Two new bilingual websites dedicated to the linguistic, historical and cultural aspects of the Gaelic language were launched in August 2010.

Following ten years of research and collaboration, Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA) (Gaelic place-names of Scotland) was unveiled to the public on 19 August. Through partnerships with local authorities and organizations such as Ordnance Survey, a database of Gaelic place-names has been compiled in order to ‘agree correct forms of Gaelic place-names for maps, signs and general use’. Described as a ‘treasure trove for Scotland’s historical, environmental and linguistic heritage’, The Translation People couldn’t wait to take a look at the language resources available – and we weren’t disappointed!

The database currently contains around 1,000 entries and offers a Gaelic / English glossary; the etymology of each name; typographical information; grid references that link to a map; and language notes offering further information. For example, Edinburgh is Dùn Èideann in Gaelic and means Eidyn’s fort; and Argyll is Earra-Ghàidheal and means coastland of the Glens. As it is a work in progress, further additions are anticipated including the insertion of sound files to help with pronunciation.

Also going live was the first bilingual website about the Scottish Isle of Iona. Offering a comprehensive insight into the island’s 4,000-year history in both Gaelic and English languages, it also boasts a series of bilingual educational resources, visitor information, and a timeline of the island’s history. ‘Iona has a long association with Gaelic. It was the spiritual heart of Gaelic-speaking Scotland in early mediaeval times, and many of its place names are still in Gaelic’.*

Both websites are bilingual and offer a linguistically and visually stunning panorama of the Gaelic language – they are sure to become a hit with linguists the world over!

* Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop from Press and Journal article: (http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1888108)

Sources:

Iona history site: www.ionahistory.org.uk

Gaelic place names database: www.ainmean-aite.org

www.highland.gov.uk; www.pressandjournal.co.uk

Australian broadcaster NITV have launched the first indigenous language television show aimed at a younger audience. Children have been able to tune in for a daily lesson in the Aboriginal language Noongar thanks to a new show called Waabiny Time (or ‘playing time’ in English) and such is its popularity that a new series has been commissioned. Combined with the popularity of Aboriginal cinema in recent years, indigenous languages in Australia are experiencing a welcome surge in public awareness.

Broadcast daily in 30 minute programmes, Waabiny Time is aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 6 and encourages participation, language preservation and awareness of a language which is worryingly in decline. A team of Noongar linguists were employed throughout the whole project and helped to create the dynamic mixture of entertainment, cultural history and language education which has proved so popular with children throughout Australia. “Each episode, each segment, and each sentence has been crafted to hold our audiences’ attention, while at the same time familiarising them with Noongar language’ states the programme’s website and it is certainly helping to preserve the language, as children are key to a language’s survival.

Aboriginal films have also been attracting huge audiences at the box office recently. In February 2010, Reuters Life! reported on ‘Bran Nue Dae’ which took over $2 million in its opening week and has since become one of the top 50 Australian films in history. Sampson and Delilah – a film spoken in English and Walpiri – received international acclaim when it won the Camera d’Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and was also shortlisted for a Foreign Language Film Award for the 2010 Oscars.

The Australian Government website www.dfat.gov.au states that in the 1700s there were an estimated 250 languages spoken across Australia, yet according to the National Indigenous Languages Survey in 2004, only 145 were still spoken and near to 110 of these are ‘severely or critically endangered’. The international exposure of Noongar and Walpiri has certainly helped in raising awareness of Aboriginal languages and promoting the intrinsic link between language and cultural heritage.

Sources: Perth Now, The Australian, AFP, Waabiny Time

Translations have always had a great influence on the lives of people all over the world, these days probably more than ever before. People come in contact with translations on a daily basis, often unconsciously, e.g. in the form of manuals, commercials and books. Translations do not only enable people from different countries to communicate, get an insight into different cultures or do business abroad. The historical study of translation in particular has shown that translations can be responsible for significant changes in cultures and societies at a particular point in time.

This is especially true when it comes to the translation of literature. Translations can change the taste and preferences of different groups of people and even influence prevailing ideologies in societies at a specific time in history. The literary genre of fairy tales is a very good example of this. These days, the most famous and best known fairy tales are Grimm’s fairy tales (Kinder- und Hausmärchen [KHM]). Fairy tales can be described as entertaining and fanciful, and almost all over the world, the fairy tale is seen as some of the most important stories written for children.

It can be said that the Brothers Grimm’s KHM have gained worldwide and continued popularity due to the various translations. Today, their tales are available in about 160 languages. This achievement can be attributed to their first translation into English, the German Popular Stories, published in 1823, at a time when fairy tales were not regarded as appropriate reading for children in England. Before the 19th century, English children’s literature was subject to strict constraints, it was highly didactic and moral, because children were supposed to learn about the facts of life and study math and history rather than finding amusement in fairy tales.

