Dear Language Friend, Brrr, it is getting cold in B.C.!!! Winter is coming and it’s getting dark very early these days… So what’s better than sitting down at the fire with a nice hot drink and a good book?! Enjoy your reading and remember: very often a translator has had his or her share in making your reading pleasureable… In this newsletter we have a look at the U.S. translation market and invite you to follow us into the world of fiction… Contributed by Doris Anne Heidemann. Thanks for reading. Dwindling Translations in the U.S.: Why Many Foreign Authors Do Not Find their Way into the American Market Hardly any Translations of Foreign Works in the United States Are the United States regressing into cultural isolation? This is what American writers and linguists are afraid of, with hardly any translations from foreign authors being published in the U.S. According to the former Nobel Prize winner, Portuguese Jose Saramago “world literature is made by translators”. However, only 3% of the books that appear in the United States are translations from foreign languages. This figure also includes non-fiction books. Overall 340 foreign fiction books are published by American publishing companies every year: an appallingly low number! It was as far back as the Cold War when the last boom of published translations in America occurred, with the public wanting to understand issues beyond the Iron Curtain. Nowadays critics such as the famous Spanish translator Edith Grossman, speak of a “linguistic apartheid” in the U.S., while others such as the British author Tim Parks consider the lack of translations to be...
Dear Language Friend, Recently a friend asked me, “You don’t want to come home for Christmas?’’ My answer was that I would love to but a flight from Canada to Europe for a short stay in Germany over the holidays is just too expensive. How could she know how much I miss the Vorweihnachtszeit, the time before Christmas, in Germany? We have so many nice traditions, ranging from A, Adventskranz (Advent wreath) to Z, Zimtsterne (Cinnamon biscuits). This year, though, it is time to broaden my horizons and explore Christmas traditions all over the world. This is the focus for our December newsletter. Contributed by Doris Anne Heidemann. Thanks for reading. Christmas Traditions all over the World Advent in Germany: A Time for Contemplation and Celebration On the last Sunday in November, four weeks before Christmas, the first Advent is celebrated in Germany. This day introduces the Adventszeit, the holy time before Christmas. Advent means arrival and refers to the birth of Jesus on Christmas Eve. On the first Advent we light the first candle of our Adventskranz, the Advent wreath, which contains four candles in total. Each week one more candle is lit; so that on the last Sunday before Christmas all four candles burn. On Christmas Eve, it is the Christkind, not Santa Claus, who brings the presents for children and adults in Germany. This is why the most famous of all the German Christmas markets in Nürnberg is called Christkindelmarkt. By the way, there are more than 2,500 Christmas markets all over Germany and by now they can be found all over the world, even...
Introduction One of the most difficult challenges translators face in their work is translating idioms.These are figurative expressions that have developed over time, and often, are specific to a language, or a certain dialect of a language.They can be words or short phrases that make perfect sense to some, but are easily misunderstood by anyone not overly familiar with that particular dialect. Idioms are said to be a part of culture, not language, because they reflect more the lifestyle and customs of people, rather than the way those people communicate. Contributed by Cecilia Rose. Thanks for reading. Popular Idioms Here are some examples of popular English idioms that would be hard to translate: A piece of cake – something easy to accomplish. “I was worried about passing the English exam, but it was a piece of cake!” Cake is often used to symbolize leisure and privilege, as in this other example: Icing on the cake – an added bonus. “I knew I did well on the exam but getting an A+ was the icing on the cake.” Cold turkey – to quit something suddenly, typically a bad habit, or drug addiction. “He’s not the kind of person who can just slow down, he has to quit drinking cold turkey.” It is commonly thought that this idiom comes from the goose bumps that form on an addict’s skin during a withdrawal. Others, however, believe it derives from the phrase ‘talk turkey’, which means to state something in a plain manner. To cry wolf – to lie, pretend or fake something for no good reason. “That’s what he gets for...
Dear Language Friend, Bilingual upbringing will help – not prevent – learning. Early exposure to more than one language makes language acquisition in later life easier. Rest assured that LingoStar will advise you what to do to turn your children into little language experts. Contributed by Doris Anne Heidemann Thanks for reading! What is meant by the bilingual upbringing of children? Raising your children to speak and understand two languages is known as bilingual upbringing. Ideally, parents should be native speakers so that the child will get a native speaker’s command of both languages. In a wider sense, though, bilingual upbringing can include bilingual parenting in a foreign language if one or both of the parents are not native speakers. In any case, it is rare that children become completely equilingual, or a native speaker in both languages. This newsletter focuses on bilingual upbringing of children by both native and non-native speakers. This is not as extraordinary as it might seem to many of us in the Western world. For example, in many African countries, bilingualism or even multilingualism is very common. How does one introduce and maintain bilingualism in the family? There are many different methods, however two of the most important ones are the OPOL approach, which stands for One Person One Language, and the Time or Place Oriented Method, which means that the whole family uses one particular language in a particular place or at a particular time. In either case, the proficiency the children acquire will highly depend on the language skills of the parents and other relatives. But why should a...
Dear Language Friend, Summer is now in full gear and we hope you are enjoying it as much as we are. Last month, we delved into the depths of sayings and phrases from around the world. This time around, we are covering a frequently asked question in our industry: what is the difference between translation and interpretation? Contributed by Chiao Samsenesena. Thanks for reading. Aren’t they all translators? Many people are confused about the difference between translation and interpretation, but it is actually quite simple to explain: Translation means taking written material from a “source language” and rewriting it in a “target language”. Usually, a translator only translates into his or her native language. Writing skills and perfectionism are to be expected from a good translator. Interpretation, however, consists of listening to an oral speech in the source language and delivering it in the target language. Speaking skills, good concentration and an exceptional memory are essential qualities for an interpreter! Even though they require different skills and aptitudes, translation and interpretation are strongly related. Below are a few characteristics that apply equally to both translators and interpreters. A common love of language First of all, both are perfect jobs for those who love languages. Being a translator or an interpreter requires thorough knowledge of at least 2 languages. It is essential to master both languages so that the target text or speech sounds natural, as if it were not a translation/interpretation at all. In order to do so, translators and interpreters must have a sharp understanding of the cultures they deal with and be able to communicate...
