I have just being doing a bit of blog admin, and clicked on one of the search engine items used to find my site.To my horror, it opened up in the Google browser, and my blog had been translated into a mangled mess of what might be construed as Brazilian Portuguese in some weird sci-fi movie featuring... Continue Reading →
SDL Trados Studio: Emma hits the mark, once again
Shortcuts in SDL Trados Studio: the basics. Apart from her characteristic clarity and precision, one of the things I like about Emma Goldsmith is that she shares her knowledge so liberally. Of course, this knowledge is available in the SDL Trados help files and videos on Youtube, but if you are allergic to those two... Continue Reading →
Shoes, and translation
Translators know the affliction only too well: the compulsion to edit, edit, edit. We edit even when we are not called upon to do so. If I am that mythical being we call "the average translator", then I can safely assume I am not alone in this affliction. Portuguese television has many programmes with English... Continue Reading →
Strategic Siestas
Eventually - about half way down the page, you will be able to read about my freelance translation summer survival plan. But first, the historical preamble: I am relatively new to the whole experience of the European summer. As a recent immigrant to Portugal from Zimbabwe, this is only my fifth one. Southern African seasons... Continue Reading →
Cork insertion, Chapel of the Souls
I am feeling a little odd about publicising the translation guest blog I wrote for Moira Monney of Johnson Language Solutions entitled, Passionate about getting things right*. on my own blog, but did not really want to click on the "Press This" icon.* *Note added: Effective from November 2014, or thereabouts, Moira decided to no... Continue Reading →
Pre-conference pondering
ProZ has held an annual international conference for translators since 2001. I have wanted to attend one of these events since 2001. This is the first time it has been a reasonable proposition. For a start, I live in the country in which the conference is taking place. By some incredibly fortuitous set of circumstances, I... Continue Reading →
Pencil in hand
There is something quintessentially civilised about sitting in a café. I love saying that because I love sitting in a café, and I love drinking coffee.I also love saying that, because anyone who might be tempted to think of something else quintessentially civilised is in danger of being thought uncivilised for doing so. Perhaps it was... Continue Reading →
Tablets and birthday cards
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 →
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 →
Bloody, bold, and resolute
No, no, no. I am not falling for this Writing Challenge: New Year's Resolutions (Doomapocalypse Redux). There will be no bucket list for 2013 here, although obviously I have got goals not achieved carried forward from 2012, and some entirely new ones I have recently thought up. I do not care about the apocalypse, whether it... Continue Reading →
That elusive pair of jeans 