Exploring Idioms in Foreign Languages
In my previous post “Understanding English-Language Idioms,” I discussed the peculiarity of idioms. Idioms are expressions used in informal language that don’t actually mean what
December 29, 2014
Some Writers Who Never Won A Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been granted to great writers across the globe, but even today the Swedish Academy has been criticized for having
December 24, 2014
A big “spasibo” to translators of the Russian classics
If you’re not planning on learning Russian and learning it fast, this holiday season is the perfect time to treat yourself to a bit of
December 22, 2014
The Peculiar New Words Added by Oxford Dictionaries
The editors at OxfordDictionaries.com don’t want to get left behind with all the advances in the English language and so they decided to add a
December 19, 2014
Translators or Creators?
While we may translate messages from third parties, we nevertheless do so with our own words. Indeed, it is this choice of symbols and meanings
December 17, 2014
Understanding English-Language Idioms
Idioms are one of the most interesting yet curious aspects of language due to their often comical references which may actually have absolutely nothing to
December 15, 2014
Translating Microbes: the Future of Automatic Translation?
In the sci-fi series Farscape, beings from different planets could communicate amongst one another by consuming “translating microbes” which allowed them to understand other languages.
December 12, 2014
Is it possible to mirror the source?
There is no intellectual feat which can be considered anything but useless, according to Jorge Luis Borges in “Pierre Menard, author of the Quixote”. This
December 9, 2014
How are the World’s Languages Regulated?
Language is a massive, intangible, ever-changing palimpsest that arguably exerts one of the strongest influences over our daily lives. Due to its ability to easily
December 1, 2014
Translating into Moldovan or Romanian?
Romanian is an Indo-European language that belongs to the eastern group of the Romance languages, being the least-known of the Latin languages, coming in at
December 1, 2014
Poems: reading can be tricky , translating can be a fiasco
For those of us accustomed to reading in more than one language, translated versions of our favorite novels and poetry anthologies can present themselves as
November 24, 2014
What’s the Equivalent of John Doe or Juan Pérez in Other Countries?
In the Spanish-speaking world they’re known as Juan Pérez, “fulano de tal,” N.N., among other things. The truth is that, despite being among the most
November 21, 2014
