# Help! Anybody speak Spanish?



## Kit (May 24, 2012)

Grrr... I googled a word that I made up for my WIP glossary, and got a ton of hits, but everything is in (what looks like) Spanish. I want to know what the word means, then I'll probably tweak mine just enough to differ- unless it means something really vulger, in which case I'll have to dump it and start from scratch.


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## Justme (May 25, 2012)

Kit said:


> Grrr... I googled a word that I made up for my WIP glossary, and got a ton of hits, but everything is in (what looks like) Spanish. I want to know what the word means, then I'll probably tweak mine just enough to differ- unless it means something really vulger, in which case I'll have to dump it and start from scratch.



I usually Google the term Spanish/English translator and then copy and paste the word in there. You can then get the definition from there. You can also reverse the order, putting in the English equivalent into an English?Spanish translator and find the word you need in Spanish. Just be sure you check it to see if it is appropriate. I've tried to translate a English sentence into German and was asked *politely* not ever to do that again. lol


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## Kit (May 25, 2012)

LOL... I already tried three different online translators,and they all regurgitated a profoundly unhelpful "not found".  If nobody here can help, I'll just make up something else. Annoying, though. I've gotten far enough in my glossary to start running out of lyrical syllables to patch together.


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## Justme (May 25, 2012)

Kit said:


> LOL... I already tried three different online translators,and they all regurgitated a profoundly unhelpful "not found".  If nobody here can help, I'll just make up something else. Annoying, though. I've gotten far enough in my glossary to start running out of lyrical syllables to patch together.



What you are Googling might be a slang word as well. That might account for the "not Found" reply.


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## Kit (May 25, 2012)

Great. All the more chance it's a synonym for some bodily function that is unmentionable in polite mixed company.


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## Justme (May 25, 2012)

Kit said:


> Great. All the more chance it's a synonym for some bodily function that is unmentionable in polite mixed company.



LOL, Just might be. I've been called an old fart more than once. . Have a good one man and Good Luck!


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## Telcontar (May 25, 2012)

I speak Spanish. If it is slang I might now know it, but let me know the word, I'll google it and see if I can find out from context.


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## ArielFingolfin (May 25, 2012)

I speak Spanish too. What's the word?


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## Ravana (May 26, 2012)

Yup… would be a lot easier to translate for you if we knew what the word was. Also, it would be a lot easier to tell you if it _is_ Spanish or not—I will probably be able to identify the language, no matter what it is, unless it's something _really_ obscure.


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## Kit (May 26, 2012)

Thanks, I think we have it covered. I PM'ed it to Telcontar and ArielFingolfin, and they both gave me identical reassuring answers. I didn't want to post onlist in case it turned out to be something really offensive.


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## Sheilawisz (May 26, 2012)

Kit, I am a native Castilian speaker- Please feel free to ask me anything about the language if you still need help =)


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## Kit (May 26, 2012)

The funny part is that I'm not *TRYING* to derive words from Spanish; I'm trying to make up brand-new ones.... my WIP culture's influences- if any- are Chinese/Nepali/East Indian. I am deliberately overusing K's and a couple of very common syllables that seem to recur in Chinese (my very limited experience of it), but it's amazing (and rather exasperating) to put a bunch of nonsense syllables in a blender and come up with something you think is unique, then you Google it and get a bazillion hits.   Repeatedly.


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## ArielFingolfin (May 27, 2012)

That's why when I make up a word or phrase, I find the phrase in the language and just alter the word slightly. Less effort. But kudos to you for doing it the nonlazy way


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## Ravana (Jun 5, 2012)

There are thousands of languages in the world, and only so many ways to rearrange the sounds the human vocal tract can make. So, yeah, you're going to come up with a fair amount of duplication, no matter what you do.


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