This ideology began to change with the emergence of Romanticism in Europe. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s collection of fairy tales found approval amongst littérateurs in Great Britain and also developed an increased interest in British fairy tales. Amongst the Grimm’s followers was London solicitor Edgar Taylor, who would produce the first English translation of the KHM. He was an active supporter of fairy tales in general and had a personal interest in improving children’s reading. Given the prevalent ideas and strict rules of educators at that time, this was not an easy endeavour.

In order to make the translation acceptable in the target country England, Taylor had to adhere to the prevailing ideology of children’s upbringing in nineteenth century England. This becomes clear when comparing the original KHM (Taylor used the editions of 1812 and 1819 as source text) and his translation. In particular, three topics were to be treated with special care, namely that of religion and superstition, sexuality and violence. Taylor did not translate those tales with a religious content, e. g. “Marienkind” (“Mary’s Child”). In other cases, his translation strategies include alterations of religious contents, for instance in “The Fisherman and his Wife” (“Von dem Fischer und siine Fru”). In Taylor’s version, the Fisherman’s wife doesn’t wish to become “the dear God”, but “the lord of the sun and moon”.

Also sexuality was a topic to be avoided in Taylor’s translation. In KHM 1, “Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich” (“The Frog King or Iron Henry”), the princess and the frog “fell asleep together happily”, after she threw the frog against the wall, which led to the prince’s disenchantment. Taylor’s princess is not only much nicer than her German counterpart and also obedient to her father; she also marries her prince, of course with the consent of her father. The sleeping part was omitted completely.

The most significant characteristic of the Grimm’s’ early KHM is arguably that of violence. Criticised even in their own academic circle, it can be understood why parents might be reluctant to read some of the early tales to their children. A very good example of this is “Snow- Drop”, today commonly known as “Snow White” (“Sneewittchen”, later “Schneewitchen”). Not only demands Snow-Drop’s wicked stepmother the murder of the child, she also believes she eats Snow-Drop’s lungs and liver (and clearly enjoys it). With children readers in mind, Taylor omitted these cruel parts of the story, e.g. in his translation the evil queen does not ask her servant to kill the princess.

In view of the translation’s success, it can be argued that Taylor’s translation strategies clearly paid off. German Popular Stories were so popular that it led to a second edition and even reprinting. Of course, the tales have changed since then, different versions have been published, whether in Germany, England or other countries. In retrospect, however, it cannot only be argued that thanks to Taylor’s efforts children were finally allowed to read fanciful and entertaining literature again, it can also be said that Taylor’s translation led to the creation of a new genre, namely that of the classic English fairy tale as we know and love it today.

In her new book ‘Why Translation Matters’ critically acclaimed Spanish to English translator Edith Grossman attempts to explain exactly that and having translated some of the most famous literature written in the Spanish language, including Cervantes’ epic Don Quijote and many of Gabriel García Marquez’s best known works, she is certainly well placed to offer up this discussion on the art of literary translation and its significance in the world today. Her argument is a strong one. She calls our attention to the huge number of languages in the world, roughly six thousand, of which some one thousand are written. Even the most talented linguists among us could not come close to mastering even the majority of these. This is where the literary translator comes in. It is he/she who is tasked with bringing foreign language texts to life for new audiences across the globe, granting us access to previously unfamiliar worlds and peoples.

Imagine a world in which Shakespeare was only accessible to fluent English speakers and Dostoevsky and Tolstoy were only available in Russian. It is almost inconceivable for these and the numerous other influential writers to be unreachable. And it is not just the individual works themselves but different styles of writing and new literary techniques and movements which are spread through translated literature.

In her book Grossman delves into the complexities of literary translation and discusses the colossal task of bringing a great work of literature to a new foreign audience. Translation is not, in Grossman’s own words, ‘the application of tracing paper to a text’. There is a lot more involved than many of us who have never been involved in such an endeavour could imagine. Think of all the things which make your favourite novels great. Perhaps it’s the plot, the style of writing, the characterisation, the language, or perhaps it’s the setting or the subject. A good literary translator must attempt to capture all of these characteristics of the original text while at the same time finding a way to convey them to the target audience so that they too can experience the work as the author intended.

To give an extreme example, consider Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting, the well known novel set in Leith in Edinburgh in the mid to late 1980’s whose main focus is on a group of heroin users. Some of the chapters are narrated by the characters themselves and are written in Scots dialogue with terms spelled phonetically. The translator is faced not only with the challenge of understanding this complex dialect, a difficult enough task for many mother tongue English speakers, but also with how to bring it alive in a completely different language. Does Scottish slang have an equivalent in the romance languages? How characters speak confers a lot about where they are from, their social class, regional area, education etc and this in turn helps the reader to understand their actions and their belief systems.

