10606 A new ITALY Forums administrator

Hello All,
just wanted to welcome Cristiana through the forums as well - she is already proving a great addition to our small office in Sicily and I am sure she will be a great addition to the forums both because of her knowledge of Italy and the ideas about the forums she will bring.

Welcome and good luck

Welcome cristiana.

I would love to hear your new ideas for the forums. No doubt you will have read some of the posts where the forums have been discussed and seen the ideas which members have suggested.

I too welcome Cristiana and look forward to reading her ideas for the Forum, which to me is pretty near perfect in format. There is an old English expression that an Italian girl might not know ...If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I wonder what the Italian is for "if it aint broke, don't fix it"? Would "non smuovere le acque" be the closest?

Does anyone know?

[quote]I wonder what the Italian is for "if it aint broke, don't fix it"? Would "non smuovere le acque" be the closest?[/quote]

You could try
"Non rompere le scatole!"...

Benvenuta Cristiana.- [IMG]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s41/ILive4ChristAndGod/Greetings/Welcome/Welcome-BlueSmiley.gif[/IMG]

Non mi rompere le scatole Carole! :bigergrin:

[quote=juliancoll;98693]Non mi rompere le scatole Carole! :bigergrin:[/quote]

Would I ever..... :notworthy:

[IMG]http://www.jeromeflynn.com/vb/images/smilies/rotfl1.gif[/IMG]

[quote=Noble;98638]I too welcome Cristiana and look forward to reading her ideas for the Forum, which to me is pretty near perfect in format. There is an old English expression that an Italian girl might not know ...If it ain't broke, don't fix it.[/quote]
I will take care about your message, Noble, also because, according to you, the Forums work already quite well. Then I won't put a mess in, of course. On the other hand, I'll propose new interesting threads to show you, Members, all things about Italy you don't know yet.

...as an Italian Woman, I didn't know that expression, but I thank you for giving me the input to search for its meaning..I'm thankful to Carole B and Juliancoll for their translations and I'll report also the results of my useful researches:
"it is a mistake to try to improve something that works"

and I leave you with a challenge:
"Provare per credere"
Try to translate this on now!:masked:

ps: it could be a good idea to create a thread about Italian idiomatic expressions and their translation in English, isn't it?:yes:

[quote=Nielo;98634]Welcome cristiana.

I would love to hear your new ideas for the forums. No doubt you will have read some of the posts where the forums have been discussed and seen the ideas which members have suggested.[/quote]
I'll take into consideration any suggestion and I'll try to satisfy all of them as long as they are useful to improve the Forums in a general way, not individually. I thank you in advance for every proposal you will make.

Cristiana

You could always breath new life into this old thread

[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/che-significa-italian-language-queries/6672-idioms.html[/url]

Does your challenge of ‘try to believe’ translate to the English ‘seeing is believing’ or ‘if you believe that you’ll believe anything’? :laughs:

Testing is believing??? Perhaps nearest to the saying....the proof of the pudding is in the eating?

Good idea Cristina .

Now that I've started to read Italian I often find it difficult if not impossible to translate some Italian idioms into English and I've certainly not dared to use any yet in case I make any embarassing pronounciation errors!!

My trying to translate English idioms into Italian has generally led to great hilarity!!I usually have to resort to mime .

Everyone gave interesting translations. The more similar to the Italian "Provare per credere" is: "Try to believe", but the one that I personally consider more colorful is: "the proof of the pudding is in the eating", that sounds more English.
Myabruzzohome, that's not a bad idea to refresh and deepen the thread already started by Italy Magazine in the following Forum category:
[url=http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/16/che-significa-italian-language-queries]Che significa? - Italian Language Queries - Italy Magazine Forums[/url], suggested by Nielo.
So it would be better to cover this topic there! I'm waiting for your questions!

In bocca al lupo!
Cristiana

Ciao Cristiana, :smile:
Welcome and I would say enjoy finding you way around the forum but you probably know it better than most, from the inside so to speak.
Look forward to your input.

