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Article: The Importance of Punctuation
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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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: 11:15
Prancis menyang Inggris
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... See more
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. ▲ Collapse
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:15
Spanyol menyang Inggris
+ ...
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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