Re: fun with translation

[Jacob and Nancy Bloom <bloom...>]

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Helen Winkler 
  To: World music from a Jewish slant 
  Sent: Monday, April 08, 2002 6:31 PM
  Subject: fun with translation


   I once ran a bit of a Russian dance book through BabelFish.  Here is what 
came out:


  CHAPTER into
   1. rite of wedding under the the khupoy.
  a) female dance with the spark plugs before the the khupoy; b) man dance
  with the spark plugs before the the khupoy; ...

  3. extension of
  match-maker on tray ko1lyc from ya-mya by spark plugs - ritual a) the dance
  of fathers, fiance and bride, the extinguishing of spark plugs, each
  individually.

  The mazl-comrade dance has a funny story.   'Tov' was a common colloquialism 
for 'tovarishch' = 'comrade  so the Mazl Tov dance became the Mazl-comrade 
dance.

Yes, but what are the spark plugs?  Inquiring minds want to know!  I'm 
imagining how I might have incorporated this deeply symbolic ritual into my own 
wedding, if only I had known...