Strict Swedes and forceful Finns

A discussion of the peculiarities of languages and the differences between them.
Garzo
Lexiterian
Posts: 137
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: A place to cross the river Thames with your Oxen
Contact:

Strict Swedes and forceful Finns

Postby Garzo » Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:35 pm

My attention was drawn to a packet of cigarettes from Finland. Being bilingual, the law requires the EU health warning to be in Swedish as well as Finnish. The packet read:
Älä pakota lapsia hengittämään savua.
Låt inte barn andas rök.
This, I gather, translates as Don't force children to inhale smoke in Finnish and Don't let children inhale smoke in Swedish.

Does this mean that Swedish speakers are more strict -- they must prevent all children from inhaling smoke -- whereas Finnish-speaking children may only smoke of their own free will?

-- Garzo.
"Poetry is that which gets lost in translation" — Robert Frost

M. Henri Day
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1141
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:24 am
Location: Stockholm, SVERIGE

Re: Strict Swedes and forceful Finns

Postby M. Henri Day » Sun Sep 25, 2005 1:02 pm

...

Does this mean that Swedish speakers are more strict -- they must prevent all children from inhaling smoke -- whereas Finnish-speaking children may only smoke of their own free will?
Only if they don't inhale....

Henri
曾记否,到中流击水,浪遏飞舟?


Return to “Languages of the World”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests