Search results for 'tag:Translation tag:Whom' matching tags 'Translation' and 'Whom'

Re: Please translate these Latin sentences into English.

Clive — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:41:31 GMT

Hi,
This is a Christian text with wording that relates to the Nicene Creed. For details of the creed, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed

I matched various phrases of your text to parts of the Creed, and have highlighted the results here.
I have also attached the full version of the Creed in Latin, along with its English translation that I found in the Wiki entry. Perhaps you would like to compare the creed to your text.
Some of your text contains words that have been corrupted, ie errors.

Best wishes, Clive

The blue is your original text.

Probabilis
in unum deum patrem omnipotens in one God, the Father Almighty

officina coeli et atrox ('coeli' refers to heaven)

visibilium omnium et invisibilium. of all things visible and invisible:

Crucifixus etiamtum pro nobis : sub pontio pilato And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate

obduco et sepulchrum est.

Et resurrexit tertia intereo secundum scripturas. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures:

Et in phasmatis templum

dominor et vivificantem the Lord, and Giver of Life,

qui impendo filioque procedit. who proceedeth from (the Father) and the Son

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The longest text of the Mass, this is a setting of the Nicene Creed:

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem,

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty

factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible:

Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.

the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds;

Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero,

God of God, Light of Light, very [true] God of very [true] God;

genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri;

begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father,

per quem omnia facta sunt.

by Whom all things were made;

Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven, and became man.

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.

and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man:

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est,

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried:

et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas,

And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures:

et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris.

And ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father:

Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos,

And he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead:

cuius regni non erit finis;

Whose Kingdom will have no end;

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem,

And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,

qui ex Patre Filioque procedit.

Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son

Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur:

Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified,

qui locutus est per prophetas.

Who has spoken through the Prophets.

Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam.

And I believe in One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church,

Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum.

I acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum,

And I look for the Resurrection of the Dead:

et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

And the Life of the world to come. Amen.

Re: Avangi, Mr Wordy, Marius Hancu, CalifJim ........

pructus — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:34:02 GMT

I did some homework..

Jesus Christ is his answer! Mercy is his answer! Forgiveness is his answer! In other words, all the things you despair of. They are there for you, in abundance. Were it never required of God, how could we call Him Merciful? Were it never required of God, how could we call Him Loving? Were it never required of God, how would we call Him forgiving?
http://www.boston-catholic-journal.com/the_mystery_of_sin_-_why_we_must_not_despair.htm

Were it never required of God, how could we call Him Merciful?......... Translation, Please.... Below are my Googlings...

The Italians report (as far as I remember) of the Duke of Florence his fool, who when his Lord asked him how, being so ill-clad, he could endure the cold, which he hardly was able to doe himselfe; to whom the foole replied: 'Master, use but my receipt and put all the cloaths you have upon you, as I doe all mine; you shall feele no more cold than I doe.' King Massinissa, even in his eldest daies, were it never so cold, so frosty, so stormie, or sharpe wether, could never be induced to put something on his head, but went alwaies bareheaded. The like is reported of the Emperor Severus.

http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/montaigne/***.htm

But indeed Conviction, were it never so excellent, is worthless till it convert itself into Conduct. Nay properly conviction is not possible till then; inasmuch as all Speculation is by nature endless, formless, a vortex amid vortices: only by a felt indubitable certainty of Experience does it find any centre to revolve round, and so fashion itself into a system. Most true it is, as a wise man teaches us, that "Doubt of any sort cannot be removed except by Action." On which ground, too, let him who gropes painfully in darkness or uncertain light, and prays vehemently that the dawn may ripen into day, lay this other precept well to heart, which to me was of invaluable service: "DO THE DUTY WHICH LIES NEAREST THEE," which thou knowest to be a duty! Thy second duty will already have become clearer. . . .The Situation that has not its Duty, its Ideal, was never yet occupied by man. Yes here, in this poor, miserable, hampered, despicable Actual, wherein thou even know standest, here or nowhere is thy Ideal: work it out therefrom; and working, believe, live, be free. Fool! The Ideal is in thyself, the stuff thou art to shape that same Ideal out of: what matters whether such stuff be of this sort or that, so the Form thou give it be heroic, be poetic? O thou that pinest in the imprisonment of the Actual, and criest bitterly to the gods for a kingdom wherein to rule and create, know this of a truth: the thing thou seekest is already with thee, "here or nowhere," couldst thou only see! . . . . Be no longer a Chaos, but a World, or even Worldkin. Produce! Produce! Were it but the pitifullest infinitesimal fraction of a Product, produce it, in God's name! 'Tis the utmost thou hast in thee: out with it, then. Up, up! Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy whole might. Work while it is called Today; for the Night cometh, wherein no man can work.

-- Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus

http://www.mclemee.com/id8.html

This is the goodliest people and of I the fairest conditions that wee haue found in this our voyage. They exceed us in bignes, they I are of the colour of brassse, some of them encline more to whitnes; others are of yellowe colour, of comely visage with long & black haire.... wee were oftentime within the lande 5. or 6. leagues, which we found as pleasant as is possible to declare very apt for any kinds of husbandry of corn, wine and oyle: for that there are plaines 25. or 30. leagues broad, open and without any impediment of trees and such fruitfulness, that any seede being sowne therein, will bringforth most excellent fruite. We entred afterwards into the woods which wee found so great and thicke, that any armie were it never so great might have hid it selfe therein..

http://www.providenceri.com/NarragansettBay/indians_and_colonists.html

exactly right. They have lost the protection of 'professional courtesy', which limited the publics knowledge of their activities. Honesty is being enforced were it never was before.

http://www.janegalt.net/archives/005181.php

Such tendency to Mysticism is everywhere traceable in this man; and indeed, to attentive readers, must have been long ago apparent. Nothing that he sees but has more than a common meaning, but has two meanings: thus, if in the highest Imperial Sceptre and Charlemagne-Mantle, as well as in the poorest Ox-goad and Gypsy-Blanket, he finds Prose, Decay, Contemptibility; there is in each sort Poetry also, and a reverend Worth. For Matter, were it never so despicable, is Spirit, the manifestation of Spirit: were it never so honorable, can it be more? The thing Visible, nay the thing Imagined, the thing in any way conceived as Visible, what is it but a Garment, a Clothing of the higher, celestial Invisible, "unimaginable formless, dark with excess of bright"? Under which point of view the following passage, so strange in purport, so strange in phrase, seems characteristic enough:â

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sartor_Resartus/Book_1/Chapter_10

Where there is not some thing, both lasting and scarce, and so valuable to be hoarded up, there men will not be apt to enlarge their possessions of land, were it never so rich, never so free for them to take: for I ask, what would a man value ten thousand, or an hundred thousand acres of excellent land, ready cultivated, and well stocked too with cattle, in the middle of the inland parts of America, where he had no hopes of commerce with other parts of the world, to draw money to him by the sale of the product? It would not be worth the enclosing, and we should see him give up again to the wild common of nature, whatever was more than would supply the conveniencies of life to be had there for him and his family.

http://mrkai.wordpress.com/2006/02/02/%EC%A1%B4-%EB%A1%9C%ED%81%AC%EC%9D%98-%EC%9E%90%EC%97%B0%EB%B2%95-%EC%82%AC%EC%83%81%EC%97%90-%EB%94%B0%EB%A5%B8-%EC%9E%AC%EC%82%B0%EA%B6%8C/

Now, notwithstanding the nights obscurity, and impetuous violence of the billowes; such as could swimme, made shift to save their lives by swimming. Others caught hold on such things, as by Fortunes favour, floated neerest to them, among whom, distressed Landolpho, desirous to save his life, if possibly it might be, espied a Chest or Coffer before him, ordained (no doubt) to be the meanes of his safety from drowning. Now although the day before, he had wished for death infinite times, rather then to returne home in such wretched poverty; yet, seeing how other men strove for safety of their lives by any helpe, were it never so little, bee tooke advantage of this favour offred him, and the rather in a necessitie so urgent.

