An English bee in my Scottish-British-European bonnet

This morning’s “Call Kaye” phone-in programme on BBC Radio Scotland featured a discussion of whether Friday’s Royal Wedding had made Scottish listeners feel more proud to be British. Or not.

Many of the callers enjoyed and felt their Britishness reinforced by the event. Some objected to the inclusion in the service of the hymn “Jerusalem” and its reference to “England’s green and pleasant land” (my italics). Others to the description of William and Catherine by one of the BBC’s TV presenters as the future “King and Queen of England”.

This whole English instead of British business has annoyed me for as long as I can remember. When I lived in Italy I got thoroughly fed up with Italians calling me “inglese”.

I got even more fed up with English colleagues at the British Embassy in Rome referring to the Embassy as the “Ambasciata inglese” when speaking to Italian callers, or asking me if I was going home to England for the holidays. How could Italians get it right if the institution representing the UK in Italy was getting it so badly wrong?

Even Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who usually does get it right, referred recently to the British Foreign Minister as “il collega inglese William Hague” (having first used “britannico” in the same document).

This caused me a translation dilemma. Should I grit my British teeth and translate faithfully, or engage in some translatorly diplomacy and use “British”? I chose the latter. Non just to save Frattini’s face in the English-language version, but because I just could not bring myself to write “English” in that context.

I normally contact the Ministry’s press office about these slips, by the way — pointing out errors in the source text is one of the ways that translators bring added value.

For the record. I watched and greatly enjoyed the Wedding, and felt proud to be British. So did my daughter, who’s half-Italian. She said “I really hope Scotland never separates from the UK. I’d hate not to be a part of all that, and to feel that London didn’t ‘belong’ to me”. I feel the same way. I feel a wee bit Scottish (of Irish origin, but I don’t feel Irish at all), very British, and European too. And I detest the anti-Englishness that some Scots feel it’s quite legitimate to express.

My hackles did rise, however, at that line of “Jerusalem”, although I can understand why it’s a favourite with the newly-weds — it’s a very stirring hymn. There’s talk of changing the offending line to “Albion’s green and pleasant land” but that would deprive the English of what is considered by many to be their unofficial anthem. The Royal Wedding website includes a page on the music chosen for the event:

The music has a largely British theme. The Couple have put considerable thought into selecting the music, and their choices blend traditional music with some newly commissioned pieces.

I’d love to hear what you think about these issues of national identity. Have you got a national bee in your bonnet?

By Marian Dougan

Faffing around: frequently added frequentatives

Speckled eggs in nest, by Margo Connor

For Christmas 2010, my son bought me Michael Quinion’s book Why is Q Always Followed by U?. It’s not the sort of book you’d read in one sitting, but it’s ideal for dipping into on short train or bus journeys or in dentists’ waiting rooms when the other patients have nabbed the only 2 interesting magazines. Michael’s book is full of “facts about the quirky meanings and histories behind the slang and language that we all use”.

One entry starts off with the question “How may you be disgruntled if you are not already gruntled?” and ends up with a discussion of frequentatives. Frequentative is the grammatical term describing the use of a suffix to create a verb for an often-repeated action. The most common one in English is -le.

Gruntle does exist, by the way. Michael Quinlan describes it as “a repeated grunt, especially the conversational noise that pigs make in company”.

The lovely eggs in the photo are a seasonal illustration of frequentatives: from speck to speckle to speckled.

There’s something about –le that makes me smile — it’s a friendly-sounding little device. Words that come to mind are sparkle, crackle, snuggle, dazzle, waddle, crinkle, sprinkle or nuzzle.

Or what about the twinkle in George Clooney’s eyes, or Marilyn Monroe wiggling, jiggling, wobbling and giggling her way through Some Like it Hot? (I don’t know if all of these are frequentatives, but if they’re not they should be).

Photo courtesy of Margolove. The eggs belonged to a cardinal bird and were in a nest right outside her window.

By Marian Dougan

Saving Modern Languages at the University of Glasgow

As you’ll know if you’ve visited this blog in the last month or so, the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Glasgow University is threatened by drastic funding cuts. There’s been a temporary reprieve, in that the decision has been postponed until after the Scottish elections. Michael Russel, the Scottish Education Minister, called for a moratorium on the plans until the new government’s policies on funding higher education are known. The University Court has apparently extended the consultation period.

