This is the third (and last for the time being) of a series of Note Udom videos I've subtitled for learners of Thai and anyone interested in Thai comedy. Now I have to decide what to do next. It may be time for some slapstick.

To understand the first section of this video, you need to know that the 'Cotton tree' or 'Silk-Cotton tree' is part of a Thai view of hel_l. Sinners (particularly adulterers) are forced to climb it, the tree's huge thorns tearing at their flesh.

all the best.

ps. anyone know the proper English name for this tree: ต้นม่านบาหลี (lit. Balinese curtain tree)?

Edited January 10, 200818 yr by aanon

Excellent translation again, and this time the text was on screen for a good amount of time too, no problems with too much info to process.

I googled for ม่านบาหลี and the pics suggested some type of climber with strands hanging down just like a curtain, which would rhyme with Note's idea to make an arch out of them. My guess is you looked as well. Unfortunately not a single website had the Latin or English name. This is fairly unusual, most of the time when googling for plants one finds at least one website that has both.

By the way, his mimicking of the lamenting voice of the Northern tree vendor is spot on - hilarious stuff.

Great video and the translation was spot-on!

I hadn't seen this one, thanks for sharing!

Excellent translation again, and this time the text was on screen for a good amount of time too, no problems with too much info to process.

I googled for ม่านบาหลี and the pics suggested some type of climber with strands hanging down just like a curtain, which would rhyme with Note's idea to make an arch out of them. My guess is you looked as well. Unfortunately not a single website had the Latin or English name. This is fairly unusual, most of the time when googling for plants one finds at least one website that has both.

By the way, his mimicking of the lamenting voice of the Northern tree vendor is spot on - hilarious stuff.

meadish and siamesekitty, thanks for your posts.

having done a couple of these short videos now, i notice i'm straying a little further from literal translations, both to keep the subtitles concise and to get as natural a result as possible. i have a newfound respect for the subtitler's art, as well as a clearer realisation that actual speech is a hard beast to capture in written form. luckily, it's a rewarding pursuit.

i once read that the transcripts of nixon's watergate tapes came as a rude shock to newspaper readers, who had never before realised just how disjointed and ungrammatical actual speech can be [The Language Instinct, Steven Pinker, great book].

thanks for the pics meadish. you are right, i had googled ม่านบาหลี without success. it's a great looking plant, though.

all the best.