After we had had coffee at the café nearby, a friend came to my apartment for the first time yesterday in what has been a series of serendipitous encounters. I had worked rapidly all morning to meet her at lunchtime. Just before I left I was frantically trying to find some itsy-bitsy little thing which falls... Continue Reading →
Every language pair
Given the recent punishing work schedule I imposed on myself, I may be forgiven for thinking that I was hallucinating, but this e-mail actually did arrive in my spam folder. I appreciate that it is very difficult to achieve perfection of expression in one's own language, let alone a second one. I am not knocking... Continue Reading →
Vine to Wine Circle – launch
The BETA version of the Vine to Wine Circle portal was launched today. This portal contains the entire contents of the Vine Atlas of Spain and Portugal as translated from the German in 2011, plus a substantial amount of additional material translated last year from the Portuguese. Click on the logo below to go to... Continue Reading →
Another “lost in translation” found
Lost In Translation. This is an interesting article from a reader's perspective. We translators will always do better to remember the audience for whom we are translating. Allison
They finally got me
"They" are the translation agency. How did they get me? Sneakily, if you ask me. They wait until I have done the following before requesting a scanned or faxed copy of "my degree": Purchased the most economical version of a CAT tool (as a prerequisite to working for them) about one year ago; Completed the... Continue Reading →
NAJIT – Interpreters, translators, and what you need to know
NAJIT Blog. Well, what you need to know if you live in the United States of America. Your own country probably does have a similar organisation who will be happy to provide you with the information you need. This is a long article. If you are not an interpreter or a translator, you will find... Continue Reading →
Friendily yours,
Let’s not kill all the translators… « Thoughts On Translation. Friendly is as friendly does. The drafting of letters, particularly diplomatic ones, is a serious matter. "Amicalement", left in the French, would have been a better choice, especially given the "Cher Barack" salutation, and the fact that unless you are a complete oddball, "Amicably" does... Continue Reading →
Vegetarian delights
Until I started learning Portuguese, I considered myself a good speller. Now, I sometimes have the odd doubt. So, I need to check these things, and normally do so online. I typed the word for vegetarian, spelled incorrectly as "vegeteriano", into a popular online bilingual resource. Beware spelling errors! Because even Goggle will tell you that... Continue Reading →
A&A confusion
In my world A&A is shorthand for all those jolly acronyms and abbreviations one has to straddle with elegance when translating. Time was I had the English and French A&As for all United Nations organizations, and their long versions down pat. Ditto arbitrary bits of German legislation. Green-eggs-and-ham style, I could say them standing on... Continue Reading →
Two minutes late
I really do like train trips. I already had my ticket. I prepared well the night before, and rose very early on the appointed day according to plan. So what possessed me to do a whole series of unimportant things at home so that I would arrive at the station two minutes late for my... Continue Reading →
That elusive pair of jeans 