A bit late - sorry... (story of my life [IMG]http://www.dieselstation.com/forums/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif[/IMG])

My interpretation of [I]'Provare per credere'[/I] would be
"Before you can believe you must try!".

I'm sure everyone is really pleased that you are aboard with us all Cristiana.

If only my written Italian was 10% as good as Cristiana's written English ...I am alread a tifosa!

Well, Cristiana, this is a slightly "unconventional" way to meet, eh?

I should firstly apologise for thinking you were just some ignorant twerp, when I responded to your very first private message to me. I should have spent more time researching who the devil you were first, shouldn't I?

Secondly, hello - buongiorno. You see, I don't know you well enough to say "ciao" and, as I live in the north of Italy, I don't tend to say "salve" either. I'm sure you will understand this.

You are entering into an interesting world where, mostly, Brits chatter to each other about all things Italian. You have already come across the attitude of some people when it come to misrepresenting their actul positions in (or out of) Italy - and the reasons thereof.

It can be a bit tedious at times separating the fiction of a supposed situation presented for all sorts of xenophobic reasons with the situation of reality. Living in sicilia, you are bound to have come across this yourself before now. However, in the absence of any sections of the forum where actual real, up-to-date information regarding the basic legalities of living in Italy are presented, it is down to some of us to keep (or try to) the misinformed apraised of the real situation.

You saw this in action earlier today (and yesterday) with the "guy" talking nonsense about his residenza. I might venture that I think you could have stepped in somewhat earlier with a constructive response, rather than wait untill "someone" annoyed you and you locked the thread - but I would say that, wouldn't I! :bigergrin:

So, tell us ... what and who are you? Do you live in sicilia all of the time? do you have any interests outside the cyber world that you might like to share? In other words, would you like to "flesh our" your personae a little to make yourself a little more "human". It doesn't need to be the truth, of course, just consistent.

Anyway, I've rompered you enough now, I think. Hello.

PS. Sorry about the English, but this is an English language forum, so... improve! :winki:

What does rompered mean?, I always though English was my first language but am now having my doubts, and did I miss something about PNs posts, he just seemed a frustrated guy who couldnt get his point across, but Nardidni your post is difficult to get for someone who is not an English speaker, separating the fiction from the reality is bad enough for me, how can Cristiana be expected to do it?bit of a baptism of fire.
Oh and hi Cristiana welcome to the forum!
A

Oh this is funny, googled for rompered, and after lots of stuff about debagging it came up with "torturing someone in front of an audience", not I am sure Nardidnis intention, maybe tongue in cheek, and thats another expression to get your head around!
A

[quote=Angie and Robert;99218]What does rompered mean?, I always though English was my first language but am now having my doubts, and did I miss something about PNs posts, he just seemed a frustrated guy who couldnt get his point across, but Nardidni your post is difficult to get for someone who is not an English speaker, separating the fiction from the reality is bad enough for me, how can Cristiana be expected to do it?bit of a baptism of fire.
Oh and hi Cristiana welcome to the forum!
A[/quote]Certo, Angie. Rompered is a joke anglicised rompere - che due palle, I hear you say! A variation of the famous "brocollino" form of English, of course, would be .. well, what would you call it? Englitano? No... too serious how about Padanglish? or even Palermish (I don't speak any sicilian I'm afraid, so can only guess - gabbito?). Baptisms are good, eh, Ronaldo? :bigergrin:

But A&R Nielo set down some very clear questions for Paul Newman to answer that Cristiana would have understood.
But the guy did not take up the opportunity to answer them, he seemed merely to be hot headed.

Take your point Noble but by that stage I think he was past caring, unless of course he was a sockpuppet (thanks Nardini you are improving my education no end! and now I also know how to make a real sockpuppet!) and was only there to stir everyone up?and we have been gulled?
A

[quote=Cristiana;98623]... I would also like to hear from you. What would you like to see happen over the next few months?....I hope to learn more about this community in the coming weeks and be able to contribute in making the forums an even better place to discuss Italy.[/quote]So, Cristiana. You asked for comments (I commented not long ago on the 2008 thread in vain though) so here is one.