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/boccaccio/giovanni/b664d/dec17.html

A question about Style

Ant_222 — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:56:47 GMT

Hello everybody!

Probably, you already know of my infamous venture âthe translation of an adventure game called Star Heritage.

Below I'll repeat part of my answer to Huevos, whom I shall thank for accidently reminding me of the problem that I now ask you to help me with:

Â«I have tried to preserve the original (Russian) way of narraion, which is done:

1) From the first person perspective,
2) In the past tense,
So most of the time it looks pretty much like a diary.Â»

...Such is the most of the narration, but the descriptions of various items â those which you'd get in response to the "examine" command in traditional text adventures â are provided in the Present tense. Keeping the player envolved, this doesn't sound unnatureal in Russian, but...

Is it acceptable in English?

EXAMPLE (no, it's not from the game I just thought it out):

> GO NORTH
I easily went down the hill and found myself in(on?) a gloomy lowland. Only the strained buzz of moscitoes making their way through the thick, moist air disturbed the silence. They were the only creatures here, but that was more than compensated by their number.
> examine mosquito
Nothing unusual, except for the very long proboscis, probably useful for some animals covered with fur
> examine air
The air is extremly moist and smells of decaying plants.

Re: SUN - the root of all religions?

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:59:35 GMT

Thanks for posting the videos. I did not know that there were so many similarities between the Egyptian mythology and Christianity. Many religions have a hierarchy of deities. Any religion that has a son or daughter of God is not logical.

I feel that Islam has the perfect concept of God, the Perfect. To me, Islam makes the most sense out of all the religions.

Here is a translation from the Quran.

Chapter 41 verse 37. And from among His Signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Prostrate not to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate to AllÃ¢h Who created them, if you worship Him.

38. But if they are too proud , then there are those who are with your Lord who glorify Him night and day, and never are they tired.

---

Chapter 5 "Table Spread"

17. Surely, in disbelief are they who say that AllÃ¢h is the Messiah, son of Maryam . Say : "Who then has the least power against AllÃ¢h, if He were to destroy the Messiah, son of Maryam , his mother, and all those who are on the earth together?" And to AllÃ¢h belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them. He creates what He wills. And AllÃ¢h is Able to do all things.

18. And the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the children of AllÃ¢h and His loved ones." Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created, He forgives whom He wills and He punishes whom He wills. And to AllÃ¢h belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and to Him is the return.

19. O people of the Scripture ! Now has come to you Our Messenger making clear unto you, after a break in Messengers, lest you say: "There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no Warner." But now has come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a Warner. And AllÃ¢h is Able to do all things.

What Is The Purpose Of Life ??!!

Orange Flower — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:24:40 GMT

Hi every member here , I missed you people

This is the object

What Is The Purpose Of Life ?

They say that a fool lives to eat and a wise man eats to live. But then the question remains: for what purpose does the wise man live? Living is not an end by itself. There has to be a purpose for man to live for. So what is this purpose?

Where from? Where to? And Why?

Any ignorance, however great, could be forgiven except for man to be ignorant about the secret of his existence, his aim in life and what will be his outcome after death. Some thinkers express these questions in simple words: where from? Where to? And why? Meaning: where did I come from? Where am I going? And why am I here?

Those who only believe in the material world and who do not believe in a Creator- the atheists- only believe in sensory data. They say that this universe and everything in it came by itself. All its order is simply due to blind coincidence. They say that man is simply like an animal or a plant and that he will exist for a short period and then end like any other animal or plant.

An Arab Poet, Elya Abu Madhi (a born-Christian), not long ago expressed his uncertainty about the purpose of life in his Arabic poem Al-Talasim, meaning âpuzzles,â which I have translated into English. He says in his poem:

I came not knowing from where, but I came.
And I saw a pathway in front of me, so I walked.
And I will remain walking, whether I want this or not.
How did I come? How did I see my pathway?
I do not know!
Am I new or am I old in this existence?
Am I free and unrestrained, or do I walk in chains?
Do I lead myself in my life, or am I being led?
I wish I know, butâ¦
I do not know!
And my path, oh what is my path? Is it long or is it short?
Am I ascending in it, or am I going down and sinking?
Am I the one who is walking on the road,
or is it the road that is moving?
Or are we both standing, but it is the time that is running?
I do not know!
Before I became a full human, do you see
if I were nothing, impossible? Or do you see that I was something?
Is there an answer to this puzzle, or will it remain eternal?
I do not know ... and why do I not know??
I do not know!

This feeling of doubt and confusion about the presence of a Creator and whether He sent messengers and prophets to guide mankind must be quite painful because it deprives the Atheist and the Agnostic of tranquility, security and peace of mind. The unbelievers do not have credible answers to the purpose of oneâs existence. And thus they say that man lives for himself and for the pleasures of this life. So what happens when life turns sour? What happens when one goes through hardships? It is no coincidence then that the largest number of suicides takes place amongst Atheists, Agnostics and people who do not know their purpose in life. Do you know which country has the largest number of suicides? Itâs Japan. In the year ending March 2000, there were 33,000 suicides in Japan. That is 91 suicides per day or 1 suicide every 15 minutes! This despite Japan being the second largest economy in the world wherein people do not have to worry about providing a roof over their heads or about food or medical care.

What if you find a Watch in the Sand?

To the Atheist and the Agnostic the Muslim says: âSuppose you find a watch in the middle of a desert. What would you conclude? Would you think that someone dropped this watch? Or would you suppose that the watch came by itself? Of course no sane person would say that the watch just happened to emerge from the sand. All the intricate working parts could not simply develop from the metals that lay buried in the earth. The watch must have a manufacturer. If a watch tells accurate time we expect the manufacturer must be intelligent. Blind chance cannot produce a working watch.

But what else tells accurate time? Consider the sunrise and sunset. Their timings are so strictly regulated that scientists can publish in advance the sunrise and sunset times in your daily newspapers. But who regulates the timings of sunrise and sunset? If a watch cannot work without an intelligent maker, how can the sun appear to rise and set with such clockwork regularity? Could this occur by itself?

