Language desk
< March 18	<< Feb \| March \| Apr >>	March 20 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 19

Chinese translation request

Hey need some help with a Chinese translation. Short conversation from a Flickr image:

Person A: 你好，請問能不能將葉神父的照片公開在 Wikipedia 上？

Person B: 著名作者及出處就可以了

Thanks. --Yarnalgo _{talk to me} 06:05, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"A: Hello. Is it possible to publish Father Ye's photo on Wikipedia? B: Sure, as long as the author and source are speicfied."--K.C. Tang (talk) 06:45, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the quick response. --Yarnalgo _{talk to me} 06:47, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Except "著名" is the wrong word to use here: it means "famous", "prominent"; "clearly mark" is 注明, with the same pronunciation. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 23:41, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Restroom for disabled/handicapped/?

For the map legend of a guide booklet to a museum complex, I'm unsure what to call the restrooms for disabled visitors. (Yes, restrooms— I favor American English and consider "toilets" to be the plural of a plumbing appliance.) Space is quite limited. What's preferable:

Disabled restrooms
Handicapped restrooms
?

The map itself has a pictograph icon, but I still need this brief tag for the legend text. -- Thanks, Deborahjay (talk) 07:52, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Handicapped accessible restrooms" is the proper way to say it, but this is often shortened to "handicapped restrooms," despite the fact that the restrooms themselves are without handicap. If you're really short on space, "handicapped" or "accessible" alone will, in context, get the point across. For instance, here is what pops up on a Google image search for the word "accessible." The term "disabled restroom," in my experience, isn't used, and may cause offense to some while convincing others that the restroom in question is out of order. --Fullobeans (talk) 08:03, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to go the whole PC-hog, it could be "Convenience for differently-abled persons". No, probably not. -- JackofOz (talk) 08:34, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There should not be a hyphen in the expression differently abled. See Hyphen#Compound modifiers, paragraph 4. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Hyphens, sub-subsection 3, point 4.

-- Wavelength (talk) 13:16, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Simply "Restrooms for the handicapped"? Or... and just use the same ideograms that you are already using and add "restroom".
E.g.

Restroom matched by

Restroom and

Restroom or

Restroom -- Fullstop (talk) 10:48, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Actually 'handicapped' is not used any more, it's considered to be offensive (and FWIW, I agree). 'Disabled' is fine. --Richardrj ^talk ^email 11:00, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I recommend the expression wheelchair accessible restrooms. By the way, do you want to use other languages in addition to English? -- Wavelength (talk) 13:28, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If space is limited, you could just go with accessible restrooms. - Eron^Talk 14:07, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And if the pictogram makes it clear that it's a restroom, you don't even need the word 'restroom'. --Richardrj ^talk ^email 14:23, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And which pictogramm of obvious meaning were you suggesting in this, frequently spontaneously to be expressed, semiotic context, Richard? --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 23:07, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My favorite is the 17th-century Williamsburg accessible toilet sign

-- AnonMoos (talk) 01:58, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That's beautiful, although something tells me it's not really 17th c. FWIW the word "restroom" sounds very strange to us Brits: a public lavatory (UK signs usually said "lavatories" until about 50 years ago) is the last place I would want to take a rest.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:11, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My online thesaurus seems to indicate that the English language sadly lacks a clear term for this sanitary biotope. Half of the words listed are euphemisms, like restroom, lavatory or even comfort station, the others refer to the ceramic pottery exhibited in such enclosures, such as toilet, urinal or water closet.

Maybe some collective straining and squeezing by the assembled linguists is required to extrude a fitting term for the posterior relief of humankind. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 09:15, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"sanitary biotope" wins you a gelotological equivalent of un-organic chocolate. More word play to munch on in those valued minutes. -- Fullstop (talk) 19:26, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's interesting that you regard the item of pottery as a "toilet". We do undoubtedly use that term for it, but in general down here* a reference to a "toilet" would be taken to mean the room (but also implicitly including the contents of the room), and if it's necessary to distinguish the room from its contents, the room is the "toilet" and the ceramic is referred to as the "cistern" or the "pedestal". (* No pun intended; and no, "down under" does not mean that Australia is the arsehole of the world.) -- JackofOz (talk) 19:08, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that "handicapped" has taken on negative connotations, and "disabled" is preferable in the generic sense. But I also agree that "wheelchair accessible" is far more precise, unless the washrooms/public toilets/rooms of euphemism have adaptations for other disabilities, such as Braille notices. BrainyBabe (talk) 20:29, 22 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Mishu

Does the word "Mishu" mean anything in Japanese or Chinese? Is it a name? Mike R (talk) 20:40, 19 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Without seeing the characters, it is difficult to answer. However, in Chinese "Chen Mishu" might well mean "Secretary Chen," with Mishu [秘书] being the title "secretary." DOR (HK) (talk) 03:46, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I just want to make sure, if I were to use the name "Mishu" for a fictional character, that it doesn't mean something I'm not aware of. Thanks, Mike R (talk) 05:46, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There is no word Mishu/みしゅ in Japanese. If it is Mishū/みしゅう, it's 未収 and the meaning is accrued or outstanding. It is impossible to think Mishu as a Japanese name, even if it's a fictional character's name, for native Japanese speakers. Oda Mari (talk) 08:08, 20 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]