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Using these expressions with native speakers will make you sound like a master of French Using these expressions with native speakers will make you sound like a master of French Has your neighbour told you they have been combing the giraffe at work? AbhishekMittal/Shutterstock PUBLISHED Tuesday 07 May 2024 - 10:44 LAST UPDATED Tuesday 07 May 2024 - 16:27 French, like any other language, is full of weird and wonderful expressions and phrases that do not make sense when directly translated. Some of these expressions have made their way into everyday usage, and to a native French speaker are as simple as saying ‘ça va !’ Others are common with the younger generations. They can leave learners scratching their heads, however, wondering what a well-groomed giraffe has to do with someone’s slow day at the office (more on this below). Sometimes the expressions are still not clear even with the benefit of context, so it is useful to take note of the ones you see. Below we list seven that you can hear in everyday exchanges, but may be unlikely to grasp based on translation alone. We give the direct translation in the heading and a possible English equivalent. Au bout de rouleau – at end of the scroll Directly translated, être au bout de rouleau means to be at the end of the scroll. Rouleau has a few meanings including scroll, roller, rolling pin or roll. It is used in frustration the same way an English speaker might say they are at the end of their tether. If you are really fed up, you can use je suis au bout de rouleau to express your frustration with the situation. Claqué au sol - slammed to the ground When you hear something described as claqué au sol, it is not a good thing. It is used in the same way as nul, suggesting something is bad quality or not worth it. The expression has been around since about 2019, and is popular in internet culture, meaning it is more common amongst younger speakers. Read more: The French you learn at school is often not what you hear: 5 examples Craquer son slip - to split your pants Translated directly, this means to split your pants – craquer can mean to split or crack, and slip refers to underwear (usually knickers). Putting them together in this phrase however signifies that someone has really lost their temper. It is more colloquial, and is like saying someone ‘has lost their shit’ in English. Être à coté de la plaque - to be next to the plank ‘Être à côté de’ translates as ‘to be next to something’, and la plaque can mean lots of different things depending on context, such as a plank, badge, patch or even number plate. In this phrase, the two combined mean to miss the point of something or to be mistaken. It is the same as saying something is ‘well off the mark’ or ‘well off-target’ in English. Mettre de l’eau dans son vin - putting water in your wine Mettre de l’eau dans son vin literally translates as putting water into your wine, but the conjured image of mixing two things together is only partially correct. The phrase is used in situations when two people disagree, and must make an effort to compromise. Our English equivalent could be to reach a consensus, or to (both) back down in an argument. It only really works if both people put the work in to do so. Read more: Useful informal French expressions you don’t learn at school Peigner la girafe – to comb the giraffe Peigner la girafe translated directly means to comb the giraffe, which gives very little indication of what the expression relates to. If you were to comb a giraffe, it would be a long and pointless task, which is a hint towards its meaning. When you hear someone say this, it means that they are working very slowly or very inefficiently completing a task – like ‘twiddling your thumbs’ in English. Coincer la bulle - Trapping the bubble This expression comes from the military, where it was used to describe soldiers manning artillery guns. To calibrate the gun to the correct position, soldiers would use a device similar to a spirit meter, that saw a ‘bubble’ lined up between two markers, showing the mortar was in a straight line. Once they had done this, the soldiers had to simply stand around and wait for the order to fire. Therefore, they had lots of time to ‘trap the bubble’. In English, this could be considered the equivalent to resting on one’s oars, it simply suggests doing nothing or resting. It must be said, however, that this is not an everyday expression, and is slightly more poetic than its English counterpart.
United Nations language staff come from all over the globe and make up a uniquely diverse and multilingual community. What unites them is the pursuit of excellence in their respective areas, the excitement of being at the forefront of international affairs and the desire to contribute to the realization of the purposes of the United Nations, as outlined in the Charter, by facilitating communication and decision-making. United Nations language staff in numbers The United Nations is one of the world's largest employers of language professionals. Several hundred such staff work for the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, or at the United Nations regional commissions in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva and Santiago. Learn more at Meet our language staff. What do we mean by “language professionals”? At the United Nations, the term “language professional” covers a wide range of specialists, such as interpreters, translators, editors, verbatim reporters, terminologists, reference assistants and copy preparers/proofreaders/production editors. Learn more at Careers. What do we mean by “main language”? At the United Nations, “main language” generally refers to the language of an individual's higher education. For linguists outside the Organization, on the other hand, “main language” is usually taken to mean the “target language” into which an individual works. How are language professionals recruited? The main recruitment path for United Nations language professionals is through competitive examinations for language positions, whereby successful examinees are placed on rosters for recruitment and are hired as and when job vacancies arise. Language professionals from all regions, who meet the eligibility requirements, are encouraged to apply. Candidates are judged solely on their academic and other qualifications and on their performance in the examination. Nationality/citizenship is not a consideration. Learn more at Recruitment. What kind of background do United Nations language professionals need? Our recruits do not all have a background in languages. Some have a background in other fields, including journalism, law, economics and even engineering or medicine. These are of great benefit to the United Nations, which deals with a large variety of subjects. Why does the Department have an outreach programme? Finding the right profile of candidate for United Nations language positions is challenging, especially for certain language combinations. The United Nations is not the only international organization looking for skilled language professionals, and it deals with a wide variety of subjects, often politically sensitive. Its language staff must meet high quality and productivity standards. This is why the Department has had an outreach programme focusing on collaboration with universities since 2007. The Department hopes to build on existing partnerships, forge new partnerships, and attract the qualified staff it needs to continue providing high-quality conference services at the United Nations. Learn more at Outreach. #metaglossia_mundus
"Pour la préservation de la paix sociale au Sénégal, «Potal Demde Ngenndiije» et «Kisal Deeyirde Pulaagu» ainsi que de nombreuses autres associations pulaar ont listé 16 suggestions respectueusement au Président Bassirou Diomaye Faye, notamment l’intégration des langues nationales dans tous les secteurs d’activité, la traduction des discours officiels dans les principales langues nationales, l’inclusion du pulaar comme langue de communication dans les systèmes de transport du pays comme Air Sénégal, le Train express régional (Ter), le Bus rapide transit ( Brt) et dans tous les autres programmes à venir»…et la refonte des programmes de la Radiodiffusion sénégalaise pour inclure toutes les langues nationales. Ils insistent également sur la nécessité de promouvoir le pulaar en raison de sa dimension transfrontalière et de son rôle potentiel dans l’intégration régionale." #metaglossia_mundus
"The journalist and translator said:"The police did not interrogate me, accuse me, nor present a warrant. They deported me, and I still do not know why" American Judy Butler celebrates her 80th birthday in Nicaragua. U.S. translator Judy Butler, 83 years old, still does not know the reasons for her illegal and sudden deportation from Nicaragua on Tuesday night, May 21, 2024. The journalist also stated that, in her more than 40 years as a translator, she has provided her services to dozens of state institutions, international agencies, companies, and individuals, and that she was not "Humberto Ortega's translator", to whom in eight years she only translated a book -which was not published- and an opinion article. From the United States, Judy Butler told CONFIDENCIAL that at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, seven police officers, including several women and "plainclothes agents," arrived at her home and indicated that "they wanted to enter her house." Once inside, they ordered her to "pack a small bag because they were taking her to the airport to deport her." The US citizen, who has lived in Nicaragua for 41 years, asked the reasons for the search and deportation, but they gave her no reason. "They did not interrogate me, did not accuse me, and did not present a warrant. Until now, I still do not know why I was deported," said Judy Butler. The only thing they asked her was if she lived alone, to which she answered affirmatively. They also asked if the house was owned or rented and took photos of the home. The police confiscated her two cell phones, while her computer and all her personal belongings remained in her house in Ticuantepe, on the outskirts of Managua. The officers took her to a Police Immigration office, where they kept her for more than four hours before taking her to Managua’s international airport. "Again, I asked why they were deporting me, and they never responded or told me where they were sending me," the translator emphasized. Two Translations for Humberto Ortega Judy Butler stated that seven or eight years ago, she had her first work relationship with retired General Humberto Ortega, for whom she translated a book at the request of former deputy Luis Humberto Guzmán, who intended to publish the text in his publishing house, although "the book translated into English was never published." Judy recalled that on Monday, May 13, 2024, "Luis Humberto Guzmán again came to her house to request her to translate an 800-word opinion article by Humberto Ortega, titled “What to Do”, which was published (in Spanish) in the newspaper La Prensa." Butler accepted the job, and the former deputy put her in contact with an assistant of Humberto Ortega, to whom she delivered the translation that "was supposedly going to be distributed among the networks of friends and contacts" of the former Army chief. Humberto Ortega has been under "de facto house arrest" since Sunday, May 19, 2024, when an interview was published in the Argentine media Infobae, in which he stated that his older brother, Daniel Ortega, has no suitable successors. This statement angered Vice President Rosario Murillo, according to Sandinista dissidents. Judy Butler insisted that she was not "Humberto Ortega’s translator," nor his "occasional translator," as the media has reported. Judy Butler’s Clients Butler explained that as a professional translator, she has provided her services to various state institutions, private companies, national and international NGOs, United Nations agencies, and other cooperation agencies. She has also been a translator of English subtitles for films produced by "Camila Films," and several TV series. Among her clients, she listed a wide range of people and companies, including an advertising company linked to Laureano Ortega Murillo, son of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, president and vice president of Nicaragua. She emphasized that between 1977 and 1983, she was the editor of the Report on the Americas of the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), an NGO of social scholars who analyze Latin America's relations with the United States. In Nicaragua, she has also worked for the magazines Wani and Envío, the latter belonging to the confiscated Central American University (UCA). This article was published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch."
