Metaglossia: The Translation World

"A series of events celebrating language diversity

 

Colleagues are invited to join us to celebrate International Mother Language Day.

 

UNESCO International Mother Language Day (IMLD) 2025 takes place on Friday, 21 February, with an exciting programme of local celebrations announced by Manchester City of Literature and their partners.

 

This year will be the 9th International Mother Language Day observed in Greater Manchester, a celebration of the cultural diversity and vast number of languages spoken across the city region.

 

Creative Manchester, one of the University’s research platforms, will offer a series of events to mark the occasion in collaboration with partners and colleagues. All events are free to book and all are welcome.

 

Wednesday, 19 February 

 

The power of language: Creating Manchester memories - Hear from researchers, poets and collaborators about how they came together in the aftermath of the pandemic to create a book capturing local communities' experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. This event will be held at Contact Theatre at 12.30pm.

 

Book your place

Friday, 21 February 2025 

 

Not all accents are created equal – A talk by the Linguistic Diversity Collective's Dr Alex Baratta on accentism within British teacher training, held at Manchester Museum at 12pm.

 

Book your place

Looking for languages - A language themed trail around Manchester Museum offering visitors of all ages a chance to learn about and celebrate languages and multilingualism. The trail is held in partnership with the Linguistic Diversity Collective and Manchester Museum and takes place from 1pm.

 

Book your place 

More Information 

 

Manchester City of Literature"

 

https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/news/display/?id=32234

#metaglossia_mundus 

"Common Voice: African Languages

Voice technology is increasingly the gateway to the internet — but this technology doesn’t serve everyone equally. Indeed, neither Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, nor Google Home support a single native African language. This means that millions of people who speak Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, and other African languages can’t use voice technology to do something as simple as checking the weather — or something as important as checking for COVID updates.

 

Mozilla’s Common Voice is an open-source initiative to address this disparity, by creating open-source voice data sets in underserved languages.

 

Since 2019, Mozilla has been working with the GIZ FAIR Forward initiative, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UK's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to promote the creation and use of open voice data and technology in the East African languages Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, and Luganda."

 

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/what-we-fund/programs/common-voice-kiswahili-awards/

It's something that most French learners will have asked themselves - perhaps before throwing their grammar book across the room - but who really decides whether a new French word is masculine or feminine?

"...It might seem completely random but in fact there are some guidelines on whether a word will be masculine or feminine - and most of them are to do with how the word is spelled...
Open up any French dictionary, and next to the nouns will be, in small type, nom masculine or nom feminine.

New words
When brand new words arrive, they tend to be used in spoken French first before making it onto the page - common examples include new slang terms that emerge from a specific community (often via art or music), new inventions/scientific concepts or words that are borrowed from another language, commonly English.
Spelling - as we mentioned, the biggest single factor in whether a word is masculine or feminine is how it is spelled - so if a new word has a classic feminine ending like 'ousse' or a classic masculine ending like 'ueil', then French-speakers will tend to naturally give it that gender when they talk.
Grammar rules - there are a couple of other rules around gender, for example nouns that derive from verbs - they usually end with eur, like l’aspirateur or l’ordinateur - are masculine.
But nouns that come from adjectives like la largeur, are feminine.
Because French people absorb these rules at school, they will generally tend to follow them when saying new words.
What is it - exactly what the thing is can in some cases matter too - for example Covid ended up being designated as feminine because it describes the illness, which in French is la maladie. Whereas coronavirus was masculine because it describes the virus itself, and in French that is un virus....
The Académie is sometimes described as France's 'language police' but it has no enforcement status and people can and do ignore its pronouncements - if you ever try to use the Academie-approved 'l'access sans fils à internet' you will likely encounter nothing but blank stares, but everyone in France understands 'le wifi'.
Really the final arbiters of noun gender are the French dictionaries, the biggest of which are Larousse or Le Robert. Dictionary compilers will take into account an Academie ruling if there is one, but will also take into account the most widespread usage of the word and how it has appeared in media, scientific journals or songs...

And sometimes there is no final ruling.
During the Covid pandemic... debate raged over the new health pass - the document or app giving proof of vaccination that was required for entry into several buildings.
Four years on and there are still debates as to whether it should be pass sanitaire, as referred to on government documents, or passe sanitaire, as it is referred to by Larousse dictionary.
The phrase entered everyday use and media usage as masculine, and even Emmanuel Macron referred to it as le pass. In July 2021 the Académie presented arguments in favour of la passe (as feminine) but most media continued to use the masculine."

https://www.thelocal.fr/20250124/who-decides-if-french-words-are-masculine-or-feminine
#metaglossia_mundus

 

The evolution of language from ancient origins to the third wave of Agentic AI

Opinion

By Paul O’Sullivan

 published yesterday

Agentic AI is revolutionizing communication 

 

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Ryzhi)

 

Recent advances in generative AI and machine learning have evolved technological communication to levels beyond what was previously comprehensible. The recent and rapid rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) which are now analysing and generating huge volumes of text outputs, prompts us to consider our progress so far and what this means for the future of human communication alongside the new agentic AI layer.

The third wave of AI will bring us to a pivotal moment in the evolution of work, where the emergence of autonomous agents promises to transform how humans and machines collaborate. For us, agentic AI represents the next frontier in this progression; a limitless digital workforce built on AI agents that can reason, take action, and integrate deeply within enterprise workflows. This innovation not only builds on the foundation of LLMs, but introduces a new agentic layer, enabling machines to move from generating insights to orchestrating and executing actions.

 

In order to fully grasp the potential of this technology, it is helpful to look back at the origins of language and the emergence of technical languages, where computers interrupt instructions to take action..

Prehistoric language and the roots of human communication

Language that we know and use today is the product of a long and intricate evolutionary journey. For early humans, language was believed to be primitive and simple, mostly involving gestures, facial expressions, and sounds to convey meaning.

 

The evolution to symbolic thinking, which refers to the ability to use concepts, symbols and signs in order to think about things not immediately present, marked a significant step change. Early evidence of symbolic thinking includes ancient cave art, which suggests a time where sounds and symbols were associated with abstract ideasNext came anatomical development, the evolution of vocal cords and the ability to produce complex sounds which paved the way for speech. Spoken language is believed to have emerged 50,000-100,000 years ago, giving humans valuable and unique skills such as sharing stories, preserving history, and ultimately, building complex societies.

The evolution of language to the rise of technology

The next transformative step in language development was the invention of writing. Around 3100 BCE, humans began using written symbols to document trade, laws, and ceremony. These early writing systems evolved into alphabets, such as the Phoenician alphabet, which influenced Greek and Latin scripts and laid the foundation for many modern languages.

Languages became more diversified as the human population spread and interacted globally. In today’s interconnected world, the technological revolution has introduced a new form of language: computer programming.

Early machine languages, such as binary and assembly code, required programmers to communicate directly with machines in highly technical terms. The advent of high-level languages, such as Fortran, made programming more accessible by using syntax that mirrored human language. Today, modern languages like Python and Java, along with domain-specific languages like SQL and HTML, cater to diverse needs, from app development to database management.

 

Looking to the future, natural language programming promises to bridge the gap between human and machine communication. By enabling users to write instructions in plain language, this innovation could democratize coding, making it accessible to those without traditional programming expertise.

The role of AI agents in shaping language

AI represents a definitive chapter in the evolution of language, where models are trained on vast datasets, generating human-like text and even introducing new expressions.

 

AI raises the possibility of machine-to-machine communication, with AI agents likely to be able to develop machine-specific languages for communication efficiency. This reflects a broader shift in how humans work alongside generative AI, with agents becoming part of the digital workforce re-emphasizes the need for AI practices grounded in trust and security.

 

Another impact of the interplay between human and machine communication is the emergence of hybrid languages, blending human syntax with machine-friendly structures. These changes could enhance accessibility, as we’ve already seen with the introduction of AI tools for real-time translation for those that are visually and hearing impaired.

 

In more speculative scenarios, AI might accelerate the creation of entirely new languages tailored to specific purposes, such as quantum computing and alternatively, humanity adopting intermediary language developed through AI.

Language is ever changing, regardless of technological impacts

Language is a living, evolving system that reflects the needs, culture, and technology of its time. From the primitive gestures of early humans to the sophisticated algorithms of modern AI, our modes of communication have always adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the era.

 

The rise of AI and machine learning represents a pivotal moment in the history of language, with the potential to accelerate its evolution in ways we can’t even imagine. While these advancements offer exciting possibilities, they also compel us to preserve the cultural and human dimensions of language.

 

As we stand at the threshold of a new era, our agentic AI technology, exemplifies how language and technology continue to converge, creating systems that not only understand but act on our behalf. By enabling a seamless collaboration between humans and autonomous agents, this evolution signals a future where communication becomes not just a medium for expression, but a catalyst for action, driving innovation and redefining the boundaries of what is possible in work and beyond.

"La Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) ha publicado un diccionario académico que recoge 404 términos usados de forma habitual en la universidad escritos en catalán y con sus equivalencias tanto en castellano como en inglés.

 

Según ha informado la institución universitaria en un comunicado, con esta obra, titulada ‘Diccionari acadèmic de la Universitat de les Illes Balears’, se pretende implantar un modelo unificado de lengua entre los miembros de la comunidad educativa.

 

Así, incluye términos como “captación de estudiantes”, “carrera profesional horizontal”, “prácticas externas” o “titulación conjunta”, escritas en catalán y traducidas al castellano y al inglés, que son los tres idiomas de trabajo de la UIB.

 

Este diccionario busca ser un complemento de otras obras publicadas en este ámbito, en especial de la ‘Nomenclatura de la gestió universitaria’, de la Xarxa Vives.

 

Pese a las coincidencias con ésta, la UIB ha considerado necesario disponer de un diccionario que recoja la terminología particular que se emplea en la gestión de la propia institución y que pueda irse actualizando con nuevos términos de forma continua..."

 

https://mallorcainforma.com/2025/01/24/la-uib-publica-un-diccionario-academico-con-mas-de-400-terminos-usados-en-la-universidad-traducidos-a-tres-idiomas/

#metaglossia_mundus 

Wycliffe Bible Translators, a leader in the field of Bible translation for decades, is reporting remarkable progress toward the goal of making the Bible available in every language on Earth.

"Our focus is how do we see God's word come to these languages that have never had scripture in their own language and that is our heart passion and that's what we've been about for these 80-plus years," John Chesnut, president of Wycliffe Translators told CBN News.

Le Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur les Organisations, la Communication et l'Éducation (CEROCE) et l’Equipe de recherche sur les Etudes Anglophones de l’Université de Lomé organisent un colloque scientifique international pluridisciplinaire :

 

Langages silencieux : Contextes, enjeux et dynamiques communicationnelles en Afrique

 

Les 2, 3 et 4 juillet 2025, à l'Université de Lomé, Togo

 

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La communication non verbale, à travers ses multiples manifestations telles que les symboles, les gestes, les postures, les expressions faciales, les silences et les codes vestimentaires, constitue une dimension fondamentale des interactions humaines, de la construction ou de l’interprétation du sens même de la communication. En outre, elle comporte des enjeux insoupçonnés dans divers domaines : social, politique, professionnel, etc. En Afrique, continent riche de ses diversités culturelles, ces langages silencieux prennent des formes particulièrement significatives, reflet de contextes sociaux, culturels, historiques et spirituels variés. Leur influence va au-delà des interactions sociales immédiates, jouant un rôle dans l’éducation, les récits, la mémoire, le renforcement des identités collectives et le dévoilement de perceptions culturelles nuancées. Ils peuvent également constituer des sources de malentendus et de crises rendant la communication et le vivre ensemble difficiles. Malgré l’intérêt croissant pour ce phénomène, il est encore nécessaire d’y accorder une plus grande attention, en particulier au sein des différents peuples d’Afrique qui n’ont pas été étudiés. Nous proposons un colloque réunissant des chercheurs d’Afrique francophone et anglophone afin d’examiner les données disponibles sur la communication non verbale sous l’angle de différentes disciplines. L’objectif est de dévoiler les caractéristiques particulières et universelles de ce phénomène psycho-linguistique, y compris en proposant des moyens de rassembler et d’analyser correctement les données recueillies dans des cultures largement dominées par l’oralité. Bien que ces modes de communication jouent un rôle crucial dans les relations interindividuelles et intercommunautaire, ils restent souvent peu analysés sous l’angle de l’intersection des dynamiques globales et locales dans les recherches scientifiques contemporaines. Ce colloque cherche à combler cette lacune en encourageant une approche intégrative qui favorise une compréhension plus nuancée et contextualisée de ces langages silencieux dans le paysage africain contemporain. 

 

Le colloque international pluridisciplinaire consacré aux « Langages silencieux : contextes, enjeux et dynamiques communicationnels en Afrique » invite, entre autres, à : 

 

 

• Analyser les spécificités culturelles : Étudier les formes et significations des expressions non verbales dans différents contextes africains (rituels, échanges quotidiens, sphère politique ou économique). Ces recherches pourront s’appuyer, notamment, sur les travaux d’observation des pratiques gestuelles traditionnelles qui montrent comment les gestes codifient les relations sociales et renforcent les hiérarchies culturelles. 

• Comprendre les dynamiques sociales : Explorer le rôle des langages non verbaux dans la création et le maintien des relations sociales, des identités communautaires et des structures de pouvoir. 

• Examiner les influences contemporaines : Identifier les mutations des pratiques non verbales sous l’effet des nouvelles technologies, des interactions interculturelles et des médias numériques. Les études comparatives mettant en évidence des différences dans l’utilisation des gestes conventionnels et qui soulignent l’impact des contextes culturels sur le développement des répertoires gestuels peuvent être présentées. 

• Explorer une approche comparative et interdisciplinaire : Croiser les perspectives de disciplines variées - linguistique, anthropologie, sociologie, psychologie, sciences de l’information et de la communication - pour enrichir la compréhension de ces phénomènes au sein des communautés nationales tout comme entre différentes régions africaines. 

• Proposer des moyens d'exploiter et d'appliquer de manière pratique les signaux non verbaux à travers les médias : Discuter des implications des pratiques non verbales dans des domaines tels que la diplomatie, l’éducation, la santé, ou encore les stratégies de communication et de marketing. 

 

Axes thématiques 

 

Les axes thématiques ci-après sont, entre autres, proposés aux participants : 

 

Système de communication non verbale en Afrique : Héritages et analyse des différents éléments distinctifs des langages non verbaux en Afrique, dans leur diversité et leurs portées linguistique, sociologique, philosophique, communicationnelle, religieuse, etc. 

Contextes et hybridation culturelle : Contextes d’interculturalité (mondialisation, délocalisation, espace numérique…), innovations, interférences et mutations des langages silencieux. On pourrait aussi s’intéresser aux phénomènes d’invention ou d’appropriation de nouveaux codes comportementaux, de modification des dynamiques sociales incluant les dynamiques linguistiques, communicationnelles mais aussi les enjeux politiques, culturels et professionnels.

Communication non verbale en Afrique, construction, transmission et circulation des savoirs : Exploration des signes du langage non verbal, des canaux de transmission et des usages dans les secteurs de l’éducation et de la formation, de la santé (médecine traditionnelle), de la médiation sociale, etc. La thématique fait aussi appel à la construction des identités culturelles ainsi que des rapports entre les peuples et au sein des peuples.

Approches disciplinaires et interdisciplinaires des langages silencieux : Découverte des approches théoriques existantes, mobilisation des apports des différentes disciplines pour questionner la place des langages silencieux dans le système global de la communication en Afrique pour comprendre leurs fonctions pragmatiques et proposer des modèles ; états des lieux de la recherche, africaine en Afrique et ailleurs, sur les langages silencieux. 

Nous accueillons favorablement les propositions qui abordent ces thématiques dans différentes disciplines.

 

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Bibliographie indicative 

- Agwuele, A. (2014). A repertoire of Yoruba hand and face gestures. Gestures, 14(1), 70-96.

- Agwuele Augustine (ed.). 2015. Body Talk and Cultural Identity in the African World. Sheffield, Equinox Publishing. 

- Agresti Giovanni. Diversità linguistica e sviluppo sociale. Franco Angeli, Milano, 2018.

- Agresti Giovanni, Le Lièvre Françoise (coord.). 2020. Langues, linguistique et développement en milieu francophone. Des terrains africains, Repères DoRiF n°21, DoRiF Università, Roma septembre 2020, https://www.dorif.it/reperes/category/21-langues-linguistique-et-developpement-en-milieu-francophone-des-terrains-africains/.

- Agresti Giovani, Mouzou, P. Stephen and Zouogbo Jean-Philippe. (2022). Dynamiques sociolinguistiques, terminologie et développement. Documenter, aménager et outiller les langues africaines. Paris : Cahiers du CEDIMES. 

- Brookes, Heather J. 2004. A first repertoire of South African quotable gestures. Linguistic Anthropology 14(2): 186-224.

- Brookes, Heather J. 2005. What gestures do: Some communicative functions of quotable gestures in conversations among black urban South Africans. Journal of Pragmatics 37: 2044-2085.

- Brookes, Heather J. 2011. Amangama Amathathu ‘Three Letters’: The emergence of a quotable gesture. Gesture 11(2): 194-218.

- Calbris, Geneviève, and Owen Doyle. 1990. The Semiotics of French Gestures. Indiana University Press Bloomington

- Bonvillain Nancy. (2003). Language, Culture, and Communication. The Meaning of Messages. 

- Dawson Hope C. & Phelan Michael (eds). 2016. Language Files. Material for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. (12th edition). Cleveland, Ohio State University. 

- Dingemanse, Mark 2011. The meaning and use of ideophones in Siwu. Ph.D. dissertation. Nijmegen: Radboud University.

- Groß, Ulrike 1997. Analyse und Deskription textueller Gestik im Adzogbo (Ewe) unter Berücksichtigung kommunikationstheoretischer Aspekte. Ph.D. Dissertation, Universtity of Köln.

- Harrigan, Jinni A. 2005. “Proxemics, Kinesics, and Gaze.” The New Handbook of Methods in Nonverbal Behavior Research: 137–198. 

- Jones Rodney H. & Themistocleous Christina. 2022. Introducing Language and Society. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 

- Klassen, Doreen H. 2004. Gestures in African oral narrative. In: Philip M. Peek and Kwesi Yankah (eds.), African Folklore: An Encyclopedia, 298-303. New York/London: Routledge. 

- Kita, Sotaro and James Essegbey 2001. Pointing left in Ghana: How a taboo on the use of the left hand influences gestural practice. Gesture 1(1): 73-95.

- Kipp, Michael, and J.-C. Martin. 2009. “Gesture and Emotion: Can Basic Gestural Form Features Discriminate Emotions?” In Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction and Workshops, 2009. ACII 2009. 3rd International Conference On, 1–8. 

- Kendon, Adam. 1983. “Gesture and Speech: How They Interact.” Nonverbal Interaction: 13–45. 

- McNeill, David. 2008. Gesture and Thought. University of Chicago Press. 

- Orie, Olanike O. 2009. Pointing the Yoruba way. Gesture 9(2): 237-261.

- Tourneux Henry (dir.). 2008. Langues, cultures et développement en Afrique, Paris, Karthala.

- Were Vincent Otaba et Zouogbo Jean-Philippe (dir.). 2024. Développement durable : amplifier les langues, valoriser les cultures, impliquer les populations. Paris, Editions des Archives Contemporaines. 

- Will, Izabela. 2009. Cultural Aspects of Nonverbal Code in Hausa, in Nina Pawlak (ed.) Codes and Rituals of Emotions in Asian and African Cultures: p. 252-265.

- Will, Izabela. 2015. Gestures and Indirect Statements as Means of Expressing Emotions and Opinions Among Hausa Women, In Selected Proceedings of the Symposium on West African Languages (Naples, 27-28 March 2014), G. C. Batic and S. Baldi (ed.), „Studi Africanistici/Serie Ciado-Sudanese” 7, 2015, p. 233–248.

- Will, Izabela. 2022. Recurrent Gestures of Hausa Speakers, Leiden-Boston, Brill.

- Zouogbo Jean-Philippe (dir.). Linguistique pour le développement. Concepts, contextes et empiries. Paris, Édition des archives contemporaines, 2022.

 

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Dates à retenir et modalités de soumission de proposition 

 

Lancement de l’appel à communication : 20 janvier 2025 

 

Date limite de soumission des abstracts : 30 mars 2025 

 

Notification d’acceptation : 18 avril 2025

 

Tenue du colloque : 02, 03, 04 juillet 2025 

 

Soumission des projets d’articles : 29 août 2025 

 

Retour d’instruction : 15 octobre 2025 

 

Réception des articles finalisés pour publication : 16 novembre 

 

Publication des actes du colloque : Février 2026

 

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Langues d’intervention : anglais et français. 

 

Frais d’inscription

 

Enseignants-chercheurs : 40 000 FCFA ou $70 US

Doctorants et Masterants : 20 000 FCFA ou $35 US 

Practiciens et représentant des institutions publiques et privées : 60.000 FCFA ou $100 US

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Consignes et format des contributions 

 

Différents formats de propositions sont attendus : communications orales, posters, tables-rondes, ateliers méthodologiques, etc. 

Les propositions de communication orale devront être originales, non publiées auparavant et rédigées en anglais ou en français. Les propositions comporteront une courte notice bibliographique de 150 mots maximum, un titre, un résumé de 300 mots maximum (hors bibliographie et notice bibliographique) et cinq mots-clés. Le résumé devra préciser les questions de recherche abordées, leur articulation avec les axes (ou thématiques) du colloque, la (ou les) disciplines mobilisée(s), la méthodologie de recherche et les principaux résultats qui seront présentés lors du colloque. Le projet devra être envoyé sous format Word, Police Times New Roman, taille 12. 

La participation des doctorants et des jeunes chercheurs est vivement encouragée. 

 

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Mode de communication 

 

Les communications se feront en présentiel et en distanciel. Un lien sera précisé ultérieurement pour les participants en distanciel. 