How about you engage with the forums and respond to messages? I don't mean one-liners as I have seen already, I mean real, proper replies. Hmmmm?

And, yes, I appreciate that your English is not madre lingua, but it will improve if you wish and there are many people here that would be more than happy to explain something should you not understand. I would add that I appreciate it is going to be difficult sometimes to understand the full meaning of some words and expressions - as you have already noted with the meaning of some Italian expression.

Cin.

[quote=Nardini;99239]So, Cristiana. You asked for comments (I commented not long ago on the 2008 thread in vain though) so here is one.

How about you engage with the forums and respond to messages? I don't mean one-liners as I have seen already, I mean real, proper replies. Hmmmm?

And, yes, I appreciate that your English is not madre lingua, but it will improve if you wish and there are many people here that would be more than happy to explain something should you not understand. I would add that I appreciate it is going to be difficult sometimes to understand the full meaning of some words and expressions - as you have already noted with the meaning of some Italian expression.

Cin.[/quote]

I agree here about responding to messages - or not responding as the case may be.

I can only see shades of our returning to 'times past' when to expect a response from Admin or Moderation was often a futile excercise... PLEASE tell me we aren't going back to [I]that[/I] scenario?

I posted a perfectly respectful question regarding actions earlier today, on what is, after all, the [I][U]correct[/U][/I] thread for such questions and as yet have not even had the courtesy of an acknowledgement, let alone a reply. Others have posed questions too - to no avail...

I can accept that Cristiana may be a bit nonplussed by British terminologly let alone the wierd, wonderful and totally 'un Latin' British sense of humour. But she has a job on a British site about Italy - wasn't all that to be expected?

Just one (kindly) word of avice for Cristiana, from someone who cannot abide unkindness, the longer you bury your head in the sand and avoid answering the questions being asked here - the worse it will be!

We're [I][U]not[/U][/I] ogres - just concerned members who feel we are owed an explanation.

There is a wonderful English saying which sums up this situation perfectly. It is :

'Being treated like mushrooms'

Because mushrooms are kept in the dark and fed on manure.

I am a member of other forums, which are run on a voluntary basis. Their administrators are NOT paid but do the job out of good will. If you ask a question you will get a reasonably prompt response.

If people who run forums in their spare time manage to keep their members informed and respond to queries promptly, why can’t people who are paid to do the job?:veryconfused:

There is also many other English expressions/sayings which sum up the situation perfectly - "dogs with bones" and "spoiling for a fight" are just two that "spring to mind".

What does it matter if there is no reply yet? Give the woman a chance. :yes:

Yes I agree. If I remember rightly, Ronald too often took a wee while to get back on issues.

I take your point Julian but several chances have already been missed, the most opportune one was at the closing of the thread.

Could it be Nielo she was at a meeting or is only part time???

[quote=Sally Donaldson;99310]Could it be Nielo she was at a meeting or is only part time???[/quote]

Well Sally that may be true but she was certainly there when she closed the thread and could have given an explanation then couldn’t she?

[quote=Nielo;99309]I take your point Julian but several chances have already been missed, the most opportune one was at the closing of the thread.[/quote]

And I take your point also Nielo - but the thread was worthless at best and possibly a wind up - so what does it matter? I don't see Paul Newman coming back to complain - not unless reincarnation really is on the cards. :bigergrin:

of how it might feel to be a new moderator here... [IMG]http://www.barnelms.com/vultures_circling.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.barnelms.com/Sheep.jpg[/IMG]

You Members, that are always on the Forum -actually longer than me - noticed that the only "Grazie" I put was for Juliancoll, and I didn't that because it was in favour of me, but for the unique reason he was the One giving me a "chance".
You got the reason, Sally, saying I work on a part time and I give all my attentions to the Forum during my hours dedicated to it. So this is the reason why I reply only now, and with this,I think I'm answering to all wondering about my long silence.

