eel in the air - translation blog

Moving out/déménagement/trasloco

2011-02-16T22:07:00.003+01:00

This blog has found a new home sweet home. From now on, you can read it at http://www.idalbrun.com/blog.html. Thank you.

Internet slang

2011-02-03T15:55:00.001+01:00

A useful glossary of Internet slang, acronyms and abbreviations.

Wikipedia for you

2011-01-19T21:56:00.002+01:00

Given that Wikipedia relies on its readers to spot and fix inaccuracies, errors are inevitable; entries may also have deliberate biases or inaccuracies introduced into them for political, personal or commercial motives. There have been several hoaxes. Britain’s exam watchdog, Ofqual, warned in 2009 that Wikipedia was not “authoritative or accurate” and entries “may be completely untrue”. Studies suggest that Wikipedia may not be as accurate as specialist information sources, but compares well with the accuracy of books, newspapers and magazines. If you look up a subject you know about on Wikipedia, you will find that it mostly gets things right. Even Ofqual conceded that Wikipedia “can be an excellent starting point for research”.

The Economist, Wiki Birthday to You

Nowadays I can't but shrug at comments haughtily dismissing such sources altogether out of mere prejudice. Wikipedia may not be your only reference, but as the above linked article suggests, it is certainly a good starting point, provided you know how to do your research. Obviously then, those who pooh-pooh it really ought to learn some basics of searching. The first of which being "trust your own common sense and act accordingly".

Enough for today, thank you

2011-01-10T15:21:00.003+01:00

Most of the times translating means doing terminological research. And whether you are going to use specific texts, encyclopedias or the Net, it involves dealing with words... and pictures. Which is ok when you're translating about cats, puppies or muffins, but becomes a weeny bit destabilising when having to look at not-so-pleasant things. Having had to look into a variety of moths and one of spiders, I think for today I've been fully contributing to translation and look forward to a refreshing cup of tea.

List of military abbreviations

2011-01-06T09:55:00.003+01:00

Here's a useful list of military abbreviations in Italian. Just because it's nice to start the year with a little help. Happy 2011!

And now comics!

2010-11-11T17:58:00.001+01:00

Some Q&A time with an Italian manga translator casts a light on this interesting branch of translation.

Italian spirits

2010-11-03T14:09:00.003+01:00

"The Italians must drink with food, which is why you can find an entire culture of lighter aperitivi, with multiple variations containing splashes of Campari, Aperol, prosecco, white wine or soda, served along with free food at most bars during happy hour. Some of these spreads, with meat, cheese, vegetables, bruschetta and sandwiches, could serve as meals in themselves."

Jason Wilson, Translating 'Cocktail' into Italian

Read the rest of this flavoursome overview on Italians' drinking habits here.

Faster, cheaper, more effective

2010-10-31T10:08:00.002+01:00

Faster, cheaper, more effective... that's basically the outcome industry has always been trying to reach. In several cases it did reach such outcome. Why then assume that the language industry makes an exception? Problems such as those highlighted in this article may certainly be still rather far from being solved, but it would definitely be unwise to expect they will never be, as a certain attitude in translation practice and research seems to imply. Translating has come a long way and as far as I can see, it's catching up speed. Pretending to ignore this seems to me as unsafe as standing on a treadmill without keeping up with the pace set by its motor. You end up flat on the floor, expelled by the same machine you were trying to control.

Meaningful rituals

2010-10-24T17:44:00.004+02:00

As a ritual, after I have completed a translation (I mean, right after I close the last page of the book) I make a point of performing a small gesture. It could be a satisfied smile, a patting on a book that I have enjoyed reading and translating, a stretching of my arms that gives me a sense of relaxation or simply a sigh of relief. There are however also days when I perform with all my heart some form of nonverbal communication that would most likely be called "profanity". Those are the days when you can really tell I've been translating rubbish.