Aside from the dialogue, matters such as style, tone, mood, the emotional impact of words used, cultural inferences, connotations and perceptions must all be carefully considered before a target sentence can be committed to paper. Added to this are irony, satire, sarcasm and humour. The term ‘lost in translation’ was never more fitting than when what may be considered a hilarious joke in one language falls flat for a different culture.

We could spend pages discussing the many decisions to be made when translating a literary text and all of the implications involved in each decision. On some occasions the translator will opt for an equivalent in the target language, on others it may be more appropriate to reproduce the style of the original as closely as possible. No doubt translators and translation theorists will continue to disagree for many years to come on the best approach but one thing remains certain, translation is and always will be a fascinating area of work, vital to world literature.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century written Norwegian was almost identical to Danish. The spoken language was always different, with its own dialects, but because of the political union of Norway and Denmark (from 1380 to 1814) there was a strong Danish influence on the written language. This influence continued after 1814, when Norway came under Swedish rule, but with independence in 1905 there was a general feeling that a Norwegian written language was needed. Gradually, two separate written forms evolved: bokmål (“book language”), which is still fairly close to Danish, and nynorsk (“new Norwegian”), which is based on the dialects spoken in the south-western part of Norway. Both forms are taught in schools, but bokmål is used by far more people than nynorsk – 85% vs. 15%.

Before arranging the Norwegian translation of your promotional material it is worth considering which part of Norway you are targeting, and then tailor your language choice accordingly. The Translation People will be happy to source translators for both forms of Norwegian, depending on the requirements.

The 23rd of April is widely accepted as the date on which our Patron Saint George died and is England’s National Day. We thought it appropriate to mention the Patron Saint of England on this notable day, and to mention that although Saint George’s Day is not celebrated in England with anywhere near the same fervour as his Irish counterpart, we are not the only nation to hold dear the legend of George and the Dragon.

Stephanie investigates how other countries celebrate Saint George:

“During my time at University in Barcelona, I was surprised to see the Barcelona flag proudly hung from balconies and bunting across the narrow streets. On further inspection, the Saint George’s cross indeed makes an appearance on the cities flag and George is the Patron Saint of the region.

Saint George’s Day, or La Diada De Sant Jordi as it is known in Catalonia, is an important feast in the Catalan calendar. Masses of flower and book stalls line the streets, as it is tradition for women to buy their novio (boyfriend) a book, and for the men to return the favour to their novias (girlfriends) with a rose. Such is the enthusiasm for this tradition that this one day alone makes up half of the yearly book sales in Catalonia. It is a veritable celebration, especially in contrast to the lack of excitement in which our Saint’s day passes here.

Upon further inspection, Saint George is the Patron Saint of a notable number of countries and cities (seemingly more than Patrick I might add), including Ethiopia and Russia.

Now Saint Patrick earns inhabitants of Ireland a public holiday, and is widely seen as a day to celebrate Irish culture both in Ireland and far beyond. This makes me ponder whether then it is patriotism that plays the pivotal part in the celebrations (or lack of them) in the name of our Patron Saint’s day. It is no secret that Catalonia is fiercely proud and considers itself to be independent, and the day carries a true air of merriment and tradition.

So whether you go the whole hog and don a dragon suit and dance to a brass band, or merely buy a book or a flower for your loved one, lets try to not let our Saint’s day pass unnoticed here in the UK.”

In a society seemingly obsessed with gossip and propaganda, we were curious to see how far this phenomenon stretches. Stephanie, Account Manager in our Manchester office investigates:

I have memories of my school days and my wonderful French teacher scorning us for entertaining gossip and taking such an interest in it. ‘The French are not interested in gossip, it is distasteful. The French press would not get away with publishing half of the nonsense that they get away with here.’

Now this comment was made some time ago, but it got me thinking about whether there is any truth in this statement.

Prior to the French Revolution of 1789, France was a country where many different variances of the French language were used. France was noted for its political prowess rather than its linguistic abilities. However, during the Revolution, and in a bid to efficiently spread propaganda, a common language was imposed and the various dialects spoken in different provinces were forcefully abandoned. It goes without saying that language has long been utilised to influence and indeed manipulate the masses. Whilst propaganda is not gossip, it certainly shares many of its characteristics.

