Global Connects

Global Moustaches

2011-11-04T12:45:00.005Z

A couple of the male members of staff are taking part in the annual Movember event this year. This involves growing a moustache during the month of November!

We are happy to receive any donations however small or big as all proceeds will go to Prostate cancer and Testicular cancer charities.

Please visit our team page on the Movember website to find out more and donate:

http://uk.movember.com/donate/team-details/id/282012

Language Pages

2011-08-02T09:23:00.006+01:00

During the summer we've been working on our website to improve it. This is still a work in progress but we've just finished work on our language pages, focusing on some of the main European languages. Have a look at our pages for French translation, German translation, Italian translation and Spanish translation.

We've revamped our Legal Translations Page

2011-07-07T13:54:00.002+01:00

Check out our new legal translations page on the website: http://www.globalconnects.com/legal-translations/

Severe Winter Weather

2010-12-07T09:39:00.002Z

Despite the severe winter weather some of our staff have made it into work today. As always we will continue to offer the best service possible in these trying conditions for everyone.

Our Next Generation of Interpreters?

2010-11-24T12:24:00.002Z

Saw this item on BBC Scotland and thought it was worth sharing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11824337

A–Z of Rare Languages: J

2010-11-16T09:35:00.002Z

Language: Jumjum

ISO 639 code: jum

Countries/Regions: Sudan

Speakers: 25,000 speakers

Jumjum is a language of the Upper Nile province of Sudan. Although written in a Latin script, the language is mainly a spoken one with only a small minority of speakers being able to read it.

The last estimate of the number of speakers is almost 25 years old and so it is possible the language has declined further in terms of numbers of speakers from the 1987 estimate.

Google Latin

2010-10-14T09:36:00.002+01:00

It was interesting to see that Google now has an online Latin translator: http://translate.google.com/#la|en|

Now my Latin is a bit rusty so I couldn't say how good or bad it is. Perhaps the biggest question though, is who is this aimed at helping? Despite one American Vice-President's famous gaff that he though they spoke Latin in Latin America, most people know that Latin is a "dead" language.

Having said that, it still has a living role in the law, classical and historical studies, and in some churches.

Anyway, "Bene die" as they said in Ancient Rome [via Google Translate!].

Rare Languages Worth Saving?

2010-09-15T11:38:00.001+01:00

Saw this interesting article on the BBC website about rare languages: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11304255

Words Shakespeare Invented

2010-08-25T10:31:00.005+01:00

We tend to think that new words being invented is a modern phenomenon often relating to new inventions or new concepts, but did you know that Shakespeare either invented or brought into common use over a thousand words in his day? He played with language, turning verbs into nouns, nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, and joining existing words together to make a new word to suit his purposes.

If a writer did it now, it would be considered pretty avant garde and experimental.

According to the website Shakespeare Online we have to thank the bard for all these words for example:

Advertising
Amazement
Assassination
Bandit
Barefaced
Bedroom
Blanket
Champion
Compromise
Drugged
Dwindle
Elbow
Excitement
Eyeball
Gloomy
Laughable
Luggage
Majestic
Mimic
Outbreak
Scuffle
Secure
Submerge
Torture
Worthless
Zany

A–Z of Rare Languages: I

2010-08-13T09:38:00.002+01:00

Language: Inuktitut

ISO 639 code: iku

Countries/Regions: Canada, Greenland

Speakers: 50-80,000 speakers

Inuktitut is one of the languages of the Inuit peoples (colloquially referred to as Eskimos). It is an officially recognised language in some provinces of Canada and in Greenland.

The language is widely spoken all along the northern coast of Canada from East to West Coasts. Most Inuit people live in specially designated areas.

Igloo is one of the few Inuit words in common use in English.

A–Z of Rare Languages: H

2010-08-11T10:20:00.003+01:00

Language: Hoia Hoia

ISO 639 code: hhi

Countries/Regions: Papua New Guinea

Speakers: 80 speakers

Another of the very rare and numerous languages of Papua New Guinea. Hoia Hoia is all but extinct with less than one hundred estimated speakers left.

It is found only in one village called Ukusi-Koparamio in the Middle Fly District of the country.

Word of the Day: Underwhelm

2010-08-02T10:40:00.002+01:00

Underwhelm verb (underwhelmed, underwhelming) jocular to fail to impress or make any impact on someone.
ETYMOLOGY: 1950s: modelled on overwhelm.

