Manee

As promised, I’m picking up momentum on the Manee translation. Everyone’s comments/corrections and added input is starting to turn this into something of a community project. That’s very encouraging, so I thank you all for staying tuned!

In this episode, there is a lot of actual quoted conversation going on, which is something we haven’t done much of yet (if at all).

Even if there is not a lot of new material being discussed in every section we go over, if nothing else it’s all about practice, practice, practice! I know that I am definitely reaping the benefits of this project, even to the point of improving my Thai typing ability.

Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Let’s start with the entire Thai text first…

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Manee

I think Manee missed us. It’s been a while since we followed the harrowing adventures of our little friend.

When we last left Manee, she and her mom were in the market shopping. I can’t imagine much has changed since the last translation, but let’s try and see if I can accurately piece together what’s going on; not only based on the translation I come up with, but also based on some of the wonderful comments and help I’ve been receiving from the readers in Part 1 and Part 2, many of whom are way better at Thai than I am.

I think I’ve hit upon a good formula for these posts, but if you have suggestions on how to improve their format by all means let me know!

Okay, enough delaying… let’s continue and see what craziness she gets herself into this time!

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Manee

And… we’re back. Back to translating more of the Manee book, of course! We will continue right where we left off and keep moving along slowly but surely.

Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint. Picking up pieces little by little in this (blogging) environment is much better than trying to ram 10,000 details and definitions down your throat. Don’t try to get everything in one sitting. Take away what you can and internalize it; then, go back and pick up what you didn’t get the first time. Constant review and reinforcement is the best way to learn a language.

When we last left Manee, she was accompanying her mom to the market. Let’s see what happens next. Here is the text for the next paragraph:

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Manee

As I promised in my 100th post, I want to start digging a little deeper into actual translation of Thai text. Grammar and vocabulary are obviously very important things to learn, study, and review, but putting it all together is really what it’s all about. I can’t just sit and try to memorize vocabulary lists, and studying grammar books is about as much fun as watching my wife paint her toenails (much as I love her).

Since I’m no Thai language expert I thought it would be best to work through the Manee books. Always up for a challenge, I decided to start with the Grade 2, Volume 1 book. (Not really a challenge, per se, but the Grade 1 books have very fragmented sentences and doesn’t work well for translating.)

So, I’m starting with Manee Grade 2 and working very slowly. Time is a bit of a factor, as is my current Thai education level. But let’s work together and see how well we can do, shall we? My hope is that we can work together and discuss each “lesson” so we can get better as a group.

Time to dig in!

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