Hi. I am an amateur translator. I just started it. I am supposed to translate a novel called "A singular man", but there are some that confuses me. could you help me?
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The stranger would have asked me to stand him to a drink, and I would have wound up in the position I so dreaded, that of the person who does all the paying.
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What does " stand him to a drink" means?
And what does" I would have wound up in the position I so dreaded, that of the person who des all the paying" means?
When I am trying to understand English, I approach to it grammatically not naturally. That is why I am poor at English.
2006-09-15 14:18:10 · 5 answers · asked by knie777 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
It sounds its a case of there not being any word-for-word translation.
I'm guessing it was supposed to mean, "....asked me to join him for a drink". I'm guessing the "I would..........paying" sentence means if the person talking about the stranger asking him or her to join him for a drink had gone for a drink with that stranger then the person talking would have had to pay for all the drinks, and he or she was worried that he or she would have to pay for the drinks. Maybe the person also knew if he or she went with the stranger for the drinks he or she would also have to pay in ways that had nothing to do with money.
2006-09-15 14:28:09 · answer #1 · answered by WhiteLilac1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have absolutely no clue what "stand him to a drink" means. I don't really think that makes sense or has any coherency. However, the second part means that the person who's talking is saying that he or she (I'll just assume "she") would be in a position she didn't like, and that position is where she would have to pay for her own drinks or possibly the other person's drinks for him instead of having someone ELSE buy them for her, which is what she's used to.
2006-09-15 21:25:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Stand him a drink" means "buy him a drink." It's a slang expressin in English.
"I would have wound up in the position I so dreaded, that of the person who does all the paying."
That's well said in English, but I'll give you another version of it: If he had bought the stranger a drink, he would have been in a position he hated, the one who pays.
2006-09-15 21:28:22 · answer #3 · answered by johntadams3 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that means you accompany him with a drink also or pay for his drink...and, I think that 'winding up in the position' part talks about a position of being drunk or 'under the influence'...im not sure but thats my intake of it..dont feel bad...i mean, im amazing at english and i still think this is pretty bad english or eat least hard to understand..u seem pretty good at english..yur grammer and everything seems fine so kep your good work u! k hun?! lol..yea..good luck with ur translation..i hope i helped..otherwise, im sorry!
2006-09-15 21:27:35 · answer #4 · answered by Lina 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First one means nothing to me.
2nd one just means he feels he always has to pay the bill.
2006-09-15 21:28:47 · answer #5 · answered by cantthinkofanygoodnames 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