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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 #7

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

Notes about this source segment

Rank by:
+25 | -1
He plays the ignorant, on purpose, of course, making use of 'cyclopedia' as if it were a vehicle.
+12 | -2
I think it's a pun, not a malapropism. In my opinion it's also important that he used "walk" and not "go" ... so on foot vs. other means of transportation you can ride on.
[Edited] +6 | -1
There are two meanings here, as in almost all Berra's quotes. The first implication being that Encyclopedia and Cycloped sound alike to Yogi and he could either misinterpret what an encyclopedia really is or could deliberately play on that words..
The sec
+7 | -2
The Cycloped was an early horse-drawn locomotive, and the term is now being used a little for man-powered tourist vehicles in various parts of the world. So, is this a Malapropism or a play on words?
+3
To me, Y Berra is playing with the word enCYCLOpedia. Kids, "walk" (not "ride" which would be the easy way) through life and "learn" through your own experiences not a written book.
+5 | -2
Sorry, non native comment: "encyclopedia" sounds abstruse (I guess) and reminds a bicycle.
+5 | -2
I think he played with the word since it sounds similar to
the name of a "low-powered motorcycle designed to provide economical and relatively safe transport with minimal licensing requirements" (and therefore, appropriate to go to school), ie moped.
+3 | -1
I am with the cycloped, because he says "walk" and not "go". This means, they should "go on foot" and not by "bike/vehicle" etc.
+1
I also understood this a Y.B. wanting his children to walk to school, like he used to, i.e. not to go on some "cycloped". This, however, showed up only in one translation out of the four.
+1
I think "walk to school" means "learn such the way".
I just think that books and access to knowledge at home might be a good excuse to skip school, and he wants the children learn from teachers.
I am not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did. The key word "school" i.e. out there in real life vs theory from encyclopedia. Пусть учится всему, как я в свое, а не забивает моз
+3 | -4
I think he means you can learn everything from encyclopedia, so it would be too easy. Kids shouldn't have it easier than he had, they should get all the knowledge hard way, by walking to school.
+7 | -8
Another possibility is that you can't really learn about life from a book, not even from an encyclopedia. Going to school is worth the walk.
-4
Parents are often pressued to buy expensive things (e.g. encyclopedias) supposedly for the benefit of their children's education, but older people have often accomplished much in life despite the lack of such aids. Combine this with "in my day, we had to
-4
Obviously this has nothing to do with cyclopeds. "I'm not going to buy my kids an early horse-drawn locomotive..." Sounds right? It's about having all the knowledge of an encyclopedia at your fingertips VS actually making an effort and walking to school.
+1 | -5
He ment that it would be too easy for children to get all the knowledge from encyclopedia, they should suffer as their parents and get it hard way, by walking to school every day,
+2 | -9
Maybe he meant that with having an encyclopedia, you don't even have to go to school anymore, the encyclopedia is your school and you can learn everything from it. As an exaggeration of course.
+1 | -10
We have "walking encyclopedia" which means "a person who has an impressive knowledge of facts or words". Seems that he's playing with this collocation here.

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)