As has been mentioned numerous times on this blog, many translation issues arise at the intersection of the vast number of different cultures and ways of life that exist on our planet. One area of language for which this is particularly true is food: a direct expression of culture, translating the names of what we […]
In the previous entry, we dealt with the connotations that animal names have in different languages. On this occasion, we will take a look at the world of food, at its description in two languages in particular, and at the consequent challenges that these uses have for the translator’s task. There is no need to […]
In a recent post we wrote about the longest words in world, and commented on the particular power of synthesis and specificity that the German language has which allows it to construct compound words of undetermined length. Now, not only does German have a very particular power of specificity, but rather practically all languages have […]
Continuing with the “Olympic spirit”, I read recently that before the 2006 Olympic Games in Peking, the city carried out a translation and a “standardization” of food names into English. This was done to avoid confusion and mistakes that frequently appear in restaurant menus. In doing this the government wanted to make it easier for […]