Author Topic: Translator needed....  (Read 35887 times)

jrderego

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on: May 21, 2008, 03:49:11 PM
I got this in the mail today, no return address. It came in a black, wax sealed envelope. Can anyone tell me what it is or what it says?

Thanks in advance!



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Russell Nash

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Reply #1 on: May 21, 2008, 04:46:44 PM
I think it's a death threat.  Of course, I'm not even sure what language it is.



jrderego

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Reply #2 on: May 21, 2008, 04:49:06 PM
I think it's a death threat.  Of course, I'm not even sure what language it is.

That makes sense... LOL.

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stePH

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Reply #3 on: May 21, 2008, 04:52:16 PM
I got this in the mail today, no return address. It came in a black, wax sealed envelope. Can anyone tell me what it is or what it says?

Thanks in advance!

I've seen something similar on the Shejidan.com boards; one poster uses medieval Mongolian script to represent "Ragi", the language of the Atevi in Cherryh's "Foreigner" series.

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wintermute

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Reply #4 on: May 21, 2008, 05:02:41 PM
Whoever it is seems to like drawing noses...

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jrderego

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Reply #5 on: May 21, 2008, 05:04:55 PM
Whoever it is seems to like drawing noses...

Death threat from medieval Mongolian with a nose fixation...?

Great, as if I don't have enough to deal with already!

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wintermute

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Reply #6 on: May 21, 2008, 06:38:18 PM
I've been trying to search for the logo that appears at the bottom, but I'm not coming up with anything.

Well, that's not true. I found some awesome stuff, like this, but nothing that seems relevant.

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wherethewild

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Reply #7 on: May 21, 2008, 06:55:36 PM
It's clearly written in Voynichese.

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Thaurismunths

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Reply #8 on: May 22, 2008, 12:23:55 AM
I got this in the mail today, no return address. It came in a black, wax sealed envelope. Can anyone tell me what it is or what it says?

Thanks in advance!

I'll get my Japanese translators working on it, but personally I think it's just a collection of noses.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2008, 10:34:14 AM by Thaurismunths »

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birdless

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Reply #9 on: May 22, 2008, 01:20:12 AM
It looks as Arabic as it does Oriental. I've got a couple of places I frequent that have international participation, with members both from the Mid and Far East (are those terms still used?). I'll post it there and see if I get any response.



stePH

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Reply #10 on: May 22, 2008, 02:56:01 AM
I'll get my Japanese translators working on it, but personally I think it's just a collection of noses.

It's not Japanese.  I can recognize written Japanese, even if I can't read it.

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birdless

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Reply #11 on: May 22, 2008, 03:29:15 AM
No translations yet, but someone did guess that it was Thai, which I thought was a good guess.



Heradel

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Reply #12 on: May 22, 2008, 03:56:42 AM
http://www.omniglot.com/ has a bunch of alphabets, but I couldn't really find anything that fit the main script or the crazy squiggles in the seal. Maybe it's some sort of viral marketing?

Edit: Also, are we even sure that the text is going in the direction we think it's going (down)?
« Last Edit: May 22, 2008, 03:58:30 AM by Heradel »

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Planish

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Reply #13 on: May 22, 2008, 04:15:47 AM
I think half of it says:
Quote
Dear Friend,
TRANSFER OF US$14,000,000
It is obvious that this proposal will come to you as a suprise. This is because we have not meet before but i am inspired to send you this email by the huge fund transfer opportunity that will be of mutual benefit to both of us.
... Or maybe not.

Some of the black characters do look pretty close to Thai numbers - http://www.tonysalt.com/language/index.htm. The text on the red seal does not at all resemble the black text. Perhaps a message in a different language from what is normally spoken in (whatever) country?

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmic_family

Where was the envelope postmarked?
Any watermarks visible if you hold the paper up to a light?