Consider also that we benefit from the sun only because it remains at a safe distance from the earth, a distance that averages 93 million miles. If it got much closer, the earth would burn up. And if it got too far away, the earth would turn into an icy planet making human life here impossible. Who decided in advance that this was the right distance? Could it just happen by chance? Without the sun, plants would not grow. Then animals and humans would starve. Did the sun just decide to be there for us?

The rays of the sun would be dangerous for us had it not been for the protective ozone layer in our atmosphere. The atmosphere around the earth keeps the harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching us. Who was it that placed this shield around us?

We need to experience sunrise. We need the sunâs energy and its light to see our way during the day. But we also need sunset. We need a break from the heat, we need the cool of night and we need the lights to go out so we may sleep. Who regulated this process to provide what we need?
Moreover, if we had only the warmth of the sun and the protection of the atmosphere we would want something more - beauty. Our clothes provide warmth and protection, yet we design them to also look beautiful. Knowing our need for beauty, the designer of sunrise and sunset also made the view of them to be simply breathtaking.

The creator who gave us light, energy, protection and beauty deserves our thanks. Yet some people insist that he does not exist. What would they think if they found a watch in the desert? An accurate, working watch? A beautifully designed watch? Would they not conclude that there does exist a watchmaker? An intelligent watchmaker? One who appreciates beauty? Such is God who made us.â

Did people always believe in a Creator?

It is a fact that throughout history and throughout the world, man had been found to worship and to believe in a Creator. Specialists in Anthropology, Civilizations and History are unanimous on this. This led one of the great historians to say: âHistory shows that there had been cities without palaces, without factories and without fortresses, but there has never been cities without houses of worship.â Since time immemorial, man believed that he was not created simply for this life, for this short period, and he knew that he would ultimately depart to another resting-place. We see this evidence with the early Egyptians, thousands of years ago, when they mummified their dead and built great pyramids (as graves) and even placed the treasures of the dead in their graves in addition to drinks and mummified food! From the earliest recorded history, mankind had been unanimous, with very few exceptions, that there is a Creator and that there is life after death. However, they differed about the essence of this Creator, how to worship Him and the description of the life after death. For example, Hindus believe in reincarnation and that after death oneâs soul would then go into a human body or an animal, depending on whether one did good or bad in his life, and that this process would continue without end until the soul reaches perfection and unites into one with its Creator. People of other religions like Jews, Christians and Muslims also believe in life after death, but not in reincarnation like the Hindus. All three - Jews, Christians and Muslims -however have different views about what happens to the soul after oneâs death.

The fact that all nations and communities throughout history believed in a Creator (with the exception of insignificant few) made the mission of all prophets in all ages concentrate on guiding their people away from the worship of creations to the worship of the one and only Creator God, i.e. rather than having to prove His existence.

Why did People turn away from God?

The situation now in the world is different because there are now a very large number of people who do not believe in a Creator or in life after death - for example two surveys in the Czech Republic in 2000 found in one only 13% believe in life after death and in the other only 17% believe in God. A major reason for this in the last century was the so-called theory of evolution by Darwin (other reasons include the impact of totalitarian communism rule on peopleâs faith.) The theory of evolution says that man evolved from the ape, rather than being created by a Creator. Although this theory has no academic or scientific substance, it gained favor with so many people because it appealed to the doubts they had about the God that they were told to believe in. This is not surprising. If you give an educated person a description of a Creator that is illogical and unreasonable and then ask that person to believe in Him as his God, he would refuse. This unfortunately is the situation right now, especially in the west. The Christian Doctrines advocate the trinity, that God manifests Himself in three distinct and equal persons, and that God came down to earth in the form of a man (that is Jesus) and that He was crucified and died as a vicarious sacrifice for the so-called sin of man. So the Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form, God-incarnate. But how can the Creator die?

Some of the most important doctrines of Christianity - the doctrines of the Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus, the Divine-Sonship of Jesus, the Original Sin and the Atonement are neither rational nor in conformity with the teachings of Jesus. These dogmas took shape long after Jesus, as a result of old pagan influence. For example we find in Hinduism, the âTriadâ (the trinity): there is Brahma, the creator god, Vishnu, the preserver god, and Shiva, the god of destruction. Modern Hindus take Krishna the son of Divachi, the virgin, as Vishnu incarnate. Krishna is the savior who as a sacrifice for their sin, had to suffer. He was crucified, died and then was raised from death. In Buddhism we find the Buddhist gods: Guatama (the holy spirit), Maya (the virgin mother) and Buddha, the son (who was conceived when Maya was filled by the holy spirit) and who is the savior who died and was raised from death. It may be interesting to mention that the 25th of December is not the birthday of Jesus. It is the birthday of Krishna in Hinduism, and of Nimrod, the divine son (a Babylonian god), and of Mithra, the god of light (one of the gods of the Greeks and the Romans)!

The religion revealed to the prophets of various nations was the same, but in the course of time it had been misinterpreted and become mixed up with superstitions and degenerated into magical practices and meaningless rituals. The concept of God, the very core of religion, had become debased by (a) the anthropomorphic tendency of making God into a being with a human shape, needs and human deficiencies, (b) the association of other persons with the one and only God in His Godhead (as in Hinduism and Christianity), (c) by the deification of the angels (e.g., the Devas in Hinduism, the Yazatas in Zoroastrianism and, perhaps also, the Holy Spirit in Christianity), (d) by making the Prophets into Avatars or incarnations of God (e.g., Jesus Christ in Christianity, the Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism, and Krishna and Rama in Hinduism), and (e) by the personification of the attributes of God into separate Divine Persons (e.g., the Christian Trinity of the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost, the Hindu Timurtri of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the Amesha Spentas of Zoroastrianism).

Due to major religions distorting the oneness and essence of God, pupils in the West are now being taught in schools to accept, as fact, Darwinâs theory of evo1ution. As a result, more and more students of school and university age are now Atheists. They even ridicule those who believe in God saying: âthey are either stupid or lack confidence and so need something to give them security!â

I was recently attending a lecture in a Western country given by a Muslim to a group of retired men and women - more than 65 years of age. The lecturer in the beginning asked the group: which of you believe in God? They all raised their hands except two men. Then the lecturer asked: which of you do not believe in God? The remaining two elderly men then raised their hands. However, one of them paused and immediately interrupted the lecturer. He said: âTell me what do you mean by God so that I can answer you!â After the session, I said to the lecturer: this man is intelligent because at first he said he did not believe in God, most probably because of the Christian concept of God, but then he was willing to have an open mind and rethink his position based on the concept of God that could be presented by the Muslim.

Why are we created?

Those who believe in the Creator can answer the questions: where from? And where to? They know that they have come into existence by being created by the Creator and they also know that there is an eternal life after death. But what about the answer to the third question, that is: why have we been created? If we had been created by the Creator, shouldnât we expect that He would tell us the purpose of our creation? Shouldnât He tell us on what basis He is going to judge us on the Day of Judgment?

What is the Islamic view?

