Urgent Translation Please

[laura513]

would someone please be able to tell me how one would say :

nothing is what it seems

in thai?!!?!?

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[BambinA]

I'm not really sure.. but it seems like " it means that one should not rely upon appearances to make judgements: there is more to everything than simply what it looks like."

= Don't judge a book by it's cover.

- อย่าตัดสินหนังสือจากปก

[yoot]

would someone please be able to tell me how one would say :

nothing is what it seems

in thai?!!?!?

If there is no other meaning hidden this sentence, so it's translated directly as มันดูเหมือนไม่มีอะไร- man doo mĕuan mâi mee à-rai

มัน (it) ดูเหมือน(seems) ไม่มีอะไร(there is nothing)

[Rikker]

I don't think that quite captures the meaning of the sentence, yoot.

Your translation means "It seems as if it is nothing."

But the sentence "Nothing is as it seems" means that everything has some hidden aspect to it, that appearances can be deceiving.

As for how best to translate that into Thai, I'm still not sure.

[yoot]

Thanks, Rikker, for your explanation the meaning of the sentence.

So that it should mean ไม่มีอะไรดูเหมือนกับสิ่งที่มันเป็น - mâi mee à-rai doo mĕuan gàp sìng têe man bpen

What do you think?

[meadish_sweetball]

I think that works very well, Yoot... Yesterday I tried to formulate it in Thai, but could not find a sentence I was pleased with. Your suggestion captures the essence very well.

[Rikker]

Agreed. While perhaps it's not quite so กระชับ and accessible as the English, I don't know of any other better way to say it.

[laura513]

Thanks, Rikker, for your explanation the meaning of the sentence.

So that it should mean ไม่มีอะไรดูเหมือนกับสิ่งที่มันเป็น - mâi mee à-rai doo mĕuan gàp sìng têe man bpen

What do you think?

unfortunately i think the thai symbols did not translate correctly over the computer - i have done this before and it worked perfecrtly, im not sure what is wrong - maybe we can tryit again thanks for the effort tho!

[Rikker]

Is your browser set for the right encoding?

[Gappui]

How about

อย่าเชื่อแค่ที่ตาเห็น ya chuer kae tee dta hen = don't believe only what your eyes see

อย่าเชื่อที่เห็นทั้งหมด ya chuer tee hen tang mod = don't believe everything you see

[cathyy]

How about

????????????????????? ya chuer kae tee dta hen = don't believe only what your eyes see

??????????????????????? ya chuer tee hen tang mod = don't believe everything you see

I think both those miss it. I've been trying to translate it into othe words in English and having trouble because it is a sentence where much more is implied than said. About the best I can do in English is: "Be careful because there are circumstances of which you are not aware, and personal motivations you do not know, and these make the situation appear to be different than it really is."

Edited May 8, 2006 by cathyy

[falang74]

Just a note: For me Thai Proverbs are awesome, they are a riot.

One must remember that Thai proverbs are usually very graphic and tied to nature and earth or daily life.

When trying to explain something in English with sublte inuendo you must think carefully not to send the wrong message. For example, here are some thai proverbs, I am sure many of you know.

กินบนเรือนขี้รดบนหลังคา

Transliteration: Kin bon ruen, khee bon lung kar

Literal: Eat in a house then excrete on the roof.

Meaning: Those who ungrateful to who did good things to them.

ปิดทองหลังพระ

Transliteration: Phid thong lhang phra

Literal: Cover the back of an image of Buddha with gold leaf.

Meaning: Those who help others, without looking for credit.

ไก่เห็นตีนงู งูเห็นนมไก่

Transliteration: Kai hen teen ngu, ngu hen nom kai

Literal: A chicken sees the snake's foot and a snake sees the chicken's breast.

Meaning: Both men know each other's secrets.

กบในกะลา

Transliteration: Khob nai ka la

Literal: Frog in a coconut shell.

Meaning: Those who think that they are the best (smartest) but in fact they are the best just in their mind.

Finally, this one goes out to all the older gentlemen who got to the hotel only to realize there out of Viagra:

พบไม้งามเมื่อยามขวานบิ่น

Transliteration:Pob mai ngarm muea yam kwan bin.

Literal: Found a nice tree when your axe broken.

Meaning: Found a pretty women when you older.

See more at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thai_proverbs

I don't know the answer but trying to convert english to Thai may or may not work so well, where is the Thai proverb expert when you need him or her. If I can I will let you know.

Best,

Aaron