – a British "classical" composer worth taking seriously – was close friends with his publisher's representative (is this advisable?), a gentleman of German extraction with the surname Jaeger. This surname happens to be the German word for "hunter", and so Elgar gave his friend the nickname "Nim". The "Nimrod Variation" from the Enigma Variations was written for this friend and alludes, musically, to a conversation they had about Beethoven's slow... movements. (Let's not get fecal here please)

 

Howsomenever, I am yet to meet a person named Nimrod!

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P.S. W.R.T. the hat: I had one just like it and wore it all of one summer. Then I fell out of love with it. It happens.

I keep that one for special occasions. Specifically, for when I'm out in the country and my wife isn't present. She can't understand why anyone would want to wear a hat anyway, and certainly not one like that. Like I say, our opinions vary on sartorial matters.huh.gif

 

 

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I keep that one for special occasions. Specifically, for when I'm out in the country and my wife isn't present. She can't understand why anyone would want to wear a hat anyway, and certainly not one like that. Like I say, our opinions vary on sartorial matters.huh.gif

So what does she wear to stay warm in the winter? Parkas?

-T

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If the temp goes below freezing she may put gloves on. May. And a wooly hat of some description or, more likely, a hood from a parka, when it gets around 10 below freezing in the Celsius scale, so about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. There are things about each other we will never understand, this is one of them.

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True. But—as long as we're talking about names—consider: Apple, daughter of musician Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay) and actress Gwyneth Paltrow; Camera, son of tennis star Arthur Ashe; Tu Morrow, daughter of actor Rob Morrow; Blanket, son of musician Michael Jackson; Kal-El, son of actor Nic Cage (who played Superman in one of the Superman movies); and my favorite, Moon Unit, daughter of musician Frank Zappa (he also has three more kids named Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva).

 

Who would name anything Apple? The name is already taken by the fruit.

 

Reasonably named,

-Thoth

Another name which came to mind is Picabo (pronounced Peekaboo) Street. At least her parents had the decency to spell it the way they did. I think out of all the names mentioned the one that would bother me most if it were mine would be Blanket. Were the names Shoe, Rug, or Hat taken?

 

As for Apple at least she's sharing it with a healthy fruit and a healthy company.

 

-W

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Yes, Nimrod was a mighty hunter.

 

Edward Elgar, that rarest of species – a British "classical" composer worth taking seriously – was close friends with his publisher's representative (is this advisable?), a gentleman of German extraction with the surname Jaeger. This surname happens to be the German word for "hunter", and so Elgar gave his friend the nickname "Nim". The "Nimrod Variation" from the Enigma Variations was written for this friend and alludes, musically, to a conversation they had about Beethoven's slow... movements. (Let's not get fecal here please)

 

Howsomenever, I am yet to meet a person named Nimrod!

Ironbark (AKA pjc)

 

I didn't meet the Nimrod person either. His name appeared on some paperwork I was dealing with. I'm glad I had the little education concerning the name because if I had met him in person I don't know how I would have kept a straight face which would not have been professional of me.

 

Thanks for the information about Edward Elgar and Mr. Jaeger. I learn such a variety of things from this forum.

 

-W

 

PS-The male and female of the species will never seem to agree on much.

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...Were the names Shoe, Rug, or Hat taken?

I would not be at all surprised, Whirlybird.

 

PS-The male and female of the species will never seem to agree on much.

They have to agree on one thing or that would be the end of the species.

 

I came across an amusing quote in Newsweek by the award-winning writer Diablo Cody. When asked by a fan where her characters come from she answered in a way an adult might talk to a child about sex:

"Well, when a writer loves her MacBook very, very much, she sometimes applies her fingers to the keys and creates pretend people."

- Diablo Cody

 

Her parents named their baby girl "Diablo"?

No. Of course not. Click here.

-Thoth.

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I would not be at all surprised, Whirlybird.

 

 

They have to agree on one thing or that would be the end of the species.

 

I came across an amusing quote in Newsweek by the award-winning writer Diablo Cody. When asked by a fan where her characters come from she answered in a way an adult might talk to a child about sex:

 

 

Her parents named their baby girl "Diablo"?

No. Of course not. Click here.

-Thoth.

Let's hope no one is paying attention to our posts when thinking of off the wall names for their kids. I hate to be responsible for Rug Hat Smith.

 

Diabo Cody is definitely better for a pen name and not a real one.

 

-T

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Ah yes. The waltz of the eternal opposites.

 

I'm going to let you try and translate this excerpt from a song by a popular German à capella group, the Wise Guys:

"Gegensätze ziehen sich an, das ist nicht gelogen. Ich hätte dich aber auch gern ausgezogen." There's a pun in there, and a very clever one, but my coffee levels are low and my workload high this morning.

 

Paul

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PS-The male and female of the species will never seem to agree on much.

 

I have a postcard here in a drawer. Roughly translated: "Men and women just don't fit together. Except in the middle."

 

I'm thinking of a nicer English way of saying that. Something along the lines of:

The first argument between a man and a woman occurred a few minutes after the first woman met the first man. Their opinions, indeed their whole world views, were so different, that they agreed to meet halfway – between head and toe.

Hmmm, that idea seemed so much better in my head than it does on screen.

