Life in California: A conference, a fire and a community

You may be wondering what the title of this blog post could possibly mean, but hang in there and let me explain! I recently returned from the 60th annual conference of the American Translators Association. This was my first time at the conference, and the week was filled with connections with translator and interpreter colleagues.Continue reading “Life in California: A conference, a fire and a community”

Happy International Translation Day

Happy International Translation Day! On September 30th and throughout this week, translators and interpreters celebrated International Translation Day 2019. The American Translators Association created an informative video that explains what a typical day might look like for a translator or an interpreter. The video also explains the difference between a translator and an interpreter. Here’sContinue reading “Happy International Translation Day”

Literary Translation and Public Domain Books

Today’s post is all about literary translation. Do you remember a book you read in translation? Perhaps it was a classic literary translation like Don Quixote, or maybe it was a more contemporary title. Although many people don’t stop to think about it, literature in translation often forms a significant part of our reading listsContinue reading “Literary Translation and Public Domain Books”

Translating Poetry

Translating poetry is a special job: the poet, if alive, entrusts the translator to capture the soul of a poem so that speakers of a completely different language might fully understand the poet’s message; the translator is responsible for making the right decisions along the way, ensuring that this transfer of ideas happens smoothly. WhetherContinue reading “Translating Poetry”

Gender Neutrality in Translation

Gender is a big topic these days and the use of gender-neutral language is a much-debated subject right now in the translation industry. Translators and the people who work with them have long been debating how and when to use gender-neutral language. If conference topics and online articles are any indication, the overall global conversationContinue reading “Gender Neutrality in Translation”

Living on Borrowed Words

If someone told you to no longer use the word “burrito” to describe beans, rice, lettuce and cheese wrapped up in a tortilla, what would you do? It is commonly thought that the word “burrito” comes from the fact that, like a little donkey that can carry many items on its back, a burrito carriesContinue reading “Living on Borrowed Words”