Anna Strzałkowska

Anna Strzałkowska Tłumacz języka
angielskiego

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Hi, I'm a student of English and now I'm writing my MA thesis but I got stuck :) The subject of my MA is "Problems with Translating American Comedy Series on the Basis of How I Met Your Mother." The problem is with one text: "Or… I could just recommend that you do not buy this godforsaken Guantanamo Bay of a house." Please tell me sth about the Guantanamo Bay. What bad connotations does it evoke to Americans? Well, I know about the prison, but I don't get the sense when talking about the house.
Bernd Schreckenberg

Bernd Schreckenberg I am an experienced
teacher, with a
diverse background,
h...

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Anna Strzałkowska:
Hi, I'm a student of English and now I'm writing my MA thesis but I got stuck :) The subject of my MA is "Problems with Translating American Comedy Series on the Basis of How I Met Your Mother." The problem is with one text: "Or… I could just recommend that you do not buy this godforsaken Guantanamo Bay of a house." Please tell me sth about the Guantanamo Bay. What bad connotations does it evoke to Americans? Well, I know about the prison, but I don't get the sense when talking about the house.

I presume it's auto-irony. Whilst inhabitants of Guantanamo prison were to watch "How I met your mother", they would then be able to identify themselves with the programme after many hours of the torture of being exposed to it. With the phrase "Or… I could just recommend that you do not buy this godforsaken Guantanamo Bay of a house." the producers show auto-irony, yet the army uses it to achieve a reverse psychological effect.
How? Well...

First the prisoners are singled out and deprived of their rights:


Obrazek


then, after many, many, many hours (because Muslims are used to kneeling and concealing) they are brought to individual screening rooms:


Obrazek


where they have to watch horrible US-sit-coms.
To return to their natural form (1st picture) often releases hormons making them happy and so in conclusion they willfully offer secret information to the standing by guards.

For more information on the subject, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_...

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Temat: MA - help, pls :)

I don't know much about linguistics. So I can't help with understanding "Guantanamo Bay of a house." They could have said "...not buy this godforsaken Guantanamo-Bay House."

"That's a monster of a fish," and "That's a monster fish" both mean huge fish.

Anyways, it's an incidental, obscure reference. Here's the skojarzenie:

Obrazek
Anna Strzałkowska

Anna Strzałkowska Tłumacz języka
angielskiego

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Thank you both very much :)
Ilter K.

Ilter K. Business Developer,
Music Producer, AVID
Certified Instru...

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

"It's one hell of a house"
- Denotes a positive attribute for a house.

"It's Guantanamo Bay of a house"
- Denotes a negative attribute for a house.İlter K. edytował(a) ten post dnia 01.11.11 o godzinie 13:22
Ilter K.

Ilter K. Business Developer,
Music Producer, AVID
Certified Instru...

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Oh, Mr. Obvious...
Sorry.
I was just trying to mention something from the English grammar.

"of a" house.

Ilter Out!
Anna Strzałkowska

Anna Strzałkowska Tłumacz języka
angielskiego

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Hi! I've got another problem and again I need your help :) This time it's about the conflict between Minnesota and Wisconsin states. Here is the text from HIMYM:

Marshall: Good manners are what separate us from those “elbows on the table” Wisconsinites.

Marshall obviously comes from Minnesota. Can you tell me sth about this conflict? Is there sth deeper in it or it's just the conflict resulting from the neighbourhood? You know...every country hates its neighbours. There are certain stereotypes and so on... Maybe the conflict is connected with the US history...If so, please summarise it briefly. Thanks in advance.

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Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Who is Marshall?

Ed. Okay. Now I know, thanks to my sister-in-law.

Let me get this straight. You're paying to learn AE values from serial TV broadcasts?

Noone talks to each other that way. That's why the serial you're taliking about is a comedy.

(Also, don't eat styrofoam and don't take wooden money).Joj Y. edytował(a) ten post dnia 12.12.11 o godzinie 20:57
Bernd Schreckenberg

Bernd Schreckenberg I am an experienced
teacher, with a
diverse background,
h...

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Anna Strzałkowska:
Marshall obviously comes from Minnesota. Can you tell me sth about this conflict?

Obviously he has troubles getting in touch with his feminine side...

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Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Thank you, Bernd (watching out for me).

PLUSSS!!!!!!!!

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Temat: MA - help, pls :)

I'm probably wrong...again. :)

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Temat: MA - help, pls :)

How can you be rrrong when yer right? Huh?

Anyhoo.... this potentially is a much more insightful source of intel on the MN vs WI enigma.

http://www.librarything.com/work/2295893

On second thought, seeing how many people were bothered to write a review (none), it might not be useful at all.

PS. additionally, in order to throw Anna off a tad: Bucks and T-Wolves suck equally...Jarek A. edytował(a) ten post dnia 14.12.11 o godzinie 17:39

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Temat: MA - help, pls :)

The rivalry between the University of Michigan (Go Blue) versus Ohio State University is famous here. We have lots of jokes about the questionable pasts of OSU mothers and their daughters' unfortunate appearances.

(I think in the US history there were border wars between Michigan and Ohio. In fact, there were but I'm not sure of the details).

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Temat: MA - help, pls :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FHiSzvg8bI

(at 00:45, radio announcer Bob Ufer - they say he bled maize and blue when he died - is beside himself, screaming "they're tearing down Michigan's coveted Fan Club banner" i.e., "kill the bastards). :)Joj Y. edytował(a) ten post dnia 15.12.11 o godzinie 14:33
Anna Strzałkowska

Anna Strzałkowska Tłumacz języka
angielskiego

Temat: MA - help, pls :)

Thank you all so much, you are very helpful :)

Następna dyskusja:

Spoonerisms or go help me sod




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