Problems writing in Nepali script (Devanagri) on your computer?

I ran into a strange problem the other day, writing Nepali script in OpenOffice. Now solved it, sort of. Here's the story:

I've been messing around with Nepali texts on my computer, still working on learning and improving my Nepali. For that purpose I've found it quite useful to copy Nepalese text from the internet and working a bit on them offline. Transcribing, translating etc. So, to do that, what do you need?

First, check if you have proper fonts installed. Some of the Nepali fonts I've been using are Preeti, Xdvng and Mangal. I think the Mangal font is probably the best of those 3 Nepali fonts. If you don't have them, just Google it and download from somewhere...

Choose one of these fonts and you should be able to write things like
खाने (khane = to eat)

जित्ने (jitne = to win)

हार्ने (harne = to loose)


However, I ran into problems when I tried to copy-paste from my internet-browser (Firefox) into an Open Office document. Even with the font working seemingly fine when writing, it didn't work when I tried to copy a text into the document.  And since that's what I was trying to do, it was kind of annoying! I tried a lot of different settings and options in OpenOffice, but I couldn't get around it. The conclusion is, for Nepali (copy-pasting), don't use Open Office! A shame, since it's an otherwise really good - and free - text editor! It just doesn't work in this situation. If you have a solution, please write it here, below. Otherwise, I can just advise you to use another editor, e.g. Microsoft Word or even the simple Windows Notepad will do!!
 

Learning Nepali Online Resources / Links

Schmidt's Dictionary
The best online Nepali dictionary, imo, is the Schmidt one here. You can make a search for English and Nepali words, the nepalese words converted into romanized (a-b-c-) letters. It will list all occurrences of the search word, also when it is just used in the description.

Hindi-English (Google)
Google Translate, unfortunately, does not cover Nepali. However, some words are similar to Hindi, and both Hindi and Nepali use the devanagri typeset. So, you can actually use Google Translate to convert romanized a-b-c letters/words into devanagri! Just select Hindi and write, for instance "namaste". It will convert to "नमस्ते " and, in this case. also give the correct translation "hello". (PS: Remember you have to press 'space'-key after word!)
You can also use unicode nepal for that, perhaps it's better(?).

Hindi-English (HinKhoj)
For translating / looking up single words, this is much better than Google Translate. It's still not Nepali though...

Devanagri-to-Latin converter
If you want to convert the other way, from devanagri to romanized/latin, you'll have to use another tool. Something called MyLanguages.org has such a tool here. This is very useful until you get used to reading devanagri script - which might be a while. In principle, I'd recommend plunging head-on into devanagri, but in practice, I still mostly resort to reading Nepali in Latin letters...

Nepali Primer, a free eBook
There is a complete learners set available from Cornell, with a 200+ page "learn nepali eBook" and accompanying audio (online only). Or here.

Nepali Song Lyrics
Learning Nepali through songs is a nice topping. When you're tired of reviewing flash cards, grammar and those heavy (and necessary) tasks, take a break with a nepali song. This site offers the transcribed lyrics of cheesy Nepalese love songs as well! I suggest reading the lyrics a few times, try to understand it, then listen repeatedly to the same song, over and over... And finally you'll have a great vocabulary for romantic occations! :-)

Various Reading Materials
If you'd like to read nepali language, with nepali letters (devanagri) there are heaps of sites around, large ones and small ones. One of the very active ones is this one called MySansar (claiming to be the first blog in Nepali). Should also be possible to have some communication with nepali native speakers. Another one with various lighthearted stuff, ridiculous videos, gossip etc. is this one...

There's loads of good learning resources available on the net. This is just a few picks. I'm looking forward to comments with more resources !

Nepali measures

I've compiled this list of Nepali measures. Don't rely on this a 100%, but as far as I have been able to look up, this is some of the Nepali measures in use today. There are some minor discrepancies in this list, I know, but that's hard to avoid when there are so many different traditions for measuring in Nepal. The bold ones are the ones I've encountered most often in Nepal. The Nepali measures are listed with their metric convertions.

Nepali weight measures

1 tola = 180 grains = 11.6 g (10-12 g)
1 pau = 1/4 sera = 19 tola = 200 g
1 mana = 1/2 ser = 400g
1 sera = 80 tola = 800 g
1 dharni = 2.5 sera = 2 kg
1 pathi = 4 sera = ca 3,2 - 3,6 kg
1 mura = 2 pathi = ca 16 pounds = ca 7 kg

Nepali length measures

1 fit (from 'feet', eng. loanword) = 1 paila = ca 0.30 m
1 hath = 18" = 0.46 m (= ca 1/2 m)
1 gaja = 2 hath = 36" = 0.91 m (= ca 1 m)
1 kosh = ca 3.2 km

Nepali area measures

1 dam = 1/4 paisa = ca 2 m2
1 paisa = 4 dam = 1/4 ana = ca 8 m2
1 ana = 4 paisa = 1/16 ropani = ca 32 m2
1 ropani = 16 ana = ca 512 m2

1 dhur = 1/20 kattha = ca 16 m2
1 kattha = 20 dhur = 1/20 bhigha = ca 320 m2
1 bhigha = 20 kattha = ca 13 ropani = ca 6400 m2

