“My chief aim is to make a poem. You make it for yourself firstly, and then if other people want to join in then there we are,” said R. S. Thomas. We’re half way through his centenary year: a Welsh…
between two Thomases: 100 years of R. S. and Dylan
Tagged with: A Welsh Landscape, A Welsh Testament, Do not go gentle into that good night, Dylan Thomas, Language, Literature, Poetry, R. S. Thomas, Swansea, Under Milk Wood, Wales, Welsh
Posted in language, literature, poetry
Posted in language, literature, poetry
selfie, bookshelfie
The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2013 is: Selfie (n. informal) a photograph taken of oneself and usually uploaded onto social media. From a short list which included bedroom tax (for UK speakers), binge-watch and twerk, selfie was the clear global…
Tagged with: Dictionaries, English language, Filipino, Finnish, Korean, Language, Oxford English Dictionary, Romanian, Selfie, Word of the year, words
Posted in language, Word of the Year 2013, words
Posted in language, Word of the Year 2013, words
twist your tongue around the world
Sometimes your tongue gets in a knot and the words just don’t come out. But if you can untangle it, you will sound fluent as never before. I tell first time visitors to Finland that they can find the lift…
Tagged with: English, Finnish, Hebrew, Language, Latin, Maori, Polish, pronunciation, Tongue-twister, Welsh
Posted in international, language, translation, words
Posted in international, language, translation, words
like two berries
Idioms are great. But they don’t always translate easily. Finnish idioms differ from English ones according to the culture. In the land of forests, you don’t stand around uselessly like a lemon, but sit like a mushroom (“istua kuin tatti”), and…
stories in translation: UK children’s book week 2013
In the UK it is Children’s Book Week from 7-11 October. How many of those books are translated from other languages? Not many, unfortunately. Here are my top 3 for 2013: One of my favourites as a young child was…
Tagged with: animals, Children's Book Week 2013, Children's literature, Estonian, French, Gunilla Wolde, Irish Gaelic, Lila Prap, Mrs Pepperpot, Oksa Pollock, Pippi Longstocking, Slovene, Sue Rose, Swedish, Welsh
Posted in Children's Book Week 2013, Illustration, international, language, literature, translation
Posted in Children's Book Week 2013, Illustration, international, language, literature, translation
international translation day: beyond linguistic barriers – a united world
It’s the 22nd International Translation Day today. The Congolese member of the Federation of Interpreters and Translators chose the theme “Beyond Linguistic Barriers – A United World,” because the work of TTIs (translators, terminologists and interpreters) breaks down global barriers in…
Tagged with: Bethlehem, Bible, Greek, Hebrew, International Translation Day, Jerome, Jerusalem, Language, Septuagint, Translation, Translators Without Borders, volunteer
Posted in international, language, NGOs, translation
Posted in international, language, NGOs, translation
translate for your life: Marcel Reich-Ranicki
Known as the “pope of literature” to Germans, and self-styled as “Germany’s literary hangman”, Marcel Reich-Ranicki was not an easy critic. He unapologetically followed Fontane’s maxim that “Schlecht ist schlecht und muß gesagt warden” (Erst leben, dann spielen. Über polnische Literatur. Wallstein 2002, p.183). His life was not easy,…
Tagged with: German, Ghetto, history, Holocaust Memorial Day, Jewish, Language, Literature, Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Polish, Translation, Warszawa
Posted in history, language, literature, translation
Posted in history, language, literature, translation
advice to sign writers
Dear sign writers: If you’ve got a tourist menu, translate ‘dodatki’ with care. If you’re programming a cash machine, don’t give your card holders existential angst. But if you have a park, or a café bookshop like Massolit Books, put up lots and…
found in translation 