"Dukes County public health educator Fernando Lana has been providing Portuguese translation and interpreting services for an array of public health concerns. He started working with the Island’s boards of health as a volunteer during the Covid-19 pandemic Public health information has been difficult to access for the growing non-English speaking population on Martha’s Vineyard. Fernando Lana, the Dukes County public health educator, is working to make it easier to access for the Brazilian community. For the past four years, Mr. Lana has been providing Portuguese translation and interpreting services for an array of public health concerns in an attempt to bridge the gap between the largely English speaking public health system on the Island and sizable population of Brazilian-Portuguese speakers. In his current role, he’s provided the Brazilian community with information on tick-borne illnesses, dental issues and even the proper fertilizers to use for lawns. Marina Lent, the Aquinnah health agent, said it’s been a big change for the Vineyard. “Before Fernando was doing it . . . it was very minimal,” said Ms. Lent, Mr. Lana’s direct supervisor. “He’s created a Brazilian arm of public health, both services and inspections.” Though not classically trained in public health, Mr. Lana started working with the Island’s boards of health as a volunteer during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was hired to work full time last year as the Dukes County public health educator. He is also an inspector. “I began doing contact tracing and helping with whatever communication that the Brazilian community needed,” Mr Lana said. “And that’s how it all began.” In addition to inspections and making information available in Portuguese, Mr. Lana has also helped bring food safety courses required in the restaurant industry to the Island in Portuguese. According to Ms. Lent, the pandemic made the need for language access obvious. “The pandemic really brought it out to us, that we had to do more than translate flyers,” Ms. Lent said. Mr. Lana now works with the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Coalition, which is funded by the state’s Public Health Excellence Shared Services Grant Program, and works to create a system of shared health services across the Island. The coalition was one of the first recipients of the grant and brings together the six boards of health on Martha’s Vineyard. Mike Hugo, the director of strategies and government relations for the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards is in charge of the grant that allows Mr. Lana to work on a wide variety of programs dedicated to public health access. “Right now, the Island group is considered to be maybe the leading group of all the grant recipient groups,” Mr. Hugo said, “All eyes are on the Island and a lot of it is because of what we’ve done with Fernando.” Although Mr. Lana is relatively new to public health, he has a long history with languages and also speaks Spanish. He moved to the United States from Minas Gerais, Brazil when he was 19 years old. He later moved back to Brazil, where he taught English for 10 years. “I didn’t know I could be a teacher,” he said. “I actually spoke with the owner of a teaching company in Brazil, and she was very interested in my profile and she said let’s work together. So we worked together for five years. I found out that it can be a fascinating experience, and I did it for 15 years of my life.” Mr. Lana then moved to Mexico, where he taught English as a second language at the University of Guadalajara. While living in Mexico, he also worked in international business sales. Later, he began working in the caregiving industry and moved to Martha’s Vineyard to work with a client, Thomas Mullins, who died in 2020. His time as a teacher prepared him for responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. “I had gone through the H1N1 pandemic in Mexico as an English teacher, so when Covid happened . . . I applied what I had learned,” he said, “The first thing that came to my mind was how important it was for us to have a steady source of communication, and a reliable one.” In addition to contact tracing, Mr. Lana worked with the boards of health to translate information provided by Maura Valley, the former Tisbury health agent who became the Island’s public health spokesperson during the pandemic. He would translate the information into Portuguese and post it on social media. He continues to use social media in his current role, including the Facebook page for Martha’s Vineyard boards of health and Brazukada, a Facebook group for the Brazilian community on the Island. “That’s how the public health educator vision came about,” Mr. Lana said. “I already established a good channel of communication within the Brazilian community, so that made it a lot easier to touch up on other important subjects.” As a translator, he makes the written word available to a wider audience. He also provides language access in real time as an interpreter. “One of the other things that I’ve been doing is helping dentists around the Island with interpreting for the Brazilian community,” Mr. Lana said. “Otherwise, they have to end up outsourcing or sending people off-Island when they’re not able to speak English here.” He said that communication in pediatric dentistry is an area that particularly needs improvement. “[Children] are still learning how to properly define what they are really feeling,” Mr. Lana said. “When dealing with children, the interpreter needs to be able to observe body language, tone of voice.” He added that understanding non-verbal cues is a vital aspect of interpretation for any age range. “You have to be able to understand, for example, that a person from the north of Brazil usually does not speak much . . . . They nod a lot, so you have to be aware of that,” Mr. Lana said. He also takes note of regional differences to make the people he interprets for feel more at ease. “If I’m interpreting for somebody whom I know is Mexican, I try to get as close to whatever jargon that they use in Mexico,” Mr. Lana said, “I use different language skills from that particular region with them, so they associate me as one of them. It makes things a lot easier.” Mr. Lana says that interpreting can be emotionally difficult, but he is happy to help. “There are traumas . . . I have to say that I caught myself weeping, literally . . . there’s no way as a human being that you’re not able to take that in,” He said about translating when Venezuelan migrants were sent to the Island. “I always try to make their story bigger than my feelings . . . I’m humbled by the opportunity to be someone else’s voice.”" #metaglossia_mundus
"Sociopragmatic variation in Britain: A corpus-based study of politeness Author links open overlay panelIsolde van Dorst a, Mathew Gillings a, Jonathan Culpeper b Journal of Pragmatics Volume 227, July 2024, Pages 37-56 Journal of Pragmatics Sociopragmatic variation in Britain: A corpus-based study of politeness Author links open overlay panelIsolde van Dorst a, Mathew Gillings a, Jonathan Culpeper b Highlights - •
Demonstrated a corpus-based method for tracking politeness across social variables. - •
Men use more politeness formulae than women, largely due to vocative mate. - •
Rural speakers use more politeness formulae than those in large metropolitan areas. - •
Politeness usage increases in private compared to public/institutional settings. - •
Women's politeness usage decreases in the institutional setting specifically. Abstract British culture is said to be characterised by off-record or negative politeness and norms giving prominence to social distance. However, this assumes that politeness works in the same way across all British speakers and contexts. Work constituting variational pragmatics – a field at the interface of pragmatics and dialectology – has shown this to be an over-simplification. Using data from the Spoken British National Corpus 2014, this paper explores politeness variation across gender, age, region, population density, social class, highest educational qualification, and setting. We selected 50 key British conventionalised politeness formulae, each allotted to one of three different types of politeness (tentativeness, deference or solidarity), and differing levels of formality. Instances of these 50 formulae were retrieved from a subset based on setting (private; public; institutional), and then manually screened to remove non-genuine cases of politeness (e.g., sarcasm). We applied a mixed-effects multinominal logistic regression model to analyse the effect of each social variable on the use of politeness formulae. Clear differences across politeness types and levels of formality emerged, particularly with regard to differences between genders, population density (i.e., metropolitan vs. urban), and setting. We offer a series of explanations for each finding." #metaglossia_mundus
"Opinion: 'Hugo' is like many immigrants I've encountered: Facing deportation with no one to translate what's happening into his native language. Jaime Fatás-Cabeza opinion contributor Recently, the U.S. Senate passed a bill aimed to make it more difficult for migrants to enter the U.S. and request asylum. But this bill does nothing to address one of the major factors that slows efficiency in the immigration system: lack of adequate interpretation services for applicants. A number of years ago, I was introduced to Hugo, a Mexican migrant facing deportation. Hugo was lucky to be represented by a pro-bono lawyer, which is rare for individuals in detention. But there was a deeper problem: he couldn’t communicate with his counsel. Or the judge. Or any of the officials deciding his fate. Hugo lacked an interpreter to help him He’d been categorized as a Spanish-speaker, but his native language was Mixe, an Indigenous language from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Hugo, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, understood a few Spanish phrases, but mostly he was in the dark about what was happening to him. By U.S. law, anyone facing deportation or claiming asylum has the right to understand and “meaningfully participate” in the legal process. I’m a translation and interpretation expert, so I was asked to determine Hugo’s Spanish proficiency. After a thorough evaluation, I determined that he couldn’t handle basic communication tasks in Spanish, let alone understand court proceedings. Hugo spent a year in detention before the court dismissed the case for lack of interpreter. Federal law requires that the government provide meaningful access to people with limited fluency in English. Frequently, migrants report having no interpreter available if they’re detained or if they present themselves at the border. Mexico alone has 68 Indigenous languages. Latin America has hundreds more. Even Spanish-speaking migrants can have trouble understanding U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, most of whom are not certified interpreters. Initial interviews with migrants are critical In fact, many agents have only taken a mandatory Spanish course at the Border Patrol Academy. This often is not enough to reach the comprehension and fluency level required to interact with a diverse Spanish-speaking population. There are other challenges — like relying on the person in charge of your custody in order to understand your rights. Initial interviews with migrants are critical. Many of these initial interviews evaluate whether someone has a “credible fear” of returning to their country of origin, which may allow them to pursue asylum. If a migrants appear before a judge and their testimony in court doesn’t match their original interview, they can be deemed not credible and denied asylum. The problem is compounded by the increase in the number of migrants from historically atypical countries, such as Nicaragua, Haiti and Turkey. In fiscal 2022, these accounted for 40% of total border encounters, up from 3% in FY 2011. Arizona border bill:Does nothing to secure the border A 2016 report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom found numerous instances of inaccuracies and mistranslations during these initial interviews. It mentioned a case of a 4-year-old child who said he had come to the United States to work. The tens of thousands of migrants who await their hearings in a detention facility have an even greater disadvantage. Seventy percent of these individuals lack legal representation, which means they have no attorneys. Detainees are supposed to receive translation services over the phone, but there’s a severe lack of interpreters and little oversight. We must understand asylum seekers to help them The lack of language access that Hugo faced is not only a problem for many migrants; it also means that the government is less efficient as it aims to reduce the significant backlog of asylum cases. The federal government has failed to develop protocols or resources that guarantee meaningful linguistic access even for the most commonly spoken languages like Spanish. We can’t know if someone merits asylum if we can’t understand them. Adjudicators, law enforcement and judges need access to accurate information to make fair decisions. People fleeing trauma and hardship should be able to communicate clearly with the people in charge of their fate. They should be able to participate in the legal process. It was only because Hugo was lucky enough to have an attorney that he was able to have his fluency examined. By not providing sufficient language services, we’re stripping away their fundamental rights and setting these individuals up to fail from the start. As a modern democracy, we can — and must — do better. Jaime Fatás-Cabeza is a specialist in translation and associate professor at the University of Arizona. He is the former director of the undergraduate program in Translation and Interpretation and a faculty member at the UA National Center for Interpretation, Testing, Research, and Policy. He is a certified federal court judicial interpreter and translator by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Reach him at jfatas@arizona.edu." #metaglossia_mundus
