Article: The Importance of Punctuation
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jun 21, 2009

This topic is for discussion of the ProZ.com translation article "The Importance of Punctuation".

 
whither has fle
whither has fle
France
Local time: 06:28
French to English
Absolutely! Jul 1, 2009

I am very fond of punctation myself and often find that it clarifies the meaning of the text. Especially if you are reading fairly fast. Ever come to the end of a sentence and you go ..mm ?.... second glance...oh yes...bla bla bla comma da da..?

Especially in dialogues, and I love dialogues, a comma in the right place can give that extra little bit of weight to the meaning.

I am very fond of dots myself. When you listen to people speaking, some of the most interesting
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I am very fond of punctation myself and often find that it clarifies the meaning of the text. Especially if you are reading fairly fast. Ever come to the end of a sentence and you go ..mm ?.... second glance...oh yes...bla bla bla comma da da..?

Especially in dialogues, and I love dialogues, a comma in the right place can give that extra little bit of weight to the meaning.

I am very fond of dots myself. When you listen to people speaking, some of the most interesting things they say are "afterthoughts". Comedians, I think, use dots. They do not usually know this as they call it "timing".......like a three-second pause before delivering the punchline. A comma does not really do the trick quite so well.

I have never had a translation where I could honestly put in some dots...pity!

The French have a habit of writing mile-long sentences and can get quite offended when I suggest a comma. Sneaking in a semi-coln without consulting them first is bordering on sabotage.

Anyway, I am glad to hear that I am not alone in the punctuation field.
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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 06:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
Good one Sep 11, 2012

I found this article much more insightful than another one I read on proz today on the same subject, which was incomplete and overly prescriptive IMHO. Chapeau!

 


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Article: The Importance of Punctuation






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