Muslims say they know the answers because they have the Quran. But people of other religions also have their own scriptures, so what is so special about the Quran? The Quran is basically a book of divine guidance in areas that cannot be covered by the human senses or intellect, such as faith, acts of worship, a moral code and a code that governs the transactions between people. These are the four basic foundations of religion, an area in which man always needs divine guidance. Muslims contend that the Quran is the last revealed scripture by Allah (Allah is the proper name of God and is not used to denote any other being. Therefore, I shall use the name Allah in preference to the word God). The Quran is the recorded words of Allah Himself dictated verbatim to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in installments, verse by verse or a group of verses, through the angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years between 610 and 633 AD. It is divided into 114 units, each called a surah. Muhammad (P.B.U.H) received revelation of the Quranic surahs as and when Allah chose to bestow on him new revelation. At times several surahs, particularly the longer ones, were being revealed to him concurrently. Muhammad (P.B.U.H) used to have a group of scribes entrusted with committing immediately whatever was revealed to him to writing. Those scribes used parchment, pottery, date palm leaves, flat stones, tree bark, wood, dried animal skins and even the shoulder blades of sheep or camels to write on; and the revealed verses were memorized by heart as the mere recitation of the Quran is in itself an act of worship, and as Muslims used these verses in their judgments and in their daily five prayers. In this manner, the verses of the Quran were preserved in the hearts of Muslims, as well as written down, during the lifetime of the Prophet. Muhammad (P.B.U.H) was instructed by angel Gabriel where to place every new passage in the surahs. The surahs were named by divine decree, and Muhammad (P.B.U.H) recited the whole of the Quran in front of Gabriel more than once in the last year of his life. Similarly, the arrangement of the surahs in a specific order was given by the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) who indicated it mostly by reading the surahs, particularly in prayer, in a specific order. No revealed book has ever enjoyed the authenticity of the Quran or had the cherishing, reverence, surveillance and care of its followers as the Quran. The whole Quran has been memorized by a large number of Muslims in the lifetime of Muhammad (P.B.U.H).

After Muhammadâs (P.B.U.H) departure, the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, asked one of the original scribes, Zaid ibn Thabit, to be in charge of collecting the original writings of the Quranic revelations and writing down the whole Quran. Zaid produced a whole copy of the Quran written on pages of leather. It was arranged in the order we have today. This was done in the first two years after the Prophetâs death, since Abu Bakr ruled for less than two years. This copy was then entrusted with the second Caliph, Omar, and finally with the third Caliph, Othman. During the reign of Othman, the Arabs came to know the paper industry from China and Othman called on Zaid to head a committee of four Quranic scholars who would take on the task of making seven copies. Those seven copies (written 14 years after Muhammadâs (P.B.U.H) death) were distributed to the various centers of the Muslim state to be the reference copy in each center. At least three of those original copies of the Quran are still intact, one in Tashkent, one in Istanbul, and one in Cairo. They do not differ in one letter from the millions of copies of the Quran that are in the hands of people today. This authentication of the last revelation is in itself miraculous. The Quran is the oldest book within the hands of humanity that has been kept intact in exactly the same language of revelation word for word and letter for letter. That is why the Quran is unique, because it is the word of the Creator in its purest divinity.

Muslims believe in the authentic original revelations given to Prophets Moses, David and Jesus, but none of these original revelations is found intact, and none is found in the original language of revelation, and here the Quran stands unique in its divine purity. Again the Quran is different from any human writings because it is neither prose nor poetry. It came to the Arabs when they were at their peak in eloquence and challenged them to produce one single chapter of it, or similar to it, or to produce ten similar chapters or even a book like it. This challenge still exists today and no challenger is forthcoming. The early scholars of the Quran thought that its miraculous nature was due mainly to its style and beautiful expression. The beauty of expression is really unique and cannot be paralleled by human writings. That is why the early commentators of the Quran concentrated on its eloquence and style. Yet being the word of the Creator, any area that has been covered in the Quran must be unique. If you look at jurisprudence the Quran is unique, in the area of worship, the Quran instructs people how to worship Allah. The concepts of Divinity, prophet hood, and morality are all unique in the Quran. If we look at the narration of history of previous nations, one after the other, and how they received the divine message, their reaction towards it and what their reward or punishment was, at a time when there was no form of regular documentation whatsoever. The Quran talks about these successive nations without a single mistake, and modern archaeological discoveries are a testimony to this.

Is the Quran credible?

Besides religious guidance, the Quran contains hundreds of verses that speak of the universe, its components and phenomena such as the Earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, mountains, wind, running water, plants, embryological animals, and the successive stages of development of the human being. More than 1,000 verses relating to cosmic facts or cosmic phenomena can be counted in the Quran. During the early days of the Quran, scientific knowledge of the universe was limited and it was not easy to elaborate on the verses relating to the universe or its phenomena except within the limitations of the time. However, we now know about the laws of the universe much more than before and that is why reviewing the 1,000 or more verses relating to the cosmos, man and his surroundings can be one of the most obvious miraculous aspects of the Quran. This is because of the precedence of the Quran, which was revealed more than 14 Centuries ago, with many of the scientific facts, at a time when people had no knowledge whatsoever of such facts. The Quran has addressed so many of these facts in a language that is more precise, accurate and concise than scientists have ever been able to do. Nothing in the Quran contradicts any established scientific facts. These cannot be all covered in a short article and hence I have chosen only five verses that can testify to the miraculous nature of the Quran from a scientific point of view:

1) The creation of the universe is explained by astrophysicists in a widely accepted phenomenon, popularly known as the âBig Bang.â It is supported by observational and experimental data gathered by astronomers and astrophysicists for decades. According to the âBig Bang,â the whole universe was initially one big mass (Primary Nebula). Then there was a âBig Bangâ (Secondary Separation), which resulted in the formation of Galaxies. These then divided to form stars, planets, the sun, the moon, etc. The origin of the universe was unique and the probability of it occurring by âchanceâ is zero. The Quran contains the following verse, regarding the origin of the universe:

Â«"Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were (once) a joined entity, then We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe? "Â» [21:30]

The striking congruence between the Quranic verse and the âBig Bangâ is inescapable! How could a book, which first appeared in the deserts of Arabia 1400 years ago, contain this profound scientific truth?

2) In 1925 an American astronomer by the name of Edwin Hubble provided observational evidence that all galaxies are receding from one another, which implies that the universe is expanding. The expansion of the universe is now an established scientific fact. This is what the Quran says regarding the formation of the universe:

Â«"And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander."Â» [51:47]

Stephen Hawking, in his book A Brief History of Time, says: âThe discovery that the universe is expanding is one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century.â The Quran mentioned the expansion of the universe before man even learnt to build a telescope!

3) Scientists say that before the galaxies in the universe were formed, celestial matter was initially in the form of gaseous matter. In short, huge gaseous matter or clouds were present before the formation of the galaxies. To describe initial celestial matter, the word âsmokeâ is more appropriate than gas. The following Quranic verse refers to this state of the universe by the word dukhan which means smoke:

Â«"Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke... "Â» [41:11]

Again, this fact is a corollary to the âBig Bangâ and was not known to mankind during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). What then, could have been the source of this knowledge?

