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Mini-contest 2012: "Yogi Berra Quotes"»  Source text notes: English

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A good source text note is one that clarifies something about the source text, and therefore would be helpful to a person translating that text into any language. The purpose of these notes will be to help those evaluating translations (in any pair) to make well-informed judgments.

Examples:
Source textPossible source text note
We're lost, but we're making good time.In US English, 'making good time' means 'making good progress' (not 'having fun').
If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be.Grammatically, a contradiction. This adds to the impact of the remark.
I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.'encyclopedia' sounds like something you could ride to school on. (That's the only reason this quote is notable.)

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Source text segment #1

- "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous."

Notes about this source segment

Rank by:
+111 | -3
It's [supposedly] humorous because if you were to give your right arm, you could no longer be ambidextrous.
+33 | -2
A somewhat dull oxymoron. Another one of this kind would be "I'd die for the chance of living that moment."
+27 | -1
He is/was a baseballer. Ability to throw/catch with both arms is an obvious advantage. THe paradox of losing one arm to be able to keep using both is what makes this funny
+22 | -1
He would pay any price (idiom -give his right arm) to fulfil his wish of being ambidextrous - he ends up in oxymoron, which is funny.
+24 | -13
Being ambidextrous (as opposed to strongly right or left-handed) would solve a lot of problems (e.g. cutting fingernails). "I'd give my right arm to..." is an idiomatic expression meaning to want something very much.
+8 | -1
to give the right arm means "to pay any price for something", ironically in this case, for being ambidextrous (to be able to use both hands equally well)
[Edited] +5 | -1
I would give my right arm (= I'd do absolutely anything) to be able to use both hands with equal facility.
+6 | -2
A set expression: "I'd give my right arm to {whatever}". Once again, Yogi comes up with something funny to plug in. (By the way, the desire to be ambidextrous is common among baseball players.)
+3 | -1
In baseball been ambidextrous as I am, is a privilege among the baseball players, so is a good translation for this or any sport, due to the big advantages of using both arms and have the same strength, and abilities to throw or bat.
We shall forever remember him.
Ambidexterity= Quality of being able to do everything (right) with both hands. We should consider the possibily that by giving your right hand you become totally gauche (left-handed - no a[droit]ness whatsoever). The ambidexterity lies in the play on word
Yes, I think this type of oxymoron basically means "I would do/give up anything just to be able to use both hands" to do or help out with something.
İki elimi de etkin kullanmak için sağ kolumu verirdim.
Yol ayrımına geldiğinde, sap!
Sadece izleyerek çok şey gözleyebilirsin.
Artık oraya kimse gitmiyor. Çok kalabalık.
Düşünürken konsantre olamıyorum.
Çocuklarıma ansiklopedi
Gelecek,
Çocuklarıma ansiklopedi almayacağım. Okula gitsinler! Benim yaptığım gibi...
Kaybolduk ama güzel vakit geçiriyoruz.
Hakkımda söyledikleri yalanların yarısı doğru.
Kuruş artık para etmiyor.
Deja vu gibi, en baştan tekrar
Bitinceye kadar b

- Mrs. Lind : "Kesinlikle havalı görünüyorsun"
Yogi Berra: "Teşekkürler sen de havası kaçmış görünmüyorsun"

- Dünya mükemmel olsaydı, Dünya olmazdı.

Bence doğruları bunlardı.
one of the yogi berra famous oximoronic paradoxes. oxymoron is "something that is surprisingly true, a paradox, (Wiki) used for rhetorical effect. This one generally means a person is willing to make a necessary sacrifice to achieve a bigger goal/desire
one of the yogi berra famous oximoronic paradoxes. oxymoron is "something that is surprisingly true, a paradox, (Wiki) used for rhetorical effect. This one generally means a person is willing to make a necessary sacrifice to achieve a bigger goal/desire
one of the yogi berra famous oximoronic paradoxes. oxymoron is "something that is surprisingly true, a paradox, (Wiki) used for rhetorical effect. This one generally means a person is willing to make a necessary sacrifice to achieve a bigger goal/desire
one of yogi berra's oximoronic paradoxes for rhetorical purposes to emphasize a person's fear of failure. Отдал бы правую руку чтобы быть двуруким. In other words, I'd do anything to succeed but I need both hands equall
+3 | -3
"To give right arm" means to give up on something that it very valuable in order to gain something else. Here he used this expression in to emphasize the value of being ambidextrous.
+6 | -6
It does not mean he wants two left arms!
[Edited] -1
At the same time as the first meaning of ambidextrous (to be able to use both hands with equal facility), do you see also the meaning hypocritical: I would give my right arm (= I'd do absolutely anything) to be hypocritical. Isn't this also an oxymoron?
-1
We shall forever remember him.
[Edited] -7
it's a paradox: loosing one arm ( the right one) to gain a left arm that is able to perform the same tasks the right one was used to carry out it's a silly,useless, operation.
+2 | -13
He has 3 arms.
-14
I suppose ambidextrous means being able to use both right and left arms well (though Dexter itself means right). Please correct me if I'm wrong. So, my point of view is that there is a person who needs help, and I would help by complementing his/her short
+1 | -16
As someone else said, he is left-handed or has a great left hand so his right arm is redundant and he'd be willing to give away his right arm in exchange of a left one. The problem is he'll never get another left arm as good as his, too rare.
+1 | -25
He has only right arm, so he wants this arm to be ambidextrous. Being ambidextrous means duplicity and double-dealing (skillful) and that's why he wants his right arm to be ambidextrous.
He wants to use his right arm with ease and versatility.
[Edited] -26
He wants 2 left arms.

Source text

Full source text (2)

#1 - "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous." (29)

#2 - "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." (18)

#3 - "You can observe a lot just by watchin'." (15)

#4 - "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." (24)

#5 - "I can't concentrate when I'm thinking." (12)

#6 - "The future ain't what it used to be." (10)

#7 - "I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did." (19)

#8 - "We're lost, but we're making good time." (12)

#9 - "Half the lies they tell about me aren't true." (8)

#10 - "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore." (10)

#11 - "It's like deja-vu, all over again." (8)

#12 - "It ain't over till it's over." (11)

#13 - Mrs. Lindsay: "You certainly look cool." Yogi Berra: "Thanks, you don't look so hot yourself." (10)

#14 - "If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be." (22)