 

Contact 

 

Toutes les soumissions et autres correspondances en lien avec le colloque devront être envoyées à colloque2025@ceroce-ul.org, en copie à palakyem.mouzou@fulbrightmail.org 

 

Coordination du colloque

- Kouméalo Germaine Anate, Université de Lomé, Togo

- Palakyem Stephen Mouzou, Université de Kara, Togo 

- Augustine Agwuele, Texas State University, USA

- Mouncaïla Napo Gnane, Université de Lomé, Togo 

 

Comité d’organisation 

• Enseignants-chercheurs 

o Kondi Napo Sonhaye 

o Nouhr-Dine Dyfaizi Akondo 

o Dovi Yelou

o Essobozouwè Awizoba 

o Komla Azialé 

o Yentougle Moutore 

o Bienvenue Boudimbou 

o Asseta Diallo 

o Mabandine Djagri Temoukale 

o Yoma Takougnadi 

o Yacouba Kouraogo

o Daria Ouradei

o Adji Chakebera 

o Michaella Eppié Bongba

 

• Doctorants 

o Hugues Koba

o Pèlè Mindou Adjanla 

o Tchaa P. Désiré Komou

o Casimir Edinah  

o Pidèma Dagouroufei 

 

Comité scientifique 

o Moufoutaou Adjéran, Université d’Abomey Calavi, Bénin

o Gbandi Adouna, Université de Kara, Togo

o Giovanni Agresti, Université Bordeaux Montaigne, France 

o Kouméalo Anaté, Université de Lomé, Togo

o Komla Avono, Université de Lomé, Togo 

o Atiyihwè Awesso, Université de Lomé

o Mimboabe Bakpa, Université de Kara, Togo

o Rahma Barbara, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fès, Maroc 

o Komi Begedou, Université de Lomé, Togo  

o Don Daniels, University of Oregon, USA 

o Amélie Hien, Université de Québec at Trois-Rivières, Canada

o Rachid Jama, Université Sultan Moulay Slimane - Beni Mellal, Maroc

o Amélie Leconte, Aix-Marseille Université, France 

o Aimée-Danielle Lezou-Koffi, Université Felix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire

o Charles Dossou Ligan, University d’Abomey Calavi, Bénin 

o Bernard Kabore, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso

o Laré Kantchoa, Université de Kara, Togo

o Balaïbaou Kassan, Université de Kara, Togo

o Alou Keita, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso

o Hanoukoume Kparou, Babcock University, Nigéria

o Komi Kpatcha, Université de Kara, Togo

o Maxime Manifi Abouh, Université de Yaoundé 1, Cameroun

o Leila Messaoudi, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco 

o Karen Ferreira-Meyers, Université d’Eswatini, Eswatini 

o Abou Napon, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso 

o Salomé Chantal Ntsama, Université de Yaoundé 1, Cameroun

o Kokou Essodina Pere-Kewezima, Université de Lomé, Toogo

o Cheik F. Bobodo Ouedraogo, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso 

o Kogh Pascal Somé, Université Paris Cité, France

o Ndiémé Sow, Université Amadou Mahtar Mbow of Dakar, Sénégal

o Henry Tourneux, Llacan - CNRS, France

o Vincent Were, Kenyatta University, Kenya

o Jean-Philippe Zouogbo, Université Paris Cité, France

 

Responsable :

Kouméalo Anaté, Palakyém Mouzou, Augustine Agwuele

Url de référence :

https://www.ceroce-ul.org/blog/2022/01/30/colloques/

Adresse :

Université de Lomé, Togo

"Bored German Translator Calls Trump's Speech 'Shit' On Live Mic
During Trump's marathon speech, a German translator can be heard asking, “How long do you want to stay on this s---?”

By Ed Scarce — January 21, 2025
When even Germans are tired of listening to fascists drone on and on...

Video by The Guardian.

Source: Daily Beast

A bored German translator was caught in a hot mic moment after being heard calling Donald Trump’s presidential speech “s---.” The translator, working for German TV channel Phoenix, appeared to get frustrated during the 2,885-word marathon speech from the MAGA boss, turning to his producer while the mic was still hot and asking: “How long do you want to stay on this s---?” the public broadcaster soon issued a statement, saying: “Due to a technical glitch, the communication between the interpreter and the director was audible today. Of course, this does not reflect the opinion of the broadcaster.” It added that a high-pressure environment might have contributed to the glitch. “The colleagues have to work for hours at a very high level of concentration and translate simultaneously. This usually happens without errors, despite the great pressure,” the statement went on. Noz.de reported that the broadcaster “usually works with experienced freelance interpreters for major international events.”