I have to say that I have been underwhelmed by the weather in July in Glasgow. Typically, the weather in May and June was pretty decent, but July was more or less a washout. Hopefully August will be a little warmer, drier and sunnier. Maybe it's time to make the Scottish summer holidays mainly in May and June and have the schools go back in mid July rather than mid August?

Anyway, to be underwhelmed is one of those words that must have seemed like a good idea at the time when it was invented in the 1950s as the opposite of overwhelm. However, it sounds a bit like a George W Bush made-up-by-mistake word, doesn't it? My favourite Bushism is the very useful word "misunderestimate" which actually serves a useful purpose to describe an underestimate that is so bad it counts as a culpable mistake and not just a slight misjudgment.

What I'll never understand is how you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, but not just "whelmed".

Do Typefaces Really Matter?

2010-07-21T12:18:00.002+01:00

Well you can make up your own mind if typeface and fonts really matter after you read this BBC article about it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10689931

The consensus in Global Connects is that they certainly do. That's why we have hundreds of fonts available to cover the many different languages we translate.

Chartered Institute of Linguists Centenary

2010-07-19T10:33:00.003+01:00

One of the two main professional bodies for translators, the Chartered Institute of Linguists, celebrates its 100th birthday this year.

The institute was founded in 1910 as the Institute of Linguists and its aim then, as now, was to ensure proper professional standards in translation and interpreting work. The body became the Chartered Institute of Linguists in 2005 after receiving a royal charter in recognition of its work over many years.

Global Connects uses a large number of translators who are Members of the institute because translation and interpreting quality are our paramount concern.

We wish the Chartered Institute of Linguists another successful 100 years to come.

Refugee Week

2010-06-16T10:03:00.004+01:00

Did you know that the week of 14-20 June 2010 has been designated as Refugee Week? And this coming Sunday, 20 June is Refugee Day?

Refugee Week is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities.

Refugee Week was first held in 1998, and was created in response to the increasingly negative perceptions of refugees and asylum seekers held by the general public in Britain. It remains the only UK-wide event that promotes the importance of sanctuary and the benefits it can bring to both refugees and host communities.

It is organised by a range of UK charities such as the Oxfam, the British Red Cross, Amnesty International and the Scottish Refugee Council as well the UNHCR and the Home Office UK Border Agency.

To find out more information go to www.refugeeweek.org.uk

Word of the Day: Football

2010-06-11T12:46:00.003+01:00

Today, the FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa and will dominate sporting news for the next month. So for approximately half the population we are about to enter the exciting period of a football World Cup, and for the other half....we're not!

In honour of the start of the tournament here is our guide to football terminology in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Our firm predication is that the winning country will speak one of these languages!

The language order in the following is: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Football (the game), Football, Fußball, Calcio, Fútbol

Footballer, Footballeur, Fußballspieler, Calciatore, Futbolista

Football (the object), Ballon de football, Fußball, Pallone, Balón de fútbol

Referee, Arbitre, Schiedsrichter, Arbitro, Arbitro

Penalty Spot, Point de réparation, Elfmeterpunkt, Dischetto del rigore, Punto de penalti

Goalkeeper, Gardien de but, Torwart, Portiere, Portero

Red card, Carton rouge, Rot Karte, Cartellino rosso, Tarjeta roja

Goal (the event), But, Tor, Goal, Gol

Language Barriers Hindering Overseas Trade

2010-06-02T10:30:00.002+01:00

Saw this story on the BBC that overseas trade is being hindered for many small and medium sized Scottish businesses because of language barriers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/scotland/10212202.stm

This is precisely where we can help Scottish business with their overseas trade as a language provider.

We would be happy to discuss any ways we might be able to help.

A–Z of Rare Languages: G

2010-06-01T09:57:00.002+01:00

Language: Gooniyandi

ISO 639 code: gni

Countries/Regions: Australia

Speakers: 100 speakers

Gooniyandi is an Australian aboriginal language and must be one of the rarest and most endangered languages in the world today. It is currently on the brink of extinction. Most of the hundred or so speakers live in or around the small town of Fitzroy Crossing in rural Western Australia.

It will very likely become an extinct language in the next 10-20 years as no-one is taught the language any more and speakers switch to Australian Kriol.