The reason I closed that tread? I'll give you it and I beg you pardon if maybe my English will be TOO formal.

Firstly, I report you another important part of the House's Rules that some seem to have forgotten. So please read it carefully and act consequently at the re-opening of the thread.
"No flaming or trolling. Flaming means posting something that's angry and mean-spirited - the online equivalent of flying off the handle. It's not a pretty sight, and we recommend constructive discussion as a far more satisfying pastime. Trolls say deliberately provocative things just to stir up trouble - it's not polite, so please don't do it. the Italy Magazine Forums is an incredibly friendly place, so please help to keep it that way."

Paul Newman started the thread with his personal negative experience in Italy. Someone gave useful advices and opinions. On the other hand, If we don't agree with him, there are many good ways to say it instead of asking him repetitively what was his problem. It started with Charles Phillips's post which asked what was the "reg doc" - that were clearly explained in the Paul Newman's post - going after i read an unpleasant way to interact with someone who had a problem. If you have another point of view about Italy and have different and more positive experiences in this country just talk about this, please.The result was a series of annoying comments that provoked a vexatious atmosphere, and I don't found it friendly at all.

If you have another point of view about Italy and have different and more positive experiences in this country just talk about this, please.
You will answer me: "you too, haven't been friendly closing the thread without any explanations"..and I won't do it again in the future, but I hope also to find more constructive comments.
Thanks for the attentions
Waiting for your bombing questions.
Cristiana

Cristiana. If you don't mind my saying, I think it was you that "flew off the handle" and jumped to conclusions about many people asking paulnewman to clarify exactly what he meant by his "regdocs". You should know by now that we (EU) stranieri do not need to have any documents other than our codice fiscale to get work here in Italy - unless we are self-employed.

Please tell me that you do know this.

Might I also suggest that you move this thread to the Circolo, so that it vanishes from the radar of the non-members (and Google)?

You Members, that are always on the Forum -actually longer than me - noticed that the only "Grazie" I put was for Juliancoll, and I didn't that because it was in favour of me, but for the unique reason he was the One giving me a "chance".
You got the reason, Sally, saying I work on a part time and I give all my attentions to the Forum during my hours dedicated to it. So this is the reason why I reply only now, and with this,I think I'm answering to all wondering about my long silence.

The reason I closed that tread? I'll give you it and I beg you pardon if maybe my English will be TOO formal and unusual in a Forum..

Firstly, I report you another important part of the House's Rules that some seem to have forgotten. So please read it carefully and act consequently at the re-opening of the thread.
"No flaming or trolling. Flaming means posting something that's angry and mean-spirited - the online equivalent of flying off the handle. It's not a pretty sight, and we recommend constructive discussion as a far more satisfying pastime. Trolls say deliberately provocative things just to stir up trouble - it's not polite, so please don't do it. the Italy Magazine Forums is an incredibly friendly place, so please help to keep it that way."

Secondly, this is my point of view:

[LIST]
[*]Paul Newman started the thread with his personal negative experience in Italy. Someone gave their advices and opinions and I appreciated it, Carole B.
[*]At a certain point, Charles Phillips asked what were that "reg doc" - that were clearly explained in the Paul Newman's post. Going after I read an unpleasant way to interact with someone who had a problem. If you have another point of view about Italy and have different and more positive experiences in this country just talk about this, please.The result was a series of annoying comments that provoked a vexatious atmosphere, and I don't found it friendly at all.
[*]The last "amusing reported news by Ansa" made by Nardini, wasn't at all amusing to me and what is more I find it cheeky humor.
[/LIST]
If we don't agree with someone's opinions there are many good ways to say it instead of asking him repetitively what is his problem.

Plus, according to me and as somebody rightly said, the only one who should complain about my decision is Paul Newman, whose on the contrary didn't give any opinion. Maybe he has a lot of more interesting things to do at the moment.