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I think for Smith to be the Next Indiana (we called the dog Indiana) Jones, he would have to be Jacket Hat Smith.

Or Whip Jacket Smith. (Yes, I think I like that better.)

 

-W (also a sock puppet)

Eyes: button, googly or printed? It matters.

-Thoth

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I'm going to let you try and translate this excerpt from a song by a popular German à capella group, the Wise Guys:

"Gegensätze ziehen sich an, das ist nicht gelogen. Ich hätte dich aber auch gern ausgezogen." There's a pun in there, and a very clever one, but my coffee levels are low and my workload high this morning.

 

Paul

Is this the song you are referring to?

-Thoth B)

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Or Whip Jacket Smith. (Yes, I think I like that better.)

 

 

Eyes: button, googly or printed? It matters.

-Thoth

 

Okay, Whip Jacket Smith. I hope the kid appreciates all the hard work that went into deciding on his name.

 

Eyes are embroidered but I think goggly eyes are such fun.

 

-W

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When it comes to such things, shorter is usually better.

(Don't snicker. You know what I mean.)

 

 

I wouldn't have snickered, not this early in the morning, if you had not pointed it out. My double entendre glands need a few hours to get going.

 

And I agree with you: witty sayings should be short. I think the concept may have worked on stage, with some refinement, but I'm not even sure of that any more. It's been a few years since I was physically up to stand-up comedy. (We did bring the house down at our opening gig, though, and my partner went on to bigger and better things)

 

 

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Is this the song you are referring to?

 

 

Indeed it is, and the translation misses the pun. Mind you, I'm not sure I can do it justice either. Conceptually, this is it:

"Opposites draw each other in, it's true, and I would have liked to get into your drawers."

 

Literally, it works because "anziehen" means both attract and get dressed (an: to, onto, into; ziehen: draw, pull) whilst "ausziehen" means, amongst other things, undress. ("ausgezogen" is the past participle). Oh heck, here I go with German grammar again. SORRY!

 

 

But I shall finish the task I have set myself. Literally, we have either:

Opposites attract, that isn't a lie,

But I would have preferred to undress you.

or:

Opposites dress each other, that isn't a lie,

But I would have preferred to undress you.

 

Oh, the complexities of translating humour. Note to self: it's probably not worth it for anyone concerned.

 

 

Incorrigible Ironpaul

 

 

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Oh, the complexities of translating humour. Note to self: it's probably not worth it for anyone concerned.

It needed to be explored, I think. I find language a fascinating topic. Every language comes with a culture that effects meaning. Culture changes over time. It's amazing that old books can be translated at all*. And the fact that there are people walking around with two or more languages in their head is humbling. I'm still struggling along with one.

 

Incorrigible Ironpaul

Oh, I don't know. You don't seem so incorrigible. From the little I've read from you it seems that you could be corrected, improved, or reformed. But would you want to be? That is the question. Some people pretend to be incorrigible but aren't. Some people are just cognitively incorrigible (it's a bit like being a cognitive dissident). And why am I trying to read so much into your signoff? Bad Thoth. Bad.

 

Thanks for explaining the pun.

-Thoth

 

*Very old joke: "If the master urinates squatting then the pupil urinates running." Anyone care to guess why this is funny? I'll tell you:

They are both wearing tunics, of course.

 

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It needed to be explored, I think. I find language a fascinating topic. Every language comes with a culture that effects meaning. Culture changes over time. It's amazing that old books can be translated at all*. And the fact that there are people walking around with two or more languages in their head is humbling. I'm still struggling along with one.

 

I'm sure you are onto something with the language-culture-meaning triangle. I have mostly reflected and mused on this in a different order, namely that language affects (and effects) culture. If you want to understand or relate to people in another culture, even if they can all speak your language fluently, you will not succeed until you can speak and even think in their language. This is purely a theory of mine, but I like it. You have prompted me to think of it more as a two-way street though. Perhaps it's like the electrician's EIR triangle.

 

Oh, I don't know. You don't seem so incorrigible. From the little I've read from you it seems that you could be corrected, improved, or reformed. But would you want to be? That is the question. Some people pretend to be incorrigible but aren't. Some people are just cognitively incorrigible (it's a but like being a cognitive dissident). And why am I trying to read so much into your signoff? Bad Thoth. Bad.

 

You know, I was wondering when I wrote "incorrigible" if it was the right term. I think the way we used it in my family when I was a youth, which is how I used it, is perhaps wrong. What I really meant to say was that I am, when it comes to language discussions, beyond help. I become so immersed in the fun and fascination that I don't know when to stop, and then I wonder if I am perhaps becoming boring or appearing ... appearing ... appearing to be a smart donkey.

 

As for incorrigible, I hope I am not. I like to think that I am always open to be corrected, but whether there is hope of improvement I cannot say. Reformed? Regularly.

 

And as for why you are trying to read so much into my quote, I cannot say. But it doesn't disturb me. The attention from a distance does me good. I consider myself a writer, so it is just what I crave laugh.gif !

 

*Very old joke: "If the master urinates squatting then the pupil urinates running." Anyone care to guess why this is funny? I'll tell you:

They are both wearing tunics, of course.

 

 

I'm afraid you'll need to explain this one for me.

 

--Paul (read into that what you will, dear -T)

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