Le Nom de Voiture...C'est bizarre!

2010-05-24T10:23:00.003+01:00

Okay so the link with language and translation is tenuous, but I thought it was quite funny that a woman named Zoe Renault is suing the car maker Renault because they named their new electric car the Zoe. She claims it will traumatise her...

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/21052010/36/zoe-renault-urges-renault-zoe-rethink-0.html

This is nothing new. Mercedes was named after Mercedes Jellinek, the daughter of one of Daimler-Benz's earliest customers.

Anyway, I think it's only fair revenge for all the dads who called their children after their cars. I wonder if any girls born in the 1970s were named Cortina?

New Web Language Breakthough

2010-05-06T15:32:00.004+01:00

Saw this story on the BBC. Looks like the days of having every URL on the web in English characters may be over!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10100108.stm

This could lead to major changes in how foreign language websites are created and may lead to further opportunities for translation work as localisation of web addresses and urls becomes more common.

I predict in time it will all but universal practice.

A–Z of Rare Languages: F

2010-04-14T09:53:00.003+01:00

Language: Fang

ISO 639 code: fan

Countries/Regions: Equitorial Guinea, Cameroon, Congo, etc.

Speakers: 1,000,000 speakers

Fang is an African language spoken by the Okak and Ntumu peoples. They are known as ‘warriors of the jungle’ and their knowledge of jungle plants, animals, and survival in the jungle is legendary. Traditionally, they are Hunter-gatherers.

Although literacy rates remain fairly low at 15-20% of the population, the Bible was first translated into Fang in 1951.

Fang is written using the standard Latin alphabet.

Google Translate for Animals!

2010-04-01T09:50:00.003+01:00

Have you seen the new product launched by Google today - Google Translate for Animals. It could revolutionise how we communicate with our pets and our livestock.

See full information about this exciting development here: http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/translateforanimals/

Unfortunate Mistranslations

2010-03-29T13:30:00.002+01:00

There are numerous examples of bad translations out there. Some of the more humorous ones occur when the translator almost gets the right word or phrase, but doesn't realise the connotation in English, and produces an unintended double entendre or where the resulting translation is simply surreal.

Here are some examples:

Outside a Hong Kong tailor's shop: "Ladies may have a fit upstairs"

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: "Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists"

On the box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong: "Guaranteed to work throughout its useful life".

In an Acapulco hotel a sign read "The manager has personally passed all the water served here."

In a Japanese hotel room: Please to bathe inside the tub

Which is another way of saying: translation is more than just "putting the right words in the right order". There are many subtle cultural and linguistic issues of which a translator needs to be aware.

That is just one of the many benefits of using a professional translator rather than running text through a computer translation program.

A–Z of Rare Languages: E

2010-03-25T14:34:00.003Z

Language: Extremaduran

ISO 639 code: ext

Countries/Regions: Spain

Speakers: 200,000 speakers

This language is spoken in the Extremadura autonomous region Extremadura in northern Spain. Also spoken across the border in Portugual.

As of 1994 there were still some people who were monolingual in this language (did not speak any other language, including Spanish). It is mainly used among older adults of the local population.

Word of the Day: Dubiety

2010-03-19T13:01:00.002Z

dubiety noun, formal dubiousness; doubt.
ETYMOLOGY: 18c: from Latin dubietas.

This word came up today in a list of words people in the office don't like! The rhetorical question was asked: why say "dubiety" when you can just say "doubt"?

There are differing opinions as to whether "dubiety" has some connotation of deceptiveness or underhandedness that "doubt" doesn't have. We might even say there was some dubiety about that...

What words do you get annoyed about?

A–Z of Rare Languages: D

2010-03-08T10:45:00.003Z

Language: Dido

ISO 639 code: ddo

Countries/Regions: Russian Federation

Speakers: 15,400 people

No "Dido" in this case is neither the Queen of Carthage nor the singer songwriter. It is a language spoken in the Sagadan area of southern Russia by the Muslim population of that region. Although not closely related to Russian linguistically, it is written in the Russian Cyrillic script.

A–Z of Rare Languages: C

2010-02-25T11:36:00.000Z

Language: Chocholtec

ISO 639 code: coz

Countries/Regions: Mexico

Speakers: 770 people.

Chocholtec is a language spoken in southern Mexico. It is described as a "tonal" language which distinguishes between low, medium and high pitched tones.

