3 ms·

I'm Greek and most attempts to "Greekify" technical terms sound silly, weird or terrible. Why I should be comfortable with people adopting Greek terms in Medic

by elkos 6y ago

I'm Greek and most attempts to "Greekify" technical terms sound silly, weird or terrible. Why I should be comfortable with people adopting Greek terms in Medicine globally and roll my eyes when people use English in IT?

YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
I think it's a matter of habbit. For instance, I'm sure you didn't roll your eyes everytime you heard mathematical, physical or chemical terms translated in Greek: ισοδυναμεί (implies), συνεπάγεται (equivalent), για κάθε (for all), επαγωγή (induction), μοριακό βάρος (molecular weight) etc etc. We translate those terms in Greek to teach them to students who are very sensibly not required to know English to attend a Greek school. Why would we not also translate general computer scince terms? The French have done this to some extent and it's possible to have a fluent conversation about computer science in French, without having to code-switch between French and English every couple of words. I do that often with one of my coleagues who is French -although I have to stop her and ask her "how do we say X in French" a lot, which kind of spoils it to be fair; but that's only the first time or two I want to use a new term. Personally I'm bothered very much by the need to code-switch between Greek and English everytime someone asks me "what I do", when I'm back Home (in Greece). Everytime I try to explain my PhD research, for instance, I find that I speak as if someone had stitched two people together, one English speaker and one Greek speaker, and they kept talking over each other. It can be exhausting actually, it is clunky and ugly and it sounds much more horrible than translating English terms to Greek. Imagine trying to explain "object-oriented programming" to a native Greek speaker, who doesn't know anything about computer science or programming. First you have to try and translate the words. "Προγραμματισμος με αντικείμενα"? There's "αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός", which is a direct translation and which at least leaves you only needing to explain "object" and "programming" (and "oriented" I guess). And if you repeat it out loud a few times quickly: "αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός, αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός, αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός, αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός", I'm sure it'll start growing on you :P

by elkos 6y ago

YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago

I think it's a matter of habbit. For instance, I'm sure you didn't roll your eyes everytime you heard mathematical, physical or chemical terms translated in Greek: ισοδυναμεί (implies), συνεπάγεται (equivalent), για κάθε (for all), επαγωγή (induction), μοριακό βάρος (molecular weight) etc etc. We translate those terms in Greek to teach them to students who are very sensibly not required to know English to attend a Greek school. Why would we not also translate general computer scince terms? The French have done this to some extent and it's possible to have a fluent conversation about computer science in French, without having to code-switch between French and English every couple of words. I do that often with one of my coleagues who is French -although I have to stop her and ask her "how do we say X in French" a lot, which kind of spoils it to be fair; but that's only the first time or two I want to use a new term. Personally I'm bothered very much by the need to code-switch between Greek and English everytime someone asks me "what I do", when I'm back Home (in Greece). Everytime I try to explain my PhD research, for instance, I find that I speak as if someone had stitched two people together, one English speaker and one Greek speaker, and they kept talking over each other. It can be exhausting actually, it is clunky and ugly and it sounds much more horrible than translating English terms to Greek. Imagine trying to explain "object-oriented programming" to a native Greek speaker, who doesn't know anything about computer science or programming. First you have to try and translate the words. "Προγραμματισμος με αντικείμενα"? There's "αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός", which is a direct translation and which at least leaves you only needing to explain "object" and "programming" (and "oriented" I guess). And if you repeat it out loud a few times quickly: "αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός, αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός, αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός, αντικειμενοστραφής προγραμματισμός", I'm sure it'll start growing on you :P