Knowledge Spectrum English - 7 How is the word ‘hubris' pronounced? What is the meaning of ‘pelf'? What is the difference between ‘interpreter' and ‘translator'?

31. How is the word ‘hubris' pronounced?

The ‘hu' sounds like the ‘hu' in ‘huge', ‘human', and ‘humour, and the ‘i' that follows is like the ‘i' in ‘hit', ‘pit' and ‘bit'. The word is pronounced ‘HYUU-bris' with the stress on the first syllable. It comes from the Greek ‘hybris' meaning ‘outrage, insolence'. Nowadays, the word is mostly used in formal contexts to mean ‘arrogance or pride'; it is always used to show disapproval. In Greek literature and mythology, very often it was hubris, the excessive pride or arrogance that ultimately led to a character's downfall.

*The Minister's monumental hubris resulted in the party workers rebelling.

32. What is the meaning of ‘pelf'?

The word rhymes with ‘self' and ‘shelf', and it is mostly used in informal contexts to mean ‘money or wealth'. It comes from the Old French ‘pilfre' meaning ‘booty or spoils'; it is from this word that we get ‘pilfer'. In English, ‘pelf' means wealth gained by dishonest means: the kind of money that politicians make in our country. Needless to say, the word is mostly used to show disapproval.

*As expected, the young politician wanted to keep the pelf for himself.

33. What is the difference between ‘interpreter' and ‘translator'?

Many people tend to use the words interchangeably. Both a translator and an interpreter have command of two or more languages. According to most dictionaries, an interpreter is someone who deals with the spoken word. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave a speech in Hindi at the UN General Assembly in 1977, interpreters speaking in different languages (French, English, Spanish, etc) let the audience know what our then Minister of External Affairs was saying.

This sort of interpretation where the speaker and the interpreter talk at the same time is called ‘simultaneous interpretation'.

We also have ‘consecutive interpretation'. In this case, the speaker talks for a few minutes and stops, giving the interpreter time to inform the audience what the speaker has just said. Unlike the interpreter, the translator mostly deals with the written word; he rewrites documents from one language to another.

34. “Looks like your favourite cricketer has scored another double century.”

“Yes. Sachin has been in fantastic form of late.”

“He certainly has. That was a mean little innings he played in...”

“Mean? How can you accuse Sachin of being mean? He's ...”

I didn't say Sachin was mean. I said his innings was mean. By that, I mean, ‘excellent' or ‘skilful'.”

“Really? So, can I say, Sachin plays a mean game of cricket?”

“You certainly can. By the way, such use of the word ‘mean' is considered slang. My friend Badal is a mean bridge player.”

“I think I understand now. So tell me, how is your new boss? Is he mean?”

35. “It's a she. Most people think she's pretty laid-back.”

“Laid-back? Are you saying she's lazy?”

“No, no. That's not what laid-back means. When you say that someone is laid-back, you mean that the person is calm and relaxed.”

“In other words, he never gets flustered.”

“Right! He may have problems, but he doesn't show it. Whenever you see this person, you get the impression he doesn't have a care in the world.”

“I see. How about this example? I like to spend time with my cousin Indu. She's pretty laid-back.”

“My cousin Gopal is anything but laid-back.”

“I know. He worries about everything, and he gets others around him worried too.”=

“Most people in my office are like Gopal. So it's nice to have a boss who is laid-back.”

“But do you think she will be able to handle the pressure of...?”

“I don't see why not. Just because someone is laid-back doesn't mean she can't handle pressure. She could be one tough cookie.”

“That' true.”

A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper

Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above