A–Z of Rare Languages: B

2010-02-22T10:00:00.001Z

Language: Bongo

ISO 639 code: bot

Countries/Regions: Sudan

Speakers: 10,100 people.

Bongo is a language spoken rural Sudan. There is also a similar dialect known as Bungo. Neither is to be confused with a different language of the same name spoken in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A–Z of Rare Languages: A

2010-02-18T09:27:00.003Z

Language: Awad Bing

ISO 639 code: bcu

Countries/Regions: Papua New Guinea

Speakers: c. 1450 people.

Awad Bing is a language spoken in seven villages in the Astrolabe Bay area of Papua New Guinea. Although there are only a small number of speakers, the language is apparently thriving. It is used extensively among the villagers for all kinds of day-to-day activities such as farming, fishing, trading as well as social interaction.

English on the Bahnhof

2010-02-17T09:41:00.003Z

Did you see the story that there have been objections in Germany to too much English being used on German railways. You can read all about it here.

Just goes to show that people still prefer to have things in their own language. Remember the earlier news story about a ticket machine in the UK using German?

Word of the Day: Frost

2010-02-16T09:59:00.006Z

Frost noun 1 a white feathery or powdery deposit of ice crystals formed when water vapour comes into contact with a surface whose temperature is below the freezing point of water. 2 an air temperature below freezing-point • 12 degrees of frost. verb (frosted, frosting) 1 tr & intr (also frost up or over) to cover or become covered with frost. 2 to damage (plants) with frost. frostless adj. frostlike adj.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon.

This word came to mind this morning as it's cold and frosty in Glasgow today. Did you know there are actually three different kinds of frost?

1. Rime Frost

Rime is ice formed when a damp, icy wind blows over flowers, branches and other surfaces. Rime frost looks like icing around the edge of petals and leaves, and only occurs when the temperatures are very low.

2. Hoar Frost

Hoar frost occurs when water vapour touches a very cold surface and freezes on it instantly. This can happen to the leaves and branches of plants, and will cover them with ice crystals that look like spiky fingers. It can also occur on other freezing surfaces such as soil and metal, and so can often be seen on cars. Hoar frost can occur at higher temperatures than rime frost – usually when the air temperature is around 0°C (32°F). However, the ground is usually much colder, and the air must be moist for the ice crystals to form.

3. Fern Frost

In particularly cold weather, fern frost may appear on windows. This happens when tiny water droplets (dew) first form on the cold glass. These then turn into ice and more moisture freezes on top. As this process continues, more ice crystals are formed and the frost develops into what looks like feathery fingers. Fern frost can create beautiful patterns of ice crystals, which often look leaf or fern like – hence the name.

"Jack Frost" is the personification of frost and was once thought to be an evil character who would leave his fingerprints on windowpanes when he spied on the people asleep inside...

Year of the Tiger

2010-02-12T11:16:00.005Z

The Chinese new year begins tomorrow and it's the Year of the Tiger. So happy Chinese new year to everyone, especially if you are having a celebration dinner tonight.

新年快乐! / 新年快樂!

Word of the Day: Pakora

2010-02-10T10:01:00.002Z

pakora noun (pl. pakoras) an Indian dish of chopped spiced vegetables formed into balls, coated in batter and deep-fried, served with a spicy sauce.
ETYMOLOGY: 1950s: Hindi.

It's interesting how English has always been open to receiving words from other languages. It's perhaps also unexpected. You would think that an island nation that is cut off geographically from the rest of the world would also be cut off linguistically. But the very opposite is true, perhaps because of Britain's sea faring heritage and colonial past.

Indian food has been popular in Britain in some shape or form since Victorian times. Apparently Queen Victoria herself loved curried food. But it was after the War that Indian restaurants began to appear in the UK and the British people's love affair with Indian food really took off.

With it, a whole vocabulary of Indian cuisine came with it. Pakora is just one of those words, though interestingly "curry" isn't - it's purely a word the British used for spicy sauces and gravies.

What's your favourite Pakora and which restaurant do you recommend?

Safer Internet Day

2010-02-09T15:38:00.002Z

As the calendar fills up with days for every cause under the sun, so we celebrate Safer Internet Day today, 9 February.

This is an initiative to highlight the need to monitor our children's use of the internet and to educate them about the possible dangers posed by strangers they might come across online.

