Languages and sport: brush up your vocabulary for marathon season
Sunday, 10th January 2010
Marathons take place all-year round, all over the world. The springtime is one of the periods when a lot take place, though.
The ‘Big 5’ are generally considered to be Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York and London, where up to 40,000 runners enter each year. Most major cities around the world hold their own annual marathon though, and some of the most popular in Europe include Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Venice and Amsterdam.
Marathons are certainly not for everyone (definitely not for me!), but visiting a city when it is hosting a marathon can be a great time to do so.
You need to be sure to book up in advance, as hotels and the like get filled up very quickly, but there tends to be a real buzz in the atmosphere, and there are often events organized to entertain the runners and their friends and family before and after the run.
Marathons attract runners from all over the world too, so there is usually a very cosmopolitan vibe.
Here are some useful phrases, in case you find yourself in a foreign-speaking country watching a marathon, or you need to help out foreign runners taking part in an event in your country!
English
On your marks, get ready, go!
to run
a mile
the start
the finish
to train
trainers
to register/enroll
achievement
a charity (charitable organization)
French
A vos marques ! Prêts ! Partez !
courir
un mile
la ligne d’arrivée
la ligne de départ
entraîner
les baskets
s’inscrire
la réussite
l’ œuvre de bien faisance
Italian
Ai vostri posti, pronti, via!
correre
un miglio
l’ inizio
l’ arrivo
allenare
le scarpe da ginnastica
iscriversi
il successo
l’associazione di beneficenza
Spanish
Preparados, listos… Ya!”
correr
una milla
la salida
la llegada / meta
entrenar
las zapatillas de deporte
inscribirse
el logro
l’organización benéfica
German
Auf die Plätze, fertig, los!
laufen
die Meile
der Start
das Ziel
trainieren
die Laufschuhe
sich anmelden zu
die Leistung
die wohltätige Organisation
Tags: phrases, new york, london, italian, german, french, spanish, english
Posted by Laura Lippert 2010-01 under Anecdotes, Vocabulary,
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