Thai Newspaper Headlines

[ThaiClub]

สนามบินหาดใหญ่เปิดใช้ปกติ หลัง3ชั่วโมงกู้บินไลอ้อนแอร์ล้อติดร่อง!

Hat Yai airport is back to normal operations after a 3-hour recovery of a Lion Air jet with a wheel stuck in a hole in the runway!

[phuketsub]

คมเลนส์ส่องพระประจำวันวันเสาร์ที่27ก.พ.2559

This is the headline of what is a regular column in KomChadLeuk on-line.

I assume it is supposed to mean something like 'New Focus', with เลนส์ being the load word 'lens' from English.

But it still strikes me as a weird construction, especially given that the word โฟกัส is already in use.

Can anyone enlighten me?

[Gecko123]

รวบมือค้อนฆ่าทุบหัวลูกเสี่ยรับเหมา สารภาพเจอภาพ

บาดใจเห็นคนตายเดินควงมากับแฟนสาวของตังเองฟิวส์ขาด

Trying to capture tabloid headline writing style, came up with this:

Hammer killer arrested! Bashed in skull of wealthy construction contractor's son! Confesses after seeing photos! Incensed at seeing girlfriend with another guy - blows a fuse!

[bannork]

On 3/3/2016 at 9:05 AM, phuketsub said:

คมเลนส์ส่องพระประจำวันวันเสาร์ที่27ก.พ.2559

This is the headline of what is a regular column in KomChadLeuk on-line.

I assume it is supposed to mean something like 'New Focus', with เลนส์ being the load word 'lens' from English.

But it still strikes me as a weird construction, especially given that the word โฟกัส is already in use.

Can anyone enlighten me?

It's about an amulet contest between well known amulet makers so translating the first 3 words -sharp- lens-shining light on, illuminating , I think we could translate it as 'all eyes on'  Saturday's regular amulet contest, perhaps the writer is playing with the words for the judges must use magnifying glasses to peer carefully at the amulets,and in the next phrase the writer mentions the names of the well known amulet makers taking part.- โดยมี หมึก ท่าพระจันทร์, ยี่ บางแค, วัฒน์ บางแค, อ้วน นครปฐม ฯลฯ 

[bannork]

Over a year and no one has continued this thread. I hope tgeezer will pay an occasional visit.

From the back of The Daily News today, talking about the effects of the torrential rain Friday night on Bangkok.

บรรยากาศฝนตกน้ำท่วมอ่วม

I often think บรรยากาศ translates well as atmosphere but I am not sure here. As the headline is above a series of photos showing Bangkok reeling with flooded streets, crawling traffic and residents receiving supplies by boats, perhaps the word scene is better.

I think batter often fits อ่วม so altogether I would go for:

Battered scenes/reeling from the floods and rains.

Edited October 16, 2017 by bannork

[DavidHouston]

บ้านนอก,

From the Royal Institute Dictionary: "บรรยากาศ น. อากาศที่หุ้มห่อโลกหรือเทห์ฟากฟ้าใด ๆ, โดยปริยายหมายความถึงความรู้สึกหรือสิ่งที่อยู่รอบ ๆ ตัว เช่น บรรยากาศในที่ประชุม บรรยากาศรอบ ๆ บ้าน."

Note that, like English, บรรยากาศ has a concrete meaning (the meteorological sense) and an abstract sense (feeling or character of a place). I suspect that the newspaper headline incorporates the latter meaning. What do you think?

[bannork]

27 minutes ago, DavidHouston said:

บ้านนอก,

From the Royal Institute Dictionary: "บรรยากาศ น. อากาศที่หุ้มห่อโลกหรือเทห์ฟากฟ้าใด ๆ, โดยปริยายหมายความถึงความรู้สึกหรือสิ่งที่อยู่รอบ ๆ ตัว เช่น บรรยากาศในที่ประชุม บรรยากาศรอบ ๆ บ้าน."

Note that, like English, บรรยากาศ has a concrete meaning (the meteorological sense) and an abstract sense (feeling or character of a place). I suspect that the newspaper headline incorporates the latter meaning. What do you think?

Absolutely, over the years I have seen plenty of examples of both meanings. but in this example of photographs below the headline, depicting the consequences of the floods in Bangkok, I cannot see how we can translate บรรยากาศ as atmosphere. I wish I could display the news page.

[DavidHouston]

Another headline: "บรรยากาศพระบรมมหาราชวัง". Can we say, "The Atmosphere [among the King's Subjects in the area around] the Grand Palace"?
 

[bannork]

59 minutes ago, DavidHouston said:

Another headline: "บรรยากาศพระบรมมหาราชวัง". Can we say, "The Atmosphere [among the King's Subjects in the area around] the Grand Palace"?
 

Absolutely.

[bannork]

จับคาห้องสอบ!! 2 สาวชาวจีน ตระเวนรับจ้างสอบโทเฟล

https://news.mthai.com/general-news/592783.html

The headline from the enclosed article.  I actually read the story in The Daily News, it sounded quite funny. Apparently when the 2 Chinese ladies got rumbled whilst taking the test, another 5 students suddenly got up and ran for the door amid the chaos! Apparently the women were paid anything from 50,000-1000,000 baht per test by the agent in China. Thailand was only one of 6 countries where they had taken the toefl test successfully.  

Back to the headline, a couple of interesting things 

I know คาที่ as on the spot, ie the driver died on the spot after the accident. So I guess we could translate the first phrase จับคาห้องสอบ!! as caught in the exam room 

 then we have  ตระเวนรับจ้างสอบโทเฟล-   

I am never really sure with ตระเวน - dictionaries say to patrol, walk around, scour, go on inspection trips- these women had been to 6 countries so I  guess we could say travel around for hire as toefl exam takers.