Here's something else - the red "blot" looks ever so slightly like a map of Myanmar:

Possibly a sort of stylized or calligraphic representation?
« Last Edit: May 22, 2008, 04:29:13 AM by Planish »

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Heradel

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Reply #14 on: May 22, 2008, 04:20:55 AM
Elvish? Tibetan?

I don't think it's Thai.

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jrderego

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Reply #15 on: May 22, 2008, 04:27:48 AM
Elvish? Tibetan?

I don't think it's Thai.

I couldn't match it to tibetan, vietnamese, thai, Sanskrit, turkish, arabic, korean, chinese, or mongolian.

Maybe it's martian? At any rate I am beginning to think it's some DVD release related thing for some film based on the TB logo, though I can't find a distributor with that logo anywhere. I'm sort of glad it isn't Thai... after the lambasting I did of a Tony Jaa movie in the Horrorview Hall of Shame I figured I was marked for kickboxing death.

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Planish

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Reply #16 on: May 22, 2008, 04:48:15 AM
It's not Bajoran, Cardassian, Ferengi, Vulcan, Romulan, or Klinzhai - http://www.startreksite.com/fonts/
Nor Trill, Voth, Zigan, Tholian, Dominion, Binar, Preservers, Malcorian, Gorn, Fabrini, or Borg. - http://www.talshiar.org/Fonts/

BAB-5? Nope. http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/4965/b5font.html
Misc. other alien fonts? Doesn't look it - http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/4965/sffont.html

Doesn't resemble any D'ni characters I recall either.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2008, 04:53:29 AM by Planish »

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Heradel

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Reply #17 on: May 22, 2008, 05:03:55 AM
That TB logo looks familiar to me, I think it might be a restaurant, but I can't place it other than that.

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Tango Alpha Delta

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Reply #18 on: May 22, 2008, 12:32:23 PM
I think it's "Tibeto-Burman" (which would explain the "TB").  I couldn't find an image to embed, and I don't have the script enabled on my little box, here, so see if the graphic you posted matches anything in here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_script.

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zZzacha

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Reply #19 on: May 22, 2008, 12:59:48 PM
Hey, JC Hutchins had one too, he called it a rabbit hole and he's wondering what it is too.

It looks like some weird hieroglyphics, though I find the script in the seal much more interesting, because you can see some western letters in them [with some imagination]. Also, each time I see the red blob on the seal I think of a chicken. I know, what I say doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but neither do I.

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jrderego

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Reply #20 on: May 22, 2008, 01:07:32 PM
Hey, JC Hutchins had one too, he called it a rabbit hole and he's wondering what it is too.

It looks like some weird hieroglyphics, though I find the script in the seal much more interesting, because you can see some western letters in them [with some imagination]. Also, each time I see the red blob on the seal I think of a chicken. I know, what I say doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but neither do I.

I just emailed JC with news of mine and a link to this forum post... Weird, each of them is a little different??

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zZzacha

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Reply #21 on: May 22, 2008, 01:21:35 PM
I just emailed JC with news of mine and a link to this forum post... Weird, each of them is a little different??

Oo, I hadn't noticed the differences, interesting! Now I'm hooked. Wanna solve the puzzle!

If one of us dies, call Matlock (or Miss Marple...)!

We have it covered. I have Jack Bauer on speed dial, he's fast: within 24hrs, we know where you are. Also, we'll have saved the world from yet another disaster and killed a president. Hey, this may work out just fine altogether!

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Heradel

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Reply #22 on: May 22, 2008, 02:35:49 PM
Is this printed or hand-written?

Starting to smell like viral marketing to me.

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jrderego

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Reply #23 on: May 22, 2008, 02:40:22 PM
Is this printed or hand-written?

Starting to smell like viral marketing to me.

Printed

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sirana

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Reply #24 on: May 22, 2008, 02:45:18 PM
Since this went out to two authors, one of which is JC Hutchins, I'd say it is Scott Sigler's way of saying he is very happy about the success you two are having...

... and that you'll die a most horrible gruesome death soon ... VERY soon. ;D ;D ;D