4) It was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was only dependent on the brain. Recent discoveries prove that there are pain receptors present in the skin without which a person would not be able to feel pain. When a doctor examines a patient suffering from burn injuries, he verifies the degree of burns by a pinprick. If the patient feels pain, the doctor is happy, because it indicates that the burns are superficial and the pain receptors are intact. On the other hand if the patient does not feel any pain, it indicates that it is a deep burn and the pain receptors have been destroyed. The Quran gives an indication of the existence of pain receptors in the following verse:

Â«"Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses (i.e. signs, proofs) - We will drive them into a Fire. Every time their skins are roasted through We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might and Wise. But those who believe and do righteous deeds - We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide forever."Â» [4:56-57]

Prof. Tagatat Tejasen, Chairman of the Dept. of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, had spent a great amount of time on research of pain receptors. Initially he could not believe that the Quran mentioned this scientific fact 1400 years ago. He later verified the translation of this particular Quranic verse. Prof. Tejasen was so impressed by the scientific accuracy of the Quranic verse, that at a medical Conference in 1985 he proclaimed in public the Shahadah (Islamic Declaration of Faith), i.e. he embraced Islam.

5) The source of iron (Fe); we read in the Quran:

Â«"Indeed, We have sent down iron in which there is great (military) might and benefits for the people."Â» [57:25]

It has recently been proven that all iron, not only in our planet but also in the entire solar system, was obtained from outer space. This is because the temperature of the sun cannot generate iron. The sun has a surface temperature of 6000 degrees Celsius and a central temperature of about 20 million degrees Celsius. There exists much hotter stars, which are known as novae, or super novae where temperatures can reach 100s of billions of degrees Celsius and it is in these stars that iron is formed. When the percentage of iron reaches a certain proportion of the mass of the star it explodes and these exploded-particles travel in space until they are captured by the gravitational fields of other heavenly bodies. This is how our solar system all obtained its iron and it is an established fact today that all the iron in our solar system was not generated or created within the system but has come to it from outer space.

One wonders why the Quran comments on matters like these, things that were not known to anyone at the time of revelation or even for centuries afterwards, unless Allah knows in His eternal knowledge that the time will come when man will then immediately realize that the Quran is the word of Allah and that Muhammad is His last messenger. Allah says in the Quran:

Â«"We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth."Â» [41:53]

Prof. Tejasen accepted Islam on the strength of just one scientific âsignâ mentioned in the Quran. Some people may require ten signs while some may require hundred signs to be convinced about the Divine origin of the Quran. Some would be unwilling to accept the Truth even after being shown a thousand signs. The Quran condemns such a closed mentality:

Â«"Deaf, dumb and blind- so they will not return [to the right path]."Â» [2:18].

Also:

Â«"The example of those who disbelieve is like that of the one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries [i.e. cattle or sheep] - deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand."Â» [2:171].

And:

Â«"Then do they not reflect upon the Quran, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?"Â» [47:24]

What is the Purpose of Life?

So what does the Creator, Allah, tell us about our purpose in life? Allah states in the Quran that He created man to be His Khalefah, His trustee on earth (Quran 2:30). Mankindâs basic trust, our responsibility, is to believe in and worship Allah:

Â«"And I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Meâ¦"Â» [51:56-58]

Very simple! The purpose for manâs creation is to worship the Creator. The essence of Allahâs message through all of the prophets also was:

Â«âO mankind, worship Allah, you have no deity other than Him."Â» [7:59].

Allah further states that He made this life in order to test man so that every person may be recompensed after death for what he has earned:

Â«â[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving."Â» [67:2]

But in order to worship Him, we have to know Him well otherwise we may form a distorted concept of Him and then go astray. In the Quran Allah tells mankind what He is and what He is not. For example, in response to a question about Allah that was posed to the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H), Allah instructs Muhammad (P.B.U.H) to give the following reply:

Â«âSay : He is Allah [Who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent."Â» [112]

It is clear from this that Muhammad (P.B.U.H) is not the author of the Quran otherwise he would not have shown that someone is dictating to him what to say.

Also, Allah has to tell us how He wants to be worshipped, which He does in the Quran. He also tells us in the Quran that all Prophets came with the same identical message to their people - that is to believe in Allah and to worship Him. He also tells us in the Quran that all the people of other religions have deviated from the original teachings of their prophets. This is due to two reasons. The first is that earlier scriptures were not preserved simply because of the absence or scarcity of writing paper and so the teachings were transmitted orally and with time became distorted. The second reason is because the clergy of various religions introduced doctrines that were never there (e.g., the Christian trinity creed was introduced only after the council of Nicea in 325 AD and the Council of Constantinople in 386 AD). Because of the changes that crept into earlier religions, Allah tells us that He sent the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) as the last and final prophet and guidance to mankind with a scripture that He promised would be preserved forever. Allah provides a test to prove that the Quran is from Him. Allah says:

Â«âThen do they not reflect upon the Quran? (i.e. its meanings and its objective) If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction "Â» [4:82]

The Quran is available for scrutiny and investigation by any person to try to find even one error or contradiction in it. In fact this test must be applied to any other scripture that claims it is the word of God.

Is there any âblind faithâ in Islam?

Islam is not a religion of âblind faithâ but is a religion that strongly calls on man to use his logic, reasoning and intellect. Allah in the Quran stresses the importance for people to think, to reason and to use their mind and intellect. The word âmindâ or âreasoningâ is mentioned 49 times in the Quran (in Arabic Taâqiloon 24 times, Yaâqiloon 22 times, and Aâqal, Naâqil and Yaâqil one time each). Also Allah refers to âpeople of understandingâ 16 times in the Quran (in Arabic Ulu Al-AlBab or Uli Al-Albab). Allah also refers to âthose of intelligenceâ two times in Chapter 20 by the Arabic term Uli Al-Nuha. Allah also refers in many chapters in the Quran to the mind by the Arabic word Al-Fuad. Also in many verses in the Quran, Allah uses the term heart (in Arabic Al-Qalb) in place of the word Al-Fuad (mind) to mean the same thing. In one place in Chapter 89 verses 53 & 54, Allah refers to the mind by the Arabic word Al-Hijr. The Quran also, in tens of verses, strongly calls and emphasizes the need to âcontemplateâ and to âgive thoughtâ (in Arabic Fikr or Tafakkor). Also in tens of verses, the Quran draws attention to the importance for man to ârememberâ and to ârecallâ (in Arabic Tazakkor). The significance of the two being: to âgive thoughtâ is to increase or acquire new knowledge, whereas to ârememberâ is to recall and remind oneself of relevant knowledge and events that may have been forgotten, but which are important for oneâs faith.

