Thread: Can anyone help please

I have a new website that I am doing as a hobby which offers dual language texts with audio to help Spanish and English language learners. On the website I ask for volunteers to send me audio files of them reading these texts, so that I can add them to the pages. Language learners then have the opportunity of reading and listening to a variety of Native speakers.

I am learning Spanish myself, so my translations into Spanish are full of faults and I am hoping that some of you will be kind enough to help me out by correcting my errors.

I can´t put the url here, as that is against the forum rules, but I have been given permission to post some text and approach anyone via pm who may be interested in helping.

Below is an example of one of the short stories. Please correct this one, and if you are willing to help out of more let me know so that I can give you the web address.

The Haircut

Ben looked in the bathroom mirror and saw that it was time for a haircut. He only had a tuft of hair on the top of his head, and his hair was thinning, but he still had plenty of hair on the sides and back. His hair used to be dark brown, but was now a mixture of gray and dark brown hair. He never let his hair grow for more than two weeks or it looked a mess.

He spread a newspaper over the bathroom sink so that no hair went down the drain. He plugged in the clippers and started to cut his hair. He started at the back of his head, went to the sides, and finished on the top. Every minute or so, he had to clean the hair out of the blades with an old toothbrush.

When he had finished, he picked up a hand mirror to see the back of his head. Everything looked okay. He carried the newspaper back out to the kitchen and shook the hair clippings into the trash can.

Then he took a shower.


El Corte de Pelo

Ben se miró en el espejo y vio que necesitaba un corte de pelo. Sólo tenía un mechón de pelo arriba de su cabeza, y su pelo era clara, pero aún había mucho pelo en los lados y atrás. Su pelo era de color marrón oscuro, pero ahora era una mezcla de gris y marrón oscuro cabello. Nunca deje que su cabello crezca más de dos semanas o parecía un lío.

Puso un periódico en el lavamanos para que el cabello no fue por el desagüe. Enchufó la maquinilla,y comenzó a cortarse el pelo. Comenzó con la parte de atrás, hizo los lados, y terminó con la parte de arriba. Cada minuto, tuvo que limpiar la maquinilla con un cepillo de dientes viejo.

Cuando había terminado, levantó un espejo pequeño para ver la parte de atrás de su cabeza. Todo parecía bien. Llevó el periódico a la cocina, y puso el pelo cortado en el cubo.

Luego tomó una ducha.

Me encantaria colaborar. Aqui esta mi intento.

El corte de pelo
Ben se miró en el espejo y vio que necesitaba un corte de pelo. Sólo tenía un mechón de pelo arriba de su cabeza, y estaba debilitado pero aún tenía mucho pelo en los lados y atrás. Su pelo fue de color marrón oscuro, pero ahora era una mezcla de gris y marrón oscuro. El nunca dejó crecer su cabello por más de dos semanas o lucía un lío.

Extendió un periódico en el lavamanos para que el cabello no se fuera por el desagüe. Enchufó la maquinilla,y comenzó a cortarse el pelo. Comenzó en la parte de atrás, fue a los lados, y terminó con la parte de arriba. Cada minuto, tenia que limpiar la maquinilla con un cepillo de dientes viejo.

Cuando había terminado, levantó un espejo pequeño para ver la parte de atrás de su cabeza. Todo parecía bien. Llevó el periódico a la cocina, y sacudió la maquinilla en el cubo de la basura.

Luego tomó una ducha.

Thank you very much phrisma, that is great. I am pleased to see that I didn´t do as bad as I thought with my attempt.

I will edit it on the website today. I´m busy trying to find Spanish reader volunteers to read out the Spanish sides of the texts - I am getting some recordings of an Irish lady next week which should be interesting for the English language learners

I will pm you the website address so that you can see. Perhaps you might consider correcting some others I have done on the site if you have some time to spare? I only need the short stories & jokes corrected, as the phrases and vocabulary I can do, and the articles with audio, which I have been given permission to use by the United Nations radio, will already be correct for Latin American Spanish.

I am happy to add your name with a website link to my ´volunteers´ page, saying which texts you corrected for me. Let me know if you would like this.

Jan