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Flemish to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Flemish term or phrase:ontvangstpost
In a 1925 letter from the Ministry of Justice in Brussels to the Chief Commissioner of Police in Antwerp, in which the Ministry of Justice requests a report about the conduct of an American living in Antwerp, they mention that "Deze Vreemdeling vraagt toelating tot het plaatsen van een ontvangstpost van draadlooze telegraaf." I believe I've transcribed the sentence correctly, although the handwriting is not 100% clear. I'm assuming the American was asking for permission to work in Belgium, but not really sure...
Agree that a station doesn't have to be a huge building, or complex.
However, the real problem, as I see it, is a linguistic one. And I find it very odd that freek, who is 100% Dutch, and has a pretty good command of English, doesn't get it.
It says "ontvangstpost" [= station], not "ontvangstpaal" [= pole].
On a related not, in Dutch, you'd say "telegraafpaal", not "telegraafpost". Calling something a "telegraafpost" (when you mean "telegraafpaal") just sounds weird in Dutch.
For freek to be correct, your text would have to say sth like:
"Deze Vreemdeling vraagt toelating tot het plaatsen van een ontvangstpaal van draadlooze telegraaf."
After more research, I'm really wondering if the difference between put up a wireless telegraph station or pole is all that great. I found a 1912 newspaper article, which mentions a 15-year-old who had "constructed a complete wireless telegraph station on the roof of his father's house...but was unable to read the messages on account of the receiving pole not being high enough in the air." If this American in Antwerp was requesting to put up a receiving pole, he would still need the other equipment that made up the receiving station. It would be like putting up a TV antenna without having a TV. If this American in Antwerp already had all the equipment needed (for which he wouldn't have needed permission), he may have just needed permission to put up the pole, since he was in a residential area in the city...
Yeah, sure, post (NL) can sometimes also mean paal (NL) (and by extension, "pole" in English, but not really for this kind of thing (a telegraph pole).
Van Dale:
post: paal, in de zin van: 1a paal of stijl aan een raam of deuropening, gewoonlijk elk van de rechtopstaande zijkanten 1b paal van een hek, rasterwerk e.d. 1c min of meer sierlijke stijl bij trapleuningen enz.
After all, in Dutch, you'd say "telegraafpaal", not "telegraafpost", or am I missing sth?
"• Bij het andere model (1854?) is de spanningsbron een 'magneto' die dus een wisselstroom op de lijn stuurde. De magneto produceerde bij elke toer van de zwengel 8 sinusgolven (acht + en acht - halve golven). Elk van de 16 halve golven (alternanties) doet de ontvangstwijzer één karakter verder springen. Daarom moest altijd de eigen ontvanger in serie geschakeld worden met die van de ontvangstpost. Men moest dan doordraaien tot de wijzer op de eigen ontvanger aanbelandde op het gewenste karakter. Dan was het even een seconde wachten tot de ontvanger dit karakter had kunnen noteren om vervolgens verder te draaien naar het volgend karakter toe." ("HET INTERNET VAN DE 19e EEUW": http://goo.gl/JZeODz )
"In veel gevallen was het ook zo dat er twee personen werden aangesteld aan de ontvangstpost: een eerste die de signalen observeerde, decodeerde en dan luidop citeerde aan een tweede persoon, de zogenaamde 'amanuensis', die ze moest noteren. "("HET INTERNET VAN DE 19e EEUW": http://goo.gl/JZeODz )
I am not entirely sure whether an "ontvangstpost" is only the station (entire building, etc.) or if it can also refer to some kind of actual device used in such a building, for receiving the signals, etc., but I am quite sure "ontvangstpost" does not just mean a "pole".
Sinds wanneer betekent "post" (in het Nederlands) pole (in het Engels)? The only case I know where this would be the case is if we were talking about a "post" (NL) in the sense of "raamstijl" or a "deurstijl" = post (ENG).
Anders had er toch "zend/ontvangstpaal" gestaan, ipv "ontvangstpost"?
American is already living/working there so he's not necessarily looking for a job. The Belgian authorities are examining his behavior (conduct) and find it weird/appalling that this f****ng American had plans to put a telegraph pole (in his back yard)... that's about conduct...
I did some Googling and did find what you suggested. Thus, I'm going with "This foreigner requests permission to put up a wireless telegraph receiving station."
"Deze vreemdeling vraagt toelating tot het plaatsen van een ontvangstpost van draadlooze telegraaf."
=
Deze vreemdeling = this foreigner vraagt toelating tot = asked to be allowed to het plaatsen van een ontvangstpost = place/install/build a receiver post/station van draadlooze telegraaf = for a wireless telegraph
it definitely does not mean:
"This foreigner requests permission to take a position at a wireless telegraph station,"
In Dutch, "post" is "post" (as in station), not "pole". That would be "paal".
Therefore, I am pretty sure that "een ontvangstpost van draadlooze telegraaf" means "wireless telegraph (reception) station". Or something like it. As I said, you'd have to Google the exact terminology used for such stuff.