Allah praises people who use their mind:

Â«"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding - Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], âOur Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.âÂ» [3:190]

About the Quran, Allah Says:

Â«"[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they (i.e. people) might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded."Â» [38:29]

In the Quran, the words that can be formed from the term âknowâ or âknowledgeâ (root 'elm in Arabic) is to be found 865 times. In one verse Allah says:

Â«"Are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding."Â» [39:9]

Also:

Â«"And so those who were given knowledge may know that It (i.e. the Quran) is the truth from your Lord and [therefore] believe in it, and their hearts humbly submit to it. And indeed is Allah the Guide of those who have believed to a straight path."Â» [2:54]

On the other hand, the Quran strongly rejects certain mentalities that are driven by myths, illusions, absurdities, ignorance, blind imitation of others, assumption (conjecture), prejudice, whims and desires. In fact, Allah in the Quran confirms that most people on earth have gone astray because they follow assumption, conjecture and ignorance. Allah says:

Â«"And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but falsifying (out of ignorance, conjecture and assumption)." Â» [6:116]

Is there Life after Death?

All the prophets of God called their people to worship God and to believe in life after death. They laid so much emphasis on the belief in life after death that even a slight doubt in it meant denying God and made all other beliefs meaningless. The very fact that all the prophets of God have dealt with this metaphysical question of life after death so confidently and so uniformly - the gap between their ages in some cases, being thousands of years - goes to prove that the source of their knowledge of life after death as proclaimed by them all, was the same, i.e. divine revelation. We also know that these prophets of God were greatly opposed by their people, mainly on the issue of life after death, as their people thought it impossible. But in spite of opposition, the Prophets won many sincere followers.

The question arises: what made those followers forsake the established beliefs, traditions and customs of their forefathers, notwithstanding the risk of being totally alienated from their own community? The simple answer is: they made use of their faculties of mind and heart and realized the truth.

Did they realize the truth through perceptual consciousness? They couldnât, as perceptual experience of life after death is impossible. God has given Man besides perceptual consciousness, rational, aesthetic and moral consciousness too. It is this consciousness that guides man regarding realities that cannot be verified through sensory data. That is why all the prophets of God while calling people to believe in God and life after death, appeal to the aesthetic, moral and rational consciousness of man.

The Quran very clearly says that the disbelievers have no sound basis for their denial of life after death. It is based on pure conjecture:

Â«"And they say, âThere is not but our worldly life; we die and live (i.e. some people die and others live, replacing them) and nothing destroys us except time.â And they have of that no knowledge; they are only assuming. And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, âBring [back] our forefathers, if you should be truthful.â Say, âAllah causes you to live, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt.â But most of the people do not know."Â» [45:24]

The explanation that the Quran gives about the necessity of life after death is what the moral consciousness of man demands. Actually, if there is no life after death, the very belief in God becomes meaningless or even if one believes in God, it would be an unjust and indifferent God, having once created man and now not being concerned with his fate. Surely, God is just. He will punish the tyrants, whose crimes are beyond count - having tortured and killed hundreds or thousands of innocent people, created great corruption in society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, etc. Because man has a very short life span in this world and because numerous individuals are affected by oneâs actions, adequate punishments and rewards are not possible in this life. Could the good and the righteous be equated with the wicked and evil? Moral, aesthetic and rational faculties of man reject this logic and endorse the possibility of the life after death. Allah confirms this truth in the Quran:

Â«"Then did you think that We created you uselessly and that to Us you would not be returned?"Â» [23:115]

Also:

Â«"And We did not create the heaven and the earth and that between them aimlessly. That is the assumption of those who disbelieve, so woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire. Or should We treat those who believe and do righteous deeds like corrupters in the land? Or should We treat those who fear Allah like the wicked?"Â» [38:27]

Also:

Â«"Or do those who commit evils think We will make them like those who have believed and done righteous deeds - [the evildoers being] equal in their life and their death? Evil is that which they judge [i.e. assume]. And Allah created the heavens and earth in truth and so that every soul may be recompensed for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged."Â» [45:21]

Also:

Â«"And We did not create the heavens and the earth and that between them in play. We did not create them except in truth, but most of them do not know. Indeed, the Day of Judgment is the appointed time for them all."Â» [44:38]

The Quran emphatically states that the Day of Judgment must come and that Allah will decide the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds:

Â«"But those who disbelieve say, âThe Hour (i.e. the Day of Judgment) will not come to us.â Say, âYes, by my Lord, it will surely come to you. [Allah is] the Knower of the unseen.â Not absent from Him is an atomâs weight within the heavens or within the earth or [what is] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear register - That He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Those will have forgiveness and noble provision. But those who strive against Our verses [seeking] to cause failure (i.e. to undermine their credibility) - for them will be a painful punishment of foul nature."Â» [34:3]

The Day of Resurrection will be the Day when Godâs attributes of Justice and Mercy will be in full manifestation. God will shower His mercy on those who suffered for His sake in the worldly life, believing that an eternal bliss was awaiting them. But those who abused the bounties of God, caring nothing for the life to come, will be in the most miserable state. Drawing a comparison between them, the Quran says:

Â«"Then is he whom We have promised a good promise which he will meet [i.e. obtain] like he for whom We provided enjoyment of worldly life [but] then he is, on the Day of Resurrection, among those presented [for punishment in Hell]?"Â» [28:61]

The belief in life after death not only guarantees success in the Hereafter but also makes this world full of peace and happiness by making individuals most responsible and dutiful in their activities:

Â«"Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned."Â» [21:35]

Why should one read the Quran?

No person can afford to be ignorant of the Quran, for it is the constitution revealed by Allah to regulate and govern human life. It speaks with the perfect knowledge of the Creator about His creation. It exposes the truth and invites man to the way of truth. It contains important information about human destiny and that of the individual. It educates and raises men to the highest moral, intellectual and social level when they strive to comprehend it and apply its teachings to life.

Moreover, it is the actual words of Allah - not created, but revealed by Him through the angel Gabriel to a human messenger, Muhammad , for the benefit of humanity. It is an eternal miracle given to the final prophet, Muhammad , as proof of his prophet hood and a challenge to all succeeding generations. It is of unique and inimitable quality. Revealed fourteen centuries ago, it remains today completely intact and unaltered in its original Arabic form.

What does one discover when he understands the meanings of the Quran? The answers to this question can be classified in four main categories:

1) That he can know his Creator as He has described Himself

2) That he can know the purpose of life on this earth and what is expected of every person during this life

3) That he becomes aware of the consequences of his attitudes and his behavior

4) How he should relate to all things - to Allah by worship and obedience, to his fellow man by justice to all, and to the universe in general by putting those things under his control to good use.

This divine message was revealed to confirm and renew the relationship between man and his Creator and to reinstate the sincere and correct worship of the one true God, Allah, who says:

Â«"Then let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided."Â» [2:168]

Why Islam?

Islam is not a new religion; it is not a different religion. It is in essence the same religion that Allah (or âGodâ) sent to all mankind through all His prophets at different times in history - the religion that had unfortunately been changed through human adulterations, theology and philosophy. That is why the Prophet Muhammad came as the last and final prophet and messenger of Allah. He needed to come to remove all the riddles and confusion in the lives of people. He corrected matters of diversion in belief that were introduced by confusing human philosophy and theology. He restored the pure monotheistic belief of our Creator and brought the most perfect and most noble understanding of Allah (or âGodâ).

