The Prophet, The Bird and The Net Group 4
An Israeli tradition tells the story of a prophet who was passing by a net when a bird nearby said to him “ Have you ever seen a man so simple as the one who hung this net to trap me?” The prophet walked away. On his way back he found the bird trapped in the net. “How strange” he said “Weren’t you just saying something to me a few moments ago?” “Prophet” the bird replied, “ when the time comes we can’t see nor hear.”
Above you’ll find, in all its glory, group 4’s translation. Good team work =)
Good work — I’m especially pleased that your group used quotation marks instead of dashes: exactly the right decision.
The final phrase of your group’s translation — “when the time comes we can’t see nor hear” — includes a contraction — “can’t” — followed by the word “nor,” always paired with “neither” when it appears in English (see the OED definition of “nor” below). It’s grammatically unacceptable to use “nor” without “neither,” but it also creates a problem of register: the sentence begins in a very casual, conversational register (contractions are what we use in everyday speech), but “neither” and “nor” are used in more formal declarations (as in the ones below). Rhythm, phrasing and register are very important components of a translation, and need to be consistent if the translation is to succeed.
Nor (OED)
1. Following a word, phrase, or clause which is negated with neither (also formerly †nother or †nouther), used as a correlative to introduce a second or subsequent negated word, phrase, or clause. Cf. or conj.1 2c.
a1375 William of Palerne (1867) 1675 (MED), Noþer clerk nor kniȝt nor of cuntre cherle schal passe vnperceyued.
a1400 (▸a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 5857 (MED), Neyder i knou him þat ȝe say, Nor i ne wil lat þe folk away.
?c1500 Killing of Children (Digby) 198 Of me thu shalt neyther haue ffee nor aduauntage.
1548 Hall’s Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxliiv, That gain once gotten.., neither othe holdeth, nor frendship continueth.
1594 O. B. Questions Profitable Concernings sig. L 2v, Neither God nor nature giues this value vnto all.
a1616 Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iii. i. 37 Thou hast neither heate, affection, limbe, nor beautie.
1630 W. Bedell Let. in R. Parr Life J. Usher (1686) Coll. clxviii. 454 This Protestation having neither Latin, nor Law, nor Common Sence.
1746 J. Hervey Medit. (1818) 259 Neither care disturbs their sleep, nor passion inflames their breast.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 90 Neither grub nor root nor earth-nut now Repays their labour more.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 555 Quarter was to be neither taken nor given.
1879 M. Arnold Mixed Ess. 120 There are neither fairies nor gnomes.
1900 Daily News 10 Jan. 8/3 The 12-pounder..is neither a field gun nor a gun of position.
1954 Philos. Rev. 63 342 Plato could neither convince himself that the Third Man Argument was valid, nor refute it convincingly.
1992 N.Y. Times Mag. 13 Sept. 14/3, I am neither a bleeding heart liberal nor a heartless conservative.
EAllen — September 24, 2013 @ 4:23 pm