Don't judge a book by its cover

2010-10-17T10:51:00.003+02:00

I've recently started a rather thin book on Italian language whose title suggests - or rather, states - it contains basic grammar rules. The ABC. That's why I bought it in the first place. To get some down-to-earth, sensible grammar ABC. So far, the book has proved to be anything but.
I'm about to finish translating a book whose title promises to help you modify a specific bad habit. I didn't choose the book nor am I fortunately hindered by such habit, generally speaking. Yet I thought, great, that's going to be a very practical and useful book for many. I was wrong. Again, the book is anything but.
Years ago I bought a very interesting book whose title promised to help you identify 5 specific negative behaviours and correct them. I was very disappointed when I saw that the "let's do it" part - correcting behaviours - was just a couple of pages at the end of the book. (In this specific case, the "blame" was actually on the Italian translation, as the original title bore no trace of solutions.)
I honestly wonder how often do we get inspired by a book title only to find out that it's got nothing to do with the contents. I know, I know, you should not judge a book by its cover. However, sometimes even the quick flipping through the pages you perform standing there in the narrow corridors of a bookshop is not enough. To make you come to term with the fact you felt deceived.

Translating Madame Bovary

2010-10-12T19:57:00.003+02:00

"I wrote the first draft of Madame Bovary without studying the previous translations, although I gathered them and took the occasional peek. [...] I did not study the other translations during my first draft because I had to establish my own style and my own understanding of what I was reading before I could risk the rhythms and eccentricities of the others striking my ear and possibly creeping into my prose."

Lydia Davis, The Sins of a Translator

If you are interested in literary translation, I definitely recommend Davis's posts on translating Madame Bovary. As well as some quite interesting comments. (Off topic: love the black cat!)

How much is an e-book worth?

2010-10-07T08:14:00.004+02:00

A recent article in the New York Times touched a rather sore point: the price and therefore perceived value of e-books. Highlighting the general idea that an e-book should not cost more than a hardcover and hopefully ought to be far cheaper, the article reflects a mood that tend to see books first and foremost as material objects whose price is supposedly established based on their visual impact rather than their contents. A hardcover looks more luxurious, therefore it ought to cost more. An e-book on the other hand gives readers the feeling they are not holding anything "solid" in their hands, hence nothing one could possibly put a price on. Indeed, when reading e-books one is confronted with (almost) bare contents, which are the result of creative work. In other words, nothing tangible, alas.

Glossaries of slang words

2010-10-02T09:46:00.004+02:00

Via Laurent, here's a useful tool: La Parlure, a glossary of French slang (several variants) edited and rated on a volunteer basis. On the same lines, here and here you can find two interesting glossaries of Italian slang.

Women in publishing

2010-09-26T10:09:00.004+02:00

Is publishing really a "female job", or rather, is the publishing industry biased towards females, and if so, what are the consequences?

"Almost all those interviewed acknowledged that publishing does have hurdles to overcome in attracting men. The main impediment for attracting men, many think, is the low pay of publishing jobs, especially entry-level ones."

Rachel Deahl, Where Boys Are Not. Read the article here.

Fluent translations. Too fluent.

2010-09-23T09:01:00.003+02:00

"Quand quelque chose me paraît étrange ou divaguant, comme si l'auteur avait placé un obstacle en travers du chemin pour ralentir la lecture, je me dis : "Gardons-le !" Mais je peux comprendre que ce soit nécessaire de lisser car le français tolère moins bien que l'anglais les répétitions. Dans la traduction littéraire il faut savoir reproduire l'écart qu'a installé l'écrivain entre sa langue et la langue standard."

Christine Rousseau, Ebouriffer les traductions trop "propres". The article, in French, is available here.

Mapping literary translation in Europe

2010-09-18T11:36:00.003+02:00

Diversity Report is a piece of research mapping fiction authors across book markets in Europe. The emphasis on translation makes it a very interesting document for all those interested in having an idea of literary translation patterns in the Continent. The table of contents features challenging discussions such as:

How diverse are translated books in general?
Diversity in the top-selling segment
The variations in the impact of the very top
Linguistically relatively open versus closed literary markets

Several case studies are also presented.
And here you can get the .pdf with the final version of the report.

Approximately wrong

2010-09-14T09:01:00.001+02:00

Approximately: adverb
Close to a particular number or time although not exactly that number or time.