My own submission to the consultation process is set out below.

Glasgow University School of Modern Languages and Cultures — Consultation.

Comments and observations from Marian Dougan, owner of DNA Language Ltd

As a business owner, exporter and stakeholder in the language service industry, I am deeply concerned about the proposals to “downsize” the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.

While my remarks apply to language teaching in general, I lived for over 20 years in Italy and my own (Glasgow-based) business specialises in Italian-English translation and editing. I work for clients such as the Italian Foreign Ministry. I’m a member of the Italian Chamber of Commerce, Scottish branch. In my comments, most of which draw directly on my own experience, I will therefore focus on Italy and Italian.

Trade with Italy — and the role of Italian linguistic and cultural knowledge.

Italy is one the UK’s top ten trading partners (HM Revenue & Customs UK Trade Info).

The Governor of the Bank of England has said that the UK needs to trade its way to economic recovery. Languages help oil the wheels of trade. Even if you do business in English, cultural knowledge — knowing where your potential trading partner is coming from, both literally and metaphorically – is an invaluable asset.

During my time in Italy I worked in the Economic and Commercial Section of the British Embassy in Rome. I attended trade meetings and presentations by British business people who, in their woeful ignorance of Italy, its people and their language, failed to read cultural signals and capitalise on opportunities.

Public diplomacy and the role of language

In July last year I acted as interpreter for an Italian delegation visiting the Employer Engagement Team at Jobcentre Plus in Birmingham.

The Italian delegates were impressed not just by the case-studies presented but also — I think even more so — by the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of the Jobcentre Plus team. This was a great example of public diplomacy in action. But we cannot broadcast our good news stories internationally if we don’t have the language skills to do so

Everyone does not speak English. So we do need languages

Of the seven members of the above-mentioned Italian delegation, only one would have been able to participate fully in the meetings without an interpreter. A couple had only a smattering of English. The others would have been able to take part in the dialogue, but not make their own presentations in English. Only one of the JobCentre Plus team spoke any Italian. So without an interpreter, that meeting could not have taken place.

The UK is suffering from a growing shortage of linguists

Again with reference to the JobCentre Plus meeting, I’m not actually an interpreter. I was asked to help the Italian delegation find an interpreter based near Birmingham, as they’d been unable to do so. I searched for an interpreter in Birmingham, then England, then Scotland. I tried Twitter, I tried the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, but I couldn’t find anyone. So I ended up doing the job myself.

Again on the shortage of linguists, Klaus Ahrend from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) is in London this week (4-5 April 2011) to explore ways to remedy the shortage of supply for translation into English, and to encourage UK translators to bid for contracts with the DGT. International organisations like the EU cannot function without languages, and that means language graduates.

Languages give our kids a much-needed extra string to their careers bow

When they leave University, our young people will be competing in a global jobs market. They’ll be competing against young Europeans and Asians who speak at least their own language plus English. We owe it to our graduates to give them as many tools as possible to succeed in this difficult careers market. Not necessarily by doing a “pure” languages degree but by including a language, timetabling permitting, with all sorts of other subjects — chemistry, law, economics… And if possible by adding a more vocational dimension to their language learning, eg translation studies.

Language services are a growth industry

The US News and World Report had this to say about translation and interpreting:

As one of the 50 Best Careers of 2011, this should have strong growth over the next decade

The outlook: Excellent […]. Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to increase 22 percent between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the [US] Labor Department. […] Demand is driven by an increasingly global economy.

In light the above, we should be pumping more, not fewer, resources into the School of Modern Languages.

DNA Language is a growth business — but needs Italian graduates

This promising outlook is reflected in my own experience. My turnover increased by about 30% in 2010 and sales for the first quarter of 2011 are more than double the figure for last year. For DNA Language to grow, however, I need to take on staff here in Glasgow. And as about 95% of my clients are in Italy, my staff need to be fluent in Italian and possess a significant depth of cultural understanding. I’ve worked with, and provided paid training for, graduates from the Italian Department, and been hugely impressed by their skills on those counts. So too were the Italian clients they had dealings with.