Back to 2010, the recent press interest in the Sarkozy-Bruni relationship further made me question if France was such an innocent party in this terribly guilty pastime. Whilst the British press were inevitably all over the story, it originated on Twitter and reputable French news sources ran with it the very next day.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton offers a machine translation tool which allows users to translate ‘Celebrity Juice, Not From Concentrate’ into a vast number of languages from Afrikaans to Yiddish. I wonder if this is merely a novelty, or whether the hunger for an insight into the lives of the rich and famous really does carry such a wide global appeal? I suspect that technological advancements enabling people to upload snippets of information and images literally at the click of a button has also facilitated gossip to transcend into many diverse cultures and countries. Although the negative implications do still seem to be stalwartly upheld by the majority of our European neighbours, the craving for pictures of usually glamorous starlets without their makeup and putting the bin out, or the jaw dropping revelations about extra marital affairs does seem to greatly outweigh the desire to do the right thing and mind our own business. Whilst we don’t necessarily possess a common language, it seems that is has still managed to translate, creep and sneak its way around the world and into many different tongues and cultures. Whilst I have struggled to find a word that is older than our English expression, it looks like our foreign counterparts are certainly making up for lost time.”

Romance languages can be strikingly similar or sometimes even identical. For example, ‘beer’, ‘football’ and ‘sport’ have near identical spelling and pronunciation in English and French. However, the same is also true to a much smaller extent with English and Japanese. Western culture infiltrated Japan at the outset of the 20th century, resulting in western vocabulary (although mostly English) becoming part of everyday Japanese. When I first went to Japan bursting with eagerness to become linguistically competent I could not help but feel pangs of disappointment upon learning that ‘beer’, ‘cable car’, ‘bus’, ‘coffee’, ‘pint’ and ‘infrastructure’ where all essentially English words spoken with Japanese pronunciation – ‘biiru’ ‘keburu ka-’ ‘basu’ ‘kohii’ ‘pa-i-n-to’ ‘infurasutorakuchua’. Rather than adapt foreign words, or ‘loan words’ into Japanese however; it does make sense just to leave them unchanged. Japanese is one of the few languages which has a syllabary for the transcription of loan words; known as ‘katakana’

Japanese goes one step further in that occasionally it even changes the meaning of loan words. Said words are known as ‘wasei eigo’ (Japanese-made English). Allow me to highlight just what I mean with a few examples.

Viking

Pronounced baikingu using the katakana syllabary this loan word does not refer to a Norse warrior like one would first think but rather an all-you-can-eat menu at a restaurant; what we know as a buffet. Quite often Italian restaurants in Japan will offer baikingu menus, regardless of the lack of longboats, halberds, and beards.

Service

Pronounced sa-bisu this word seems to vaguely suggest some kind of service, or perhaps the mere fact that you will be served in a restaurant, but in reality what the Japanese mean by this is ‘free of charge’. Quite often in cafés or restaurants you find the word sa-bisu next to the dish your ordering which earns you a free coffee (kohii), salad (sarada) or perhaps a drink (dorinku). The restaurant is not advertising their willingness to serve you food since the majority of service is excellent nationwide they have no need to do so.

Punk

Pronounced panku and sounding very similar to the word punk, this loan word in Japanese does not refer to the yobs who may be responsible for slashing your car tyres but the flat tyre itself; meaning puncture. It is likely that the word ‘puncture’ was abbreviated to ‘punk’. Abbreviation is a prevalent trend in Japan. Other examples of this include ame futto, ‘American football’, infura, ‘infrastructure’ and conbini, ‘convenience store’.

Marathon

Most Japanese people will at some stage in their lives take part in what they refer to as a marason. On the first day I moved into the dorm I lived in during my year of study in Tokyo I was told that the following day everyone in the dorm would be participating in a marason, which to ignorant me was most perturbing news. However, it turns out that in Japanese marason simply means ‘race’, usually only several kilometres. Still, it was several too many at 6 in the morning I can assure you.

A good translation is not always self-evident. It requires careful preparation, good experience and most of all you need to be a native speaker. Our eyes fell on a Belgian article published last month, which serves as a perfect illustration.

A Belgian PR-company, HL Event, had sent out invitations for a VIP-arrangement at the French Open tennis tournament, but failed miserably when it attempted to translate the French letter into Dutch. We will attempt to copy these blunders into the English language, it will undoubtedly raise a few eyebrows.

“Good day,

The Belgian and Women’s Tennis is more than ever at the top of the world hierarchy at the start of this year. Recently returned from the world of tennis, Justine Henin finds herself in the final with Serena Williams in Australia for the first Tournament of Grand Slem of this year!

Kim Clijsters had gone before her in September 2009 at the US Open final. Moreover, neither Yanina Wickmayer allows herself to be covered by winning her third title of her career.

HL Event presents you to support our intolerable trio in extraordinary circumstances at Roland Garros! Reserve you VIP package which will present you the occasion to cheer for our tennis champions on the famous Parisian clay floor.”

The Flemish newspaper ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ managed to speak to the translator. “Errm, you have to understand that I am native French speaker and have only been studying Dutch for two years. The only thing I can do is to apologise and to send out a new, correct email.”

It shows once more that when you need high-quality, professional translations, it is paramount that you make sure that the translator works into his native language only, or you might end up in a similar situation.