Two examples?

Question

Could you please check these two examples? Unfortunately,  I can’t change the meaning of these because it’s part of the translation exercise. 1) How would you describe the taste of red tai if you were asked about it by someone who has never had it before? You would not be able to do it, no matter what words you might use. As this example shows, language has more limitations than you might expect, for it cannot even convey how only one food tastes like. 2) What words would you use if you were asked to describe how red tai tastes by someone who has never eaten it? You might find  it impossible to do so, no matter what words you might choose. As you can see, there are more things that language cannot do than you might think, considering that it even fails to convey the taste of one single food.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

teacherJapan1)

I will edit without looking at 2.

teacherJapanwho has never had it

Better is "who had never had it before." Better still is "who had never had that fish before." (I had to look up red tai. I thought it might be a kind of tea.)

teacherJapanto do it, no matter

The comma is unnecessary.

teacherJapanAs this example shows,

The reader thinks "What example? Oh, I see." Delete this phrase.

teacherJapanfor it cannot

"For" for "because" sounds literary or grandiose, and anyway, your expectations are not the result of the deficiency you mention. Make it "more limitations than you might expect. It cannot even convey …."

teacherJapanhow only one food tastes like.

"Only" is redundant with "even". Also, it has to be either "how one food tastes" or "what one food tastes like".

So:

"1) How would you describe the taste of red tai if you were asked about it by someone who had never had that fish before? You would not be able to do it no matter what words you might use. Language has more limitations than you might expect. It cannot even convey how one food tastes."

teacherJapan2)

I guess this is supposed to be a desirable revision of 1. See above.

CalifJim · Answer

teacherJapanplease check these two examples?

I don't understand why the first example is there, and in boldface type.

Is that a literal translation of the Japanese example into English? And then the second is supposed to be the smoother, idiomatic English translation?

teacherJapan2) What words would you use if you were asked to describe how red tai tastes by someone who has never eaten it?
You might find it impossible to do so, no matter what words you (might) choose. As you can see, there are more things that language cannot do than you might think, considering that it even fails to convey the taste of one single food.

Looks OK to me. I'd say "a" single food, not "one" single food. And I'd consider not repeating 'might' in the same sentence, and then again in the next sentence.

CJ

Two examples?

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