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Dear Language Friend, Last month we explored the differences between European French and Canadian French. The same language can have so many varieties! To continue with this theme, we will now deal with the differences between expressions and phrases in different cultures. You know, those little sayings we all use; they can be really different from one language to another! Contributed by Myriam Berrou. Thanks for reading. Another word is another world Each culture and each language has its own way to describe the world. To give just one example among many, the Inuktitut has more than a hundred words to refer to “snow”, depending on the color, the substance, etc. The vision of the world changes according to the language used to describe it. Proverbs, sayings, adages or phrases can vary greatly depending on the language or on the region of the world. They are our cultural inheritance and remind us that every language has a wealthy linguistic history. Do you remember where those expressions come from? And you, can you remember? We all use proverbs, adages, sayings or phrases often in everyday life. We all know a few of them, like All that glitters is not gold, He who laughs best, laughs last or in French, Les chiens ne font pas des chats (literally, Dogs don’t make cats), or The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But do we really know how or why they came to be? Some of them are even several centuries old. For instance, do you know where these expressions come from? And what they originally meant? An apple a...
Dear Language Friend, “One man’s frankness is another man’s vulgarity.” – Kevin Smith Rest assured that LingoStar will help you find your way through the language jungle! Our example this month: French. Contributed by Marie Springinsfeld. Thanks for reading. French on both sides of the pond Like English and Spanish, the French language is used in many different parts of the world: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa, the Caribbean, and of course, Canada, to name a few. These varieties of the same language, or dialects, are the result of cultural crossovers (migrations, influences from neighboring countries, colonization). At LingoStar, we differentiate between ‘standard’ European French and Canadian French. But what is the ‘standard’? In Canada, there used to be a hierarchy that placed European French at the top, as the standard, and Canadian French somewhere below. However, since the 70’s, French Canadians have been more and more active in upholding and defending their distinct dialect. For European French speakers, reading and most of all hearing Canadian French can be a bit strange. With a little patience, however, these two groups can come to understand each other. ‘Kids’ or ‘balls’? Well, it depends, but you’d better know the difference! Some words refer to different things. For example, a European French speaker in Canada will be advised to be careful with the word ‘gosses’, as it means ‘kids’ in France, but ‘balls’ here! Even though Canadian French has been strongly influenced by English in the past, it seldom borrows English words nowadays. French Canadians have come up with ingenious terms to counteract the use of English words. In France, borrowing...
VANCOUVER HOSTS THE OLYMPICS Vancouver did its best to welcome the 2010 Olympic Winter Games! The atmosphere this February was thrilling and the changes in town remarkable. Many winter sporting events were put in the spotlight, from much-loved hockey to snowboarding, skiing and skating. All sorts of lesser-known outdoor activities were promoted: luge, skeleton, ski jumping, and curling. Even the most celebrated couple of Springfield –Homer and Marge Simpson– learned to curl in a special episode of The Simpsons. Contributed by Miriam Bontorin. Thanks for reading. SUMMER OLYMPICS? In Vancouver and Whistler, the weather was warmer than usual, with the unhappy consequence of irregular snowfalls up in the mountains. This attracted a lot of criticism from the international media, to the extent that some referred to it as the “Summer Olympics”. But the efforts put forth by VANOC to ensure that there was the required amount of snow on the mountains was extraordinary, and few events needed to be postponed or cancelled. ATTRACTIONS IN TOWN The Vancouver Olympic committee also organised a great number of cultural events spread out around the lower mainland and many local celebrities performed: Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams, Nickelback and Feist to name a few. Music was not the only form of entertainment, though. For example, at Robson Square, one could fly over everyone’s head thanks to the exciting zip line, as well as go skating at the public skating ring, all for free. Many pavilions and International houses were a great success with tourists, who didn’t mind waiting for a couple of hours just to get in: the Sochi (Russian), Heineken (Holland) and Saxony...
Introduction, In Western countries Christmas is probably considered to be the most important holiday of the year. Although Christmas is originally a Christian holiday, it is a chance for families all over the world to come together, eat together, and exchange gifts as a sign of affection. During Christmas time people start thinking about New Year’s resolutions, inspired by the lights and decorations that adorn streets and houses. Today we are going to discover how Christmas is celebrated in Italy, a Southern European country that is famous all around the world for its ancient history and culture, art, and delicious food. To non-Italians Italy evokes images of sunny piazzas, beautiful historical monuments and buildings, and enormous steaming pizzas. Visiting Italy during Christmas can be an exciting experience, because the holiday seasons are the best periods to observe traditions and customs of this old country, whose origins date back to the 9th century BC. Contributed by Luisa Begani. Thanks for reading. Family, Traditions, and Art Like in other Western countries, Christmas is a sacred holiday for Italians and is regarded as the time par excellence during which they celebrate family values and stay with beloved ones. A famous Italian saying recites, “Natale con chi i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi”, which means “Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you want“. The Christmas season in Italy lasts for three weeks, starting eight days before Christmas, a period known as Novena. This is the period when families start the big preparation for the Christmas Eve dinner. Italians like to decorate their houses with various ornaments – lights, angels, stars –...