"Mots interdits et problèmes de traduction : Wuthering Waves crée un vrai malaise à sa sortie... Mots interdits et problèmes de traduction : Wuthering Waves crée un vrai malaise à sa sortie... Publié le 24/05/2024 à 10:03 Par Zorg Wuthering Waves a réalisé un lancement global pour le moins cahoteux, mais les soucis ne se limitent pas à des plantages et des bugs graphiques... La communauté a réalisé avec effroi que les traductions étaient douteuses, et qu'une censure draconienne était à l'œuvre dans le chat... Les craintes d'une sortie précipitée se sont confirmées pour Wuthering Waves. Le jeu de Kuro Games s'est offert un lancement truffé de problèmes techniques. Le mobile reste indéniablement le support sur lequel les soucis sont les plus nombreux, mais aucune plateforme n'est épargnée. Launcher qui bégaye, chute de FPS, bugs graphiques, plantages... La communauté n'a pas pu cacher son mécontentement, et beaucoup de joueurs confessent un énervement qui vient éclipser la découverte du jeu open world. Mais les fautes rédhibitoires ne s'arrêtent pas là pour Kuro Games. Les fans ont en effet découvert une traduction FR désastreuse, que ce soit dans les menus ou les dialogues. Le chat souffre également d'une censure des plus grossières. La traduction qui hérisse les poils Mais que s'est-il passé sur la traduction du jeu dans les langues occidentales ? Pour la version française en tout cas, Kuro Games ne semble pas avoir pris le temps de nous servir quelque chose de potable. Même si l'éditeur se gardera bien évidemment de l'avouer, les suspicions d'une traduction automatisée, potentiellement via une IA, sont grandes. De nombreuses lignes de dialogues n'ont ni queue ni tête, et même les textes semblent avoir été mal retranscrits. De quoi gâcher le plaisir de l'exploration et de la découverte de l'Histoire principale. Interdiction de parler des concurrents ! Du côté du chat, les joueurs et joueuses se sont rendus compte que le système du titre censurait arbitrairement certains noms de jeux concurrents. Essayez par exemple de taper World of Warcraft ou Genshin Impact en discutant avec un ami, et vous verrez ! A part générer de l'agacement et des moqueries, on ne voit pas très bien l'intention de Kuro Games derrière ce choix. Pour plus de guides et astuces sur Wuthering Waves, n'hésitez pas à consulter notre soluce complète du jeu avec tous les builds des personnages, des conseils pour battre les boss les plus épineux du jeu mais aussi des astuces pour optimiser votre progression et la gestion de vos précieuses ressources. Vous trouverez également les top teams du moment à déployer sur le champ de bataille, ainsi que la localisation et les routes de farm pour les matériaux et collectibles du titre de Kuro Game." #metaglossia_mundus
Special issue of Target 19:2 (2007) Publishing status: Available © John Benjamins Publishing Company TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ARTICLES -
Defining patterns in Translation Studies: Revisiting two classics of German Translationswissenschaft Gernot Hebenstreit | pp. 197–215 -
Risking conceptual maps: Mapping as a keywords-related tool underlying the online Translation Studies Bibliography Luc van Doorslaer | pp. 217–233 -
Polysemy and synonymy: Their management in Translation Studies dictionaries and in translator training. A case study Leona Van Vaerenbergh | pp. 235–254 -
The terminology of translation: Epistemological, conceptual and intercultural problems and their social consequences Josep Marco | pp. 255–269 -
Natural and directional equivalence in theories of translation Anthony Pym | pp. 271–294 -
A literary work – Translation and original: A conceptual analysis within the philosophy of art and Translation Studies Leena Laiho | pp. 295–312 -
“What’s in a name?”: On metalinguistic confusion in Translation Studies Mary Snell-Hornby | pp. 313–325 -
Nike K. Pokorn | pp. 327–336 -
The metalanguage of localization: Theory and practice Iwona Mazur | pp. 337–357 -
The metalanguage of translation: A Chinese perspective Jun Tang | pp. 359–374 -
Translation terminology and its offshoots Yves Gambier | pp. 375–382 BOOK REVIEWS -
Eva Hung & Judy Wakabayashi (eds.). 2005. Asian translation traditions Reviewed by Eugene Eoyang | pp. 383–390 -
Jean Peeters (ed.). 2005. La traduction : De la théorie à la pratique et retour. Compte rendu par Michel Ballard | pp. 390–394 -
Sándor Hervey, Michael Loughridge & Ian Higgins. 2006. Thinking German translation. A course in translation method: German to English. Reviewed by Don Kiraly | pp. 394–396 -
Christiane Stallaert. 2006. Ni una gota de sangre impura : La España inquisitorial y la Alemania nazi cara a cara. Compte rendu par Christian De Paepe | pp. 397–40 Translation & Interpreting Studies Main BIC Subject CFP: Translation & interpretation Main BISAC Subject LAN023000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting #metaglossia_mundus
"Entretien avec Ivana Hlaváčová qui dirige le département des interprètes tchèques au Parlement européen. Dans la cabine des interprètes tchèques au Parlement européen Dans la cabine des interprètes tchèques au Parlement européen A l’occasion des 20 ans de l’adhésion de la Tchéquie à l’Union européenne et alors que les citoyens européens sont invités à voter pour leurs eurodéputés début juin, Radio Prague Int. s’est intéressée à un travail de l’ombre, et pourtant indispensable pour la bonne marche des institutions européennes, au fond pour l’intercompréhension de tous les peuples de cette Union née dans l’après-guerre et multilingue : celui des interprètes qui doivent jongler avec toutes les combinaisons linguistiques imaginables. Ivana Hlaváčová dirige le département des interprètes tchèques au Parlement européen. Elle revient sur ce que représente pour elle l’interprétation et en quoi son métier au sein du Parlement est spécifique : « Pour moi l’interprétation, cela signifie permettre à différentes personnes issus d’environnements différents de se comprendre mutuellement. Cela veut dire aussi être quelqu’un qu’on entend, mais qu’on ne voit pas : l’interprète doit être discret, on ne doit pas le remarquer. L’interprète est en arrière-plan, mais important car sa relation avec les personnes qu’il traduit doit être basée sur la confiance. Les deux parties qui discutent entre elles doivent faire confiance à l’interprète de respecter la confidentialité. La base d’une bonne interprétation, c’est de ne rien y mettre de personnel. Vous devez traduire l’intention, le contenu et toutes les nuances, jusqu’au niveau de langage. Les institutions européennes sont spécifiques car il s’agit de traduction simultanée. Nous sommes assis dans des cabines. La traduction consécutive est rare, seulement lors de discussions bilatérales. C’est aussi spécifique car tout est enregistré et diffusé en streaming : tout est consultable dans les archives ce qui est très important pour le public des Etats-membres car ils peuvent voir comment leurs députés ont voté ou argumenté sur tel ou tel point. » Vous êtes à la tête du département des interprètes tchèques au Parlement européen depuis 2010 : combien êtes-vous au total par rapport au nombre total d’interprètes et combien de combinaisons linguistiques devez-vous couvrir dans votre travail quotidien ? « Il y a peu d’interprètes employés au Parlement européen, toutes langues confondues. Nous couvrons 24 langues en tout. Au département de tchèque, nous avons sept interprètes à temps plein sur un total de 250 interprètes employés. Mais nous avons recours aux services d’interprètes free-lance. Il y en a environ 3 000 en tout, et 70 pour le département tchèque. Les chiffres varient selon les années, les accréditations. Certains partent à la retraite, vont exercer leur métier ailleurs, partent en congé parental. Les interprètes free-lance viennent au PE en fonction des besoins, des combinaisons linguistiques et de leur disponibilité. » Quelles sont les langues entendues depuis la cabine tchèque ? « Aucun de nous ne connaît les 24 langues officielles et chacun a une combinaison linguistique particulière. Nous commençons en général avec une combinaison minimale, deux ou trois langues, et peu à peu, on rajoute des langues. Certains collègues en maîtrisent huit. Dans la cabine tchèque, nous avons actuellement du polonais, du suédois, de l’espagnol, du roumain, du croate, de l’arabe et du russe. Mais évidemment, les ‘grandes’ langues dominent comme l’anglais, l’allemand, le français et l’italien. Cela veut dire que nous ne pouvons pas traduire directement depuis le maltais, le danois ou le finnois : il faut alors traduire via une autre cabine, une autre langue, la plupart du temps, via l’anglais, l’allemand ou le français. C’est pour cette raison que l’interprétariat au PE est différent de ce qui se fait couramment. » Un métier qui a changé en 20 ans Cette année, nous fêtons les 20 ans de l’entrée de la Tchéquie dans l’Union européenne. Vous travaillez comme interprète dans les institutions européennes depuis de nombreuses années, avant même l’adhésion de la Tchéquie. Comment êtes-vous arrivée dans les institutions et qu’est-ce qui vous y a attirée ? « Je travaille comme interprète et traductrice depuis 1992, d’abord en République tchèque, pour le gouvernement, le Parlement, des ministères etc. C’était très intéressant. Mais avec l’approche de l’adhésion à l’UE, j’ai eu très envie de travailler pour les institutions européennes. L’UE est née sur les ruines laissées par la guerre. Les gens se sont dit qu’une des raisons des guerres, les ressources naturelles, ne devaient plus être un moteur, qu’il fallait administrer ces ressources tous ensemble et les partager. Et il est vrai qu’il n’y a pas eu de guerre sur le territoire de la Communauté puis de l’Union européenne depuis. Il y a des fois où on n’est pas d’accord, où les avis divergent, et c’est bien normal. J’avais hâte que nous devenions membres parce que, culturellement et historiquement, mais aussi au niveau des valeurs, la Tchéquie appartient à la communauté occidentale. J’étais donc très heureuse de notre entrée dans l’UE il y a 20 ans. » À quoi ressemblait votre travail à l’époque et en quoi a-t-il changé par rapport à aujourd’hui ? « A l’époque il y avait une sorte de pool d’interprètes et nous travaillions pour qui avait besoin de nous. Avant notre adhésion, nous n’avions pas de députés, mais des observateurs qui pouvaient être présents aux sessions, mais sans voter. Ce qui diffère d’aujourd’hui est surtout d’ordre technique : à l’époque, il n’y avait pas la Wi-Fi, la plupart des ordinateurs étaient fixes, et il n’y avait pas moyen de se connecter. On ne pouvait rien vérifier sur Internet. On transportait des dictionnaires, des gros livres. Plus vous parliez de langues, plus vous aviez de livres. On avait des glossaires et tout était imprimé. Aujourd’hui, tout est différent : il y a la Wi-Fi partout, tout est numérisé, tout le monde a des ordinateurs portables ou des iPad. Et tout ce que vous cherchez, en général vous le trouvez sur Google ou ailleurs. Chercher des termes inconnus est devenu tellement plus simple. » Justement puisque vous parlez de terminologie, quand on songe aux institutions européennes, on pense également à la langue et au vocabulaire spécifiques de l’UE : à l’époque, avez-vous dû créer un vocabulaire tchèque spécifique pour les termes et les mots de l’UE ? « En arrivant en 2003, nous avions beaucoup de travail devant nous. Une grande partie de la terminologie en tchèque avait dû être créée car elle était nécessaire lors des négociations d’adhésion. Mais toute cette terminologie particulière était disséminée un peu partout, dans les ministères, au gouvernement, etc. Donc il y a eu beaucoup de travail avec les institutions, des traducteurs et des linguistes, spécialisés en droit notamment. C’était très intéressant. Aujourd’hui encore, nous travaillons à nommer de nouvelles réalités. Souvent quand une nouvelle réalité est formulée au Conseil, sa version anglaise est utilisée pendant plusieurs mois avant qu’on ne trouve l’équivalent exact dans toutes les langues, idéalement de manière aussi concise qu’en anglais. » Un travail d’équipe avant tout Etre interprète peut parfois être comparé à un marathon, même si la personne est assise dans une cabine. Il s’agit aussi d’un travail physiquement exigeant, qui demande de la concentration et de l’endurance. Comment forme-t-on un bon interprète, que doit-il savoir au-delà des compétences linguistiques ? « Merci pour cette question qui est très intéressante. Votre formulation me rappelle ce qu’on dit dans le milieu : le cerveau est aussi un muscle qu’il faut entraîner. Personne ne naît interprète, cela nécessite certaines capacités et un savoir-faire. Mais tout dépend de votre travail quotidien, de votre préparation, de la façon dont vous parvenez à fixer et automatiser les techniques d’interprétation. La plupart des interprétations se font vers la langue maternelle évidemment. Quand vous parlez une langue étrangère, vous dites les choses comme vous les avez apprises, mais dans votre langue maternelle, vous dites les choses comme vous le voulez. Et donc oui, c’est du sport en quelque sorte. Comme les échecs. Là aussi vous êtes assis, mais c’est du sport. Vous devez vous forger une certaine condition physique et mentale. L’interprétation est un métier qui peut être stressant, c’est sur vous que repose la compréhension mutuelle des parties engagées. Vous avez une grande responsabilité quant à la façon dont les auditeurs comprendront l’orateur. Cela demande beaucoup de concentration. Une partie du cerveau gère les chiffres, l’autre les mots. Donc afin que nous puissions nous concentrer sur les mots, un collègue se charge de noter tous les chiffres. En général nous sommes trois en cabine : un collègue note les noms, les chiffres, les acronymes pour que l’interprète au micro puisse retransmettre de manière élégante le discours d’origine. Il y a vraiment beaucoup de choses à gérer. Il faut être curieux de nature, aimer son métier et apprendre de nouvelles choses. Il faut avoir aussi des hobbies à côté pour se changer les idées, car souvent vous traduisez des choses qui peuvent être dramatiques : quelqu’un qui a été témoin de violences ou qui subit des menaces en raison de ses positions politiques. Or vous devez vous mettre dans la peau de ces personnes pour traduire au mieux ce qu’elles racontent. » Quand une colombe vole dans l’enceinte du PE Quels sont les pires moments pour un interprète ? Récemment, un eurodéputé slovaque a lâché une colombe dans l’enceinte du Parlement pour exprimer de manière assez particulière son désir de paix entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, et on entend que l’interprète réprime un rire à ce moment-là. Quels sont les événements qui peuvent faire du travail de l’interprète un calvaire à un moment donné et que faire dans un tel cas ? « Le pire, c’est quand vous ne comprenez pas ce qui se dit, parce qu’on n’entend pas, ou mal, parce qu’il y a du bruit, une mauvaise connexion. Dans ces cas-là, vous n’avez pas d’autre choix que de dire : désolée, je ne comprends pas, ce n’est pas audible. Or, l’interprète n’a pas le droit de deviner le sens d’un discours. Il faut avoir tout compris. Il peut arriver que vous remplaciez un collègue malade au pied levé et vous n’avez pas eu le temps de vous préparer. Dans ces cas-là, d’autres collègues peuvent venir vous aider à gérer cette situation. D’ailleurs, c’est aussi pour cela que nous travaillons en équipes : si vous ne comprenez pas un mot, l’autre collègue l’aura probablement compris. C’est là toute la force de nos équipes. Cela nous permet de faire un travail de qualité que seuls, nous ne pourrions faire. Mais vous avez raison, il y a des situations qui sont un calvaire, comme ce que vous décrivez : une colombe s’envole, tout le monde est témoin, c’est un moment drôle, même si ce n’était pas drôle pour l’oiseau. Donc, même un sourire dans la voix, car tout s’entend, est compréhensible par tous. Parfois il peut arriver que vous vous trompiez de mot : ça vous fait rire et ça s’entend. C’est dangereux parce que les gens peuvent croire que vous riez de l’orateur même si ce n’est pas le cas. Mais dans ces cas-là, le mieux, c’est de s’excuser. » Dans les moments forts de votre métier, y en a-t-il un en particulier lié à la Tchéquie, qui vous a marquée ? « Bien sûr, c’est lié à Václav Havel. Il a toujours été une grande personnalité, et d’ailleurs, un bâtiment du Parlement à Strasbourg porte son nom. Ici à Bruxelles, il a son banc. Mais sinon, pour les événements récents, c’est vraiment la présidence tchèque du Conseil de l’UE. C’était une grande joie pour moi, et une source de satisfaction car nous avons pu montrer qu’après près de 20 ans, nous sommes une démocratie européenne mûre, que nous sommes un pays capable de trouver des consensus, de chercher des partenaires. Nous avons été félicités pour l’organisation de cette présidence, et cela m’a rendue très fière et très heureuse. »
