LOL! WTF, Amazon?

[strangelove9]

Hello folks,

Wanna have fun? Head on to the Amazon.com main site, and read the French message at the top of the page.

Automatic translation FTW!

Are you shopping since Canada?

[dealguy2]

Nothing to see here, it's proper french.

[strangelove9]

Nothing to see here, it's proper french.

Are you for real?

[mrlooneytoon]

It's correct isn't it? Verb tense I think.

[sw1ft]

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/gateway/tcg/visit_amazon_ca_tcg._V46776082_.gif
My French is horrid, so it makes no sense to me either way. ;)

[burnt_toast]

je nem parle pas francais... did i say that right??

[Rehan]

An actual example of machine translation:
"Ce fil a échoué."

[dubey]

HA HA !

THANKS FOR FUN !



worst thread ever

[dealguy2]

Are you for real?

Yes it's perfect french I'm serious. Depuis does not always mean past tense. It can also mean "from".

[rosebud]

le pute merde!

:D

[ullyeus]

I'm bilingual, I don't see any foul.

[Kaitlyn2004]

Ya.. I don't really get it. Is there at least supposed to be some joke? I don't follow :(

[Feneant]

Well, I guess high school (or middle school maybe) French isn't what it used to be.

[strangelove9]

Wow, the ignorance is strong in this thread.

No wonder French is decaying throughout North America.

Let me help you:
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/jhreid/grammar/depuis.htm

Quote:

Use "depuis" to indicate the duration of time of an action (state or repetition) that began in the past and that continues on into the present or into the past moment one is focusing on: "Il travaille depuis trois jours." The French replace "depuis" with "il y a...que," ça fait...que," "voilà...que" in order to place emphasis on the duration of time: "Il y a trois jours qu'il travaille." All these expressions are translated "for."

You don't use "depuis" for locations, you use it for temporal constructions! Therefore, what Amazon is actually asking is "Shopping since Canada?"

[Barayolayosa]

Hello folks,

Wanna have fun? Head on to the Amazon.com main site, and read the French message at the top of the page.

Automatic translation FTW!

Are you shopping since Canada?

http://www.shipmentoffail.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/youfail.jpg

[strangelove9]

http://www.shipmentoffail.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/youfail.jpg

http://www.thisshirtrocks.com/productphotos/idiot_close_display.jpg

[wbastien]

Depuis is a simple preposition meaning since, for or from.
So yes, it makes sense.

[Rehan]

Wow, the ignorance is strong in this thread.Indeed...

You don't use "depuis" for locations ... Wrong.
http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/dictionary/?word=depuis
(d) from a place; pour téléphoner l'Angleterre ~ la France, il faut faire le 0044 to phone England from France, you have to dial 0044

[Kranberry]

This site agrees with the from example as well.

http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/fr/definition/depuis/

depuis, adverbe

Sens 1 Dès ce moment, à partir de. Ex Nous ne nous sommes jamais revus depuis. Synonyme dès Anglais since (then)

depuis, préposition

Sens 1 A partir d'un moment précis. Ex Je ne les ai pas revu depuis ton anniversaire. Anglais since
Sens 2 Pendant un certain temps. Ex Je t'attends depuis une heure. Synonyme pendant Anglais for
Sens 3 Indique un point de départ, un lieu donné. Ex Il vous faudra trois heures pour venir depuis Lorient. Anglais from
Sens 4 Indique une série, une succession. Ex Depuis le premier jusqu'au dernier jour, ils se sont bien comportés. Anglais from...to

[sockhead]

i am a fluent french speaker in quebec - that sentence does NOT make any sense, and does not match the english translation

a proper translation would be to say "magasinez-vous de canada?", how it's written now translates to "have you been shopping since canada?"

[purple_rabbit]

Actually the French they use is perfectly fine, better than some translations I've seen on cereal boxes :lol:

[vanessie]

I don't see the phrase on the amazon site at all, maybe this thread embarrased them :o

guessing it must be a France french thing rather than a Quebecois thing. I've been taking french since JK and I've never heard "depuis" used to refer to a place either.

[Cough]

What about this made up verb "magasiner" :confused: :confused:
From Wikipedia:
The word for "shop" or "store" in all varieties of French is le magasin. In Quebec, the verb magasiner, meaning "to shop," has been created naturally by the people, doing a simple conversion from the noun. In France, the expression is either faire des courses, faire des achats, or faire du shopping. No single verb exists.

[Lava]

What about this made up verb "magasiner" :confused: :confused:
From Wikipedia:

Huh, magasiner isn't made up, in this sentence it means shopping, or to shop. If the french people use it, i think it should be considered a verb.

[twotterdhc6]

i am a fluent french speaker in quebec - that sentence does NOT make any sense, and does not match the english translation

a proper translation would be to say "magasinez-vous de canada?", how it's written now translates to "have you been shopping since canada?"

In that case, it's likely a Metroplitan vs Quebec French thing. I also think that question sounds a bit odd.
It would make more sense if Amazon used Quebec French instead.

[hoob]

i am a fluent french speaker in quebec - that sentence does NOT make any sense, and does not match the english translation

a proper translation would be to say "magasinez-vous de canada?", how it's written now translates to "have you been shopping since canada?"

Geez, no wonder French is viewed as in decline in Quebec. There is nothing wrong with what Amazon has written there. While it may not be the most common form this side of the Atlantic, any French speaker reading should have no problem understanding what it means.