“Tell me, how long do you want to stay with this shit?” the simultaneous translator calls into the control room without turning off the microphone..."

https://crooksandliars.com/2025/01/bored-german-translator-calls-trumps

"The term “illegal alien” is official government terminology again, after the new acting head of the Department of Homeland Security scrapped  “confusing” euphemisms like “undocumented noncitizen” and “integration”.

Words like “alien” were banned, and politically correct language was mandated by the Biden administration as it presided over an unprecedented surge of illegal border crossings.

But acting DHS secretary Benjamine C. Huffman has wasted no time overturning the Orwellian edict of his predecessor Alejandro Mayorkas and has reinstated precise terminology, as defined in immigration law."
By Miranda Devine
Published Jan. 23, 2025, 1:31 p.m. ET
https://nypost.com/2025/01/23/us-news/trump-admin-reinstates-word-alien-over-undocumented-noncitizen/
#metaglossia_mundus

"...How can we explain the morphological diversity of species? While genetics is the answer that comes most readily to mind, it is not the only explanation. By combining observations of embryonic development, advanced microscopy techniques, and computer modeling, a multidisciplinary team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) demonstrates that the development of crocodile head scales results from a process related to the mechanics of growing tissues, rather than molecular genetics.

The diversity of these scales, observed in different crocodilian species, thus stems from the evolution of mechanical parameters. These results provide new insights into the physical forces involved in the development and evolution of the diversity of life forms. They could apply to other complex biological systems. This research is published in the journal Nature.

The origin of the diversity and morphological complexity of living beings remains one of the greatest mysteries of science. To unravel it, scientists study various biological species. The laboratory of Michel Milinkovitch, a professor in the Department of Genetics and Evolution at the Faculty of Science at UNIGE, studies the development and evolution of vertebrate integumentary appendages—that is, feathers, hair, and scales—to understand the fundamental mechanisms responsible for this diversity. It is generally considered that the embryonic development of these appendages is dictated by genetic processes involving interactions between many molecules resulting from gene expression..."

https://www.techno-science.net/en/news/the-diversity-of-life-is-not-just-matter-of-genetics-N26371.html

"...À l’occasion du Festival du film de Sundance 2025, Adobe a levé le voile sur une série d’innovations destinées à simplifier la vie des professionnels de la vidéo. Ces nouveautés, disponibles en version bêta pour Premiere Pro et After Effects notamment, visent à réduire le temps passé sur des tâches répétitives et à libérer davantage d’espace pour la créativité. Tour d’horizon.

Premiere Pro : traduction des sous-titres automatisée et recherche simplifiée
Une fonctionnalité de traduction des sous-titres pour élargir l’audience
En version expérimentale, Premiere Pro propose désormais un outil de traduction automatique des sous-titres, disponible dans 17 langues, dont le français. Cette fonctionnalité permet aux monteurs d’adapter leurs contenus rapidement et avec précision, notamment pour des projets destinés à un public international.

L’outil offre également la possibilité d’afficher plusieurs pistes de sous-titres en parallèle, une option utile pour collaborer sur des projets multilingues. Ce développement s’inscrit dans la suite logique des workflows basés sur le texte qu’Adobe a récemment enrichis, comme la transcription automatique des dialogues ou la détection des mots de remplissage, par exemple.

L’automatisation de la traduction des sous-titres arrive dans Premiere Pro. © Adobe
Un accès simplifié aux séquences avec Media Intelligence et le panneau Recherche
Trouver une séquence précise est souvent une étape longue et fastidieuse pour les monteurs. Grâce à Media Intelligence et au nouveau panneau Recherche, Premiere Pro intègre l’intelligence artificielle pour analyser automatiquement les contenus des clips.

Le panneau Recherche permet d’utiliser des descriptions en langage naturel, comme « vue aérienne de plage au coucher du soleil » ou « dialogue sur une route enneigée », pour accéder directement aux séquences pertinentes. Les résultats centralisent les images, les dialogues ou encore des métadonnées telles que la date de tournage ou le type de caméra. Ces outils fonctionnent localement, garantissant ainsi la confidentialité des contenus.

© Adobe
After Effects : la mise en cache et la prise en charge du HDR optimisées
Une mise en cache optimisée pour des compositions plus fluides
Dans sa version bêta également, After Effects bénéficie d’une mise à jour majeure de son système de mise en cache. Celui-ci exploite la mémoire vive et les disques durs pour accélérer la lecture des compositions, y compris sur des machines moins performantes.

