A blog about translation, writing and language in all its glorious aspects
Wee Prince George is one week old today. I dug out my baby-name bible, “Choose Your Baby’s Name” by Rosalind Fergusson, first published in 1987 but which I bought in 1992 (no prizes for guessing why). Here’s what the royal names mean. George: from the Greek georgos, “tiller of the soil” or “farmer”. Also, of course, the …
Continue reading “The name game (1): Prince George Alexander Louis”
Saints Alive, a new exhibition at the National Gallery in London, features “large-scale kinetic sculptures by Michael Landy that bring a contemporary twist to the lives of the saints”. The saints on display include St. Jerome, renowned for his translation of the Bible and the patron saint of translators. St. Jerome (borrowed from a painting by Cosimo Tura from 1470) is shown …
Continue reading “St. Jerome: a good role model for translators?”
I’ll soon be moving into a new office. The current occupants offered to sell me their nearly-new IKEA office furniture (the Galant range, which is attractive, good quality and reasonably priced). Their quote listed installation and labour fees at £50 an hour. Now, that included some computer cabling. But mainly, I think, assembling IKEA flat-pack …
Continue reading “Are your fees high enough? Some food for thought”
Training and continuing professional development (CPD) are important not just in keeping your skills up to date but also in increasing your job satisfaction. Training should also act as a signal to savvy clients that you take your business – and them – seriously. It underscores your professionalism. But training events can be expensive. There’s …
Yesterday’s local elections in England saw the UK Independence Party (UKIP) win a remarkable 25% of the vote. Immigration is a key concern of many UKIP voters, including immigration from EU countries. In 1978, I moved from the UK to Italy, where I lived until 2002. I’m pretty sure that, as viewed from the United Kingdom, …
Continue reading “English local elections 2013: a linguistic conundrum”
If you’ve ever felt bewildered by legalese and found it far removed from Plain English, take heart: you’re in good company. Court of Appeal judge Sir Alan Ward recently heard a case revolving around the Council Tax liability of a family living on an old tug boat, the Cannis. One factor having a bearing on the decision was …
Did you know that we translators have our own poet laureate – who’s also a pretty mean rapper? Here’s a sample: The deadline Ten thousand words for Friday OK that should be fine Two thousand words a day A good steady pace I must say Day one and all is going fine It’s telly tonight with …
Continue reading “The translators’ poet laureate (and rapper!)”
If you run a business, cash flow is vital. Delays with payments have a pernicious effect: if you don’t get paid, you can’t pay your bills or your suppliers, and the chain-reaction can have a crippling effect on business, not to mention the wider economy. In the words of the European Commission’s Enterprise and Industry Directorate: …
Continue reading “Getting paid. On time. With the EU’s help: the Late Payments Directive”
A resource for anyone who, given the rapidly expanding horse-meat scandal, is working on food safety issues right now and needs to consult the relevant legislation. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has compiled a database called FAOLEX, which lists food safety laws and regulations from just about everywhere. FAOLEX is a comprehensive …
Continue reading “Horses for (meat) courses: database of national food-safety laws and regulations”
Well, well, well. Guess which profession in the top 20 jobs for 2013? Translation and interpreting! The list was complied by US News, which ranks the top 100 jobs on the basis of their mosaic of employment opportunity, good salary, manageable work-life balance, and job security. To which I would add: job satisfaction. Which, notwithstanding …
Continue reading “Translation as a career? It’s right up there!”