[whampoa]

Geez, no wonder French is viewed as in decline in Quebec. There is nothing wrong with what Amazon has written there. While it may not be the most common form this side of the Atlantic, anyone French speaker reading should have no problem understanding what it means.

Shhh, don't tell that to French Quebecois. Hearing, them speak French is like trying to decipher an Englishmen speaking in Cockney English.

[IzzLe]

i am a fluent french speaker in quebec - that sentence does NOT make any sense, and does not match the english translation

a proper translation would be to say "magasinez-vous de canada?", how it's written now translates to "have you been shopping since canada?"

Fluent, yeah...


"magasinez-vous du canada?", is ok but NOT "magasinez-vous de canada?"

Amazon's could be translated as : ''Are you shopping from Canada?'' which is perfectly fine. Their french translation is correct....

According to ''Le petit Robert'' (french dictionnary) :

Depuis :
II - Espace
de, dès (II). ''La famille, depuis le perron, nous observait'' (Mauriac).


So yes, depuis can be used to refer to a location (de,dès) and is used correctly. The translation is correct.


It would make more sense if Amazon used Quebec French instead.?

Anyone speaking French in Quebec can understand that... it's used often. Magasiner, I am pretty sure that term is used alot more in QC than France (they usually use ''shopping'' ironic huh). In fact, Le petit Robert says that magasiner is only used by french Canadians.

[sockhead]

Fluent, yeah...


"magasinez-vous du canada?", is ok but NOT "magasinez-vous de canada?"

Amazon's could be translated as : ''Are you shopping from Canada?'' which is perfectly fine. Their french translation is correct....

According to ''Le petit Robert'' (french dictionnary) :

Depuis :
II - Espace
de, dès (II). ''La famille, depuis le perron, nous observait'' (Mauriac).


So yes, depuis can be used to refer to a location (de,dès) and is used correctly. The translation is correct.



Anyone speaking French in Quebec can understand that... it's used often. Magasiner, I am pretty sure that term is used alot more in QC than France (they usually use ''shopping'' ironic huh). In fact, Le petit Robert says that magasiner is only used by french Canadians.

you're right about the du, but i still retain that the depuis makes absolutely no sense - i've never heard anyone say that before

i've only heard it being used as a time reference in mtl

[warthunder2k]

I never heard anyone use ''depuis'' like that. The likely explanation is that it is very old french, kind of like Shakespere old, and while it technically may be accepted, it is not used by anyone still alive.

[IzzLe]

I never heard anyone use ''depuis'' like that. The likely explanation is that it is very old french, kind of like Shakespere old, and while it technically may be accepted, it is not used by anyone still alive.

It is still being used....

[warthunder2k]

Honestly, I have never heard it being used. Maybe by very old people.

[hoob]

For those who do not speak French and want to understand the gist of this thread, it's as if an English speaker was asked something like

"Do you work out of your home office?"
"Are you living out of your car?"

and being confused by the question because they think 'out of' can only mean "having none of" or "outside of".

[geronimo]

LOL @ the OP.


Of course it makes perfect sense, Amazon.com is sloppy or lazy, they wouldn't hire someone to translate their site into other languages unless they truly are bilingual. I speak French at a novice level and can read pretty well, and I have seen "depuis" used in that same manner before.

[second2none]

That is not proper french. "Depuis" means "Since"...

The sentence says : "Are you shopping since Canada?"

Ask a translator and they will confirm it.

[hoob]

Ask a translator and they will confirm it.

If any professional translator who "confirms" that is not long for their career. "Depuis" means many more things than "since", just as "since" means many other things than "depuis". Numerous citations above demonstrate this.

[Rehan]

Honestly, I have never heard it being used. Maybe by very old people. Yeah, just old people on the Intarweb.
http://www.google.ca/search?q=depuis-le-canada

For those who do not speak French and want to understand the gist of this thread, it's as if an English speaker was asked something like

"Do you work out of your home office?"
"Are you living out of your car?"

and being confused by the question because they think 'out of' can only mean "having none of" or "outside of". Good analogy.

[warthunder2k]

Yeah, just old people on the Intarweb.
http://www.google.ca/search?q=depuis-le-canada



Because we all know that of all places, the internet if THE first place to look at if you are looking for correct spelling. Especially by random people, spelling is top notch... yeah right

[Rehan]

Because we all know that of all places, the internet if THE first place to look at if you are looking for correct spelling. Especially by random people, spelling is top notch... yeah right Please learn how to follow a discussion... :rolleyes:

I never heard anyone use ''depuis'' like that. The likely explanation is that it is very old french, kind of like Shakespere old, and while it technically may be accepted, it is not used by anyone still alive.

Honestly, I have never heard it being used. Maybe by very old people
The google link is perfectly applicable as an argument against your comments. On the other hand, you've in no way shown how "it is very old french" or that only very old people use it.

[danfromwaterloo]

Who cares? It's not like anybody uses French anyways...

[purple_rabbit]

Who cares? It's not like anybody uses French anyways...

It's always easier to be ignorant in life.

[RenegadeX]

It made sense to me but then I learnt French-French, not Quebecois French. I checked my Collins French-English Pocket dictionary (1989 edition), depuis 3) (lieu).. elle a télélephoné ~ Valence. She rang from Valence.She rang from Valence, she surfed (or visited) depuis Valence (or Canada, in Amazon's text).