- Le 17 Juin 2024
- À : Maison de la recherche de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris -
Publié le 24 Mai 2024 par Matthieu Vernet (Source : Christophe Reffait) Autour d'une nouvelle traduction de La Théorie du roman de Lukács Présentation-débat animée par Pierre Rusch et Carlo Arcuri : - Place deLa Théorie du roman dans l’œuvre de Lukács
- Enjeux de la nouvelle traduction
- Actualité deLa Théorie du roman dans le paysage critique
Introduction par Alain Schaffner, fondateur de la revue et Christophe Reffait, directeur Maison de la Recherche de la Sorbonne nouvelle 4 rue des Irlandais (75005), Salle Claude Simon. Entrée libre. #metaglossia_mundus
Les médias Chinois ont commencé à parler « d'Année du Loong », pour désigner l'Année du Dragon, et ce, afin de se conformer à la politique de l'État. Le Dragon, symbole chinois de cette année, devient le « Loong ». Ecrit par Oiwan Lam Traduit par Rodrigue Macao Lire cet article en русский, українська, Italiano, Español, English Traduction publiée le 23/05/2024 15:25 GMT Depuis que les médias chinois ont commencé à parler de « l'Année du Loong », pour désigner l'Année du Dragon, le terme et ses homophones sont devenus de véritables mèmes chez les hongkongais, symbolisant la volonté du gouvernement de se tourner vers une politique plus nationaliste. L'année du « Loong » Cette année 2024 marque celle du dragon. Cependant, les médias gouvernementaux chinois ont décidé d'abandonner le terme « dragon » au profit du mot « loong », une translittération assez peu utilisée du mot 龍, littéralement « dragon ». Beaucoup de médias, dont China Daily, ont tenté d'expliquer ce changement : D'après ces médias, l'image du dragon serait différente en Occident et en Chine. En effet, dans la mythologie chinoise, le dragon est un animal sage, une divinité. Tandis que dans l'Ouest, le dragon est un monstre vicieux. Ils auraient ajouté que la traduction de « 龍 » en « dragon » serait une erreur, une distorsion culturelle. Ce n'est pas la première fois que la Chine essaie d'effacer certains mots anglais. Depuis quelques années, le gouvernement utilise le pinyin, un système qui sert à épeler et à transcrire les sons chinois avec des lettres de l'alphabet latin, et ce, afin de remplacer les traductions de mots anglais sur les panneaux publics. Ce changement aurait pour but de symboliser la puissance et la confiance qu'a le pays dirigé par Xi Jinping en sa propre culture. Par exemple, « road », la route, fut remplacé par « lu » et « museum », le musée, par « Bó wù guǎn ». Ce système de transcription sème cependant la confusion chez les étrangers ne parlant pas mandarin : Des habitants de Pékin ont remarqué que le mot anglais « station » sur les panneaux des stations de métro est en train d'être remplacé par le mot « zhan » en pinyin. Certaines personnes pensent que ce changement pourrait embrouiller les touristes. D'après la compagnie de métro de Beijing, cette nouvelle traduction intervient après les dernières réglementations du gouvernement sur la dénomination des lieux publics. pic.twitter.com/b7lZNAU7ws — Sixth Tone (@SixthTone) 29 décembre 2021 L'argumentation des médias gouvernementaux a cependant gagné l'aval des nationalistes chinois. Certains ont même proposé de faire du terme « loong » l'appellation officielle du dragon chinois en anglais. Sur X, anciennement Twitter, beaucoup d'influenceurs pro-Chine ont même fait la promotion de ce terme sur les réseaux sociaux. C'est le cas du compte « Shanghai Panda » : Cette année sera celle du Loong, pas celle du Dragon. #龍 #龙 #loongyear pic.twitter.com/rk92n3QB4J — ShanghaiPanda (@thinking_panda) 9 février 2024 Certaines personnes ont néanmoins fait part de leur désaccord. C'est le cas de Nick Kapur, qui a fait remarquer que dans la mythologie chinoise, le dragon est parfois associé aux catastrophes naturelles : Les dragons furent souvent associés aux catastrophes naturelles, notamment celles causées par l'eau et le vent. Ils furent accusés de causer les crues soudaines, les pluies torrentielles, les tornades et les trombes marines qui tuaient des dizaines, voire des centaines de personnes. 9/ — Nick Kapur (@nick_kapur) 15 février 2024 China Digital Times a également partagé un commentaire d'un certain Chén-fēng lao-yuàn (晨楓老苑), très critique sur ces communiqués officiels : Traduction Citation d'origine La force discursive est très importante, c'est sûr, mais elle doit venir de la force, pas du volume. Elle doit venir du respect, pas de l'insistance. Dans le cas du Loong et du Dragon, cette ambiguïté ne vient pas des significations du mot en Chine et en Occident, mais bien d'un mauvais usage intentionnel [de ce symbole]. C'est l'image même de la Chine qui détermine si son dragon est bon ou mauvais, pas l'inverse. Une confusion linguistique Ce choix du « politiquement correct » apporte toujours plus de confusion linguistique. Comme l'a fait remarquer l'utilisateur @languagediarya1, l'une de ces confusions est celle de la traduction contre la translittération, soit le fait de représenter un mot ou une phrase dans un autre système d'écriture. Et puis ils ne comprennent pas la différence entre la traduction et la translittération. Si pour eux on peut dire loong, alors ça veut dire que « sau pei laa pok kaai zai » est une traduction du cantonais à l'anglais lol. — 芝娃娃愛好人士傳揚芝愛 (@languagediarya1) 9 février 2024 « Sau pei lass pok kaai zai », écrit 收皮啦仆街仔. Évidemment, cette phrase n'a aucun sens pour une personne ne parlant pas cantonais. Il s'agit en fait d'une phrase d'argot voulant globalement dire « va te faire foutre, connard ». Une telle confusion fut mis en dérision par le dessin suivant. Très populaire sur les réseaux, il insinue que la traduction cantonaise du mot anglais « Dragon » devrait-être 姐緊 « jie-gan », un terme sans aucun sens qui pourrait se traduire par « sœur-serré ». Mais même si la translittération du mot 龍 arrive à se faire accepter, il y aura toujours une certaine confusion. En mandarin standard de la Chine continentale, 龍 est transcrit comme « long », et non « loong ». Cette romanisation de « loong » vient du missionnaire britannique Joshua Marshman (1768-1837). Cependant, la plupart des sinologues utilisent de nos jours le pinyin de la Chine continentale, « long », et ce, afin d'éviter toute confusion. De nos jours, le terme « loong » pour parler du 龍 est surtout utilisé par les citoyens n'habitant pas en Chine continentale, comme à Hong Kong, ou dans d'autres pays d'Asie du Sud-Est, comme la Malaisie ou Singapour. Le premier ministre singapourien, Lee Hsien Loong, en est un exemple. Mais cette translittération du mot « loong » n'a rien à voir avec la manière dont les citoyens d'outre-mer interagissent entre eux. Prenez le Hokkien, un dialecte utilisé par plus de 47 millions de personnes à Fujian, Taïwan, Singapour, Hong Kong, en Malaisie et aux Philippines. Dans ce dialecte, « 龍 » est transcrit comme « lêng », « liâng » ou encore « liông ». Autre exemple : en cantonais, la prononciation de « loong » a beau être similaire à celle de 龍, la romanisation est soit « lung4 » ou « long2 », les chiffres représentant les neuf intonations du cantonais. Le choix d'utiliser « loong », une translittération assez peu utilisée de nos jours, vient sûrement d'un souhait d'éviter la confusion entre le terme « long » du pinyin standard et le « long » de la langue anglaise. Cela ne facilite pas vraiment la communication inter-culturelle, puisque les anglophones utilisent souvent le terme « long » dans la vie de tous les jours… « Loong » : surchargé, prêt et solitude Le terme « Loong » fut utilisé par John Lee, le Chef de l'exécutif d'Hong Kong, dans un message d'accueil au cours d'un événement touristique du Nouvel An lunaire. Une utilisation qui n'a pas plu aux hongkongais, qui ont dès lors critiqué ce choix du « politiquement correct », affirmant qu'une telle décision ne ferait que compromettre un peu plus la réputation de la ville, considérée comme une intermédiaire entre la culture Chinoise et Occidentale. Au lieu de directement critiquer cette décision, certains citoyens ont décidé de poster des homophones aux connotations négatives de « loong » sur les réseaux. Ont alors été utilisés des termes comme « 燶 » (prononcé nóng), carbonisé, « loan », un emprunt et « alone », seul. Encore aujourd'hui, certaines personnes utilisent toujours le hashtag « loong » afin de parler de mauvaises nouvelles économiques. Tout simplement parce qu'en cantonais, le terme 燶 est souvent utilisé pour parler de pertes d'argent dans la bourse. La Chine vient de décider que l'Année du Dragon serait maintenant l'Année du Loong – Selon Radio Free Asia https://t.co/JY0gawcnCC, « Beaucoup de citoyens hongkongais se sont moqués du terme « loong », qui sonnerait comme le mot « carbonisé » en cantonais, ou comme « loan », un prêt, en anglais ». — David Mulroney (@David_Mulroney) 14 février 2024 Très partagé lors de la Saint-Valentin, le dessin ci-dessous représente un dragon triste d'être seul, « a-loong » : Il suffit parfois d'un terrible dragon pour apporter le sourire. C'est en tout cas ce que suggère Surrealhk avec ce Photoshop du dragon japonais Godzilla : Si le gouvernement chinois continue d'essayer de politiser la langue et ces translittérations, laissez-moi vous dire que cette année sera très « loong »." #metaglossia_mundus
16/05/2024 | Agencia EFE "Un libro analiza la relación entre los diccionarios en español y la ideología El libro Diccionario e ideologías. Huellas lingüísticas en la lexicografía cubana (siglos XIX y XX) analiza la relación entre los diccionarios en español y la ideología, «cómo se presenta la perspectiva ideológica en las definiciones y qué nos dice acerca de los que redactaron el diccionario y de la sociedad en que vivieron». Así lo resalta su autora, Aurora Camacho Barreiro, quien es secretaria de la Academia Cubana de la Lengua y que acaba de ser publicado por la Fundación San Millán, de la Cogolla, ha informado el Gobierno riojano, en una nota. El libro se ha entregado este lunes al presidente del Gobierno de La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán, en la reunión que ha mantenido con vocales de la Comisión Permanente 2024 de la Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, que agrupa a 23 corporaciones de América, España, Filipinas y Guinea Ecuatorial. Esta obra recoge su investigación sobre «la relación entre los diccionarios y la ideología, cómo se presenta la perspectiva ideológica en las definiciones y qué nos dice acerca de los que redactaron el diccionario y de la sociedad en que vivieron». Plantea contribuir al debate en los estudios metalexicográficos, cubanos en particular, e hispánicos en general, en torno a temas que mantienen actualidad e interés en la comunidad científica. La Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, creada en México en 1951, agrupa a las veintitrés corporaciones de América, España, Filipinas y Guinea Ecuatorial. En la visita, los vocales han reafirmado la estrecha relación de esta Asociación con la Fundación San Millán de la Cogolla y el Centro de Investigación de la Lengua Española (Cilengua) por su contribución a la difusión, investigación y promoción de la lengua española, que tiene sus orígenes en los monasterios de San Millán de la Cogolla, declarados Patrimonio de la Humanidad, por ser cuna del español. Un ejemplo de la estrecha relación entre la Fundación San Millán y la Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española lo explica que su presidente, Santiago Muñoz Machado, y su secretario general, Francisco Javier Pérez, pertenecen a su patronato desde que la Fundación se constituyó en 1998. Entre los frutos de colaboración entre la Asociación y la Fundación San Millán figuran la celebración de diferentes reuniones de trabajo en San Millán de la Cogolla o el Encuentro de Academias de la Lengua Española, organizado en octubre de 199. También están las jornadas «En torno al Diccionario histórico de la lengua española» en abril de 2002; el pleno de la Asociación de la Real Academia Española para la aprobación del Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, en octubre de 2004 o la reunión de la Comisión Interacadémica de la Asociación para la aprobación de la nueva edición de la Ortografía de la lengua española, en noviembre de 2010. Además, desde que se creó el Cilengua en 2005, su Instituto Historia de la Lengua ha caminado «codo con codo» con la Real Academia Española en la elaboración del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (DHLE), un diccionario nativo digital que persigue describir en su integridad la historia del léxico de la lengua española. En la reunión han participado Victoria Espinosa Santos, secretaria de la Academia Chilena de la Lengua; Elena Romiti Vinelli, académica de la Academia Nacional de Letras de Uruguay, y Luis Florentino Andrade Ciudad, académico de la Academia Peruana de la Lengua, junto al secretario general de la Asociación y patrono de la Fundación San Millán, Francisco Javier Pérez. Esta cita se enmarca en la visita que la Asociación realiza anualmente a Cilengua para celebrar una de sus reuniones de trabajo y conocer también los proyectos que desarrolla la institución riojana." #metaglossia_mundus
"A recent study conducted in Spain suggests that newborns of bilingual mothers exhibit a broader range of sound perception compared to those of monolingual mothers. Researchers found that babies exposed to bilingual environments in the womb are more sensitive to various pitches, while those from monolingual backgrounds show heightened responses to specific pitches associated with their native language. SECTIONS Study reveals: Babies of bilingual mothers show heightened sound perception PTILast Updated: May 22, 2024, 07:40:00 PM IST The study shows the importance of prenatal exposure to language in shaping newborns' ability to recognize speech sounds. ew Delhi, Newborns of bilingual mothers were found to respond to a wider range of sound pitches, compared to those of mothers speaking one language, according to a new study from Spain. Researchers said that babies in the wombs of bilingual mothers are expected to be exposed to an environment with a richer variety of sounds than those in the wombs of monolingual mothers. The researchers found that while the brains of the babies of monolingual mothers had learned to respond in a heightened manner to the pitch of one language, those of the babies of bilingual mothers seem to have become sensitive to a wider range of pitches, without giving a heightened response to any one of them. The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Studies have estimated the global bilingual population to be from 43 per cent to over 50 per cent, with bilingualism or multilingualism being the norm in many countries. "Languages vary in the timing aspects of speech, such as rhythm and accentuation, but also pitch and phonetic information. This means that fetuses from bilingual mothers are expected to be immersed in a more complex acoustic environment than those from monolingual mothers," said co-corresponding author Carles Escera. Escera is a professor at Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona Children's Hospital, from where the researchers recruited mothers of 131 one-to-three-day-old newborns for the study. Responding to a questionnaire, 41 per cent of the mothers said they spoke exclusively Spanish or Catalan, which is related to Spanish and spoken in Catalonia in eastern Spain. The remaining were bilingual - most of them speaking Spanish and Catalan. Other languages spoken by some of the bilingual mothers included Arabic, English, German and Portuguese. The researchers measured the babies' specific responses to four types of sounds lasting 0.25 seconds long. The sounds were of vowels used in both Spanish and Catalan. "Here we show that exposure to monolingual or bilingual speech has different effects at birth on 'neural encoding' of voice pitch and vowel sounds: that is, how information about these aspects of speech has been initially learned by the foetus," said co-first author Natalia Gorina-Careta, a researcher at the University of Barcelona. "At birth, newborns from bilingual mothers appear more sensitive to a wider range of acoustic variation of speech, whereas newborns from monolingual mothers seem to be more selectively tuned to the single language they have been immersed in," said Gorina-Careta. The findings stress the importance of exposure of foetuses to language for recognising speech sounds at birth, according to Escera. However, the "sensitive" period for learning languages lasts long after birth, and thus experiences after birth may overshadow the initial changes experienced in the womb, the researchers said." #metaglossia_mundus
