Here we go...

[alexpgp]

So I asked a terminology question in ru_translate, in which I asked for someone to explain something "for me." Among the responses are several reasonably good answers that I can work with, and a comment regarding my usage that has sparked a lively usage discussion, in which I have just stated the following:

Well, I will concede that "to explain (something) (to someone)" is certainly a legitimate and recognized usage. However, equally legitimate is, simply, "to explain (something)," as in: "Allow me to explain my meaning."

The fundamental challenge faced by those who compile learner's dictionaries is that they must, of necessity, cut the complexity of a real, living language down to easily digested, bite-sized chunks, and there's nothing at all wrong with that. But the manner in which a language is presented in such references should not be mistaken for the manner in which a language is used by native speakers, and certainly not as a blueprint for The Only Correct Way In Which A Language May Be Used.

There are nine-and-sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
And every single one of them is right!

Apropos of the "corpus" approach, a Google search I just did for "explain * to me" (with the asterisk and quotes) netted approximately 1.5 million hits. A search for "explain * for me" (with the asterisk and quotes) came up with 1.1 million hits. It would appear that, for better of worse, the latter pattern is in rather widespread use. (Or am I simply using the "wrong" corpus? And if I am, who gets to decide what is right and what is wrong in this regard?)

Cordially...

P.S. A similar comparison of Google hits for "объясните мне" vs. "объясните для меня" yielded 2.1 million hits for the former and only 40,000 for the latter. This result is much more decisive, I'd say.

P.P.S. You wouldn't, incidentally, have anything to say about my original terminological question, would you? :^)

Yikes!

Cheers...

Comments

[eastexpert.livejournal.com]

I think "объясните мне" will be a better translation for both "explain me" and "explain for me".

And regarding the "методическое обеспечение", I still remember from my Uni days, those, printed on the typewriter, thin books (rather, booklets!) with manually inserted formulas and diagrams, called "методичка" (full name "методическое пособие").
They were given out for the duration of course, then you were asked to hand them back for the next generations of students.
The quality of print was often terrible due to the number of copies of copies of copies they sustained. But they solved the task.

I liked the translation "courseware" offered by one of the posters, however I am not sure if this includes both printed material and software support?