Foreign Word
Symbol | <*XXX>
Definition | In transcription, the Foreign Word refers to words that appear in a transcript that are not of the same language as the primary language of the transcript.
When to use <*XXX>
| 1. When a word appears in a transcript that is non-native to the primary language. 2. When the foreign word has not become integrated into the primary language. 3. When the foreign word may be familiar to speakers of a given language, but has not been assimilated into the vocabulary of that language .
When not to use <*XXX>
| 1. When the word has been fully integrated into the primary language, and is a part of its standard vocabulary. 2. When the foreign word can be found in the dictionary of the primary language 3. Foreign names like Adamello-Brenta, Val-di-Fiemme.
Note | Many foreign words and phrases exist in our colloquial language. Some, like "Hasta la vista," have been made famous by the movies. Others, like "c'est la vie" and "ciao," are foreign, but their meaning is clearly understood. All three of these would be transcribed using the <*XXX> convention. For example, "Hasta la vista" would be written as: <*SPA>hasta <*SPA>la <*SPA>vista. Even though the words are recognized in English, they are not yet component members of English, and so would be transcribed using the foreign word convention. There are many words, however, such as "kindergarten" or "fait accompli", that have foreign roots, or may indeed still be a part of their language of origin, but which have been fully integrated into the English language. These words should be considered as part of the vocabulary of the English language and should NOT be transcribed according to the foreign word convention.
Rules for Transcribing <*XXX>
| Use <*XXX> where XXX stands for a previously agreed upon three letter symbol to represent the foreign language. When using the convention, the tag should come first, or before the foreign word that the convention is representing (see examples below). Some of the most common foreign laguages appearing in English are:
ENG = English | FRA = French | GER = German
ITA = Italian | JAP = Japanese | SPA = Spanish
If the foreign language cannot be identified, but it is clearly foreign, the convention <*FOR>word is use.
Examples | 1. <*JAP>sayonara , Mister Fujisaki . 2. yeah . well , I think that is pretty <*GER>komisch . 3. si , y quiero discutir la <*ENG>interface contigo . 4. ja , aber das ist nicht besonders <*ENG>nice . 5. I am not sure if that is <*FOR>word or not .
Notes | There is NO space between the last convention bracket and the beginning of the foreign word, ie: <*FRA>apprivoiser --> No space here between the ">" and the "a"