"Council of Europe expert committee calls for action plans to protect minority languages in Czechia Strasbourg, 22.05.2024 – The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe has called on Czechia to design and implement a specific strategy and action plan for protecting and promoting each of the languages covered by the treaty in the country: German, Moravian Croatian, Polish, Romani and Slovak. In a report released today, the Committee of Experts welcomes the Czech authorities’ decision to extend its undertakings under the Charter regarding German in the districts of Cheb, Karlovy Vary, Sokolov, Liberec, Ústí nad Labem, Český Krumlov, Opava and Svitav, which will significantly increase the offer of education and media in German and promote its use in citizens’ communication with public administrations. The Ccommittee of Experts considers that this decision can form the basis for a structured policy for protecting and promoting German in public life. So far, pre-school, primary and secondary education in regional and minority languages has only been available in Polish. German is taught as a foreign language, and Moravian Croatian, Romani and Slovak are not taught in mainstream education. Regarding judicial authorities, the Committee of Experts considers that the legislation should be amended to enable the use of regional and minority languages before and by courts. In several municipalities, bilingual topographic signage in Czech and Polish has been installed, but the Committee of Experts considers that the 10% population threshold to adopt this measure hinders the introduction of such place names in additional municipalities and creates uncertainty as to whether the signage will be maintained in the local share of the Polish minority falls below 10%. The report recommends extending the duration of the public television programme in Polish and regrets that there are currently no television programmes in German, Slovak, Romani or Moravian Croatian. Moreover, public radio broadcasting in German and Slovak is considered too limited to contribute to the promotion of these languages and, in the case of Moravian Croatian, is non-existent. The fifth evaluation report of the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is based on the information provided by governmental and non-governmental sources, including that obtained during its visit to Czechia in September 2023. The evaluation report has been published together with the Czech authorities’ comments. A summary of the report is available in Czech." #metaglossia_mundus
"publié 22 mai 2024 à 14h13 Dakar, 22 mai (APS) – Le délégué général du Centre régional pour les arts vivants en Afrique (Cerav/Afrique), Wendlasida Herman Pouya, a loué, mardi, le rôle important de la culture, ‘’meilleure alliée’’ selon lui pour faire face aux différentes crises sécuritaires, économiques et sociales. ‘’Il est évident que le secteur culturel de nombreux pays africains subit de plein fouet les conséquences des crises sécuritaires, économiques, voire sociales qui portent un coup dur à la cohésion sociale et à la paix, entrainant par conséquent une détérioration des valeurs de la diversité culturelle’’, a-t-il dit dans un message, à l’occasion de la commémoration de la journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement. ‘’Au regard de cette situation”, la culture reste ”notre meilleure alliée” pour “faire face aux différentes crises et pouvoir se relever”. Selon M. Pouya, ‘’elle [la culture] nourrit l’intimité de chacun. Elle nous permet de nous unir, de nous souvenir et de nous projeter ; de comprendre enfin que nos différences sont l’occasion de célébrer l’esprit humain, d’ouvrir nos horizons et de réaliser notre unité dans la diversité comme l’affirmait la directrice générale de l’UNESCO’’. Le délégué général du Centre régional pour les arts vivants en Afrique a salué les efforts des autorités et des acteurs culturels qui, à divers niveaux au plan national et africain, ont ‘’fait preuve de résilience’’. Selon lui, ils ont permis à la diversité culturelle de continuer à s’exprimer à travers diverses formes et à travers divers évènements majeurs au profit du développement des pays africains. ‘’En tant qu’instrument favorisant le dialogue, la réconciliation et la résilience, je voudrais souligner que la diversité culturelle doit être défendue avec force, en ces temps difficiles que traversent certains Etats’’, a plaidé Wendlasida Herman Pouya. Il a rappelé que le centre régional de catégorie 2 de l’UNESO est ‘’un instrument de coopération et d’échange culturel’’. Le centre travaille avec tous les Etats africains, les organisations de la société civile culturelles, et le privé pour trouver des solutions idoines aux défis que connaît le secteur. Le Sénégal a célébré la Journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement dans la communion avec les acteurs socioculturels, à la place du Souvenir africain. FKS/SKS/ASG" #metaglossia_mundus
"A recent visit by Korean-to-English translator Anton Hur exemplified a growing appreciation for the work as an art form in an increasingly diverse city. Anton Hur has translated horror, fantasy and historical fiction. He’s wrestled with what kind of voice a dragon has and how to create the appropriate tone for a person who’s depressed. And he’s co-translated Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS — a volume of 500-plus pages — with only a month to finish the translation. That last one was hard. “The book was being written as we were translating it,” Hur said. “Like logistically it was a complete, utter nightmare.” Hur said he did it out of gratitude to ARMY, BTS’s fan base, for buying, reading and talking about Korean books in translation. During his public lecture April 30 at the University of Washington, Hur spoke on the struggles literary translators share, including the disorienting experience of translating very different authors in successive projects. His visit to Seattle highlighted the city’s growing interest in literary translation, as its population becomes increasingly diverse. The world of literary translation Literary translation is a subset of the field that involves translating poems, novels and plays from one language to another. Unlike working on business documents or technical manuals, literary translation requires special attention to the author’s writing style. Next: Refugees find a new home in majority-immigrant Des Moines school Translation differs from interpretation: While translators work with written texts, interpreters help people understand spoken language. By rendering books written in other languages accessible to new audiences, literary translators help increase appreciation for diversity. For Hur, translating Korean books into English allows him to share aspects of his home culture in a more complex and nuanced way. That philosophy helps him choose which books to translate. “My translation project as a whole is about showcasing a Korea that is not what the mainstream cultural production would have you believe,” Hur said. “As in I want to showcase a Korea that’s more diverse. That’s more feminist. That’s more edgy.” Next: Podcast | A comedy roast of SCOTUS One book Hur chose to translate was Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny, which critiques capitalism and other systems embedded in Korean society. It isn’t what people might expect from K-dramas, which present a Korea that is heteronormative, capitalist and reluctant to critique its own systems, Hur said. The burgeoning literary translation field has found a growing home in Seattle, which has fostered an international reputation as a literary center. In 2017, Seattle was designated a UNESCO City of Literature, a title shared by only one other U.S. city, for its thriving publishing industry, independent bookstores and literary events, among other factors. Even Seattle-based Amazon has done its part to push international literature by launching Amazon Crossing. The imprint was lauded in 2015 by The Guardian for publishing three times as many works in translation as its nearest U.S. competitor. The trials of literary translation Shelley Fairweather-Vega, a Russian-to-English literary translator, said she thinks people have become more aware that a translation isn’t just retyping a text in another language. “I have to generate a brand-new book or a brand-new poem in which all the words are mine,” Fairweather-Vega said. “So none of those were dictated to me. It’s only the ideas that are in place … it takes creativity. It’s working within constraints.” The nuances of language that a translator must navigate is what English-to-French translator Emy Chevalier thinks of when she wonders how AI will affect the translation industry. “I think it would be more useful to see [AI] more as a tool than as something that will take over, because it will never be able to translate an emotion or choose a very specific word that will have an impact on the reader,” Chevalier said. Despite the growing visibility of their work, literary translators’ wages haven’t kept up. In 2022, the Authors Guild’s voluntary survey of U.S. literary translators found that 63.5% of the nearly 300 respondents reported receiving less than $10,000 from literary translation in 2021. Only 11.5% of respondents relied on literary translation work as their sole source of income. Despite that low reported figure, interpreters and translators as a whole are in demand, with a median income of $57,090 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This median income includes people who translate and interpret in more common interactions such as legal issues, medical appointments and schools. The field of interpretation and translation as a whole is expected to grow by 4% over the next 10 years because of the country’s increasing diversity, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fairweather-Vega observed that some literary translators think talking about money is distasteful because they see literary translation as an art, not as a profit-maker. She sees that attitude as self-defeating, she said. “We can still love it and still consider it an art form,” Fairweather-Vega said. “But we can also get paid for it.” Literary translators in training These shared experiences have helped solidify the local literary-translator community, especially visible during Hur’s visit, which drew a wide audience of students, professionals and community members. It was sponsored primarily by the UW Translation Studies Hub, a center funded by the Simpson Center for the Humanities that hosts events and lectures related to translation as well as develops translation-focused educational resources for graduate and undergraduate courses. Founded in 2019, the TSH grew out of an idea pitched in a dissertation by Katie King, who was pursuing her Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies at UW after returning from a stint in London and finding few groups in Seattle focused on translation of books, poetry and literature. Sasha Senderovich, one of three faculty members leading the TSH this year, said that one of its priorities has been engaging the public outside of the university, including local translators. Their work has paid off, he said. “All of the work over the past five years is very evident as we put together [Hur’s] visit,” Senderovich said. “Because the effortlessness with which people are agreeing to participate in various events is really stunning.” One literary translator who attended Hur’s lecture was Takami Nieda. An instructor at Seattle Central College, Nieda has recently been teaching a translation course. She said that the community college’s diverse student body includes many whose native languages aren’t English and who possess proficiency in other languages. This course is a way to leverage that and also challenge the status quo in which literary translators are overwhelmingly white – a conclusion supported by the 2022 Authors Guild survey, which found that 80.6% of literary translators surveyed were white. “It was important to me to actually reach translators of color, immigrant populations, because there is a whiteness problem in the translation field and so we wanted to kind of open up access for [the] publish[ing] industry, an industry which is by and large a white space,” Nieda said. Seattle has had a growing immigrant population for decades – which not only shows increasing need for local translation services but also could provide a potentially diverse pool of translators. Five-year estimates across 2017-2021 found that about 22.1% of Seattle residents ages 5 and up spoke a language other than English, according to a report from the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. The top 5 languages spoken in Seattle were Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali and Tagalog, the report said. Seattle numbers mirror regional and national statistics. In Washington, 21.1% of households speak a language other than English at home, according to estimates from the 2022 American Community Survey run by the U.S. Census. The national average is 22.0%, plus or minus 0.1 percentage points. Aria Fani, another faculty member leading the TSH with Senderovich, said he sees the hub’s work as a lifeline for the humanities and foreign-language study at the university, which has seen drops in funding and enrollment in recent years. With those cuts, UW’s claims about being a humanistic institution that exposes students to the world and supports public-facing scholarship fall empty, Fani said. “They only pay lip service to that,” Fani said. “We actually do it. We bring in the community.”"