The purpose of life is to know Allah, to believe in Him and to worship Him according to how He wants to be worshipped, this includes that we live our lives according to His commands. In the Quran, Allah tells us that since the messages of all prophets before the Prophet Muhammad have been distorted, none of these objectives could be achieved correctly except through His last and final message, and therefore He will judge people on the Day of Judgment based on whether they believed and followed Islam. Allah says:

Â«"Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam."Â» [3:19]

In the same chapter Allah declares:

Â«"And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers (in the Hellfire)."Â» [3:85]

Muslims believe that the present life is a trial in preparation for the next realm of existence. Muslims know that man was not created merely for this worldly life; rather this world was created for man.

So, if a fool lives to eat and a wise man eats to live, then a believer lives to worship Allah.

How Does Someone Become a Muslim?

To become a Muslim a person simply needs to say the Shahadah (Declaration of Faith) with sincere conviction: âAsh-hadu al-la elaha illa-Allah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulu Allahâ one becomes a Muslim. This saying means, âI testify that there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.â

Author : Mostafa Malaekah
Source : Islam Guide

Orange Flower

Comments on Motivation Letter asked

Claire* — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:15:48 GMT

Dear members,

I am a Dutch scholar in my exam year of grammar school. Upcoming Friday I need to have sent in all my application papers for university. I saw the excellent help offered by all of you to correct motivation letters and give advise. I just finished my motivation letter and I would like some comments on it. I am applying for a university which is very selective. It is an international orientated institute and offers broad education (I want to study litarature, political theory, business and maybe some law) It is very intensive studying and I will be living on campus if everything turns out okÃ© and I will be accepted. But... only one out of five scholars get the chance to be accepted. So I can use all help offered by getting the best motivation letter ever. The yellow gaps represent fitting words I did not just come up. (sorry for some Dutch but thats for translation)

One special thing: I find it quite difficult to limit myself to two pages so if you have any advise on what to delete in this text it would be great (it is too long)

My motivation letter:

Dear Sir/Madame,

Hereby I am applying for a place in the liberal arts programme at University College Utrecht for fall 2008, and in this letter I will elaborate on the reasons of my motivation and why I am perfectly fit for the concept.

My name is Claire. I am a sixth form student at the Koningin Wilhelmina College in Culemborg, I will be graduating from grammar school (Dutch: gymnasium) in June 2008.

I must say I like all my subjects and in particular English and Social Studies. I started learning English from a young age and it has always felt like my second language. Sometimes I feel I can express myself better in English than in Dutch, or at least more beautifully.

I enjoyed the fact that my (former) secondary school is rather innovative. In 2006 Bizzgames was introduced; a simulation of a business environment. This is an excellent way of putting management and organisation skills into practice. Consequence was I came in first as a two-person team with a student I did not know. On the one hand working after school did result in less active extracurricular activities, on the other hand I did learn to â¦

I know people see me as an open-minded, ambitious, passionate and hardworking student. Academically I am a critical thinker. I am almost always passionately interested in a subject Travelling is one of my enduring passions. It gives me an indescribable feeling boundlessness.

From my point of view current students are definitely well educated; however we are also quite restrained by the borders of Europe. I think this attitude will no longer serve. We are naturally ignorant of â¦ I, on the contrary, am very driven and interested in breaking through this boundary. From these I want to get good the elements. I am eager to develop. I find it interesting to put economic/political problems into the pillory. I can be quite taken up by thinking of a balanced policy.

Having experienced the concept of liberal arts and science in 2006 my conviction to apply for University College has grown stronger as time passed. The completed Roosevelt Junior Academy days (see enclosed certificate) and the open day visited at University College Utrecht have only served as reinforcements. I am appealed by UCâs curriculum, campus, professors, students, students associations and ambiance. I felt at home immediately with the campus and I felt a connection with the students I spoke to. I want more than offered by general universities. General universities do not strive to exploit ones individual academic abilities and they do not offer academic excellence. I want to be challenged. My future prospects are at the limit of what I want to consider reachable by own means, and no less. This is because I know I will do the best I possibly can and therefore I identify my future with endless possibilities.

In summer 2007 I took an educational travel to Cambridge. I stayed in a host family, for the reason I wanted to experience British living closely. It gave me renewed my energy to focus on what I want to achieve and therefore made me so much stronger and more motivated. For me this was a very special/changing experience. I finished with the intensive English course, specialized in Academic English at Advanced level. My English has improved â¦ in England. My environment had continuingly existed of a very rich diversity of cultures, which I experienced as very inspiring. I think it takes quite some adaptability to get settled in a totally new country and culture, and I think this is a very important talent to posses. I can easily find a way and socialize in unfamiliar surroundings.

In my exam year an opportunity occurred. I was selected for the School of Economics programme. I signed up and I intensely wanted to participate, for several of itâs aspects appealed to me; the academic education, the English language in studying and specialising in one of my most favourable subjects. This rather demanding extracurricular activity I enjoyed fullest, I am convinced studying in English will increase my satisfaction of studying and turning to English education will cause least trouble. I wanted more of my education and this challenged me.

Furthermore I arranged I will not be making a general PWS, but to complete this in a more academic, specialized and scientific way at School of Economics (Utrecht University) in the British language.

I put a lot of energy and satisfaction into the art of debating. When I was fifteen, I joined the students association Utrecht Debating Society. Speaking in public now represents one of my skills. As a scholar I had to catch up the gap between me and the student members. This only stimulated my ability in learning faster. Besides regular debating I am very interested in performing eloquentia en Iâm considering making that one of my extracurricular activities in the future. I have also been a co-judge at the NK debating tournament 2007 in Tilburg. In my leisure time I like to â¦ in the ancient theory of pleading, especially to read the great works of Cicero, Socrates and Plato.

I am already making efforts to make arrangements to go abroad upcoming summer. My aunt and uncle are very active in Africa concerning charity and voluntary activities, with this connection I hope it is possible to obtain a safe and valuable place to analyze and learn about unbalanced political/economical systems, and experience helping people for whom I think I can contribute to transfer knowledge to people unable to get education. There are still two sides of the badge, because I think such an experience enriches me as a human being. I also like to analyze the as it seems bottomless situation.

I have a broad range of interests and I have quite a few requirements fit for a study to my personal wishes. My contribution to University College Utrecht would be valuable, if given the opportunity. One of the reasons I am so passionately firm about studying liberal arts and sciences is the great international orientation. I would be honoured to join/strengthen the Future Leaders Project. The living environment of a large diversity of cultures does seem only tremendously inspiring to me. Considering UCU students make use of â¦ a lot, my debating skills will definitely be an advantage for me and liveliness in class. My active class-participation will be a mentionable contribution. I would also like to be actively involved in several committees at University College Utrecht. In my high school there was no occasion to have been involved in MUN, Model United Nations. Since Iâm aware of the MUN at university level is offered at University College Utrecht Iâm determined to become member of this organisation.