Seems a worthwhile thing to highlight, but I have no idea why 9 February was chosen. You can read more about it on the official site here.

Power

2010-02-08T09:37:00.002Z

We had no electricty in the office for most of Friday last week. The problem affected the whole building and up to 100 other offices in the city centre. According to Scottish Power the problem was at substation level.

Everything is back to normal today and hopefully the problem has been sorted permanently.

Word of the Day: Ambient

2010-02-02T09:01:00.001Z

ambient adjective 1 said of air, temperature, etc: surrounding. 2 referring to restful and relaxing beatless music, usually played at low volume to create atmosphere.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Latin ambiens, from ambire to go about, from ambi- + ire to go.

I can understand the 'ambient air temperature' meaning the temperature surrounding something. I can understand 'ambient music' meaning background, mood music in a restaurant or bar. But I can't for the life of me understand what an 'ambient sausage roll' is. Neither could the Plain English Campaign who recently took the Co-op to task for selling such things in their supermarkets. Read about it here.

The Co-op responded saying it was an 'administrative error'. Sounds more like a surrealist writing exercise to me!

Got me thinking, well what is an ambient sausage roll? I'm guessing it's being used in meaning two - like ambient music. Food you leave lying around unobtrusively at a party to create atmosphere. Think I'd pass on a lukewarm sausage roll thanks.

A Translation Too Far?

2010-02-01T13:28:00.002Z

Did you see this story on the BBC website about a rogue ticket machine in England that started communicating in German? Weird and wonderful!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/8487529.stm

Word of the Day: Hippopotomonstrosesquippediliophobia

2010-01-29T09:39:00.000Z

Believe it or not, hippopotomonstrosesquippediliophobia is the fear of long words.

Made me smile anyway.

Good Writing

2010-01-29T08:54:00.004Z

Some of the best advice I ever read on how to write good, clear English prose comes from an old English grammar textbook, The King's English by H. W. Fowler, written in 1908.

Fowler begin's his book with these words:

Any one who wishes to become a good writer should endeavour, before he allows himself to be tempted by the more showy qualities, to be direct, simple, brief, vigorous, and lucid.

He then lists five principles we can follow to bring this about.

Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched
Prefer the concrete word to the abstract
Prefer the single word to the circumlocution
Prefer the short word to the long
Prefer the Saxon word to the Romance.

According to Fowler, the above list is given in order of importance, with the most important first. The last he gives as a kind of summary that more often than not will achieve the other four principles if followed. Let's look at each of these briefly.

Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched

This is simply another way of saying that we should use simple, common words wherever possible and avoid showy unusual words or jargon when it's only there to show our readers how educated we are rather than to communicate effectively with them.

For example, don't write "That is unlikely to transpire" when you can say "That is unlikely to happen." Don't write "a protuberance" when you can say "a bump."

Prefer the concrete word to the abstract

This is actually Fowler's way of saying that we should write English that has the right number of nouns and verbs to make our point. He gives an example:

"No year passes now without evidence of the truth of the statement that the work of government is becoming increasingly difficult."

The same meaning can be achieved by changing some of the needless nouns in italics "evidence", "truth", "statement":

"Every passing year shows how true it is that the work of government is becoming increasingly difficult."

Prefer the single word to the circumlocution

This is easier to explain. We should use a single word rather than a string of words to say exactly the same thing.

For example: "Few candidates showed a thorough knowledge of the text and in many cases the answers lacked care." Why not just say "...and many answers lacked care"?

Or again: "The athlete has been made the recipient of a silver medal." Why not just say "received a silver medal"?

Prefer the short word to the long

This goes without saying. Why write "temperamental" when we just mean "moody"?

Prefer the Saxon word to the Romance

This just means that generally English words of Saxon derivation are more familiar and straightforward than their cousins derived from Latin or modern Romance languages.

For example: why write "the climatic conditions" when we can just say "the weather"?

Or again: why say "a number of instances" instead of "a number of times".

Some of the previous examples also use this principle.

State of the Roads 2

2010-01-19T10:12:00.003Z

I see that the number of potholes on Scotland's roads in the wake of the recent snowy and icy weather has now reached the news headlines on the BBC website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8466284.stm

Not much good news in this. For one thing the bill to repair the potholes will be huge, and for another, it can't be done properly until "a period of dry, warm weather."

