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CHAPTER 1
PREVIEW: GRAMMATICAL DIFFERENCES
TRANSLATE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES INTO ENGLISH AND NOTE THE DIF¬
FERENCES. COMPARE THE USE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE IN HUNGARIAN AND
ENGLISH.
Time is money. Knowledge is power. Life is hard. The life of a farmer is hard. The
town was founded at the time of the Hungarian Conquest. The fortress was built in
Roman times. Milk is white, grass is green, roses are red, and violets are blue. The
milkman put the milk on the doorstep. I drank red wine last night. The wine that I
drank last night was red. The grass is too tall, I have to mow it. The water was cold.
Why does grass grow and why does the lion roar?
How DO YOU TRANSLATE OLYAN INTO ENGLISH?
A diplomat is someone who can send you to hell in a way that will make you look
forward to the journey.
A fairy tale is a horror story that prepares children for reading the papers.
Sin is an act that violates a moral principle.
A crime is an act that breaks the law.
COMPLETE AND TRANSLATE INTO HUNGARIAN. HOW MANY DEFINITE ARTICLES
WILL THERE BE IN THE ENGLISH TEXT AND IN THE HUNGARIAN TRANSLATION?
One definite article: The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
PREVIEW: LEXICAL DIFFERENCES
TRANSLATE THESE TWO SHORT TEXTS INTO ENGLISH.
A. Why does the bull attack (charge) when it sees something red? (a red cloth/
rag/muleta/the colour red)
As is well known, bullfighting is still very popular in Spain. Its fans (Aficionados)
believe that anything red will irritate the bull and will provoke an attack. Therefore,
the matador must swing (wave) a red cape in front of the bull to irritate it, while
being careful (taking care) to avoid the bull’s charge/attack.
The truth is that (As a matter of fact) he would achieve exactly the same result if he
used a white, green or even black cape. The bull is colour blind.
B. Fires
A Birmingham firefighter was frying chips when he was called to a fire / when the
alarm was raised. The brave man / He pushed aside the pan and rushed to do his
duty. Soon he was called to another incident — his own home was on fire. He had
forgotten to turn off the cooker.
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