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There's Something About Translation...
Introduction to OmegaT and BiText2TMX: free and open-source translation tools
Two quick screencasts with my take on OmegaT, a translation environment, and BiText2TMX, an alignment tool. Both are cross-platform, multilingual, free and open source. OmegaT (4 mins 57 sec) Note: a newer, slicker-looking version has been released since this screencast was made. This new version automates some of the steps I cover...
Getting paid across borders: multi-currency banking for freelance translators
When it comes to accepting payments from overseas, I’ve learned the hard way that there is no single answer as to what works best. It all depends on a range of factors, such as: the country in which you live the country or countries in which you hold bank accounts the facilities available...
I don’t normally like to use my blog as a platform to criticise others. But today I’m making an exception. [edit 30 October 2009: Scroll to the end for an update] There are many reasons why I have a blog, and gaining a good, strong Google ranking is just one of them....
5 Qs with Amy Williams, French and Italian to English translator
Amy Williams is a freelance translator working from French and Italian into English, and a director of Eggplant Translations. She specialises in marketing and advertising, and the arts, media and music in particular. In the early stages of my freelance career, Amy was kind enough to give me some great...
Building a Strong Online Presence
Hello to translators and interpreters surfing by following my recent Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) webinar. I intend to blog about this in more detail later this week, but until then, here are some resources you might find useful: A series of short videos introducing Twitter. Some 5 minute videos on how...
5Qs with Andrew Bell, AAA Scandinavian Translations
After working as a nurse in several countries, Andrew Bell set up AAA Scandinavian Translations in 2001 and now specialises in medical/pharmaceutical translation services. He also runs the popular translator-networking site Watercooler. Here Andrew tells us about how he became a translator, and offers a wealth of advice for new...
Polish Blog
Conversations with Poles – What Not to Mention
One thing that becomes immediately apparent from Adam’s post is that an unprepared foreigner should avoid talking politics with a Pole whenever possible, because the experience may turn out to be less than pleasant. But don’t worry, even if you get two Poles discussing politics, chances are the conversation may...
Today we have another guest post from Adam. And brace yourselves, it’s about polityka – politics. Before I started writing for Polish Blog, Anna instructed me to never ever mention politics in my posts. I understand how this topic might be problematic and even uncomfortable. People have different views, and we...
Documentary Film About Wisława Szymborska
Have you heard about his new documentary about Wisława Szymborska? I haven’t had a chance to watch it, so I can’t give you a proper review, but from what I’m hearing and reading about it, it certainly sounds very interesting. It’s titled - “Sometimes Life is Bearable”, directed by Katarzyna...
I was writing something yesterday, in Polish, as it happens, and I almost had a nervous breakdown. Why? Plural forms of “number + noun” combinations are enough to drive anyone insane, even a native Pole. And it all looked so simple! I was talking about body parts, more specifically, those body...
Today Adam continues his very fascinating story of the emergence of “cool” in Poland in the 00s. Today we will follow up on being cool and the language of youth in the noughties. It was apparent from episode one, that fashions in this country do change quite rapidly. A new word...
Another totally awesome post by our resident guest blogger - Adam. We will get back to being cool in Poland in my next post. This time, inspired by the adventures of some newbies to Poland, I would like to tackle the issue of being polite. The rules on how you behave vary...
Becoming a Better EFL Teacher
Teaching English as a Foreign Language with Social Responsibility
Teaching English as a Foreign Language Are you conserving and recycling water? As EFL, ESL or foreign language teaching professionals we ultimately have a responsibility to our learners, our adopted communities and ourselves as a form of social responsibility. We can quite easily, quickly and responsibly incorporate global, regional and...
How to Play Chicken with Waves that Can Kill You
How to Play Chicken with Pacific Ocean Waves that Can Kill YouMonday Jurubida, Choco Playing Chicken with Pacific Ocean Waves For awhile I watched from the beach as Doris played “chicken” with the waves. When there was a lull in the heavy waves, I slipped out of my cap, shoes...
Teach English in Colombia: They Accidently Got Out
A Jurubida, Colombia Salt Water Fishing Day The Still Sleeping Fishing Village of JurubidaDawn broke about 530 am. For the first time in days, it wasn’t pouring rain, unusual for the Choco, the wettest region in the world. Instead a lazy pink glow began growing in the eastern sky...