UCU could give me the possibility to fulfil my academic needs, such as Future Leaders Project and an MUN-foundation. It will also shape me exactly fit for my future plans.

I think it is a huge prÃ© for a student ambitioning an academic international carreer to be all-round. UCU is able to offer, in my opinion, optimal âvormingâ. Highly academic skills, an intensive network with motivated people all over the world, an international âblikâ, broad but good knowledge and ability to speak English almost as a native speaker.

During my high school I have personally been through a hard time regarding my domestic situation and I have no doubt this had also restrained me in performing to my fullest academic capability. Especially in de 4^th and 5^th class I was most affected by this, and therefore my exam grades averages started at a lower rank. It took me a while to be able to remain least affected by this negativity with help from a psychologist. I managed to get my grades up with hard work and high grades, but considering my own personal capability this couldâve been a lot more and will be at University College Utrecht. I think it did make me a lot stronger as an individual. In my opinion a human must strive to take advantage of every event.

Enclosed you will find a form of recommendation from Dr. Verbraak and Dr. Filius. Mr Verbraak is my teacher of management and organisation. Mr. Verbraak knows me well as a student and as an individual. Mr Filius has been my mentor in the sixth class and has been most aware of my personal circumstances. Mr Visschers has been my English teacher for several years and is well aware of my English level of proficiency, enclosed you find his comments on this matter.

Finally, I consider myself a suitable candidate for this program. In my time at KWC I have really showed my motivation, both academically and socially. I hope that I have convinced you of my motivation and that you will grant me this opportunity.

Yours faithfully,
Claire Wientjes

Re: Specific questions about translation of a CV

Clive — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:13:17 GMT

Hi,

Here's a little more information. The University of Toronto, and I imagine a number of other universities, offer a degree-assessment service. You might like to contact them.

Clive

from http://international.utoronto.ca/about/faqs.shtml

Question: I am interested in having my international degree accredited in Canada. Whom should I contact?

Answer: The Comparative Education Service, run by the U of T Admissions and Awards Office, provides assessment of foreign degrees and diplomas, and can be contacted directly at (416) 978-2185. Alternatively, general e-mail inquiries can be sent to ask@adm.utoronto.ca.

Youtube video translating

Marciofone — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:11:05 GMT

Hi everyone!

There is a video on Youtube.com that the language is portuguese, a lot of people whom talks English can't understand it without translation. Six people did translate it and I want to know if there are errors on the phrases' construction. I did translate it too, but my English is VERY POOR, so I need your help to understand my errors.

Please can you help me with this? Check this out:

The comments posted on the video page:

130786 (2 days ago)

translation please...

(Reply)

marciofone (1 day ago) (MY TRANSLATION)

In this Video someone anonymous (a guy) wrote a question in the paper unto the sexologist (woman in black):
"I have a sharp voice (like a girl talking), so my friends gave me an advice that I must masturbate myself and drink the liquid (sperm) every day during a month, and I have doing it about 2 months, but nothing happened, Why?"

Who made the question?
We think that was the guy in 01:43min...

(Reply)

comfortablenumb (1 day ago)

Someone in the audience writes on a piece of paper... "I've been drinking my own sperm for about 2 months, nothing has happened yet"
His friends had told him to jerk off and drink his own sperm in order to make his voice deeper.

(Reply)

facmibaity (1 day ago)

I can help you with the translation... The woman is a sexologist and she was answering some questions about sex and there was an anonymous question saying "I am a man, I have a very feminine voice and some friends of mine told me to masturbate everyday and to ingest my sperm so that my voice would get more masculine" The sexologist said that it wasn't true... anyway, it was fun, sorry for the shitty English.

(Reply)

johnbrazil84 (1 day ago)

I'll translate, but wow, that was sick:

The question someone [male] asked was "I have a high pitched voice, my friends told me that I should masturbate and then drink the sperm, I've been doing this for 2 months and it ain't working"

The Sexoligist responds that "drinking sperm does not help you get a lower voice tone"

(Reply)

VulgarisSermo (1 day ago)

There's a sex therapist on the show and they take anonymous questions from the audience. The host reads one saying "I have a high pitch voice and my friends told me to I can make it deeper by drinking my own sperm, I have been doing it for two months with no results, why?" and so everyone freaks out. =P

(Reply)

VulgarisSermo (1 day ago)

There's a sex therapist on the show and they are taking anonymous questions from the audience. The host reads one that goes "I have a very high pitch voice, my friends told me it will get deeper if I drink my own sperm, I have done it for two months with no results, why?" Then everyone reacts.

THANX IN ADVANCE!!!

Re: "as" from Wuthering Heights

Maple — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:57:09 GMT

I've searched out the ORIGINAL passage

.......Not a soul knew to whom it belonged, he said; and his money and time being both limited, he thought it better to take it home with him at once, than run into vain expenses there: because he was determined he would not leave it as he found it. Well, the conclusion was that my mistress grumbled herself calm; and Mr Earnshaw told me to wash it, and give it clean things, and let it sleep with the children.

See more at http://www.pku.edu.cn/study/novel/hxsz/ehxsz04.htm

One interesting phenomenon is that the target language of the translation covers the meaning of since/for the reason that and in the manner he found him.

Re: Cool Breeze thanks the Englishforums team

Cool Breeze — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:15:39 GMT

Hi Kooyeen

No child studies languages unaided in Finland. English is compulsory in comprehensive schools and secondary education and taught by teachers who have university degrees in languages. After completing what resembles to some extent senior high school in the US, Finns have to take and pass a nationwide exam called the Matriculation Examination. Getting good grades is essential and makes the students theoretically eligible for higher education. It is taken for granted that all those who get to universities can read and understand English. There is no instruction in English for Finnish students in the universities, except those students who actually major in English Philology. It would be very uneconomical to begin studying English at university level. Downright stupid, I'd like to say. Universities are supposed to provide higher education and do research, not hassle with basics like elementary grammar.

More scientific books are published in English than in any other language. This simple fact makes English the number one language of science. Finland has a population of five million only and it would be extremely uneconomical not to teach languages in schools and have an ignorant lot of students, for whom every book should be translated into Finnish. Translating a thick scientific book would take a long time, and there might be just a handful of students to buy it. Who would pay the translator enough? Who would be willing to pay the very high price for the book in Finnish translation that the cost of translation would entail? No one! The book might even be antiquated by the time it was available for the students. Some branches of science progress very fast!

All this may give you the wrong impression that all Finns are fluent in English. Unfortunately there are some who don't have a flair for languages and learn precious little. That's nothing to worry about: bricklayers and bus drivers are also needed.

I kind of like it that we don't dub movies. That way Claudia Cardinale speaks Italian and Brigitte Bardot speaks French in Finnish cinemas, and they don't just look good -- they also sound good! (You may be too young to know CC but I'm sure your older friends can help you there...)

Cheers
CB

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Youtube video translating

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