My question is how can they fix a million potholes in the space of two days in June??

State of the Roads

2010-01-14T10:36:00.004Z

As the ice and snow melts (although there was some fresh snow overnight in Glasgow), have you seen the shocking state of the roads underneath? It looks as if Glasgow's potholes have spread like a rash and the ones that were there already have got bigger and deeper.

If you live in Glasgow, here's the link to contact the Council about this: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/GettingAround/RALF/

Apparently, the figures in England and Wales are that the pothole backlog will take between 11 and 16 years to sort. So don't hold your breath. But remember, if you damage your car in a pothole, you might be able to claim the Council for the damage!

Have a look at this website: http://www.potholes.co.uk/

Word of the Day: Intrepid

2010-01-08T09:30:00.005Z

Intrepid adjective: bold and daring; fearless; brave. intrepidity noun. intrepidly adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Latin intrepidus.

Last night was the coldest of the winter so far with temperatures around –12C (10F) in Glasgow and as low as –22C (–7F) in the Highlands. Yet, everyone in the office still made it in on time this morning, through the fog, snow and ice.

The only word that seemed appropriate for our interpreters out in the field today going to their assignments was "intrepid". This is usually a word reserved for Arctic explorers and the like.

Today though, the only difference between an interpreter working in Glasgow and an Arctic explorer is that the explorer doesn't have to be at a particular place for a particular time!

We're Back!

2010-01-05T09:36:00.001Z

Despite the Arctic weather conditions today, we're back at work in the office after our Christmas and New Year holidays.

Not that it was easy with chaos on the roads this morning. A journey that normally takes 35 minutes took over an hour this morning. The side streets were blocked with snow; the main roads, with traffic.

Anyway, we're back and up in running with everyone at their desks and raring to go for the new year.

Christmas Opening Hours

2009-12-23T11:53:00.001Z

Our opening hours over the festive period are as follows:

Thursday, 24 December - closing at 2.00 pm
Friday, 25 December - closed
Monday, 28 December - closed
Tuesday, 29 December - interpreting service available by phone/email, translation emails will also be monitored.
Wednesday, 30 December - interpreting service available by phone/email, translation emails will also be monitored.
Thursday, 31 December - interpreting service available by phone/email, translation emails will also be monitored.
Friday, 1 January - closed
Monday, 4 January - closed
Tuesday, 5 January - open as normal

We wish all our clients and suppliers a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2010.

Christmas Night Out

2009-12-22T10:41:00.002Z

We had our Christmas night out on Friday with the staff and teachers of Glasgow School of English, our sister company. The night began in Baby Grand at Charing Cross for a meal and a few drinks. Later some of us went on to other local hostelries to celebrate the festive season.

Plain English Day

2009-12-08T09:07:00.003Z

Tuesday, 8th December marks "Plain English Day" and 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Plain English Campaign in the UK.

The date was chosen because it was on this day that Chrissie Maher, the founder of the campaign, publicly shredded thousands of documents outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

Today, the Plain English Campaign will announce the result of their annual awards for best and worst communications in the last year. There will also be a re-enactment of the shredding outside Parliament.

We have always tried to work to Plain English guidelines in our communications, and encourage anyone writing text that is to be translated to write in Plain English also when possible as it helps produce a clear, straightforward translation if we can start from a clear, straightforward source text.

You can read more about the Plain English Campaign and Plain English Day on their website.

Teaching the World to Sing?

2009-12-01T16:50:00.002Z

Did you see this story on the BBC? A group of students from Glasgow University got together yesterday to sing Auld Lang Syne in 41 languages simultaneously! It could be a world record, though there's no news about it being released as a CD.

Talk about simultaneous interpreting!

Did anyone hear it? What was it like, we wonder...

A Monumental Translation

2009-11-26T09:58:00.004Z

"How long does it take to do a translation?" is a similar question to "how long is a piece of string?". It depends on the size of what's being translated!

If the translation is huge in terms of the number of words involved, sometimes taking a fair bit of time to complete it is "getting it done urgently".

However, none of the timescales we've ever been involved with compares with the delivery time of 28 years that two professors took to translate an 8-volume American work on the theory of literature into Chinese.

The project began in 1981 when Yang Qishen began to translate Rene Wellek's massive work The Theory of Literature. He died in 1996, and for the last 13 years, his son Yang Ziwu has been carrying on his father's work.