How to Refresh and Revitalize Yourself in a Thermal Bath
Paipa Thermal Mineral Water Therapeutic Center Healing Treatments from Hot Spring Mineral Waters My shoulder was still killing me. After weeks of therapy sessions with a physical therapist, and injections by a sports medicine specialist physician, my left rotator cuff was still bothering me. My wife Doris strained a muscle...
Which Foreign Language Should Your Child Learn?
Children NOT Encouraged to Acquire a Foreign LanguageWhile nearly a third of UK parents do not actively encourage their children to acquire a second or foreign language according to a study by the National Centre for Languages (CILT), foreign language learning should be encouraged and developed to a much higher...
Using Sherlock Holmes to Teach English as a Foreign Language
Who is Sherlock Holmes? Who is it that smokes a pipe, uses heroin and has powers of deduction unrivaled by anyone else in the world (among other things)? Why the great fictional detective Sherlock Holmes of course. With the new film of the same name now in theaters worldwide,...
Brave New Words
I like information on how to learn various languages, so here is an article with resources for learning Chinese....
Time for another round-up of interesting articles:The first one is on one of the oldest dialects dying out.Next is an article on Open Letter Books, which publishes translations.The third is a discussion of European literature.Then a piece on the professionalization of translators.Finally, an article on the global novel....
I thought I would also tell you about the Stephen Spender Competition. For this competition, you are to “translate a poem from any language, classical or modern, into English,” and there are three categories for entries: “open, 18-and-under and 14-and-under.”...
Here are a couple of interesting job announcements.1. TWO LINES SENIOR EDITOR & LITERARY PROGRAMS MANAGER The Center for the Art of Translation is a San Francisco-based non profit promoting international literature and translation through programs in publishing, education, and public events. The Center is currently seeking an...
In the last post, I discussed Translation in Practice, edited by Gill Paul and published by Dalkey Archive Press. The book offered two new metaphors, one for translation and one for editing.Mahmoud Darwish is quoted giving another metaphor of translation: “The translator is not a ferryman for the meaning of...
The Relationship between Translators and Editors
The title of the new book Translation in Practice, edited by Gill Paul and published by Dalkey Archive Press, is a misnomer. It is a very short (70 pages) book that seems – judging by the title and some of the topics mentioned – to want to be an introduction...
separated by a common language
Separated by a Common Twitter: competition results!
Thanks to Twitter-followers who re-tweeted to me their nominations for 'most impenetrable to cross-ponder' tweet. We have a winner, Transblawg (Margaret Marks) who sent two--one that I declare the winner, and one that I declare a runner-up. First, the winner (I'm deleting the identities of the original tweeters, since they...
Separated by a Common Twitter competition
I've just announced (in several <140 character parts) a competition over on the Twitter feed. Here's what I tweeted (with added linkage for you blog-based readers): ----------------- Competition: RT to me a tweet (not by u) that is (unintentionally) so full of Americanisms or Briticisms that it would flummox a UKer/USer. The prize:...
From: Thanks! ...
Tim L wrote (a long time ago) to ask about nimrod: Have you stumbled across the difference in meanings of the word "nimrod" in American and other Englishes? It was a surprise to me to learn that it meant something other than dimwit, and a bigger surprise to learn that it...
Here's a guest post from my lovely friend, psychologist Julie Coultas, who's been seen on this blog before in the guise of 'Maverick'. I hope you enjoy it too! Vive la différence! As a research psychologist, I welcome the difference between BrE and AmE. Here is one of the reasons...
I've settled into Twitter by attempting a "Difference of the Day" each day, as well as passing on other (BrE) titbits/(AmE) tidbits of possible dialectal and cross-cultural interest. There's only so much you can do in 140 characters, so most of the "differences" are over-simplified, as my Twitter followers and...
A Way with Words
Jan Freeman, Write it Right - 4 March 2010
Write it Right One hundred years ago, American journalist and satirist Ambrose Bierce published a curmudgeonly book of writing advice called Write It Right: A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults. ...
Sufficiently Suffonsified - 1 March 2010
What's in a pet's name? Martha and Grant swap stories about how they came up with names for their dogs. Also this week: Have you ever been called a 'stump-jumper'? How about a snicklefritz? And what's the last word in the dictionary? Depending on which dictionary you consult, it might...
Spendthrift Snollygosters - 22 Feb. 2010
This week, it's the language of politics. Martha and Grant discuss two handy terms describing politicians: "far center" and "snollygoster." Also, a presidential word puzzle, "false friends," "spendthrifts," and a long list of "17th-century insults." So listen up, all you "flouting milksops," "blockish grutnols," and "slubberdegullions"! ...
The Language of Less Than Three - 15 Feb. 2010
Whoever wrote "The Book of Love" neglected to include the handy emoticon <3, which looks like a heart if you turn your head sideways. Grant and Martha talk about how that bit of affectionate shorthand can function as a verb, and about the antiquated words for kiss, "osculate" and "exosculate." ...
The Thought Plickens - 8 Feb. 2010
If you're inappropriately focused on the minutiae of a project instead of the bigger picture, you're said to be 'bike-shedding.' Grant talks about that modern slang term and Martha discusses a word that goes way back in time, right back to 'In the beginning,' in fact. The word is 'tohubohu,'...
For the final word on grammar, many writers turn to the Associated Press Stylebook http://www.apstylebook.com/. But if you find that stylebook too stuffy, you'll love 'Fake AP Stylebook' http://twitter.com/fakeapstylebook, the online send-up that features such sage journalistic advice 'The plural of apostrophe is 'apostrophe's.'' Grant and Martha share some favorite...
Mission to Learn
Collaboration and Learning – What Are Your Examples?
A while back Karen Schweitzer did a guest post here titled 15 Free Online Collaboration Tools and Apps. Karen is skilled at writing popular posts, but even so, I have been surprised at how much traffic this one has attracted. Apparently people are hungry for free online collaboration tools. Meanwhile, on...
[tweetmeme] I had already planned to write a post about “curators” today when I noticed that Jeff De Cagna has posted about the “content challenge” over on SmartBlog. He sees “content curation” as one of the most significant innovation opportunities available to organizations. We’re in agreement on that and have...
Earlier this week I pushed “Send” on a new edition of the Learning Monitor, my twice-quarterly round-up of learning links, news and insights. To get this most recent edition, simply subscribe, confirm, and it will be automatically sent to your inbox. Here’s what one reader wrote in after reading the latest...
7 Secrets of a 9 Billion Dollar Industry
Want to know how to change your life, achieve pretty much anything, and make yourself rich to boot? There is a huge “self help” industry out there eager to help you do it. I bump up against this world frequently when researching and writing about lifelong learning, and I have...
Now Is The Time To Take Back Your Time
That giant sucking sound you hear is your time going down the Internet drain as you check your e-mail for the twentieth time today. (Round about noon or so.) Sure, there’s Twitter. There’s Facebook. There’s all the general Web grazin’ you can do on any given day. But for me –...
7 Learning Lessons from a Toddler
A while back I was on the phone with a former client to whom I had not talked since my son was born. “I know you probably wouldn’t want to think about it this way,” she said, “but it must be like having a little learning laboratory in your home.” True...
Inglês na Ponta da Língua
Como é que se diz "contar vantagens" em inglês?
Adquira ebooks e ganhe o material "Speak English Like an American" [com arquivos de áudio]. CLIQUE AQUI PARA SABER MAIS. Você por um acaso tem uma amigo [ou vários] que adoram 'contar vantagens'? Em português também dizemos 'arrotar grandezas', 'comer feijão e arrotar frango', 'gabar-se', 'contar gabarolas', 'vangloriar-se' e coisas...
Texto em Inglês para Iniciantes: Identificando Chunks
Aos que não acompanham este blog há muito tempo, recomendo que leia também os seguintes posts:Texto para Iniciantes com AtividadesTexto em Inglês para Iniciantes [Dicas para Professores]Chunks of Language: como identificá-losDesenvolva sua Habilidade de NoticingHow about Organizing a Lexical Notebook? [em inglês]Recomendo a leitura porque abaixo darei dicas de chunks...
O que significa 'put on airs'?
A promoção para ganhar o eBook 'Speak English Like an American' [com áudio contendo expressões idiomáticas, phrasal verbs, etc] continuavalendo. Para saber mais leia o post "Adquira 03 eBooks e Adquira Material Bônus".'Put on airs' é uma expressão em inglês que equivale a dizer algo como...
Escolas de Inglês e a Venda de Livros
Este post é mais um daqueles que pode irritar muita gente. Porém, como o objetivo deste blog não é só dar dicas de inglês, mas também de alertar os consumidores, então vamos que vamos! O assunto é delicado. Porém, eu só decidi comentar sobre ele, pois o alerta foi feito...
Desculpem-me mas hoje é dia de festa para mim! Afinal, 01 de março é o meu dia! Desta forma, sem dicas de inglês hoje! Mas tem novidade!Os ebooks agora podem ser pagos via PayPal, um pedido feito por muitos leitores que utilizam esta forma de pagamento. Para isto é...
eBooks para melhorar o seu inglês
Muitas pessoas estão perguntando se os eBooks ainda continuam à venda. Então hoje decidi colocar aqui os dados para aquisição. Lembrando que comprando três eBooks você ganha o eBook "Speak English Like an American" [pdf mais áudio].Os eBooks são: Estudar Sozinho!? Como!? De que jeito!? [R$10,00]Phrasal Verbs!? Como!? De que...
Rikker's Blogs
โรงเรียนวันอาทิตย์ สเตคกรุงเทพฯ
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A test blog....
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Thoughts on Thai language, media, and culture....
Thoughts On Translation
Some thoughts on business cards
Despite the explosion in online and offline marketing techniques, the lowly business card remains one of the most cost-effective and widely used marketing materials in a freelance translator’s arsenal. Small, inexpensive, customizable, easy to distribute… business cards have a lot of advantages, so it’s worth looking at what makes a...
On Monday evening, Eve Bodeux, Riccardo Schiaffino and I presented a professional development session on “Social Media: Web 2.0 for Translators” for the Colorado Translators Association. I covered LinkedIn and Facebook, Riccardo handled Blogging 101 (you can download Riccardo’s excellent presentation from his website link above) and Eve wrapped things...
A freelance best practices checklist
I’ll be honest; I love self-evaluation tools. When I presented a seminar on “Beyond the Basics of Freelancing” for the Northern California Translators Association last summer, I decided to create a self-evaluation tool for the attendees and we also used this checklist at a meeting of the Colorado Translators Association....
Translating official documents
Over the years, I’ve observed that many translators are somewhere between lukewarm and downright scornful of translating individual clients’ official documents: birth certificates, educational transcripts, diplomas, drivers’ licenses, you get the picture. I think that a lot of experienced translators view this as “beginner’s work” or not worth their time,...
Maybe it’s not all about the design
I need to update the look of my website and marketing materials; it’s a task I really struggle with because I’m just not a very visual person. Read me a sentence and I can tell you right away if I like it or not, but show me an array of...
When to throw in the towel on a task
At the end of 2008, I wrote a post about post about outsourcing that generated quite a bit of interest, so I thought it was worth raising this topic again. After years of battling with my business payroll taxes (I have an S-Corp and thus have to file quarterly payroll...
Learn a language
Remembering a language from your childhood
Were you every exposed to a language when you were young, however, have thought that you have forgotten it? The reality is, your brain has some foundation already set. The purpose of this post is to convey some recent experiences I have had on my trip to the USA regarding...
Ukrainian an official language of Russia
I think Ukrainian needs to be an official language in Russia. Why? I have had some Russians who are writing Russian should be an official language of Ukraine, because there are Russian speakers that live in Ukraine. Russian as the official language everywhere there are Russians Basically people should speak whatever language...
Why and how I learned a language – Interview
I have interviewed a friend of mine. I think you will find this post quite interesting. He is not just any friend. He has mastered the Polish language. Here are his ideas: How I learned a language interview. He like me is an American that moved to Europe, learned a...
Foreign language accent reduction
How to reduce your accent in a foreign language If you want to reduce your accent in a foreign language, this is what you have to do. You have to take a sample of a foreign language native speaker in your target language and listened to it. The sample should be...
Voice to text – Digital recorder speech recognition experiment
Mark’s voice to text – digital voice recorder speech recognition experiment – failure. I detailed my productivity breakthrough I achieved with a voice to text program that comes with Windows -> Speech recognition. It is basically an automatic transcription program that comes with Windows that frees you from typing. You can...
I teach English to foreigners. The purpose of this post is to tell you some common mistakes I’ve seen with students learning English. Mistake number 1 in learning English There is only really one mistake in learning English, that is studying things that are not important. People study text book English not...
Mr. Verb
Science: "just one view of the world, just another story"
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is considering legislation now that has this as its first paragraph:Teachers, principals, and other school administrators are encouraged to create and foster an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of the advantages and...
Forensic linguistics meets historical linguistics
The last few days have seen a lot of press about an effort to use linguistic evidence to gain new insight into a pivotal moment in Irish history, the Rebellion of 1641. I can't vouch for the info in the link ... it's hotly contested territory and well beyond...
After all the uproar over the "Coastie Song" last year (covered in a string of posts on this blog, leading up to this), the guys who did that released a Valentine Day song for/to our Chancellor, Biddy Martin. "Baby be my Biddy" has been written up for a while (like...
(on)-ics for language names: More Edenics
As the house historical linguist on Team Verb, I should probably say something about the whole Edenics thing.One thing that strikes me is the name, since I don't think (n)-ics was used for language names before Ebonics, which was consciously created as a blend of Ebony and Phonics, according to...
Caveat Emptor: Buying term papers
Spam aimed at academic blogs have been talked about (like here), and blog spam is just a fact of life. Along the way, it's often noted that email and web scams tend to be easily recognized by bad grammar and spelling. It's kind of hilarious when the you get blog...
The Origins of the Specious: Edenics
Ooops, I meant …The Origin of Speeches:Intelligent Design In LanguageFrom The Language Of Eden To Our Babble After BabelIt's the most recent book on Edenics. It's been out for a while (and was dealt with in some detail in the blogosphere, including on the Log, like here), but a reader...
The Linguist - language learning should be fun
Download now or listen on posterous Language teacher.mp3 (12263 KB) Here is what I would do if I were a language teacher. This is in response to Jacob who wanted some more constructive comments on how to handle language teaching......
インターネットと、iPhone、と他の新しいガジェットと言語の勉強。あなたは何をつかっていますか？
インターネット、iPod、および他の新しいガジェット、外国語学習を変更させていま......
The internet, the iPhone, the iPad other new gadgets and language learning. What do you use?
The internet, the iPod, and other new gadgets, and the programs being developed for them are gong to change how we learn, and especially, how we learn languages. I am looking for ideas. a) the keeners, or early adopters How......
Are any of you familiar with Benny the Irish polyglot and his website and language learning approach? I hope to have a discussion with him about where we agree and where we disagree in our approaches to language learning. I......
The three keys to language learning success - the transcript
Download now or preview on posterous The Three Keys to Language Learning.doc (61 KB) I posted the podcast here earlier. Here is the transcript. I will also be putting it into the library at LingQ. Posted via email from Lingosteve's......
Over at Lexiophiles there was an article about the decline of German as a second language in French schools. I made the following comment. L'appetit vient en mangeant. If people can just get started in a language it soon becomes......
Language Log
Eavesdropping on (un)happiness
Matthias Mehl et al., "Eavesdropping on Happiness: Well-Being Is Related to Having Less Small Talk and More Substantive Conversations", Psychological Science, published online 18 February 2010: Is the happy life characterized by shallow, happy-go-lucky moments and trivial small talk, or by reflection and profound social encounters? Both notions—the happy ignoramus and...
It's been a while since I complained about the way that some journalists use real people as if they were hand puppets. (See here, here, here and here for a sample, from the good old days before bashing the Main Stream Media became one of the favorite rhetorical strategies of...
Annals of uptalk: the python wrestler
A New York Times Room for Debate piece on "Killing Pythons, and Regulating Them" (3/5/2010) supplies another piece of anecdata for my on-going quest to document the North American varieties of uptalk. This one is from the sound track of a YouTube video about a python wrangler in central...
John McIntyre has once again wandered off into that parodic fantasy land where usage writers and linguists disport themselves as characters in hard-boiled detective fiction. This time, on the occasion of National Grammar Day, it's "Pulp Diction"; the complete serial is here. The climax of the tale comes in installment...
I have seen repellently bad poetry on various subjects (mortgage services and sewage disposal, to name but two); but my horror at the poem publicized by National Grammar Day was not evoked solely by the poetic standard, low though it is: I love the King of Ing He makes me want to...
Naked bouncing? In the workplace?
At this page in the Daily WTF you may find a verbatim reproduction of an email in which an office worker told her colleagues: Please be advised- I will be bouncing Nude in 5 minutes. Please let me know if this presents an issue. Presents an issue? It sure does! ...
One Hour Translation Blog
Social networking sites and translation
Ever since the advent of the World Wide Web in the early 1990’s, it has been widely used as a means of social networking i.e. sharing of common interests, ideas etc through emails and instant messaging. Recently however the idea got a special impetus with improvement in communication, higher bandwidth...
Multi currency payments and translators
Translation is a world wide necessity and translators have the entire world as their canvas. With the advent of the internet it is easy for service providers and prospective clients to contact each other. As a freelance translator, you may be working for clients across borders and may be paid...
Localization of mobile apps guide
French > 40% of Internet users. It means that many of the potential customers of the apps you developed do not speak English. Those users prefer buying apps in their native languages. Some apps even became a single-country “hit” (see here) thanks to a wise decision of their developer to localize them. Here’s...
A tip for your business: using country top level domains
Let’s say that your business sells its products both at the US and in Japan. You translated all your website content to Japanese and put it online. In doing so, you hope to attract more traffic from potential customers who live in Japan and search the Internet in their own language for...
Translation of iPod Applications
The Apple iPod is one of the defining inventions of the new millennium. Like its peers (the camera and the mobile phone), it’s a portable device that not only fulfills one main function superbly, it can also feature a Swiss-Army-Knife-like collection of secondary functions that make it a truly versatile...
Android Applications Translation
The Android was specifically created in order to accommodate a myriad of mobile-optimized applications that utilize all of the advantages that the portable gadget medium has to offer. This is a device that’s been designed to be open, so it’s only natural that it also features the translation of Android...
Learn Thai Podcast
Phrase Lesson 4: Time and Making an appointment (Video)
In this lesson you will learn some more useful phrases....
Phrase Lesson 4: Time and Making an appointment (Audio)
In this lesson you will learn some more useful phrases....
Phrase Lesson 3: General answers (Audio)
In this lesson you will learn some useful phrases. Click here to download the transcript of this lesson....
Phrase Lesson 3: General answers (Video)
In this lesson you will learn some useful phrases....
Phrase Lesson 2: General questions (Audio)
In this lesson you will learn some useful phrases. Click here to download the transcript of this lesson....
Phrase Lesson 2: General questions (Video)
In this lesson you will learn some useful phrases....
Global Watchtower™
Kilgray Pumps Up MemoQ’s Translation Business Intelligence and User Interface
Kilgray today announced the general availability of MemoQ 4.0, a server-based translation memory engine and desktop environment for translators, after several months in beta field test. Although we consider MemoQ a translation management system (TMS), the software also competes against traditional desktop translation memory tools (Déjà Vu, Trados, Transit,...
Yesterday employment services provider Manpower announced that it would acquire COMSYS IT Partners, a professional staffing firm. Both companies offer language services in their portfolio — Manpower is the fourteenth largest company on our list of top 30 language service providers (LSPs), generating US$55 million in language-related revenue in 2008...
Welocalize Sets Its Sights on Marketing Translation
Language service provider Welocalize today announced the release of its web-based MarketSight translation marketplace. In this latest example of translation technologies moving into the cloud, this self-service software is aimed at helping companies manage their marketing translation budgets and operations. Unlike most portals offered by translation agencies, MarketSight lets users...
Community Translators Misdirect Google Translate
With all of the news about hacked e-mail accounts, it shouldn’t be a big surprise that crowdsourcing interfaces can be manipulated, too. Earlier today, politicking or pranking Russian translators forced a Google Translate mistranslation of four segments — “USA is to blame,” “Russia is to blame,” “Obama is to blame,”...
Language Line Services Does an About Face (-to-Face)
This morning, Language Line Services (LLS) announced that it will use its staff of 8,000 interpreters to offer face-to-face (F2F) services throughout the state of California. Why is the company suddenly making such a strong play for in-person services after decades of touting the benefits of its remote interpreting services?...
