KudoZ: term help for translators

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

French term

Anne Greaves

United Kingdom

463 questions

Bomis-Hina

French to English Other Geography Biography of explorer

Hello all,
I realise this name doesn't seem particularly French, but it comes from a French text about a 19th century explorer/ethnologist. I'm quite familiar with the other Pacific Island names, but Bomis-Hina gets no hits at all on Google, which isn't to say that they don't exist, but I'm wondering whether the name has changed, or if the English name is different.
(Le Seigneley was a French naval ship)
La nouvelle mission du Seignelay consiste à faire la tournée des îles du Pacifique(îles Gilbert, Marshall, Salomon, Caroline, Bomis-Hina)et d’hiverner aux Philippines, d’août 1877à janvier 1878

Discussion

philgoddard Jul 21, 2011: You said you queried this with the client... Are they one of those unhelpful translation companies who don't pass on queries to the author of the document? And what are the other unfindable place names you mention? Anything we can help with?
Jack Dunwell Jul 21, 2011: But then Bikini island is one of the Marshall Islands
Jack Dunwell Jul 21, 2011: If The track was the Gilbert & Ellis islands (Kiribati+Tuvalu) then to just north of the equator to the Marshall Islands, then south again to the Solomons, they would then turn east to the Caroline Island (Caroline Atoll) Which might mean that they then headed back north to Hawaii, where there are many mentions of Hina (a sort of Eve equivalent?) As for Bomis so far I only have the Jimmy Wales pornographgic site. But I feel we are getting close!!
Andres Larsen Jul 21, 2011: Wallis and Futuna (France), maybe? Pacific Islands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Islands - This is a list of many of the major Pacific islands, organized by archipelago or political unit. In order to keep this list of moderate size, ...
Peter Shortall Jul 20, 2011: Order Are these islands listed in the order that the ship visited them? If so, one might expect Bomis-Hina to lie somewhere between the Caroline Islands and the Philippines.
Anne Greaves (asker) Jul 20, 2011: Thanks for contributions. Have queried it with customer but no result there. There are more infindable place names in the text unfortunately. Need to find a geography forum!
philgoddard Jul 20, 2011: I don't agree that the default is to keep the original. A good translator should either find the correct answer or query it with the customer.
SC Nova Jul 20, 2011: default is to keep the original As you may well know, in cases like these, where there are proper names, and esp. when they may deal with a text that is archaic, it is common to use the original. Otherwise, you may want to consult a geography expert/historian. Sorry, don't know any.... yet.
philgoddard Jul 20, 2011: I think it's a mistake. The answer may well be here: http://books.google.com/books?id=tH4rAAAAIAAJ&q=bomis-hina#v... This is a book by Constance Gordon-Cumming, a British travel writer and painter who traveled with the Seignelay. I've done a search for Bomis and Hina, but there's nothing. Intrigued as I am by this question, I haven't got time to skim-read the book!
Martin Cassell Jul 20, 2011: Hina is a Tahitian goddess
philgoddard Jul 20, 2011: I've traveled widely in the region, and I've never heard of it. I assume it's an island group, since all the others are. There's a comprehensive list of islands here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Islands but the only things I can see that vaguely resemble it are Wallis and Futuna and Bora Bora (the Seignelay did visit Tahiti). Could it be a mistake?

French term

Bomis-Hina

Discussion

Your current localization setting

Select a language

French term

Bomis-Hina

Discussion

You have native languages that can be verified

Your current localization setting

Select a language