In texts where commas are missing from the right places, meaninglessness and ambiguity rule. The comma has many functions; it is not merely a graphic space. If we do not separate words properly, sentences lose their logic. In translation, too, spelling and punctuation rules must be followed rigorously. So choose the services of a translation agency that guarantees professionalism. Syncro Translation Services offers a range of diverse services and complete, customized solutions.
The “comma crisis”
In times of crisis on all fronts, we also face a noticeable lack of commas in texts. What is worse, this “comma deficit” tends to go global. It can be found not only on countless small blogs, forums, groups and virtual cafés, but also in some press articles, television adverts and election-slogan banners. This is a follow-up to our article on the correct use of punctuation. English offers classic examples of how one comma changes everything:
- “Let’s eat, Grandma!” – “Let’s eat Grandma!”
- “I love cooking my family and my dog.” – “I love cooking, my family and my dog.”
- “A woman: without her, man is nothing!” – “A woman, without her man, is nothing!”
We also “gathered” a few examples from the Romanian press and advertising, which show that the problem is not limited to one language:
- A children’s medicine advertised as “Nurofen pentru copii cu aromă de portocale” (“Nurofen for children with orange flavor”) – with a misplaced or missing comma, it can read as if it were for children “with the aroma of oranges”, that is, “scented” children.
- A local newspaper wrote that a professor was “the only inhabitant of the Jiu Valley, member of the Romanian Academy, [who] was rewarded for his activity”, with commas that change who is being described.
- A headline that separated the subject from its verb with a comma: “Laid-off workers, go out, today, again, into the street”, instead of “Laid-off workers go out into the street again today”.
“Troublesome” commas
The correct message is just one comma away, depending on what you want to express. A well-known Romanian example shows how a comma can decide a life: “Pardon impossible, send to Siberia!” versus “Pardon, impossible to send to Siberia!” Both consist of exactly the same words.
Notices from the “golden age”
We all remember the small ads from the communist period, with wording such as “Sell lady’s sheepskin coat with brumărie fur”, “Repair torn little girls’ dresses”, “Hiring saleswoman boy”. Clearly, there was economy even with punctuation marks, which were used in texts at a rate of zero point something. Today advertising agencies “swallow” huge sums of money for adverts. As a result, ignoring the rules of the language is inadmissible.