To conclude, I would be glad to hear about your point of view (about Italy in this case) and about your different and more positive experiences in this country, please.
You will answer me: "you too, haven't been friendly closing the thread without any explanations"..and I won't do it again in the future, but I hope also to find more constructive comments. I'll change my behavior hoping some of you, will too.
Thanks for the attentions
Waiting for your bombing questions.
Cristiana

[quote=Cristiana;99328]Paul Newman started the thread with his personal negative experience in Italy. Someone gave useful advices and opinions. On the other hand, If we don't agree with him, there are many good ways to say it instead of asking him repetitively what was his problem. It started with Charles Phillips's post which asked what was the "reg doc" - that were clearly explained in the Paul Newman's post - going after i read an unpleasant way to interact with someone who had a problem. If you have another point of view about Italy and have different and more positive experiences in this country just talk about this, please.The result was a series of annoying comments that provoked a vexatious atmosphere, and I don't found it friendly at all.

[/quote]

I'm sorry, but if we didn't ask him 'what his problem was', how could we answer it with any sense? If you were clever enough to have worked out what it was he hadn't got, why didn't you tell him? Only post 9 was useful (and that was because the poster had jumped to a correct assumption by pure good fortune, NOT by any information supplied by paulnewman).

I would like you to apologise for using my name in this context.

OK. I will present my point again, Cristiana.

paulnewman presented a ficticious claim about a mythical experience in Italy. Most people would call his posting "trolling". I say that because, here in Italy, a citizen of any of the EU member states does not need to have any documenti - or regdocs - in order to get a job - other than a codice fiscale, of course. This situation has been the case for over 2 years now, in fact.

To present a situation, as paulnewman did, whereby he was claiming that he had been denied a job because he didn't have his "regdocs" was misleading in the extreme and not a truthful situation.

We (including, if you read the thread, myself) tried to get paulnewman to explain himself in a way that might coincide with the possible facts. He did not. He became more and more abusive on thread - although not so in private messages.

My posting of something light and (for some) humorous was simply to move on from the nonsensical trolling. Ha capito?

Strange. The missing post now reappears...

I'm glad to hear from you, Nardini.
I don't think he presented a ficticious claim, just he haven't any idea of how to behave in that situation.
Actually I don't know if it is so easy and fast to get a Codice Fiscale if you aren't an Italian Citizen, but if you had that experience, it would be nice to report it.
You and others gave me the impression of having fun of him, am I wrong?

[quote=Cristiana;99328]You Members, that are always on the Forum -actually longer than me - noticed that the only "Grazie" I put was for Juliancoll, and I didn't that because it was in favour of me, but for the unique reason he was the One [B]giving me a "chance".
You got the reason, Sally, saying I work on a part time and I give all my attentions to the Forum during my hours dedicated to it. So this is the reason why I reply only now, and with this,I think I'm answering to all wondering about my long silence.

The reason I closed that tread? I'll give you it and I beg you pardon if maybe my English will be TOO formal.

[COLOR="Red"]Firstly, I report you another important part of the House's Rules that some seem to have forgotten. So please read it carefully and act consequently at the re-opening of the thread.
"No flaming or trolling. Flaming means posting something that's angry and mean-spirited - the online equivalent of flying off the handle. It's not a pretty sight, and we recommend constructive discussion as a far more satisfying pastime. Trolls say deliberately provocative things just to stir up trouble - it's not polite, so please don't do it. the Italy Magazine Forums is an incredibly friendly place, so please help to keep it that way."[/COLOR]

Paul Newman started the thread with his personal negative experience in Italy. Someone gave useful advices and opinions. On the other hand, If we don't agree with him, there are many good ways to say it instead of asking him repetitively what was his problem. It started with Charles Phillips's post which asked what was the "reg doc" - that were clearly explained in the Paul Newman's post - going after i read an unpleasant way to interact with someone who had a problem. If you have another point of view about Italy and have different and more positive experiences in this country just talk about this, please.The result was a series of annoying comments that provoked a vexatious atmosphere, and I don't found it friendly at all.