It's the kind of Herculean task that only academics seem to have time for these days. In politics, a week is a long time, and in business, a day can be a long time sometimes.

You can read more about this story here.

Word of the Day: Neologism

2009-11-24T10:50:00.003Z

neologism noun 1 a new word or expression. 2 a new meaning acquired by an existing word or expression. 3 the practice of coining or introducing neologisms.
ETYMOLOGY: Early 19c: from French néologisme, from neo- + Greek logos word.

'Neologism' has a rather dull meaning - it simply means a new word in a language, whether newly coined, borrowed from another language, or recycling an old word with a new meaning.

There are said to be five stages a new word can potentially pass through:

Unstable – extremely new, being proposed, or being used only by a small subculture (also known as Protologisms).
Diffused – having reached a significant frequency of use, but not yet having gained widespread acceptance.
Stable – having become recognizable, being en vogue, and perhaps, gaining lasting acceptance.
Dated – the point where the word has ceased being novel, entered formal linguistic acceptance and, even may have passed into becoming a cliché..
Passé – when a neologism becomes so culturally dated that the use of it is avoided because its use is seen as a stigma, a sign of being out of step with the norms of a changed cultural tradition, perhaps, with the neologism dropping from the lexicon altogether.

Examples of neologisms are often far more interesting than the word itself, though purists may object that sometimes other perfectly good words already exist. Many new words come from the United States, and from fast-changing sectors such as computing (e.g. internet, blog) and politics (hate crime, Islamophobia, Blairite).

Universal Children's Day

2009-11-20T12:05:00.002Z

Since 1954, the United Nations has designated November 20th as "Universal Children's Day". It is designed to be a day of friendship and understanding between children from all over the world.

You can read more about it here.

I expect in many schools, foreign languages will be to the fore today. This can only be a good thing. Children are the translators and interpreters of the future. Maybe someone today will get into languages because of something they learn about another country or culture today?

Wet, wet, wet

2009-11-20T11:57:00.003Z

Despite the heavy rain that has been falling for about the past 48 hours, leading to serious traffic problems in many parts of southern Scotland, we have had no problems with our interpreters reaching their destinations for interpreting appointments.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (aka the office), everyone made it in this morning without any travel problems. No mean feat when we gather from as far afield as Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire (as well as the rain-sodden streets of Glasgow)!

New Website Gains Visitors

2009-11-18T09:22:00.001Z

Our new website has now been up and running for over a month and is proving successful with visitors. In the first month we had over 1200 visitors to the new site and almost 300 of them completed one of our target goals within the site.

This represents a significant increase in visitors compared to our monthly average for our old site. But we know we can do better! Please feel free to pass on details of our website to anyone you know who might need translation or interpreting services.

Word of the Day: Hamesucken

2009-11-17T08:53:00.003Z

hamesucken noun . Scots Law: the offence of committing a premeditated assault upon a person in his own house or dwelling place.

1754 Erskine Principles iv. iv. 32:
"Haimsucken . . . is the assaulting or beating of a person in his own house . . . The assault must be made in the proper house of the person assaulted, where he lies and rises daily and nightly; so that neither a public-house, nor a private, where one is only transiently, falls within the . . . law."

I'd thought the common law crime of hamesucken was confined to the history books. But I was wrong. I heard the other day that Procurator Fiscal's are still using this crime in charges where someone is attacked in their home. Presumably the reason is that to assault someone in their home is a more serious charge - an aggravation of a normal assault charge. The rationale for this crime makes sense - a person's house is supposed to be where you can feel safe, and there is added trauma to suffer an assault in your own home.

Any other weird and wonderful words you can think of that deserve to be more widely known?

Busy Busy

2009-11-12T12:34:00.002Z

It's been a busy period in our office during the past week or so. Not only have we been undertaking several very large and extremely urgent translation projects, but we've also been working on a new tender opportunity as well.

Still, we like it that way.

Translators and Interpreters: What's the Difference?

2009-11-05T10:12:00.003Z

What's the difference between translators and interpreters?

Well, it depends. In the media, and I suspect to the "person in the street," the terms appear to be used interchangeably. Both terms are often used for a person who speaks two languages to help two people to communicate who could otherwise not speak to each other. I emphasise "speak" deliberately.

Now according to the dictionaries, this is acceptable colloquially.