"Close to" and "not exactly" normally imply that you try to get your figure as precise as possible, but you can't hit the exact number. You may for instance say "approximately 2,000 people were at the event", because you are not sure how many exactly; maybe 1,990 maybe 2,001. However, if you say that there were 2,378 people, well, sure you are fairly aware of the exact amount of people around. "Approximately" would therefore sound rather bizarre - if not out of place - in this case.
All this just passed through my mind - as if to justify myself - while I was chosing not to translate "approximately" followed by a rather huge number whose digits clearly indicated a precise amount. Then I suddenly realised, hey, no need to feel guilty. It's just one more simple case of editing that got somehow lost in the process.

Ugo Foscolo on translating Ossian into Italian

2010-09-12T11:14:00.001+02:00

[...] Ben io volando con l’immaginazione a que’ tempi guido fra le sue montagne quel cieco poeta, e siedo devoto su la sua tomba; ma io grido ad un tempo agli italiani: Lasciate quest’albero nel suo terreno poiché trapiantato tralignerà; simile a que’ fieri animali, che dalla libertà delle selve tratti fra gli uomini, appena serbano vestigj della loro indole generosa. [...]

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Ugo Foscolo, La chioma di Berenice - Discorso quarto (read it here), Milano, Genio Tipografico, 1803, p. 60.

Pro-bonoing Google

2010-09-09T08:34:00.004+02:00

Whether one wants it or not, translation is definitely evolving in its approach and processes. The demand for volunteer translation seems to be increasing, but does it really mean the end of the profession? Or is it merely asking translators do make an effort and change their approach as well?

Ten ways to really annoy your customers

2010-09-06T08:30:00.007+02:00

[...] With the best will in the world, occasionally you’re going to get complaints that you feel are unfounded.It’s perfectly natural to want to defend your company, your product or your actions.

Unfortunately this is also a quick fire way to completely destroy customer loyalty. “Well so what? We’re BigCo, it’s only one customer!”.

No it isn’t.

It’s one customer, plus all their Facebook friends, plus their friends, plus... well, you get the idea. And if that isn’t enough, wading into an argument represents a fundamental flaw in your business thinking.[...]

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Matt Owen, Ten ways to really annoy your customers. Read the whole article here.

Turning page

2010-08-30T14:35:00.003+02:00

While OED is wondering whether or not going for a 3rd print edition, the e-book industry seems to be receiving more and more attention. To the point one cannot longer dismiss it as "just hype". I'm rather curious to see how it'll all turn out.

Rentrée time

2010-08-23T14:34:00.002+02:00

An interesting overview (in French) of the French literary scenario 2010. Thanks to Nadine.

Once upon a book

2010-07-20T18:04:00.003+02:00

I find it quite intriguing that while just yesterday we would be more than happy with the idea of "book", today we feel the need - if not the urge - of making it clear what kind of book, what format we are talking about. Farewell, books; it's now e-books or print books. Accuracy matters.

Being online: blogs and the like

2010-07-11T16:37:00.005+02:00

More than 10 years have passed since the word "blog" saw the light. Born as some sort of portmanteau word blending together "web" and "log",¹ blog has definitely become a successful and widespread "four-letter word".² Such was the success of both the means and the word that other phenomena emerged somehow as spin-offs, with a life of their own yet bearing in their names some traces of their origin. I'm specifically thinking of:

Splog - spam blog. A blog without any real content, whose main aim is to play on search engine visibility.³

Tlog or tumblelog. A form of microblogging (or - somehow derogatorily - "fast blogging").

Phlog - photo blog. As the name suggests, a blog "written" through pictures. This may cause some confusion, due to its meaning superimposing that of "Gopher log".

Vlog - video log. A blog made of video clips.⁴

Any more to add?

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¹ A detailed account of the phenomenon can be read in "weblogs: a history and perspective", by Rebecca Blood

² See e.g. Licia's interesting post (IT) on suggested alternatives in Italian.

³ See "Spam + Blogs = Trouble", by Charles C. Mann

⁴ See "Blogging + Video = Vlogging", by Katie Dean

Up to my eyeballs

2010-06-21T12:16:00.002+02:00

Enough, enough, enough with fantasy explanations of word origins. What's wrong with you, guys? Don't know any Latin? Fine with me, but good grief, grab any dictionary and check your word up! Don't you ever realise that, once translated in Italian, your etymological bragging will sound hilarious? >:-(