September 2007
Cymraeg
September 20, 2007
I’m off to Wales for a holiday. As I’ll be the co-pilot on this journey and due to the fact that we’ll be going through places such as Eglwysbach, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Abergwy-gregyn and the like (I’ll do my best to...
Being bilingual protects the brain
September 18, 2007
Being fluent in two languages may help to keep the brain sharper for longer, a study suggests. It's interesting how bilingual (able to speak two languages with the facility of a native speaker) and fluent (able to speak or write...
Diary of a fledgling translator, Part 3
September 14, 2007
Part 1 Part 2 Two months already since I last wrote a piece… apologies for my silence but it has been a busy summer. Not that I was engrossed working on my first big project or away on an exotic...
Tattered
September 12, 2007
"Hello madam, I’m calling from Wonderful Kitchens because we’re having a promotion in your area." "I don’t need a kitchen, thanks." "That’s fine, may I ask how old your kitchen is?" "About six years old." "And may I ask whether...
The translation of the haka
September 10, 2007
The rugby World Cup has started, and watching the All Black perform their famous Haka, I started thinking about how you don’t need to understand Maori to know exactly what they’re singing about. Their facial expressions and body language say...
E
September 6, 2007
It’s now official: E-numbers (E100 to 500) cause disruptive behaviour in children. Anyone knows what the "E" stands for? Because I do! It stands for… wait for it… Europe! The reason is that since 1989, food additives have been...
Malaria
September 4, 2007
What I learnt last night during University Challenge: the word "malaria" comes from Italian mala (bad) + aria (air). It was thought that this disease was caused by foul air in marshes. P.S: I don’t watch University Challenge as...
L'élégance du hérisson
September 3, 2007
It’s been quiet in this little corner of the blogosphere, hasn’t it? August was slightly crazy and now that September has finally arrived, things are calming down. I’ve read a few excellent books over the summer and I thought...