The Chambers Dictionary defines "to translate" as "to express (a word, speech, written text, etc) in another language, closely preserving the meaning of the original" and a "translator" as a person who does this.

It also defines an "interpreter" as "someone who translates foreign speech as the words are spoken and relays the translation orally".

Notice that in these definitions a translator can work with written text or speech, but an interpreter only works with speech.

In the translation industry, we use slightly narrower definitions of translator and interpreter and only use translator for someone who translates written text from one language into another and only use interpreter for someone who interprets speech from one language into another.

You might find this distinction useful if you are looking to engage the services of a translator or an interpreter in the future.

Gaelic Plans for Edinburgh

2009-11-04T10:14:00.002Z

Did you see the story on the news that Edinburgh City Council is now developing a Gaelic Language Plan and is to consult the Edinburgh public on how important (or not important) they feel it is to maintain links with Gaelic.

People's views will be sought on things like bilingual street signs, use of Gaelic on Council stationery, etc.

As a translation agency with extensive experience in providing Gaelic translations for many public bodies in Scotland, including the Scottish Parliament, we await with some interest the outcome of this consultation.

Will it be viewed as a valuable way of protecting Scotland's unique cultural heritage or simply as a waste of council tax payers' money?

It seems the plans have not received a universal welcome as other news stories show.

Back to Work

2009-10-26T10:58:00.003Z

Our chief blogger has been off work with a bacterial infection in his chest. A fever, a week in bed and a course of strong antibiotics later, he has recovered and returned to blogland today.

Interesting word "bacteria". It comes from the Greek word bakterion which means "little stick". The word was coined by a German biologist, Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, in 1838. The word refers to the shape of many bacteria when viewed under a microscope.

National Poetry Day

2009-10-08T11:03:00.003+01:00

As a translation and interpreting agency, language is obviously of crucial importance to us. That's why we take an interest in National Poetry Day, which displays language at its best and most concentrated form: poetry.

The theme for this year's National Poetry Day is "Heroes and Heroines". On the official website you can read the poets chosen by a number of celebrities as their "poetry heroes and heroines".

Personally, I'd like to nominate the Scottish poet, Hugh MacDiarmid (b. Christopher Murray Grieve, 1892-1978) as a poetry and linguistic hero. MacDiarmid was one of the key figures in renaissance of interest in Scots as a literary language in the 20th century.

The following is one of his beautiful little gems:

The Bonnie Broukit Bairn

Mars is braw in crammasy,
Venus in a green silk goun,
The auld mune shak's her gowden feathers,
Their starry talk's a wheen o' blethers,
Nane for thee a thochtie sparin'
Earth, thou bonnie broukit bairn!
- But greet, an' in your tears ye'll drown
The haill clanjamfrie!

Roughly translated into English this would be:

The Beautiful Grimy Child

Mars is great in crimson red,
Venus in a green silk dress,
The old moon shakes her golden feathers,
Their starry talk's a lot of nonsense,
None for you even sparing a thought,
Earth, you beautiful grimy child!
- But cry, and in your tears you'll drown
The whole lot of them!

Word of the Day: Palimpsest

2009-10-07T09:55:00.005+01:00

palimpsest noun 1 a parchment or other ancient writing surface re-used after the original content has been erased. 2 a monumental brass that has been turned over and inscribed on the reverse.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Greek palin again + psaein to rub smooth.

'All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and re-inscribed exactly as often as was necessary.' (George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four)

'Palimpsest' came up because Caroline is reading Nineteen Eighty-Four at the moment. The word came up when she was reading on the bus and she had to look it up when she got into the office.

Turns out the word is strangely appropriate as we completely re-do our website, including writing more than 29,000 words of new content.

When the new site goes live it will 'rub out' all the old content and, if not quite with Orwellian undertones, make it appear the old site never existed at all...

We're almost there!

2009-10-02T09:37:00.001+01:00

We've been working on a new company website for a while now and we're getting very close to a launch date for the new site. Not only has the site been completely re-thought and re-designed visually, but all the content has been written afresh too.

Our aim is to make the new website clear and informative for everyone who visits it.

Keep an eye on our website for when the new site goes live, probably in the next week...

www.globalconnects.com

You'll notice the change when it happens because we are using the new website to complete a change of trading name - though rest assured we are still the same company, with the same people involved - from Global Connections to Global Connects.