May 22, 2024 Judy Butler came to Nicaragua in 1983 and is well known for her decades of work translating for the monthly magazine Envio. By Circles Robinson HAVANA TIMES – Judy Butler, 83, was detained and summarily expelled from Nicaragua on Tuesday May 21. At around 1 pm, with no warning, seven police officers and two plain-clothes agents demanded entry into her home in the countryside, near the town of Ticuantepe, some 8 miles south of the capital Managua. After curtly informing her that she was being deported, they allowed her a few minutes to pack a small bag with clothes and medicines, then took her away. Other police remained behind, occupying her home. No warrant was shown, no reasons were offered and there was no response to her questions about why the police were taking this action. The only reply she received was that they were following orders, and she was being deported. Judy was taken first to an immigration office, where she was held for several hours, and then to the airport. During her time with immigration officials, they also refused to offer any reason for her deportation. She has resided in Nicaragua since 1983 and was registered as a permanent resident. As is the norm for the Ortega-Regime over the last six years, Judy’s two phones were taken by the police, while her computer remained in the occupied house. The fate of the house itself and the possessions she left is unknown. Judy Butler is now in California where she arrived Wednesday morning, tired and still trying to assimilate the sudden life-changing events. She is being accompanied by friends and family. In her long journalistic career, Judy worked for NACLA (North American Congress on Latin America) editing their Report on the Americas from 1977 until 1983, when she went to Nicaragua and decided to stay. During the 80s, she worked for the Center for Information and Documentation on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast region. Her work for the Center included helping put together a regional magazine. For several decades, she was in charge of translation for the English edition of the acclaimed monthly magazine Envio of the Central American University (UCA) in Managua. She has also been a translator of English subtitles for films produced by “Camila Films,” and several TV series. Judy is known for her highly professional work editing and translating for public institutions, national and international non-profit organizations, and individuals. She is also a lover of nature and her cat, which fortunately, a neighbor has rescued. The Ortega government authorities have not offered their version of the expulsion of the US citizen." #metaglossia_mundus
"Près d’une centaine de libéraux ont adhéré à l'APF dans les derniers jours, dans le but de sauver le titre de président de Francis Drouin. Être unilingue anglophone et membre de l’Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie est légitime, selon les libéraux Par Pascal Vachon Journaliste, correspondant parlementaire Chambres des communes PUBLIÉ LE 22 mai 2024 Randy Boissonnault le ministre de l’Emploi, du Développement de la main-d’œuvre et des Langues officielles. Crédit image: Stéphane Bédard. Randy Boissonnault, le ministre de l’Emploi, du Développement de la main-d’œuvre et des Langues officielles. Crédit image: Stéphane Bédard. OTTAWA – On peut ne pas parler un seul mot de français, mais tout de même être membre de l’Assemblée parlementaire de la francophonie (APF), estiment le ministre des Langues officielles Randy Boissonnault et ses collègues libéraux. Selon le ministre, dès qu’un député a un francophone dans son comté, il est légitime d’être membre de l’APF. Les libéraux ont défendu près d’une centaine de leurs collègues, dont plusieurs unilingues anglophones, qui se sont ajoutés dans les derniers jours à titre de membre de l’APF, dans le but de sauver le titre de président de Francis Drouin. Le ministre des Langues officielles estime que les 338 députés de la Chambre des communes pourraient souscrire à l’APF. « S’ils ont des gens qui parlent français dans leur comté, c’est complètement légitime. Tous les organismes et groupes interparlementaires sont ouverts à tous les membres et tous les députés », plaide Randy Boissonnault. Ce dernier dresse un parallèle avec ParlAmericas, une association de parlementaires des pays des deux Amériques. « J’ai déjà été membre de ParlAmericas. On avait des membres qui ne parlaient pas espagnol, donc c’est complètement légitimement qu’on a des gens unilingues qui font partie de l’APF. » René Arseneault, député libéral et président du Comité des langues officielles, fait une lecture similaire au ministre albertain. « Je pense qu’il faut retourner la situation. Comment ça se fait qu’il y ait des unilingues francophones qui sont membres de l’association parlementaire entre l’Angleterre et le Canada? demande le représentant acadien. On est dans un pays libre », ajoute-t-il. Les trois partis de l’opposition demandent la démission de Francis Drouin, après qu’il ait traité de « pleins de marde » des témoins lors d’un Comité des langues officielles. Le député du Bloc Québécois, René Villemure, a convoqué une réunion spéciale qui aura lieu jeudi soir dans le but de destituer l’élu franco-ontarien lors d’un vote. En date du 9 mai, ils étaient 26 libéraux à être membres. Or, depuis que René Villemure a fait cette demande il y a quelques semaines, c’est près d’une centaine de membres libéraux qui se sont ajoutés, dont plusieurs unilingues anglophones. Le nombre total de membres de la section canadienne de l’APF est passé d’en deçà de 100 à plus de 170 en l’espace de quelques jours. Ces ajouts récents devraient, en principe, permettre aux libéraux d’avoir une majorité nécessaire lors du vote face aux représentants du Bloc, du Parti conservateur et du NPD. Pour l’élu libéral Darrell Samson, « il n’y a rien de mal avec ça ». Il estime lui aussi que d’avoir au moins un francophone dans sa circonscription est un bon critère de qualification à l’APF. « Un, c’est un. Il faut commencer quelque part (…) Il faut aller chercher tous nos alliés, donc ce n’est pas mauvais. Le plus de gens qui sont conscients de la situation et qui peuvent attirer plus d’attention, pour moi, c’est profitable », soutient le représentant acadien. « On a des membres, oui qui sont des anglophones, mais ils représentent des communautés francophones, soutient de son côté Francis Drouin. Alors, je ne sais pas c’est qui qui est en train de vous spinner ça », a-t-il lancé aux journalistes avant la période des questions mercredi aux Communes. À la défense de Francis Drouin Sur le site internet de l’APF, on peut lire que l’institution a « la particularité d’avoir le français en partage » et que l’un de ses objectifs est « de contribuer au rayonnement de la langue française ». Elle compte près de 92 adhérents issus de parlements ou d’organisations interparlementaires des cinq continents. N’importe quel parlementaire peut-être membre de l’APF, incluant les sénateurs. Ceux qui ne sont pas membres ont jusqu’à mercredi soir pour s’inscrire avant le vote de jeudi. Les libéraux se portent à la défense de l’élu libéral de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell depuis ses injures envers deux chercheurs lors d’une étude portant sur le financement des institutions postsecondaires de la minorité. Le député de Nickel Belt, Marc Serré, a demandé si son collègue franco-ontarien « avait besoin de l’absolution du Pape pour un petit péché », estimant qu’il est temps de passer à autre chose car il s’est déjà excusé à six reprises. Mais les oppositions n’en démordent pas, elles qui tentent depuis quelques séances du Comité des langues officielles de faire démissionner le représentant de l’Est ontarien en tant que président de l’APF, mais aussi comme membre du comité. Pour le député néo-démocrate Alexandre Boulerice, tout le monde peut être membre d’une association interparlementaire et « on ne va pas changer les règles du jeu en cours de route », mais les libéraux « sont en train de paqueter la salle », constate-t-il. « Ce n’est pas chic, mais c’est légal », soutient-il. Selon le leader parlementaire du Bloc Québécois, Alain Therrien, ce n’est pas à lui, mais bien « à la population de juger si c’est pertinent ou non » d’avoir des unilingues anglophones à l’APF pour « sauver le soldat Drouin », image-t-il. Tandis que pour les conservateurs, les libéraux « sont prêts à tout pour sauver le soldat Drouin », car « un chum c’t’un chum », comme mentionné par le député Joël Godin." #metaglossia_mundus
"Description du poste Accompagnement et appui à la mise en œuvre et à l'organisation d'opérations de promotion et de sensibilisation des publics de la DGLFLF : « Dis-moi dix mots », la Semaine de la langue française et de la Francophonie, divers concours francophones dédiés aux publics les plus fragiles, participation au Salon de Montreuil. Développement et suivi des relations avec les partenaires francophones : réseau OPALE, AEFE, AUF et avec les partenaires ministériels et institutionnels. Travail en lien avec les prestataires des opérations : imprimeur, graphiste, routeur, traiteur … Rédaction de comptes rendus, élaboration de déroulés et réalisation de bilans. Contribution à la diffusion d’actions et à la réalisation de supports en faveur de la langue française et de la Francophonie (numériques et papier). Rédaction d’articles sur le site de la DGLFLF. Suivi de l’OpenAgenda du site « Dis-moi dix mots ». L’apprenti/e contribuera sous la responsabilité de la cheffe de mission à : - l’appui à l’organisation de différentes manifestations (avant, pendant et après) : « Dis-moi dix mots » (organisation des réunions de travail et des comptes rendus, préparation des concours, mise en place des jurys, contribution à la sélection des lauréats, contact avec les partenaires institutionnels et les prestataires, organisation de remise de prix …) - la participation à des salons (salon de Montreuil, prix du Paris Podcast Festival…) - l’envoi de colis de matériel et de lots aux opérateurs - la rédaction de supports dédiés à la diffusion des manifestations - la rédaction et la mise en ligne d’articles sur le site internet de la DGLFLF - le suivi de l’OpenAgenda du site « Dis-moi dix mots » et de l’open Agenda de la Semaine de la langue française et de la Francophonie et l’accompagnement des porteurs de projets - les propositions de posts pour animer les réseaux sociaux (LinkedIn, Instagram et X-Twitter-) Numéro d'offre A-2024-134238 Type de contrat Apprentissage Niveau de diplôme préparé Niveau 7 – (Bac+5 et plus) Domaine d'activité Communication, multimédia Administration de rattachement Ministère de la Culture Entité Service des ressources humaines Service d'affectation Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France Lieu d'affectation 3, rue de Valois 75001 Paris Localisation du poste PARIS 1er arrondissement Paris Ile-de-France FRANCE Détails de l'offre Descriptif du profil recherché Niveau demandé : Master 1 ou Master 2 Connaissances : des principes professionnels des enjeux de l'éducation artistique et culturelle, de l'organisation d'événements culturels, des défis liés à l'emploi et la diffusion de la langue française et de la Francophonie ; Savoir-faire : parfaite maîtrise de la langue française ; maîtrise des nouveaux médias et des logiciels de mise en page ; expérience de l'événementiel ; Savoir-être : ouverture d'esprit, adaptabilité ; appétence et goût pour la langue française ; sensibilité à l'innovation et au numérique ; esprit d'équipe, fiabilité. Conditions particulières d'exercice Nature de l'emploi : contrat d'apprentissage ouvert aux étudiants Statut du poste : 1 an si master 2, 1 an renouvelable si master 1 Durée de prise de fonction : poste à pourvoir au 05/09/2024 Informations complémentaires Transmission de votre CV et d'une lettre de motivation à Mme Annick Lederlé, cheffe de la mission "Sensibilisation et développement des publics" - délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France - 3, rue de Valois 75001 Paris annick.lederle@culture.gouv.fr Commentaires Tous les postes du ministère de la culture et de ses établissements sont ouverts aux personnes reconnues comme travailleur·euse handicapé·e. Dans le cadre de sa stratégie de responsabilité sociale des organisations (RSO), le ministère de la culture s'engage à promouvoir l'égalité professionnelle et la prévention des discriminations dans ses activités de recrutement. Une cellule d'écoute est mise à disposition des candidats qui estimeraient avoir fait l'objet d'une rupture d'égalité de traitement." #metaglossia_mundus
