A blog about translation, writing and language in all its glorious aspects
In my recent (9 May) post on “EU funding to delightful effect”, I used a word that – viewed from an Italian-to-English perspective – can trip up unwary translators. The word is “evocative”. Pretty harmless, you might think. One of the Italian words for “evocative” is “suggestivo”. A word that Italian-to-English translators working on auto-pilot …
Continue reading “Oh, you saucy devil. Translators’ false friends”
I came across a delightful site yesterday on my web meanderings. If you like architecture and/or the seaside, check it out. It’s called Coastal Treasures, and treasures are indeed what it contains. Coastal Treasures “was set up to enable residents and visitors alike to discover the rich architectural heritage in the Anglo-French cross-border region […] …
Continue reading “EU funding to delightful effect. Yes, really.”
Alexander Rose is a young Londoner who started the S.T.O.P. (Solve This Ongoing Problem) campaign after he saw friends and family members killed by gun and knife crime. He cites his campaign highlights as: Getting the support of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Tutu Foundation Winning an award from the Body Shop Speaking at schools …
A special Monday treat for me is Bill Cunningham’s On the Street fashion feature for the New York Times . Anorak-clad Bill is an unlikely-looking fashion hero but his feature is a visual and aural delight – from his Bostonian voice to the pleasure he takes in the fashion, the people, and New York itself. …
I work from Glasgow, mainly for Italian clients. My computer’s set to Italian time, because that’s where the deadlines are. My watch is set 5 minutes fast, for punctuality’s sake (doesn’t always work…). I have a radio alarm set 15 minutes fast. It comes on at 6.45am. My alarm clock (again set 5 mins fast) …
Governments around the world are doing everything they can to rename swine flu. They will not succeed and will end up misinforming the public. Gerry McGovern’s latest “New Thinking” newsletter is about Governments’ attempts to rename swine flu. He focuses on the disconnect between government and international agencies’ concerns: national pride, religious sensibilities, business interests; …
Tommaso Chiarolini, an Italian designer and illustrator now based in Edinburgh, sent me this link. It’s from Playing for Change: Peace through Music and it cheered me up on a wet and grey May Day. I hope it does the same for you.
A good day to start a new blog about words and language. Carol Ann Duffy, born into a “left-wing, Catholic, working class” family in Glasgow’s Gorbals neighbourhood, has just been made Poet Laureate. Amazingly, the first woman ever to hold the position here in Britain. It’s heartening to read, courtesy of her BBC profile, that …