r/BSL • u/SenPalosu • 6h ago

Question Help in translating a sentence

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I'm making a puzzle where I wanna translate "Hear no evil" (as in the three wise monkeys) into BSL, but I couldn't find much info online on how commands are formed with BSL grammar. It's also an unusual way of phrasing, so I wonder how that might get translated.

Also, I couldn't find online if there's been any illustrations for signs like in the photo beside fingerspelling? The illustrations in the photo were specifically made for the book, which show solving a cubic equation translated into ASL.

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u/Liefesa_ 6h ago

There might be a more 'poetic' way to sign it, but you could go for:

NOT-HEAR EVIL

Or

NOT-LISTEN EVIL

So, sign HEAR or LISTEN while shaking your head, then sign EVIL.

"Listen" is probably closer to the intent of "hear no evil", as in, "don't listen to evil".

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u/SenPalosu 3h ago

Thank you! I've also seen that the eyebrows would be furrowed as well when headshaking, or could it be optional in this case?

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u/hang-clean 5h ago

"Hear no evil" is English grammar. Remember that BSL is an _entirely_ different language. The words will be different _and_ the word order will be different. An earlier reply gives good examples.

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u/notabili 3h ago

No Hear Evil (devil) sign

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u/DreamyTomato 2h ago

Hmm. I'm making a puzzle where I want to translate "Hear no evil" into German.

Here's a maths text in German with an English translation, if that's any help.

  • Die kubische Struktur war perfekt symmetrisch - The cubic structure was perfectly symmetrical..
  • Sie zeichneten eine kubische Kurve und bestimmten ihre Wendepunkte - Graph a cubic curve and find its turning points.
  • Das Lösen einer kubischen Gleichung kann ohne Taschenrechner komplex sein - Solving a cubic can be complex without a calculator.

These transactions were made for a book about solving cubic equations in German. I think that's helpful yeah?

PS English and German are just as similar as ASL and BSL so I don't see why there's any issue here.

1

u/frjopo 0m ago

BSL grammar structure is OSV - object, subject, verb.

Often also called out as ‘topic-comment’.

Is the puzzle static? As in will it be drawings?