"Québec appellera d’une décision qui fait tomber une part de la loi 96 en justice criminelle Article de Stéphanie Marin Le juge Dennis Galiatsatos persiste et signe : malgré la tentative de Québec de l’empêcher de rendre jugement, il est allé de l’avant et a déclaré inopérant, en matière criminelle uniquement, le nouvel article de la Charte de la langue française qui impose de traduire « immédiatement » certains jugements rendus en anglais. Avec cette décision, le magistrat de la Cour du Québec signale que le gouvernement caquiste s’est mêlé de choses qui ne le regardaient pas : en modifiant de la sorte la Charte de la langue française, il s’est immiscé dans le droit criminel, qui relève du gouvernement fédéral. Et le résultat est que les accusés anglophones sont « moins bien traités » que les accusés francophones, écrit-il, car la traduction entraînera des retards pour eux. Mardi, le ministre de la Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, a rapidement fait savoir que Québec ira en appel de ce jugement « très particulier. » Des lois pour protéger le français À l’origine de ce conflit se trouve le projet de loi 96 qui, selon le gouvernement de François Legault, avait pour objectif de protéger la langue française. Une fois adopté en 2022, il a modifié la Charte de la langue française. Son nouvel article 10 imposera dès le 1er juin la traduction « immédiatement et sans délai » de certains jugements rédigés en anglais. Autrement dit, même s’il est finalisé, le jugement ne pourra être rendu tant que la version française n’est pas prête. Le juge Galiatsatos s’en est pris à cette nouvelle obligation, faisant valoir que les accusés anglophones allaient devoir attendre plus longtemps que les francophones avant de savoir s’ils sont trouvés coupables ou non coupables. Ceux-ci, comme les familles des victimes, devront patienter des semaines, voire des mois, pendant que le jugement « attend sur une étagère », écrit-il, et ils « ne pourront faire leur deuil. » Le magistrat a soulevé de lui-même ce débat dans la cause criminelle de Christine Pryde, accusée de conduite dangereuse et de négligence criminelle ayant causé la mort d’une cycliste en 2021. Elle a choisi d’avoir un procès en anglais, ce qui est son droit. Malgré l’invitation du juge Galiatsatos, Mme Pryde n’a pas soulevé l’invalidité de l’obligation de traduction immédiate. Le Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) non plus. Mais le juge Galiatsatos y tenait mordicus : quelqu’un devait trancher si cette obligation est constitutionnelle ou non. Il a donc rendu récemment une décision par laquelle il s’attribuait lui-même cette tâche. Trancher ou pas ? Le gouvernement du Québec a immédiatement tenté de l’empêcher de rendre jugement, en déposant une demande en justice devant la Cour supérieure. « Il se considère [comme] investi d’un rôle qui n’est pas le sien », a plaidé la province, arguant que normalement, ce sont les parties à un litige, ou un accusé, qui peuvent soulever des questions constitutionnelles et réclamer l’invalidité d’une loi. De plus, le raisonnement « préconçu » du juge sur la conformité constitutionnelle de l’article « et la façon par laquelle il force un débat sur ces questions soulèvent une crainte raisonnable de partialité », avait aussi fait valoir Québec. Vendredi, la Cour supérieure a fait échec à cet effort du gouvernement et le juge Galiatsatos a rendu sur-le-champ sa décision de 34 pages. Dans celle-ci, on peut lire que l’article 10 de la Charte de la langue française est déclaré inopérant, car les mots « immédiatement et sans délai » sont incompatibles avec les procédures criminelles, qui sont de juridiction fédérale. Dans ses soumissions, le DPCP avait offert comme solution aux juges de rendre les verdicts (coupable ou non coupable) oralement en anglais, avec motifs à suivre par écrit — dans les deux langues. Le juge Galiatsatos a lapidé cette suggestion, la qualifiant « d’artificielle, d’irréalisable, et d’inappropriée » et même de « patchwork désespéré » qui cache à quel point la situation est problématique, lance-t-il. Il y voit aussi un « grave affront à l’indépendance judiciaire ». Il juge bon de remémorer au DPCP son rôle : « Si sa position prend assise dans une idéologie politique ou dans sa loyauté envers le Procureur général, il peut être utile de rappeler au DPCP qu’en tant qu’institution, il doit se tenir loin des préoccupations et des pressions partisanes et politiques. » Le ministre de la Justice réagit Réagissant au jugement mardi, le ministre de la Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, a rappelé dans une mêlée de presse qu’il ne s’objecte pas à ce que des jugements soient rédigés en anglais, mais ils doivent être traduits, car tout le monde doit pouvoir les comprendre. Il a martelé : « La justice, au Québec, doit être rendue en français. » Dans sa décision, le juge avait souligné à grands traits, en citant de la jurisprudence, que la langue de la justice criminelle « est le français ou l’anglais », ajoutant que Québec « refuse de reconnaître ce principe ». Et alors que le juge Galiatsatos écrit que le gouvernement du Québec a reconnu « explicitement » devant lui — par la bouche de ses avocats — que la traduction « va causer des délais », le ministre s’est inscrit en faux mardi. « Absolument pas », a-t-il répondu à deux reprises devant les journalistes qui le questionnaient à ce sujet." #metaglossia_mundus
"“Learners will begin to enjoy the long-overdue right to learn and read meaningfully, like all leading nations of the world that do so in their home languages. ” The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is set to introduce mother-tongue bilingual education from Grade 4 next year and education experts have described the policy shift as “transformational” and “progressive”. The historic announcement was made by Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga when she addressed a workshop on the Implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Education earlier this week. South Africa’s official languages include Pedi, Sotho, Tswana, Swati, Venda, Tsonga, Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, and Sign Language. The minister said Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education was piloted in the Eastern Cape for the past 10 years. She said this will be implemented incrementally from January 2025 and is a critical change in the course of history for South African children. “This means this cohort of learners will write their first Mathematics, Science, and Technology National Qualifications Framework Level 1 General Education Certificate in 2030. They will also write their National Senior Certificate in 2033. These exams will be in their home languages, which are official languages of the Republic of South Africa,” she said. Motshekga said pupils will never again have to learn the language of instruction first, then register the content in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, and only then strive to understand the content itself in languages that are not their mother tongue. “Schools are currently providing data on e-forms to ensure a scientific response to the real language profile of each school in 2025,” she said. The minister said assessment in the mother tongue-based bilingual approach will be a new feature for the Grade 4 pupils in mathematics, science, and technology starting in 2025. “Learners will begin to enjoy the long-overdue right to learn and read meaningfully, like all leading nations of the world that do so in their home languages,” she said. Deputy director-general for Transformation Projects at DBE, Naledi Mbude-Mehana, said currently all children start mother tongue education from Grade R to Grade 3 and in Grade 4 black African pupils change from their home language education to English. Mbude-Mehana said only English and Afrikaans-speaking children continue with mother tongue education from ECD to university. “This is where we see the Grade 4 slump and we lose a lot of children in Grade 4 because of this. This widens because the weak children become weaker until they get to Grade 12 and need extra classes.” She said the implementation of mother tongue in Grade 4 will equalise the learning field of pupils. Mbude-Mehana further explained that the pilot has concluded in the Eastern Cape and a rapid assessment was conducted in 2022. “In 2023, the results came out that the model used and adopted by the Eastern Cape for Mother-Tongue Based Bilingual Education beyond Grade 3 is a reliable prototype.” She said mother tongue education will be rolled out in cohorts depending on the readiness of the sector and the schools. “There are schools that have a perfect match between the language of the children and the teacher and there are schools that do not have a match yet and this is why we are doing a phased cohort depending on the readiness of provinces and schools,” said Mbude-Mehana. Khumbulani Mngadi, director of the language directorate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, hailed the policy shift by the department, describing it as “transformative” and “progressive”. Mngadi said it has been scientifically proven that learning in one’s mother tongue increases the chances of better performance. He said in the South African historical context, the government is doing a good thing by introducing these languages on a systematic basis. “What we are working on as linguists is intellectualising these African languages. That means we are capacitating them to deal with complex subjects like science and mathematics. “There is a huge drive by Higher Education of developing technical terminology and UKZN is one of those institutions in the forefront,” said Mngadi, adding that if the government decided to introduce mother tongue teaching and learning in Grade 5, there has to be material written in indigenous languages which cannot be translated if there is no terminology in place. Mngadi said it’s important that basic education works hand in hand with higher education in making sure that there is study material for these phases. He assured parents that government is doing the right thing because the language that you get oriented in at an early stage is the one that helps you to navigate the complexities of the world better. For example, Mngadi said, Germany, France and Portugal have invested in their own languages. “They think, create and innovate in their own languages.” Mngadi said in South Africa, people were misled into thinking that their languages are inferior and many disregarded their languages as a result. “Every language has the capacity to engage science, mathematics and technology but it has to be capacitated to do that.” The Mercury" #metaglossia_mundus
"Project aims to help seasoned researchers unlearn biases and the next generation of archaeologists to find inspiration New encyclopaedia makes Africa’s distant past relevant to today and tomorrow Project aims to help seasoned researchers unlearn biases and the next generation of archaeologists to find inspiration The story of how African history and prehistory has been written is largely one of theft and oversight. Not only has Africa been despoiled of many riches but its scholarship has also often been stolen, with the contributions of African researchers—mostly women—erased by more famous European names. A new reference work, the Oxford Encyclopedia of African Archeology, edited by the Zimbabwean archaeologist Shadreck Chirikure and published by Oxford University Press (OUP), aims to upend this. Chirikure, a professor of archaeology at the University of Oxford, was working as senior editor on the Africa section of the OUP’s Encyclopedia of Anthropology, when, as he puts it, “the Africa section outgrew the Encyclopedia of Anthropology”. Three million years of African life “Africa is the second largest continent,” he says. “It is also the continent, based on current knowledge, that is associated with human origins and human culture.” He set out to collate a duly expansive compendium of the most up-to-date archaeological scholarship on what he describes as three million years of African life. The work is one of the publisher’s living research encyclopaedias. Along with the print version, there is an online resource, which scholars can continually update with new findings. Instead of a chronological structure (grouping all the Stone Age experts, say), Chirikure has organised the papers into six thematic chapters that cut across time periods. The first—which covers livelihoods, subsistence and the environment—runs the gamut from faunal exploitation in southern Africa in the later Pleistocene (which ended 11,700 years ago) to how people interacted with the environment in Iron Age Kenya (until 500BC). The other four chapters cover cultural heritage management, new archaeological methodologies, social organisation, and technology. The study of the distant past is as relevant to the present as it is to the future This thematic approach embeds Chirikure’s driving principle, which is that the study of the distant past is as relevant to the present as it is to the future. He sought out experts whose methods and focus work to the advantage of the previously marginalised. His own work on the World Heritage Site of Great Zimbabwe has earned him the field’s greatest accolades. But, as he puts it, just knowing that the site was built in AD1000 does not put food on the table. By contrast, understanding that Great Zimbabwe was a centre for manufacturing, a hub for intra-African trade and a fully functioning state speaks directly to contemporary economic questions across the continent. Similarly, the encyclopaedia’s paper on the ethnoarchaeology of coffee’s origins in Ethiopia relates to a key 21st-century commodity. “We are proud that the 108 papers talk the language of empowerment and the language of livelihoods,” he says. Comprehensive and full of holes In both the breadth of the research it covers and the roster of its contributors, the encyclopaedia is at once comprehensive and full of holes. Chirikure aimed for gender parity. He also wanted at least 50% of his writers to be based in Africa. But those parameters instantly narrowed things down. The reasons for African scholars to work outside Africa are manifold. There is a lack of political will, funding and infrastructure for laboratories in Africa specialising in DNA and materials analysis. Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Libya and beyond preclude research of any kind in the affected areas. A further significant gap to Chirikure’s way of thinking is the limitations of how knowledge itself is disseminated. This encyclopaedia is written in English. Not only does that limit who can make written contributions to it, it also shuts out a great many readers. Seeing it translated into all the African languages that the encyclopaedia’s writers represent would, he says, “be a dream come true”. In that sense, Chirikure sees this project as a statement of hope. He wants seasoned researchers to unlearn biases and the next generation of archaeologists to find inspiration. “It offers a moment,” he says, “for people, whoever they are, to pause and reflect and immerse themselves in the beautiful papers and then take the issues they raise further.”" #metaglossia_mundus
