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October 12, 2005
Soccer may be an international language...
...but apparently the Laws of the Game (LOTG) are still plagued with translation problems.
enables marital bliss by integrating spousal interests. This time, it's actually about a sport we both enjoy watching: soccer. One of Lieberman's cohorts, Jim Gordon, points out that a certain key rule actually changes meaning in the English translation:
Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct; Decisions of the International F.A. Board (Decision 4):A tackle, which endangers the safety of an opponent, must be sanctioned as serious foul play.
Did you catch that? The commas after "tackle" and "opponent" transform a restrictive relative clause into a nonrestrictive relative clause. Instead of instructing referees to only call those tackles which are dangerous, the law now defines all tackles as something "which endangers the safety of an opponent."
Interestingly, this is not how the rule is written in the Spanish or French versions of the LOTG. Referees from those fine countries understand that you need only call dangerous tackles. Suddenly, refereeing politics becomes so much more intriguing... So tonight, as we watch the U.S. vs. Panama game, I'll pay particular attention to the nationality and language skills of the man in the middle. And if I'm at all suspicious that he's read the LOTG in English, I'll feel especially entitled to yell, "Sir!"
Words | By elissa | 04:03 PM
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Comments
your site is so much prettier then noels..... haha that's to be expected I'm sure. Just wanted to say Hi, I didn't get to chat with you much in Bville, so seeing that I finally found your guy's sites I will be reading them (spying as you guys were) on you too! haha take care, lauren
Posted by: Lauren at October 14, 2005 12:04 PM
