Here’s an interesting article about how to translate “Pork Pie Plot” into other languages, especially in the context of headlines. The PPP is an attempt to unseat Prime Minister Boris Johnson (who, incidentally, is descended from one of the best-known and most controversial German-to-English translators, Helen Lowe-Porter). With regard to headlines, two questions come up… Continue reading Translating the British press’s silliness
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Welcome to Welsh
We don’t need to talk about German all the time here. Let’s consider a tongue known for its siren-like hold over language nerds: Welsh. I received Welcome to Welsh from a family friend who was majoring in linguistics when I was in 8th grade in 1990. He had it, and knew I would want it,… Continue reading Welcome to Welsh
Sorry, everyone
Hey, entire world. I’m really sorry translations can’t be perfect. And by that I don’t mean translators are bound to make a few mistakes, though of course that’s also true. I mean no translation will ever be exactly the same text or give you exactly the same experience as the original. Think you’ve read War… Continue reading Sorry, everyone
A letter from 1871
The flooding in Germany this summer reminded me of this letter I translated a few years ago, and the client gave me permission to share it. Spork is in Nordrhein-Westfalen, right by the border with the Netherlands. Josef was a family member who had left Spork to settle in Wisconsin. The flood is described in… Continue reading A letter from 1871
Typos + MT
Having a busy summer, as always, but here’s a brief note: typos are a problem for machine translators. The best ones (like DeepL) have some ability to recognize typos and correct for them. But they usually can’t do that when the typo is a correctly spelled word (just not the one you intended to type).… Continue reading Typos + MT
“Wo zu finden?”
Wenn ein Liebes dir der TodAus den Augen fortgerückt,Such es nicht im Morgenrot,Nicht im Stern, der abends blickt. Such es nirgends früh und spät,Als im Herzen immerfort.Was man so geliebet, gehtNimmermehr aus diesem Ort. — Justinus Kerner Where to be found? If Death’s come to take away,Push a loved one out of sight,Look not to… Continue reading “Wo zu finden?”
More German adjective endings in English
In this post, I discussed whether to decline German adjectives when you use them in an English sentence. I don’t, but here’s somebody doing it on the Wikipedia page for Leo von König: He was not well thought of by Adolf Hitler, however, and his works were removed from the “Großen Deutschen Kunstausstellung” at the… Continue reading More German adjective endings in English
Practice makes worse
In Brideshead Revisited, Cordelia Flyte returns from her long sojourn in war-torn Spain and the narrator tells us: “She looked more than her twenty-six years; hard living had roughened her; constant intercourse in a foreign tongue had worn away the nuances of speech; she straddled a little as she sat by the fire, and when… Continue reading Practice makes worse
Under the lime trees
While doing research for a project, I came across this 1997 review of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s novel Petrolio . It was amusing, and since I’m from the future, I can answer this question: Is there any chance that, with the alleged collapse of Communism in the Western world, no one will ever again dismiss his… Continue reading Under the lime trees
Translators in Space IV: Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
This episode has always been popular – it’s inspired fan merch and was discussed at length in The Atlantic in 2014 – but it’s getting more attention lately as the social media hive mind wrestles with certain issues. The episode begins with the Enterprise receiving an invitation to establish relations with an alien race, the… Continue reading Translators in Space IV: Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra