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I think I fall into the realm of collector/addicted collector.
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beak wrote:
OH I know this problem well.
When I had some spare time, I wanted to put together an 'International typewriter words' set of pictures. Idea is that all the various parts are numbered, and you can refer to the number to find the right word in the language you need.
I find that having a couple of user manuals in the language helps; they often have diagrams with arrowed names.
Australia eh? Hadn't thought about how much you might have to pay for shipping!
To get something as heavy as a typewriter from "across the pond" to America will cost more than the item does.
Trying to ask the seller to please pack well is also a fun translation.
Me: "How will you pack the inside of the portable typewriter's case?"
Google translate: "Wie werden Sie die Innenseite des Schreibmaschine Fall einpacken?"
Babbling-Fish back to English: "How will you make your case to pack a feather pillow inside the typewriter?"
Fun party game. : )
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Let me try!
*Not a real time scenerio*
Me: Did you pack up the typewriter with snails and feathers for stuffing?
Translate: kamen Sie packen die Schreibmaschine mit Schnecken und Federn zum Füllen .
Bubble translate back to english: came to pack the typewriter with screws and springs for filling ..
._.
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Oh, and just correcting Brians first post,
*How big the worms are in the typewriter ?
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TypewriterGuy wrote:
Oh, and just correcting Brians first post, *How big the worms are in the typewriter ?
Schnecken are snails, not worms (Wurm in German).
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^ Dumb google translate! lol
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I have anywhere between 100 to 150 in various stages of repair. Remember this is 35 years' accumulation. And every so often I have to send carcasses down to the local scrapyard for a little cash. I don't buy that many anymore since they've gotten rarer and more expensive, but back in the day I would buy at least 20 a week at $5.00 apiece from the local Goodwill. Oh, those were the days!!!
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I guess in the above amount of machines, I could be listed as a Typochondrias Freakus Collectibus
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14 and I haven't been collecting for that long. I search out typeface first, brand second.
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Ah!! I used to do that. Now, I search to see if they have any typewriter at all. Then I look at the price. Then the font (or typeface). Then the brand (although usually, on American typewriters, I know from a distance what they are. But if it's something unusual like I've never seen before, such as an overseas machine, I look at that before I even look at the typeface. I love seeing new things).