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  3. Poetry & Literature

een bootje dobbert op een meer

English translation: a little boat bobs on a lake

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Dutch term or phrase:een bootje dobbert op een meer
English translation:a little boat bobs on a lake
Entered by: Verginia Ophof

19:48 Oct 11, 2010
Dutch to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / fairytale
Dutch term or phrase: een bootje dobbert op een meer
"a little boat floating on a lake" seems like a good translation, although I think 'dobberen' has a slightly different meaning from 'floating', there is a sense of movement in place, that I don't get from 'floating', this is for a children's book, so maybe floating is fine. What are your thoughts?
Katrien Filez
Local time: 19:52
a little boat bobs/rocks on the lake
Explanation:
suggestion : Bobbing
Selected response from:

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 17:52
Grading comment
thank so much for all your input. I think I will go for 'boat bobs on a lake'.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6a little boat bobs/rocks on the lake
Verginia Ophof


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
a little boat bobs/rocks on the lake


Explanation:
suggestion : Bobbing

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 17:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
thank so much for all your input. I think I will go for 'boat bobs on a lake'.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Frank van Thienen (X): Bobbing, definitely; rocking denotes (to me, anyway) a back and forth movement in one place, and in one direction.
29 mins
  -> Thank you Frank !!
agree  Arie Uittenbogaard: Bobbing is perfect.
48 mins
  -> Thank you Arie !!
agree  L.J.Wessel van Leeuwen: bobbing 4 sure.
8 hrs
  -> Thanks L.J Wessel van Leeuwen !
agree  writeaway: as per Van Dale. no native Anglo would use floating or rocks here
14 hrs
  -> Thank you writeaway !
agree  Chris Hopley: I agree with "bobs" but not with "little boat" - the owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat, NOT a beautiful pea-green **little boat**. Dutch diminutives sometimes just mean "cute" which is not reflected in "little" .
1 day 3 hrs
  -> you make a good point Chris !
agree  Rene Engelbrecht: a lake not the lake
1 day 14 hrs
  -> Thank you Rene !
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