While taking my time to look around and appreciate all that other cultures have to offer in terms of variety and uniqueness, I stumbled across this fantastic post describing the tradition on the Japanese peninsula of Oga:
http://samuraidave.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/japanese-devils-scare-the-laziness-out-of-kids/
In short, the tradition centers around Namahage, a local mountain deity who…well, he must be seen to be believed [...]
Archive for December, 2009
One Japanese New Year’s Celebration
Thursday, December 31st, 2009Christmas in Russia – Ded Moroz
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009We are all aware that celebrations vary from country to country, but one that sticks out for its unique nature is the Russian figure of Ded Moroz (literally “Grandfather Frost”).
He was a legend of folklore for many years as a dark and wicked figure who stole children and would demand presents from the parents to [...]
Book Club Meeting #2
Saturday, December 19th, 2009Just in time for Christmas, I have found “On the Death and Life of Languages” by Claude Hagege is now available at my favorite bookstore and I must say that I am intrigued.
Here is a description from the publisher:
Twenty-five languages die each year; at this pace, half the world’s five thousand languages will disappear within [...]
The Punjabi Language
Friday, December 18th, 2009It belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of languages of the Indo-European family, which we spoke of HERE.
It is mainly spoken in the Punjab region (between India and Pakistan) and, globally, there are some 100 million speakers of this language.
It derives from dialects such as Hindi and it basically employs the Gurmukhi alphabet for writing, which [...]
Automatic Translation Websites
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Several websites have popped up that are in the business of automatic translation. Some of them are just general, and others are specialized in certain subjects and offer their services to anyone who is looking to translate any word or phrase.
We also have online dictionaries that are specific to fields such as medicine, legal, technical, [...]
When Translation and SEO Collide
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Working as a translator (or at least a good one) implies exercising a high level of attention to detail, the kind of nit-pickiness that will drive your friends mad but which will elate your clients. Translators need to have a strong command of both their source and their target languages to be able to do [...]
The Importance of Language in Diplomacy
Sunday, December 13th, 2009The United States government has a high demand for linguists. President Obama’s administration is looking to put more emphasis on diplomacy through more effective multilingual communication in all areas: intelligence, defense, State Department agencies, etc.
The ILR (Interagency Language Roundtable) was created and includes several agencies of the State Department. Its main focus will be increasing [...]
Is “usted” Really Always the Best Option?
Saturday, December 12th, 2009I’ve noticed lots of confusion regarding this matter: many people are under the impression that it’s correct to use “usted” at all times, in all cases.
I’m afraid that that’s not correct, however: not always, not in all cases. It depends on the objective to be accomplished.
According to the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=usted):
“Usted” [...]
Why Multilingualism Counts for So Much
Friday, December 11th, 2009As a translator and as someone that is surrounded by multilingual individuals on a daily basis at work, I’d have to say that I find the process and the effort of grappling with various languages to be enormously rewarding. As somebody that grew up in a multilingual home I am convinced it is something that [...]
Monkeys Can Now String Words Together to Make Sentences
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009I have already touched upon how our simian relatives seem to be making strides in communication with language here. Now word comes from the Ivory Coast that it appears that the Campbell’s monkey in the Tai National Park there is able to take its simple calls (“hok hok hok!” or “boom boom”) and combine them [...]
Using Latin in Legal Documents (With Glossaries)
Friday, December 4th, 2009Anyone who has ever translated or taken part, in any capacity, in a legal proceeding can attest to the fact that there is a multitude of phrases and expressions that are pure Latin and yet are used in documents in many languages without translation. They remain unchanged to maintain uniformity throughout the world in various [...]
The Persian Language
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009It belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family, which we spoke about HERE.
More than 60 million people are native speakers of this language, and they are distributed across Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Oman, the Arab Emirates and India, as well as members of the Persian diaspora.
The ISO and the Academy of Persian [...]
Specialized Translation Agencies
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009I recently read an article about the new national certification given to medical interpreters of Spanish in the United States. I think this is actually quite important, especially for the people who are receiving medical services. Unfortunately, these people have a very low level of education.
In addition, they are looking to include languages besides Spanish [...]
More Automatic Translation Gadget News
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009As a translator, it is with a fair share of trepidation and chagrin that I “celebrate” news (such as the topic of today’s post) relating to new gadgets that facilitate–or usurp!–the job of the translator or interpreter. Nonetheless, the gadget we’re going to be looking at here is just too nifty to disregard, and, thankfully, [...]
