continuing the disgusting discussion...

[howsmyenglish]

This is about a very shitty description of a very disgusting public latrine. The author describes (sorry, narrates;) how shit was lying everywhere, because the latrine was only cleaned once a day and there were only "eight flushes" in it. We're talking about a developing country, lack of toilets (especially then - about 60 years ago), people being used to "dry toilets", which is why the "wet toilet" here is called a "flush" (the author actually uses the English word). So... do you think, I should leave the word untranslated? For the time being I put it in quotes, but it's a piece of text that I translate and quote in my text, so putting something into quotes might make it seem like the author did that... Should I add ("quotation marks mine")? Or would you translate it as "seats", "bowls", "flush toilets" or something like that?
Here are a few examples:

For such a big neighborhood there were only three latrines and in each of them there were eight “flushes”, which were continuously filled up with shit.

In the latrine tap there was water only early in the morning and in the evening, and in the “flushes”, too.

(I know that the translations sound rough, but that's OK for now)

Comments

[draculard]

Would it be feasible to include a short sentence explaining that you're using "flushes" because the author did, too. Like: "There were only three latrines, each of them filled with eight wet toilets, which Dr. John Doe referred to in English as 'flushes.'"

[howsmyenglish]

You're right, adding a footnote is always an option...

What I'm trying to understand is how one would actually call a single... toilet... I mean, "toilet" can mean the room as well as the, like, seat and bowl, right? Is there any other word you'd use for that? I mean, you enter the room called "toilet" (or latrine or whatever) and there you have single... whats? Well, stalls, of course, but in this case I doubt there were any partitions. Would you call them anything other than "toilet"? I'm also pretty sure we're not talking about toilets you sit on, but the ones you hover above. What about "water closet"? Would that sound OK?

[thanatos_kalos]

Jumping in here-- what that room and fixture are called varies within different dialects of English. British people call both the room and object a 'toilet.' Americans refer to the object as a toilet which is in a 'bathroom.' Canadian's also use 'toilet' for the object but 'washroom' for the room it's in. 'Water closet' is exclusively European (often just 'WC') and is an old-fashioned term. A 'latrine' is usually used of an area for relieving oneself that's outdoors or in a temporary structure; modern English often uses it exclusively for military camps (permanent or temporary).

Toilets are further broken down by type-- if there are multiple ares for relieving oneself in a room then you sit on a toilet in a stall (regardless of what you call the room you're in). Men, however, generally stand up to pee and they do that in a urinal (not a toilet). There are also squat toilets (typical of South Asian and East Asian plumbing). I doubt your man is talking about a bidet so I'll skip that one. :P

I can help further if you want to just send me the full paragraph/quote so I get the full context. :)

[howsmyenglish]

Hey! :) I know most of what you've said, but I don't see how it helps. My man (who's a woman, by the way) talks about a public toilet in an extremely poor area in South Asia. She does not describe urinals vs. squat toilets, as that's not the point for her. The point is that they are toilets (or whatever I decide to call them) with theoretically working "flushes" (as opposed to "dry toilets"). The original text is not English, that's the thing, but she uses the English word "flush" for the toilet. I wonder how to translate it to make it understandable. I thought "water closet" might emphasize the "wetness" and it being old-fashioned - well, we are talking about a very old toilet... I'll probably have to call them toilets and explain in a footnote...

ah, also - there would be no stalls. there probably were eight squat toilets in a row without any partition and then eight urinals along a wall for men, but she makes no distinction and calls both "flush".

[thanatos_kalos]

Hmm...so she's calling them 'flush toilets,' then? That's actually a technical term so it might just be a loanword from English. But yes, it sounds like a footnote is the best way to handle this! :)

[howsmyenglish]

You're a genius! Flush toilets, of course! I'll say that!

I mean, thank you! :D

[thanatos_kalos]

You're very welcome! :)

[draculard]

Let's see ... generally, I think the only time English speakers use "toilet" to refer to the room where a toilet is housed is when they say "I'm going to the toilet." Otherwise, it's just called a bathroom or restroom. Or latrine! Also, I think the toilets you hover over are usually called "squat toilets" in English. "Water closet" is super old-fashioned and out-of-date; I've only met a few elderly people in real life who use that phrase, and I've only seen it in academic writing when it's referring to a 19th Century (or earlier) toilet.

[howsmyenglish]

Thank you! I think I'll go with "flush toilets" and, maybe, a footnote.

[glassfinger]

You could have one character explain this to another. Is that feasible?

[howsmyenglish]

it's a phd thesis, not fiction!

[glassfinger]

Whoops! I must have missed that bit...

[howsmyenglish]

No, that's fine, I've stopped mentioning that because I kind of assume everyone knows... Now you do, too :D