If you have another point of view about Italy and have different and more positive experiences in this country just talk about this, please.
You will answer me: "you too, haven't been friendly closing the thread without any explanations"..and I won't do it again in the future, but I hope also to find more constructive comments.
Thanks for the attentions
Waiting for your bombing questions.
Cristiana[/quote]

Thank you for your explanation Cristiana and the reason for it being so long in coming. Maybe if we had know a little more about you beforehand '[I]that[/I]' particular point may not have arisen.

But referring to your point above (highlighted in red), NO I [I]hadn't[/I] missed that point. How could I - it is the sentence before the ones I quoted? I chose not to include it because I didn't think that what happened constituted 'trolling'. However - each to his own opinion. BUT - having said that, you clearly did consider it was, and if it was then THAT would come under exactly the same rules/guidelines/admin actions laid out just a few lines later.

If you felt 'trolling' was going on, then surely a quick "calm down" to the perpetrator(s) 'in public' and 'on the board' would/could have solved the problem. Surely THAT s the role of a good Moderator - timely and effective intervention!!!

[quote=Cristiana;99339]I'm glad to hear from you, Nardini.
I don't think he presented a ficticious claim, just he haven't any idea of how to behave in that situation.
Actually I don't know if it is so easy and fast to get a Codice Fiscale if you aren't an Italian Citizen, but if you had that experience, it would be nice to report it.
You and others gave me the impression of having fun of him, am I wrong?[/quote]
Perhaps this is a classic reason for there being a section on this forum for facts, as Ronald proposed a year ago.

It is very easy to get a codice fiscale as a non-citizen. In fact, you can even get one whilst you are in the UK if you pop in to the Italian Embassy. The only thing that you need to show to get your codice fiscale is your passport - which every UK citizen will have in order to leave the shores of the UK.

In fact, it is no more difficult to get your P.IVA if you are planning on self-employment. You just need to ask a commercialista to give you a number - much, much easier than it is in the UK, I assure you.

Residency is something else. The fact that paulnewman had already overstayed the permitted 3 month (he stated he had been in Italy 4 months) period was a further pointer to the veracity of his story. There were a great many "holes" in "his" story, Cristiana.

I appreciate that you don't like my "blunt" style - in fact, there are several that don't. Put it down to age, if you like.

I would, however, suggest that when it comes to issues for which there are clear-cut answers, you do a spot of research before deciding who is trolling whom.

And, no Cristiana, I wasn't having "fun". I don't think anyone else was either - apart from paulnewman, that is.

Buona fortuna!

What "missing post" are you talking about?

[quote=Cristiana;99345]What "missing post" are you talking about?[/quote]
The post immediately above the "missing post" post. It vanished completely for quite a few minutes before reappearing again. As I am unable to actually delete a post (quite rightly) without leaving breadcrumbs behind, I could only edit to say the reason.

Feel free to delete it entirely if you want - and this one too.

:smile:

buon pisolino!

If you aren't new to the Forum, you know that you can use PRIIVATE messages for such comments..

[quote=Cristiana;99349]If you aren't new to the Forum, you know that you can use PRIIVATE messages for such comments..[/quote]
Oh cristiana!

The post was edited by me as, otherwise, it would have appeared rather stupid and pointless. When one wishes to delete a post here, it does not just vanish - it stays behind. Hence the existence of it and the explanatory comment. If I had wanted to send you another PM, I would have. Unfortunately, the post already existed. Ha capito ora?

ETA:
In fact, Cristiana, I would point out that personal comments from yourself directed at other posters should, properly, be sent by PRIVATE message, rather than unnecessarily presenting the rude side of yourself. As I keep saying, your problems in English are no excuse for some of your comments - especially as there is so much help you could draw on here, if you wished.

Now, lunch...

Does anyone know the Italian for "witch hunt"? :wideeyed:

Its "caccia alle streghe" J&C.
A

[quote=Angie and Robert;99365]Its "caccia alle streghe" J&C.
A[/quote]

Well, I never knew that Ang! Il capro espiatorio che il destino ha fatto di Cristiana eh? :bigergrin: