July 2007
Consideration
July 27, 2007
It’s Friday and it’s been a busy week, so I thought I’d tell you a nice language-related (of course!) story. My niece Jasmine, who is 4 and a half, is learning the alphabet. Her mum, who’s a teacher, never misses...
From our lips to your ears
July 25, 2007
From our lips to your ears is a project aiming at sharing interpreters’ stories about their work in a new book. Exciting! Interpreters can submit a story until December 3, 2007. You can also check out the From our...
Artichoke
July 23, 2007
Origin: 1525–35; articiocco, var. (by dissimilation) of arciciocco, arcicioffo arcarcioffo alcarchofa al-ḫaršuf the artichoke Those who have been warned to watch out for the sharp-tipped bracts toward the innermost part of an artichoke may have wondered whether the name...
Translation and specialisation
July 20, 2007
A fellow translator posted an interesting question regarding specialisations on one of the lists I belong to. He had been asked whether he had experience in radiotherapy translations and could undertake a job on this subject. His dilemma was that...
Translation or localisation or what?
July 15, 2007
Just imagine: it’s Friday night, a couple of friends have just turned up unexpectedly for dinner, armed with two bottles of wine, one red, one white, from the same winemaker. Delighted, you have a look at the notes on...
The lion's share
July 13, 2007
The UK currently accounts for the lion’s share of web budgets This sentence led me to look up the origin of the expression "the lion’s share". It means to take everything, to not share at all, although I’ve heard...
Hamstring
July 11, 2007
I pulled a hamstring last night. That’ll teach me to play football with boys that are much bigger and stronger than me. I do translations for a fitness magazine and I had often wondered where the "ham" in "hamstring"...
Volunteering and translators
July 10, 2007
I think Marie’s idea of doing volunteer work is very good, whether you’re starting out or not, and I thought I’d add a few organisations to the ones that she mentions (Online UN volunteering services and Translators without Borders). Oxfam...
Diary of a fledgling translator, Part 2
July 6, 2007
Part 1 Whereas the first part of this diary was a description of me, this second part focuses more on my actions since I got the Diploma in Translation results at the beginning of May. After taking the exam in...
Être la lanterne rouge
July 4, 2007
The Tour de France is starting in London this weekend. The Guardian has produced a booklet giving all sorts of information about it, including a short glossary of cycling terms. Amongst others, I learnt that the expression Être la lanterne...
Agog and Salary
July 2, 2007
It's Monday! Hurrah! Let's start the week with a challenge! See if you can solve the two following clues from the Telegraph's Saturday crossword: 1) Highly curious and impatient from Old French meaning "in fun" (4) 2) A regular fixed...