For the sake of the UK’s international trade; for the sake of our image abroad; for the sake of our young people; and for the sake of my own business, please do everything in your power to preserve, nurture and grow the School of Modern Languages and Cultures — and the Italian Department in particular.

Further reading:

Teaching the language love

Yet another business case for teaching the language love

Blowing the nation’s trumpet: languages and public diplomacy (1)

Disclosure:

I taught a part-time course at the Italian Department from 2003-06, for the princely salary of £1500 per year. In monetary terms, it cost me money to teach that course, as I’d have earned more devoting the time to, and growing, my translation and editing business. However, I feel honoured and privileged to have taught there, and to have met such wonderful students and staff.

The petition to Help Save Modern Languages at the University of  Glasgow is still open, if you’d like to sign. Thank you!

By Marian Dougan 

Correction to our post on Itchy Coo press

We’re delighted to correct our previous post on Itchy Coo press: happily, they are not closing down. Here’s their comment in full, to put the record straight:

The story [published in Scotland on Sunday] is not accurate. Itchy Coo is NOT closing, and the books will continue to be available as long as folk continue to want them (which they currently do in large numbers), although we have no plans for new titles at present. The separate outreach and education programme, run by Matthew Fitt with support from James Robertson, is coming to an end, but this is a voluntary decision taken by Matthew and James and NOT brought about by cuts imposed by Creative Scotland, who in their present form (and previously as the Scottish Arts Council) have been massively supportive of the whole Itchy Coo project. Unfortunately the story in Scotland on Sunday ignored these facts in order to get a couple of good headlines.

That’ll teach us to take newspaper reports at face value.

By Marian Dougan

Bewitched, bothered and bewildered – and true glamour

The title of my post on “bamboozled” comes from the wonderful song “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered“, from the Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey.

From a language perspective, here’s the Online Etymology Dictionary again, on “glamour”:

glamour (n.)

1720, Scottish, “magic, enchantment” (especially in phrase to cast the glamor), a variant of Scottish gramarye “magic, enchantment, spell,” alteration of English grammar (q.v.) with a medieval sense of “any sort of scholarship, especially occult learning.” Popularized by the writings of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). Sense of “magical beauty, alluring charm” first recorded 1840. As a verb, by 1830s, from the noun.

Isn’t that wonderful?

By Marian Dougan

Linguists for the EU: the market ain’t working

The Institute of Translation and Interpreting, in association with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation (DGT), is hosting a full day’s conference in early April for both freelance translators and translation companies interested in bidding for DGT translation contracts. The aim is to demystify the tendering process (which seems daunting but is by no means the worst I’ve seen).

A key issue for discussion will be

the general shortage of supply for translation into English, not least for the Baltic languages, Bulgarian, Finnish and Slovenian.

So here we have a supply-demand issue — the sort of problem the markets are supposed to sort out. And what is Glasgow University (whose principal, Anton Muscatelli, has a PhD in Economics and is a former consultant to, wait for it, the European Commission) doing right now? Why, it’s planning to slash modern language teaching. Badly timed, wrong-headed or ill-judged? All three, I think.

If you care about languages and their importance for our economy, our culture and our young people, please sign the petition to Help Save Modern Languages at the University of Glasgow.

As well as signing, please click ‘like’ on the Facebook page Modern Languages and Cultures at University of Glasgow under threat and forward the link.

Thank you.

By Marian Dougan

Bewitched, bothered, bewildered and bamboozled

Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, has carried out a review of energy companies’ pricing practices. The review found that competition is being stifled by a combination of tariff complexity, poor supplier behaviour, and lack of transparency. The Chief Executive said:

Consumers have told us that energy suppliers’ prices are too complicated. It is no surprise that they are bamboozled when tariff complexity has increased from 180 to more than 300 since 2008.

I do a lot of translation and editing work in the energy field. Few, if any, of the texts I work with come anywhere near Ofgem’s in terms of clarity and ease of understanding. But what I’m really tickled about in this press release is the use of the word “bamboozled”. Here’s the etymology, courtesy of the Online Etymology Dictionary:

bamboozle

1703, originally a slang or cant word, perhaps Scottish from bombaze “perplex,” related to bombast, or Fr. embabuiner “to make a fool (lit. ‘baboon’) of.” Related: Bamboozled; bamboozling.

