Translator's outcry for help: Paradise Snare & Hutt Gambit

Hi, folks,

I'm officially translating A.C. Crispin's The Hutt Gambit into Czech (it's not my first translation, so some of you may remember me from previous Translator's outcries threads ), and since there are couple of places in the text where I got stuck, I'd hoped that you could help me untangle all the problems. I'll be somewhat regularly posting here the problematic passages from the text with page count (so actually having the book would be a necessity), and then wait for somebody to catch up.

The Paradise Snare is being translated by my friend who isn't registered on JC, so I'll post from time to time the passages from this book on her behalf.

Here are some puzzles to start with:

p. 56: "astrophysics coaching right". I have absolutely no idea what does this mean. Is it an aspect of hyperspace physics, or a legal term?

p. 81: "run a wicked sabacc table." How would you describe this?

More to come. All assistance would be highly appreciated

 

p. 56: "astrophysics coaching right". I have absolutely no idea what does this mean. Is it an aspect of hyperspace physics, or a legal term?
I'm not sure exactly, but I'd say it's more slang then anything.

p. 81: "run a wicked sabacc table." How would you describe this?

Can help with this one. Wicked can mean Cool, hot (not temp- fast paced) or in some cases popular. Thus, the games on that table are tough, exciting and popular.

Good to see you back!

 

The astrophysics one is actually "a friend came over to see him for some astrophysics coaching right at the time of the break in". This means that while the break in was happening, Han was tutoring someone/being tutored in astrophysics. 'right at the time' is pretty much the same as 'simultaneously'. i.e:

Just as the break in occured, a friend came over for some astrophysics coaching.

 

She's baaaccckkk.....

moff_Sammael - I am going to be in your area of the world tomorrow evening and Wednesday on business. Don't know how much I will see (other than in taxis to/from the airport and office) but I am looking forward to it.

 

I agree that it should be "he runs a cool sabacc game". Good luck transalating.

Edit: Spelling

 

Wow, thanks a LOT, folks! I knew I could rely on you to get me unstuck . That cool sabacc table and astrophysics tutoring really helped. Thank you all!

Now, may I saddle your brain cells with more?

* There is a person mentioned in the Acknowledgements whose name is "Pat LoBrutto". Do you happen to know whether this person is male or female?

Situation: p. 39 - "On the inside of the other wrist the Twi?lek wore a ?wrist-vac,? a device that when triggered would send small, deadly blades flying into opponent?s vitals."
The Trouble: I can't well imagine how a wrist-vac looks like. Maybe it would help if you could tell me what does "vac" stand for.

Situation: p. 125 ? "And so, after they threw me out, I found that I couldn?t get honest work as a pilot. I was blacklisted. I didn?t know where my next meal was coming from."
The Trouble: The sentence in bold lettering. Obviously it's a phrase that has it's equivalent in Czech, but I would have to know the exact meaning of this sentence to find it.

* * * * *

Oh, and if you're interested what other books will be translated into Czech, beside the Han Solo Trilogy there will be Survivor's Quest and Shatterpoint.

 

Vac is short for vaccuum, so I assume it's a device that uses suction to propel the blades out at people.

"Didn't know where my next meal was coming from" is a way of saying that he has no definite source of income. He's going to have to eat sooner or later, but he doesn't know how he will pay for it.

I searched for Pat LoBrutto on Google and it appears to be short for Patrick; he's an editor.

 

Good to hear from you again, moff. Nice to know about the next two translation projects.

Just to give you a heads up, if you enjoyed Tatooine Ghost, and as I recall you did a translation of that book as well, you'll enjoy Survivor's Quest. Especially the Luke/Mara romance portions. As for Shatterpoint, someone said something similar to the following, and it sums up what you can expect from it:

This isn't your daddy's Rebellion, bucko. Get ready for the Clone Wars.

Think Star Wars crossed with Vietnam.


When you do these translations, do you have the hardcover or the paperback? The paperbacks, as I understand it, have an added bonus - printed e-books. E-books are novellas that can be downloaded over the internet, and they can provide some additional information to an associated story.

 

what nation does Czech come from?

 

The Czech Republic...

 

Thank you, thank you! What would I do without you guys?

Now, just to keep you busy...

Situation: p. 108 ? Jabba enjoyed being direct, and putting other sentients on the spot.
The Trouble: my dictionary says that "put sb. on the spot" is a slang, gangster phrase for shooting somebody, but I'm not sure that it fits the context. Or is my dictionary right?

Situation: p. 126 ? [The Hutts] made ?political contributions? and ?personal gifts? to Shild as ?gratitude? for being such a good Imperial rep.
The Trouble: I can sense some irony in the words in bold lettering, but unfortunately I can't quite get it because I don't know what exactly is a "rep" here.