Translation Blog
I’m sure you’ve been there too: you’ve had a hard day at work followed by a strenuous workout at the gym and all you want is a nice, relaxing bath. You get in and start enjoying a bit of peace and quiet when the phone rings. You ignore it. It...
Have you ever wondered where “upper case” and “lower case” come from? I hadn’t until I came across an explanation as I was trying to work out whether it should be Beaux-Arts or beaux-arts. The “case” (from Latin cassa, “box”) refers to the type cases used by printers to keep...
This entry has nothing to do with English, French or translation. I just really want to share a film that I saw at the weekend. Once again, it’s directed by Michael Haneke, who is fast becoming my favorite director. After Caché, a powerful portrayal of France’s colonial guilt, The White...
I spent last Monday interpreting in East Sussex. After a busy day, we all ended up in a lovely pub with an interesting history in Lewes to have dinner and talk about forthcoming projects. Little did I know that a major incident had only just been averted thanks to the...
Fanlation is a term that I've come across very recently, and I came across it again when I received Jost Zetzsche's Tool Kit newsletter: I had just suggested that we use a new term for the kind of crowdsourced translation that the likes of Twitter and Facebook do when they engage...
A translator's resolutions for 2010
I thought it’d be a good idea to cast my mind back on 2009 and give myself some vague pointers objectives for 2010. 2009 was meant to be the year where I took advantage of a move to Leeds to work less, discover a beautiful region and resurrect my moribund Spanish....
Learning the Language
Native Americans Ask Feds To Help Keep Languages Alive
Native Americans asked federal lawmakers to help keep Native American languages alive during a "listening session" hosted by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs this week....
Race to Top Finalists Include 3 of 5 Top ELL States
Three of the five states with the most English-learners in this country were selected by the U.S. Department of Education as finalists for the $4 billion Race to the Top competition....
Arne Duncan: Revamping of ELL Tests Is a Difficult Issue
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says that how to revamp tests for English-learners and students with disabilities might be the toughest issue that needs to be tackled with reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act....
Learning the Language Takes a Break
Learning the Language will take a break until March 4....
Head Start Teachers for Migrant Kids Have Education Barriers
Head Start teachers from Native American or migrant communities have a lot of linguistic and cultural expertise but they also tend to lack formal education credentials....
Resource: How Content Teachers Can Teach Language
A book released by WestEd tells how mainstream teachers who have English-learners in their classrooms can be language teachers....
Sinosplice » Life
The Value of a Master’s in Chinese Economics
In a recent post entitled Why China for Grad School? I opined: Aside from reduced cost, there is one main reason a westerner might choose to go to grad school in China over a western country: because one’s object of study is inherently Chinese. This includes Chinese history, Chinese...
I recently asked my readers to email me if they were interested in participating in a project focused on learning Chinese in Shanghai. The response was quite good, and I’d like to thank all of you that generously offered to participate. I’m actually a bit reluctant to deactivate the email...
The Singularity and the Chinese History of Chess
While reading up on one of my favorite topics, the technological singularity, I recently came across this interesting passage in an article by renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil entitled The Law of Accelerating Returns: To appreciate the nature and significance of the coming “singularity,” it is important to ponder the...
Creative English with Chinese Characteristics
Just in case you missed these English language Chinese coinages, here’s a sample: Smilence 笑而不语 vi. When you are expecting some answers from your Chinese audience, you may just get a mysterious smile and their silence only. 动词 当你期望从中国听众那里获得一些回答的时候，你只得到了神秘的微笑和他们的沉默。 The rest of the list...
Overheard near Jing’an Temple, a conversation between a Chinese woman and an American woman: Chinese woman: It is Chinese New Year, time for line dance. American woman: Really, line dances? You do line dances for Chinese New Year? Chinese woman: Yes, line dance. ...
Experiments in Learning Chinese in Shanghai
Working on lesson content at ChinesePod keeps me busy as always, but recently I’ve also started a project on the side. While ChinesePod is great for distributing excellent lesson content to an unlimited audience, I’m also very interested in individual learner experiences in Shanghai. There are so many fascinating linguistic...