I simply can’t imagine any of my institutional clients in Italy using an equivalent Italian word in their literature. And here’s a question for Italian-speakers: what would that equivalent be? Let us know in the comments!

By Marian Dougan

Humanising the quake: an internet gem

Back in October 2010 I wrote a post on Internet gems. One of the “gems” was DOSANKODEBBIE’S ETEGAMI NOTEBOOK, written by Deborah Davidson, an Etegami artist and Japanese to English translator.

Since the earthquaki and tsunami of 11 March, Deborah has written a series of blog posts on “humanizing the quake”. They celebrate Japan’s people and customs, and are accompanied by Deborah’s beautiful etegami: simple drawings accompanied by a few apt words. I find them both lovely and moving.

By Marian Dougan

Auguri! Italy and Ireland celebrate

Two celebrations today: Italy’s birthday (150th anniversary of Italian Unification) and St. Patrick’s Day.

To continue the theme of my last two posts, Kate Smith suggests in the blog Live in Full Colour that St. Patrick’s colour is not green, but blue. Indeed, the emerald tones of the Chicago river and celebratory St. Patrick’s day beer are actually produced by blue and orange additives. Which is pretty ironic, if you think of all the sectarian connotations of those colours (if you live in Glasgow, you can’t not think of them).

For some gorgeous examples of navy and royal blue, by the way, check out Mary Egbula’s Awards Show fashion feature in the same blog (and don’t miss those fabulous reds while you’re there – doesn’t Nicole Kidman look lovely?).

As someone of Irish descent married to an Italian, I’m interested in Italian-Irish links. One such link that’s particularly pertinent, to me at any rate, is that the Irish bishop St. Cathuldus (San Cataldo) is the patron saint of Taranto, my husband’s city and the place I lived when I first moved to Italy. Taranto’s San Cataldo cathedral (see also the fuller Wikipedia description, in Italian) is just one of several churches in southern Italy dedicated to St. Cathaldus.

On a linguistic note, the Italian word “duomo” means “cathedral” or principal church (“cattedrale” is also used). The word for “dome” (in the architectural sense) is “cupola” or “volta”. With thanks once again to Garzanti:

dome:

1 cupola; volta (anche fig.): the – of heaven, la volta celeste

2 (poet.) palazzo; casa padronale: the shadow of the dome of pleasure / floated midway on the waves, (coleridge) l’ombra del palazzo dei piaceri fluttuava in mezzo alle onde

3 (geol.) cupola tettonica, duomo: salt –, duomo salino

4 (mecc., metall.) duomo.

Confusing, isn’t it?

By Marian Dougan

English-Italian blues


Tuesday’s post (15 March) was inspired by Newcastle University’s study of Japanese- and English-speakers’ perceptions of the word “blue”.

From an English-Italian translation perspective, “blue” is an interesting word, and something of a false friend.

The Italian “blu” refers to dark or navy blue, while “azzurro” is used for other shades of the colour. And the connotations of “azzurro” include anchovies, Prince Charming, and Italian sportsmen and -women.

These definitions are courtesy of Garzanti:

blu: agg. dark blue, navy blue / sangue –, blue blood / ho avuto una fifa –, (fam.) it put me in a blue funk ♦ s.m. blue: – di Prussia, Prussian blue.

azzurro: agg. blue, sky-blue, azure: – cupo, dark blue; dagli occhi azzurri e dai capelli d’oro, with blue eyes and golden hair (o blue-eyed and golden-haired) / principe –, (fam.) Prince Charming / pesce –, anchovy, sardine etc. / (sport) gli azzurri, sportsmen who play for the Italian national team ♦ s.m. azure, skyblue / l’-, (il cielo) the sky.

Sportswomen, by the way, are “le azzurre”; “gli azzurri”, the masculine plural form, is used for mixed-gender groups. Sexism in language. (I once saw a photo of Grace Kelly, her two sisters and one brother described as “i fratelli Kelly”, literally “the Kelly brothers”).

The video is of Judy Holiday signing the wonderful Blues in the Night, written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer and Oscar-nominated in 1941. It was my Dad’s party piece, and I love it.

By Marian Dougan