"Companies and experts say it is important for Africans south of the Sahara Desert to use smart phones. One company thinks apps will provide these Africans with the services they need. Modern smart phones are still seen as a curiosity in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Experts believe mobile internet service is an important tool for economic growth in places such as Ghana. However, only about 25 percent of adults in the area south of the Sahara Desert have a tool that provides internet service. Anita Akpeere is one person who uses an internet-connected smart mobile phone in her food business in Ghana’s capital, Accra. She makes rice and dumplings, a kind of local food. Her phone alerts her when a new order comes in. Claire Sibthorpe is head of digital inclusion at the Britain-based mobile-phone manufacturers group GSMA. She said the cost of new phones is the main barrier to more Africans getting internet service. The lowest-priced smart phones still cost about 95 percent of monthly pay for the poorest 20 percent of the population. Jenny Aker is a professor at Tufts University near Boston, Massachusetts. She said mobile technology is more important in Africa than in more developed parts of the world. She said the small programs that run on smart phones, called apps, are able to overcome a lack of infrastructure. That is why more people in Africa need phones that connect to the internet. She said people without bank accounts use their phones to send and receive mobile money. Other people can use apps that help with farming. Still others use apps that help them learn languages. Uniti Networks has a “super app” that permits smart phone users in poor places to use lots of other apps. The business also has a payment plan that permits people in Ghana who do not have much money to get smart phones. Cyril Fianyo is a farmer who uses the plan. He is a 64-year-old farmer in the country’s eastern Volta area. He paid about $25 to get his phone and will pay the remaining $66 in regular payments. The phone has an app called Cocoa Link that helps him learn planting methods for his cocoa crop. In the past, Fianyo used his intuition to decide when to plant. However, now he thinks Cocoa Link will look at the upcoming weather and tell him the right time to plant. He hopes it will lead to a bigger crop. Kami Dar is chief of Uniti Networks. He said mobile phones could also improve Africa’s health care system. So far, he said, Uniti has 650 participants in its program that permits regular payments over time. The goal is to have 100,000 people taking part within five years. Uniti, however, will only reach its customer goal if more people in Ghana learn how to use smart phones. But there is both a language barrier and a technology barrier. Although many people in Ghana speak English, some cannot read the language. In addition, many people do not know how to operate a smart phone. They will have to learn to read English and learn how to use the phone. The barriers mean many people decide a smart phone is not worth the cost. Alain Capo-Chichi is trying to fix that problem. He is the head of CERCO Group, a company that developed a smart phone that works with only voice commands. “If you buy a car, it’s because you can drive it.” The voice control, he said, will permit more people to “drive” their smart phone. His system supports 50 African languages, including Swahili, Yoruba and Wolof. Aker, the professor near Boston, said it is unclear at this time how many apps will be able to improve life in Africa. She has looked at health and farming apps. She said the health apps mostly tell people when to take medicine or advise them of the need to be vaccinated. The farming apps, she noted, do not clearly show evidence of producing more productive crops. Capo-Chichi said one reason people are unsure about investing in smart phones is the lack of useful apps. Dar from Uniti Networks said app makers are trying to do better. He gave the example of an app that helps cocoa farmers save money for retirement. At first, the app was hard to use, so many farmers needed help or decided it was not worth their time. But the company that provided the savings service fixed some of the problems. Over time, the apps improve. One example is a health app that helps women follow their reproductive, or menstrual, cycle to avoid pregnancy. Another app helps people find medicinal plants. Aker said more investment in public services is needed for Africa. But she also worried about a dependence on smart phones and said some people could lose personal data to criminals or hackers. The expert noted that companies that make apps can only do well if they have more users. Companies that are creating payment plans for Africans can only make money if they get more customers. In addition, Aker noted the phones can still make a difference for some. She noted that the United Nations says over 700 million people around the world are illiterate, meaning they cannot read or write any language. Aker said smart phones can help people learn to read and write. However, curiosity may still be the biggest driver of smart phone sales, especially if the cost is not so high. Back in Fianyo’s fields, his new smartphone has attracted interest. “This is something I would like to be part of,” said neighboring farmer Godsway Kwamigah. I’m Dan Friedell. And I'm Anna Matteo. Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press." #metaglossia_mundus
""It's really interesting to see how prominent the patterns were," Northeastern University linguist Adam Cooper said. Published May 20, 2024 at 4:37 AM EDTUpdated May 21, 2024 at 4:04 AM EDT Why is it that some baby names dominate the charts every single year? This week, the U.S. Social Security Administration released its ranking of the most-popular baby names in the United States in 2023. And, for the fifth year in a row, Liam and Olivia have secured the top spots, while Noah and Emma have held onto second place. But what is it about these names that parents just can't get enough of? Linguist Adam Cooper, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, says that it may be down to the way these names roll off our tongues. Specifically, these popular names tend to avoid "hard stops." "It's really interesting to see how prominent the patterns were," Cooper told Erin Kayata of Northeastern Global News. "Names like Patrick, Peter or Greg—these are names that would be more 'stopful,' so to speak. These stop sounds are not here in the list, really [...] there's more of a flow to the sounds and sound combinations making up these popular names." However, avoidance of "hard stops" is not the only thing many of these popular names have in common. Cooper highlighted a field of linguistic study called phonaesthetics, which examines the perceptions of beauty and elegance in the sounds of certain words in different languages. "Connecting what's been studied about English phonaesthetics, pretty much all the names [on the list] would be 'phonaesthetically pleasing,'" Cooper said. Of course, sound is not the only thing parents consider when choosing their child's name. Some go with family names, while others look to influential figures and celebrities, or characters from their favorite TV shows. For example, the Social Security Administration found that Kaeli and Eiden—the names of two popular TikTok stars—had seen a significant uptick in the last year. Native language may also play a role. For example, Cooper says that the name Mateo— which has appeared as a top 10 name for the first time this year—may be due to America's increasing Hispanic population. "Mateo could also be said to be more phonoaesthetically pleasing because it has multiple syllables and the shift in vowels, whereas Matthew is just two syllables," Cooper said. "It's not only just an acknowledgment of the language that has been the source of this name and its status within United States society and culture, but also a connection to the sound patterns themselves that may be perceived to be somewhat more rhythmic." As for baby girls, most of the names on the list end with an A, which Cooper says can be traced back to Latin declensions. "I think the graphical system of Latin has in a way influenced what we perceive to be more 'feminine' or 'masculine' name types," he said. "There isn't anything about the final vowel inherently that makes it more feminine or not, but it's just the associations and how it happened to have been used in this earlier grammatical system and how that language has developed into the various Romance languages." To see if your name made the list, here is the top 10 list for baby names for boys in 2023: - Liam
- Noah
- Oliver
- James
- Elijah
- Mateo
- Theodore
- Henry
- Lucas
- William
And for girls: - Olivia
- Emma
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Sophia
- Mia
- Isabella
- Ava
- Evelyn
- Luna
Update 05/21/2024 06:34 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional details of the interview source." #metaglossia_mundus
"AI translation startup DeepL raises $300m at $2bn valuation The round comes after a successful year where it was one of five companies in Europe to hit a billion-dollar valuation in 2023 The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from ICONIQ Growth and Teachers’ Venture Growth as well as existing investors IVP, Atomico and WiL. The deal comes off the back of a successful year for DeepL. It was one of just five private European tech firms to reach a billion-dollar valuation in 2023 and expanded to the US, now its third largest market, in January this year. But 2023 wasn’t plain sailing, as the pace of AI innovation and sudden investor attention multiplied DeepL’s competitors. “As a company, we’ve felt this,” its founder and CEO Jarosław Kutyłowski told Sifted in an interview in December last year. What does DeepL do? Founded in 2017, DeepL sells translation technology to businesses and other organisations and says it has “a customer network of 100k+ businesses, governments and other organisations worldwide” including Zendesk, Nikkei, Coursera and Deutsche Bahn. It has developed its own generative AI model that’s specifically trained for translation, which the company says has helped it win enterprise clients by achieving more precise results than other products on the market. The company faces competition against new models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o, which can translate voices in real-time, but the fresh funding gives it significant resources to keep improving its technology. It’s also expanding its suite of products. In April it launched DeepL Write Pro — an AI-powered writing assistant that works a bit like Grammarly over a range of different languages. The company has also recently added Arabic, Korean and Norwegian to the languages its platform supports, bringing the total number to 32." #metaglossia_mundus
DeepL, qui développe une IA de traduction, a annoncé mercredi une levée de fonds de 300 millions de dollars, valorisant la start-up allemande 2 milliards de dollars. #metaglossia_mundus
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"Using these expressions with native speakers will make you sound like a master of French
Has your neighbour told you they have been combing the giraffe at work?
French, like any other language, is full of weird and wonderful expressions and phrases that do not make sense when directly translated.
Some of these expressions have made their way into everyday usage, and to a native French speaker are as simple as saying ‘ça va !’
Others are common with the younger generations.
They can leave learners scratching their heads, however, wondering what a well-groomed giraffe has to do with someone’s slow day at the office (more on this below).
Sometimes the expressions are still not clear even with the benefit of context, so it is useful to take note of the ones you see.
Below we list seven that you can hear in everyday exchanges, but may be unlikely to grasp based on translation alone.
We give the direct translation in the heading and a possible English equivalent.
Au bout de rouleau – at end of the scroll
Directly translated, être au bout de rouleau means to be at the end of the scroll. Rouleau has a few meanings including scroll, roller, rolling pin or roll.
It is used in frustration the same way an English speaker might say they are at the end of their tether.
If you are really fed up, you can use je suis au bout de rouleau to express your frustration with the situation.
Claqué au sol - slammed to the ground
When you hear something described as claqué au sol, it is not a good thing.
It is used in the same way as nul, suggesting something is bad quality or not worth it.
The expression has been around since about 2019, and is popular in internet culture, meaning it is more common amongst younger speakers.
Read more: The French you learn at school is often not what you hear: 5 examples
Craquer son slip - to split your pants
Translated directly, this means to split your pants – craquer can mean to split or crack, and slip refers to underwear (usually knickers).
Putting them together in this phrase however signifies that someone has really lost their temper.
It is more colloquial, and is like saying someone ‘has lost their shit’ in English.
Être à coté de la plaque - to be next to the plank
‘Être à côté de’ translates as ‘to be next to something’, and la plaque can mean lots of different things depending on context, such as a plank, badge, patch or even number plate.
In this phrase, the two combined mean to miss the point of something or to be mistaken.
It is the same as saying something is ‘well off the mark’ or ‘well off-target’ in English.
Mettre de l’eau dans son vin - putting water in your wine
Mettre de l’eau dans son vin literally translates as putting water into your wine, but the conjured image of mixing two things together is only partially correct.
The phrase is used in situations when two people disagree, and must make an effort to compromise.
Our English equivalent could be to reach a consensus, or to (both) back down in an argument. It only really works if both people put the work in to do so.
Read more: Useful informal French expressions you don’t learn at school
Peigner la girafe – to comb the giraffe
Peigner la girafe translated directly means to comb the giraffe, which gives very little indication of what the expression relates to.
If you were to comb a giraffe, it would be a long and pointless task, which is a hint towards its meaning.
When you hear someone say this, it means that they are working very slowly or very inefficiently completing a task – like ‘twiddling your thumbs’ in English.
Coincer la bulle - Trapping the bubble
This expression comes from the military, where it was used to describe soldiers manning artillery guns.
To calibrate the gun to the correct position, soldiers would use a device similar to a spirit meter, that saw a ‘bubble’ lined up between two markers, showing the mortar was in a straight line.
Once they had done this, the soldiers had to simply stand around and wait for the order to fire. Therefore, they had lots of time to ‘trap the bubble’.
In English, this could be considered the equivalent to resting on one’s oars, it simply suggests doing nothing or resting.
It must be said, however, that this is not an everyday expression, and is slightly more poetic than its English counterpart."
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