Nepali Gynaecological Terms

Continuing the medical glossary of Nepali words I started earlier on this blog, here is a list of common gynaecological conditions and diseases encountered in my work as an interpreter. The English gynaecological terms are listed with translation into the Nepalese gynaecological terms. Sometimes the translations isn't really translations, just the English words frequently used in Nepal. But that usually works. I hope the word list will be of help to someone. Feel free to add to the list in the comments, to everyone's benefit :-)

contraception intercourse fetus pregnancy abortion contractions birth Caesarean uterus / womb (dk: livmoder) ovary (dk: æggestok) menstruation urinary tract infection fungal infection breast lump breastfeed nipple

:  "family planning" (common phrase in Nepal) :  såmpårkha :  gårbh :  gårbh-båti :  gårbh-pat :  bætha lagnu :  jånmå :  "scissoring" / "op'ration" (that's how it's often pronounced in Nepal) :  pathæ-ghår :  ? (anyone know this?) :  nåchune / råjåswala / rågåt (blood) :  pisabko tauko (saruwa) rog (inexact) :  fungiko (saruwa) rog (?) :  chhati / 'bubu' :  gato / dållo :  bubu dinu :  munti

Oh yeah, working as a (male) interpreter, you find yourself talking about all kinds of things, including intimate gynaecological issues...

To see more Nepali medical terminology subjects, click on the medical label below.

Medical Translation Glossary - Diseases

I was reviewing some disease translations this morning and later got a comment from a reader requesting a medical translation glossary. I think I actually saw a Nepalese Medical Dictionary somewhere, sometime, but I've forgotten when and where. It was expensive and I'm not sure if it was really good and reliable. In stead, on request, I'm gonna make my own 'dictionary' here, or at least a glossary / list of useful medical words and phrases in Nepalese. Won't be anywhere near complete, and a work in progress, but hopefully usefull for other Nepalese interpreters and translators out there. It's an important field to devote some time to. And do feel free to add your own Nepali medical terms + translations in the comments below! Anyone filling in my blanks would be great!

COMMON DISEASES

common cold cough diarrhea pneumonia fungus eczema hypertension scabies (dk: fnat) ulcers arthritis

:  ruga :  koki :  diza :  nimoniya :  (same / ?)  :  dad / dinai :  "thulo råktachap" / "bee-pee high" :  luto :  khåtiro / pet-ko gau :  ?

CHILD DISEASES

measles chicken pox colic whooping cough mumps (fåresyge) polio rubella scarlet fever

:  dådura :  theula :  sui / sola :  låhåre khoki :  hañde rog :  ? :  ? :  ?

"TROPICAL" DISEASES

cholera malaria tuberculosis leprosy typhoid jaundice (gulsot) hepatitis diphteria dengue

:  haija :  aulo :  "tee-bee" :  kor / kushth rog :  åtisar jaro  :  kåmål pittå / (same) :  ? (same) :  ? :  ?

OTHER MAJOR DISEASES

cancer diabetes meningitis asthma epilepsy

:  arbud rog :  madhu meh (also referred to simply as "sugar" in colloquial nepalese"  :  ("måstishkå rå dåndalnu rånkaune jaro","angry brain and spine fever") :  domm :  chhare rog / mirgi

This list of medical words and nepalese translation is to be continued...

Medical translation pitfalls

A few pitfalls in translating Nepali medical terms I've come across in my work as an interpreter. A language like Nepalese, which is the common lingu franca of a hilly region with about a hundred differentt languages -- not just dialects, mind you, 100+ distinct languages! -- well, it'll naturally pick up different linguistic influences in different regions.

1. First of all, the word for medicine, as listed in various Nepali dictionaries, is aushadhi. But I soon learned another word in common use, dubai. I was only able to find this listed in one of the many dictionaries I use, the old Warren dictionary from 1991. I've found a couple of other words for medicine as well, okhati and ilaj, but I've never come across anybody knowing or using these words!
   
2. Another pitfall is the translation of the word infection. It's used in two different ways in English: (1) When one person transmits a disease to another person, it's said that he gets infected. (2) When parasites go into a wound, the wound is said to be infected. In case (1) the Nepali translation is saruwa, in case (2) it's listed in dictionaries as suj(-ån) or jålån... But nobody understands these words. Rather, sankarmod seems to be the better word, but it baffles me 'cause I haven't found this word listed in any dictionary.
   
3. The word allergy, to my knowledge there's no proper Nepalese translation. In stead, I'm explaining that allergy is when the body reacts negatively to having eaten/taken/come in contact with food, medicin etc...

Just goes to show how ambiguous translating can be, I think especially a language like Nepali.

Words that look alike (part 2)

A more extensive list of 10 tricky words / word pairs from the Nepali vocabulary that look so much alike that it becomes rather confusing when trying to remember what's what - especially, of course, in a 'sharp situation'! But it might be an advantage, might help fascilitate learning (see previous post, Nepali words that look alike)

pathaunu      pataunu gala gåla khanu khannu adha adhar ha(n)s ha(n)s-nu hindnu hernu dant dhad chora chåra båndå bånda dori tori

to send to convince chin neck to eat to dig half base a duck to laugh to walk to see tooth back(bone) son bird closed cabbage rope/cable(/male gender) mustard

possible source of occational confusion!!