Situation: p. 127 ? [Xaverri] gave [Han] an enigmatic smile. "That would be telling."
The Trouble: I'm afraid that I miss the meaning of the sentence in bold lettering entirely. By chance, isn't it an equivalent of "It's a long story?"

And here's one more, this time from the Paradise Snare:
Situation: p. 107 ? Han: ?Don?t I even get a gold star for bringing us to the rendezvous right on the money??
The Trouble: phrase in bold letters. Obviously some sort of slang we failed to grasp - could you tell us what does it roughly mean?

* * * * *

EDIT: Oh, and I read Tatooine Ghost, and found it somewhat boring (I didn't translate this one, I did just Anderson's Dark Apprentice and Champions of the Force). Shatterpoint was excellent, and Survivor's Guest was outstanding (I'm a militant Zahnite, you see ). Unfortunately, I probably won't be translating any of these - Survivor's Quest is already booked for another Czech miltant Zahnite, and I feel that Shatterpoint might be a tad difficult for me.

 

"Situation: p. 126 ? [The Hutts] made ?political contributions? and ?personal gifts? to Shild as ?gratitude? for being such a good Imperial rep."
Maybe it could be "for being a helpful Imperial."
It does lose a bit of irony, but it works.
Good luck!

 

Rep stands for Representative. He was the Imperial Representative to the Hutt homeworld.

"Jabba enjoyed being direct, and putting other sentients on the spot. "

On the spot meaning roughly to put them in a position where they would have to answer, or putting them in an awkward position.

 

"Putting them on the spot" basically means Jabba enjoys putting people in a situation where they have no choice but to answer a question they'd rather avoid.

Rep is short for "representative".

Xaverri is teasing Han. Basically, she's saying she's not going to tell him. The phrase implies that she's doing it on purpose in order to keep him curious about her and develop and aura of mystery.

The phrase "right on the money" basically means with great accuracy.

 

Thank you all for everything! Your help is greatly appreciated

Another load of problems:

p. 185 ? Shug Ninx is mentioned to have two fingers plus an extra joint in his opposable thumb. Does this mean that he actually has three fingers? Two plus an opposable thumb with an extra joint? Or does he have only two fingers in total?

p. 205 ? Moff Sarn Shild has oiled black hair. Does this mean that he was using some sort of grease, or was his hair in fact "oily black"?

EDIT: One more problem from the Paradise Snare
Situation: Chapter 6, p. 127 - "Came out of hyperspace, and they were on me quicker than stink on a Skeeg."
The Trouble: The phrase in bold lettering. What does being quicker than stink on something mean?

 

Oiled black hair I would assume means slicked back with gel or some similar product.

The first one I get the sense that the creature has 2 fingers plus a thumb, since IIRC technically a thumb is not actually a finger.

"quicker than ...." would just mean really quickly, it seems to be a slang term from the SW universe. The Skeegs must get smelly very quickly or something.

 

Shug Ninx is mentioned to have two fingers plus an extra joint in his opposable thumb. Does this mean that he actually has three fingers? Two plus an opposable thumb with an extra joint? Or does he have only two fingers in total?

The first interpretation is right. Shug Ninx has two fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand, and the thumb has an extra point.


Moff Sarn Shild has oiled black hair. Does this mean that he was using some sort of grease, or was his hair in fact "oily black"?

I think it's a combination. His hair ws oily black, and treated with a grease or gel to make it slick.


"Came out of hyperspace, and they were on me quicker than stink on a Skeeg."
The Trouble: The phrase in bold lettering. What does being quicker than stink on something mean?

Basically it means very quick. Quick enough that they were able to make a surprise attack on Han before he could get the shields up, power up the weapons, or perform evasive maneuvers.


Glad to know you liked those books. I prefer SQ over TG. I think I know your favorite part in SQ.

He shrugged, too casually. "I was hoping you'd tell me," he said. All I know is that there's something still churning around behind those beautiful green eyes of yours."

Mara snorted under her breath. "So it's flattery now, is it? That's a sure sign you've run out of logical arguments and persuasive skill."

"Or else it's a sign of my sincerity and commitment to your continued happiness as my wife and companion," Luke countered.

"Ooh--I like that," Mara said approvingly. "Commitment to my continued happiness. Make sure you use that one again sometime."

"I'll make a note," Luke promised.

 

"Came out of hyperspace, and they were on me quicker than stink on a Skeeg."

That's a Star Wars variation of a common expression, which basically implies that since Skeegs always stink, the stink follows them around extremely quickly. So it's basically just a slang way of saying they were on him more or less immediately.

The most common form of that expression is probably "I'm on him like white on rice".