Thus the complete headline could read as:

Caught in the exam room! 2 Chinese women travelling for hire as toefl exam takers.

Teaching mainly working class kids, sometimes my students ask me how to translate รับจ้างทั่วไป  - Dad, and often Mum, are general labourers but that sounds are bit harsh. Can anyone think of a better phrase? 

[DavidHouston]

Thank you for raising this question,, บ้านนอก. Let's discuss:

คนรับจ้างทั่วไป or อาชีพรับจ้าง as a stated profession. Here are some alternatives:

 

day laborer; general laborer; worker for hire; contract employee; jack of all trades; 

 

The implication seems to be that the person so described has no permanent employment either with the government or with a company but is available for occasional or temporary work. He or she is paid on an hourly or daily basis and is not guaranteed employment past the short period of hire.

Is this your understanding? Thanks.

[bannork]

10 minutes ago, DavidHouston said:

Thank you for raising this question,, บ้านนอก. Let's discuss:

คนรับจ้างทั่วไป or อาชีพรับจ้าง as a stated profession. Here are some alternatives:

 

day laborer; general laborer; worker for hire; contract employee; jack of all trades; 

 

The implication seems to be that the person so described has no permanent employment either with the government or with a company but is available for occasional or temporary work. He or she is paid on an hourly or daily basis and is not guaranteed employment past the short period of hire.

Is this your understanding? Thanks.

Absolutely, David.

[tgeezer]

On 16/10/2017 at 3:09 PM, bannork said:

Over a year and no one has continued this thread. I hope tgeezer will pay an occasional visit.

From the back of The Daily News today, talking about the effects of the torrential rain Friday night on Bangkok.

บรรยากาศฝนตกน้ำท่วมอ่วม

I often think บรรยากาศ translates well as atmosphere but I am not sure here. As the headline is above a series of photos showing Bangkok reeling with flooded streets, crawling traffic and residents receiving supplies by boats, perhaps the word scene is better.

I think batter often fits อ่วม so altogether I would go for:

Battered scenes/reeling from the floods and rains.

I have just come across this and am flattered bannork, that you think that I can contribute. 

In some ways it is a pity that it is an บรรยากาศ has an English equivalent word and I think that it is this which impedes translation. 

An example from the RID บรรยากาศไนที่ประชุม > atmosphere in where the meeting is held> the atmosphere of the meeting.  That is “meeting atmosphere” why can’t Thai say บรรยากาศ(ของ)ประชุม I think it is because of the English meaning of the word. So what I am saying is that we have to accept that however a noun is described it remains a noun.    บรรยากาศ(ของ)ฝนตกน้ำท่วมอ่วม?  Severe rain induced flooding. 

 I see one of David’s examples differently too; บรรยากาศพระมหาราชวัง as the Grand Palace atmosphere.  

I wonder if it might be worth a thread on translating definitions in the RID might be interesting, I am sure that โดยบริยายหมายความถึง has already been translated but I find it interesting to discover why Thai uses the words it does. 

 

[KenSoftTH]

Hmm, this seems fun. I'm native Thai. Let me have a go with this.

From Thairath

https://www.thairath.co.th/news/crime/2034763

ตชด.จับรถเก๋ง 2 คัน ขนยาบ้า 5.7 แสนเม็ด ไอซ์ 14 กก. มูลค่า 20 ล้านบาท

Border Patrol Police caught two cars transporting 570k pill of amphetamine and 14kg of crystal meth worth 20 million bahts

 

ตชด. shorten of ตำรวจตระเวนชายแดน -> Border Patrol Police

จับ -> caught

รถเก๋ง -> car

ขน -> transport

ยาบ้า -> amphetamine

ยาไอซ์ -> crystal meth

กก. -> kg

มูลค่า -> worth

 

[tgeezer]

Thank you.  ตชด. Do you have any thoughts on why ทำรวจตระเวนชายแดน and not simply ทำรวจชายแดน ? 

[kokesaat]

30 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

Thank you.  ตชด. Do you have any thoughts on why ทำรวจตระเวนชายแดน and not simply ทำรวจชายแดน ? 

ตำรวจ police

ตระเวน patrol

ชายแดน border

[tgeezer]

14 hours ago, kokesaat said:

ตำรวจ police

ตระเวน patrol

ชายแดน border

Thanks but since KenSoft TH is new and expressed an interest in translation I was asking to see how interested he is. 
 

 

On 2/24/2021 at 7:42 PM, KenSoftTH said:

Hmm, this seems fun. I'm native Thai. Let me have a go with this.

From Thairath

https://www.thairath.co.th/news/crime/2034763

ตชด.จับรถเก๋ง 2 คัน ขนยาบ้า 5.7 แสนเม็ด ไอซ์ 14 กก. มูลค่า 20 ล้านบาท

Border Patrol Police caught two cars transporting 570k pill of amphetamine and 14kg of crystal meth worth 20 million bahts

 

ตชด. shorten of ตำรวจตระเวนชายแดน -> Border Patrol Police

จับ -> caught

รถเก๋ง -> car

ขน -> transport

ยาบ้า -> amphetamine

ยาไอซ์ -> crystal meth

กก. -> kg

มูลค่า -> worth

 

Two nouns is enough in English: Border Patrol or Border Police and I found it interesting that ตำรวจตระเวน was used in his translation of ตชด. although I now realize that it is the official abbreviation for Police patrolling border.  
The report itself might be worth discussing too.