Why do people decide to become a translator or interpreter?  What's a typical day like?  What is the best part of working with languages? Hint: if your idea of being a translator or interpreter is based on the performances of Gwyneth Paltrow ("A Perfect Murder") or Nicole Kidman ("The Interpreter"), you may be in for a surprise.

"Translator Tales", an oral history project co-sponsored by the American Translators Association and McElroy Translations, lets translators and interpreters tell their own stories.

The project wants to bring "translation and interpreting careers to life through personal stories". The first interviews were recorded at the ATA's 2008 Annual Conference and more are being taped this week at this year's meeting in New York.  There are some great stories here.  What's yours?

Photo by Bangemsmurf

Do you know what word is used the most in English?  Would it surprise you to learn that "no" is used more often than "yes'?  Which do you think is more popular,  "you" or "I"?

If you are a lexophile and you think you can answer these questions correctly, than you should play "Can you name the most commonly used words in the English language?".  Let us know how you do.

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The bab.la language portal is offering survival guides for travelers in 14 languages.  There are three versions of the Survival Guides:

The Conversation Survival Guide will help you ask for directions, order food, and have a simple conversation. 

The Complaints Survival Guide provides you with basic vocabulary to complain and solve problems in hotels, restaurants and when renting a car.

The Computer Survival Guide guides you through the challenges of using computers with interfaces in a foreign language.

The guides are available in English, Chinese, Spanish, French, and Hindi.  To learn what other languages are available and to download your Survival Guide, visit their website

Photo by Carlos Adampol. Creative Commons license.

http://www.pandltranslations.com

Many people study a foreign language for a couple of years in high school and then have no further exposure to it.  I've heard people say that they don't remember anything beyond "hello", "how are you?", and the numbers from 1 to 10. They may be surprised to learn that some of that long forgotten language may be lingering in their memory.

Psychologists at the University of Bristol tested native English-speaking volunteers who had learned Zulu or Hindi when they were young.  They were given a vocabulary test to determine if they remembered any of the forgotten language.  Science Daily reports that:

even though the volunteers showed no memory of the second language in the vocabulary test, they were able to quickly relearn and correctly identify phonemes that were spoken in the neglected language.

These findings...suggest that exposing young children to foreign languages, even if they do not continue to speak them, can have a lasting impact on speech perception.

If you have thought about studying the language you took in high school again, it may be easier than you think if, as this study indicates, traces remain in your brain.

Photo by Jon Candy. Licensed by Creative Commons.

http://www.pandltranslations.com

My favorite is quixotic.  Merriam-Webster defines it as

1 : foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action.

2 : capricious, unpredictable.

The adjective entered the English language around 1790 and comes from Don Quixote, the hero of Miguel de Cervantes' satiric novel.  I was reminded of it while listening to "The Writer's Almanac" while Garrison Keillor read the opening lines of "Don Quixote de la Mancha" because today is Cervantes' birthday.  The hardcover version of Edith Grossman's 2003 translation ranks #11,288 on Amazon today, not bad for a book written four hundred years ago.

What's your favorite word?

Photo by ninikanka under Creative Commons license.

http://www.pandltranslations.com