 

p. 185 ? Shug Ninx is mentioned to have two fingers plus an extra joint in his opposable thumb. Does this mean that he actually has three fingers? Two plus an opposable thumb with an extra joint? Or does he have only two fingers in total?

Yes, three fingers total.

p. 205 ? Moff Sarn Shild has oiled black hair. Does this mean that he was using some sort of grease, or was his hair in fact "oily black"?

I think that his hair is fairly shiny, but probably with a little bit of something in it to give it a shine.

 

Thanks again. And I pass thanks from my friend, too, for that Skeeg thing

There's three more problems I'd need to solve:

Situation: p. 212 ? Han snorted. ?Hey, pal, don?t hold your breath.?
The Trouble: Phrase in bold lettering (again). Does Han tell Chewie in this to calm down? Or the exact opposite?

Situation: p. 224 ? Base Delta Zero was an order that for the decimation of a world - all life, all vessels, [/b]all systems[/b]...
The Trouble: All systems. Does this stand for "computer systems"?

Situation: p. 230 ? ?Those Imps can?t shoot for sour trig-berries!?
The Trouble: I have no idea what sour trigberries might be, and I also can't very well understand the phrase "can shoot for st."

So, would you give me a helping hand again?

 

don?t hold your breath

It means don't count on it, or depend on it. Referring to something that's very unlikely.

can?t shoot for sour trig-berries

"can't shoot for [insert noun here]" is an expression meaning that someone (The Imps) can't shoot well, or couldn't shoot if you paid them. Another idiom is can't shoot to save his life.

 

On the Base Delta question I took it to mean the infrastructure of the world - droids, transport systems, food/water delivery systems. I don't think it is restricted to computer systems.

 

Thank you, again And no, something (not) completely different:

The first two questions refer to one of the old Del Rey Lando Calrissian Adventures trilogy, which I haven't read, unfortunately.

Situation: p. 172 ? ?[Lando] Picked up a load of life-crystals and sold ?em for a bundle.?
The trouble: Unfortunately, I don't know what life-crystals are. Could they be "living crystals", or "crystals of life"?

Situation: p. 273 ? [Vuffi Raa] carried various tools in each of his five-armed, tentacle-digited limbs.
The Trouble: I've never seen Vuffi Raa, and I'm not much wiser from the description of him here. Does it say, that Vuffi Raa has actually five arms with tentacle-like digits? Or is he somewhat more exotic than that?

Situation: p. 332 ? [Darth Vader?s] stentorian breathing
The Trouble: My dictionary doesn't recognize the word "stentorian", so I'm at a complete loss here. I thought it may be something like "machine-like", but I'm not entirely sure.

Situation: p. 334 ? Tedris: ?What are you doing wearing that uniform? Who are you ??
The Trouble: Unfinished sentences are always trouble, it's harder to make out their meaning. I thought that in this case, the sentence might go like "Who are you working for", but again I'd like to ask for confirmation (or completion ).

* * * * *

That would be all today, I probably won't be online until Friday, so accept my apologies for the absence. But stay tuned, there's more to come

And thanks again for everything

 

Situation: p. 172 ? ?[Lando] Picked up a load of life-crystals and sold ?em for a bundle.?
The trouble: Unfortunately, I don't know what life-crystals are. Could they be "living crystals", or "crystals of life"?
I think that they're living crystals, or slang for a type of crystal.

Situation: p. 273 ? [Vuffi Raa] carried various tools in each of his five-armed, tentacle-digited limbs.
The Trouble: I've never seen Vuffi Raa, and I'm not much wiser from the description of him here. Does it say, that Vuffi Raa has actually five arms with tentacle-like digits? Or is he somewhat more exotic than that?
There are a couple pictures online, and in the Essential Chronology. He has 5 tenacles.

Situation: p. 332 ? [Darth Vader?s] stentorian breathing
The Trouble: My dictionary doesn't recognize the word "stentorian", so I'm at a complete loss here. I thought it may be something like "machine-like", but I'm not entirely sure.
I don't know that word either. I'd say machine like as well.

Situation: p. 334 ? Tedris: ?What are you doing wearing that uniform? Who are you ??
The Trouble: Unfinished sentences are always trouble, it's harder to make out their meaning. I thought that in this case, the sentence might go like "Who are you working for", but again I'd like to ask for confirmation (or completion ).
I think that he was cut off, IIRC. I'll have to see what else happens in that paragraph.

 

You can see Vuffi Raa here.

Stentorian - my dictionary says this means 'very loud'.

Life-crystals - in Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon it says that these are Orchard crystals from the Rafa system. When worn by humanoids they extend the lifetime and increase intelligence. Hence the name 'life-crystals'.

Who are you - I think 'Who are you working for' would be a logical completion of this sentence.

Edits - spelling. It's been a long day.