Cette amélioration permet de travailler plus efficacement sur des projets complexes sans interruptions liées à la mise en cache. Les utilisateurs peuvent ainsi se concentrer sur l’animation et le design..."
Par Matthieu Eugène / Publié le 22 janvier 2025
https://www.blogdumoderateur.com/nouveautes-premiere-pro-traduction-sous-titres-recherche-assistee-ia-workflows-optimises/

La nouvelle bibliothèque de l’Institut de traduction de Tunis (ITRAT) baptisée “Bostan al-Alsoun” (Littéralement : Le champ des langues) a été inaugurée, ce mardi 21 janvier 2025, à la Cité de la Culture abritant le siège de l’Institut au pôle des lettres et du livre.

Ce nouveau né dans le secteur culturel devra contribuer à soutenir les efforts de l’Institut à promouvoir ses différentes publications. Un point de vente est mis à la disposition des lecteurs au siège de l’Institut.

La cérémonie d’ouverture a été présidée par la ministre des Affaires Culturelles, Amina Srarfi, accompagnée par le directeur général de l’ITRAT, Tawfik Grira. L’évènement a été marqué par la présence des traducteurs dont des universitaires et auteurs collaborant dans la traduction d’ouvrages, dans différentes langues, publiés par l’Institut, en particulier de et vers l’arabe.

A cette occasion, la ministre des Affaires Culturelles a déclaré que cet espace “assez riche en ouvrages traduits par des auteurs tunisiens devra contribuer à assurer une plus grande visibilité des publications de l’Institut de traduction de Tunis, en Tunisie et ailleurs.

“La traduction est un art”, a estimé la ministre, tout en évoquant son expérience personnelle dans la traduction, il y a quelques années, d’un livre en français sur la chanson tunisienne et la chanteuse disparue Saliha. Elle a à cet égard parlé de “l’aspect esthétique de la traduction, non sans difficultés”.

Dans une déclaration à la TAP, la ministre a souligné le soutien de son Département à l’Institut de traduction et à sa bibliothèque, car la traduction est, au même titre que la philosophie, l’histoire, la musique, le cinéma et le théâtre, un moyen de diffuser la culture tunisienne pour atteindre de nouveaux horizons », a-t-elle expliqué.

De là, “la promotion de notre culture dans tous les secteurs du savoir, via la traduction, ne peut être qu’ une chose assez importante pour notre pays », a-t-elle dit.

S’agissant de la bibliothèque “Bostan al-Alsoun”, le directeur général de l’ITRAT a présenté un espace dédié aux publications de l’Institut diponbiles dans différentes langues. “Bostan al-Alsoun” est un point de vente pour les livres édités par l’Institut, avec des prix assez abordables, a-t-il affirmé.

La bibliothèque vise à faire promouvoir davantage la diffusion de la Culture tunisienne et des savoirs en général, à travers la traduction de livres tunisiens dans d’autres langues, notamment le Français, l’Anglais, l’Italien, l’Allemand, a fait savoir Grira. Dans un avenir proche, l’Institut envisage d’introduire d’autres langues universelles telles que “le Russe, le Chinois ainsi que la traduction de livres internationaux en Arabe”.

La cérémonie d’inauguration de la publiothèque a permis de présenter les nouvelles publications de l’Institut, composées d’œuvres littéraires et philosophiques dans les différents domaines du savoir, pour des auteurs tunisiens et occidentaux contemporains.

Les nouvelles publications de l’Institut, fruit d’un projet lancé en mai 2024, et ses futurs projets ont été présentés dans une dépêche de la TAP publiée le 12 janvier 2025 ( Institut de Traduction de Tunis : nouveautés, prix et dernières parutions) : httpss://www.tap.info.tn/fr/Portail-Culture-et-M%C3%A9dias/18301538-institut-de

L’Institut a également présenté son nouveau magazine “Eyes of Languages” (Uyūn al-Alsun) dédié à la traduction de et vers l’Arabe et un projet d’une revue scientifique trimestrielle pour enfants qui sera dirigée par de spécialistes dans l’apprentissage et les sciences.

“Eyes of Languages” est un magazine trimestriel édité dans les différentes langues traduites par l’Institut (Arabe, Anglais, Français, Italien, Allemand et Espagnol) dont le contenu se compose principalement d’extraits de livres ou d’encyclopédies traduits par l’Institut.

Le premier numéro de la saison, hiver 2025, de ce magazine a fait l’objet d’un article assez détaillé (Parution prochaine d’un nouveau Magazine trimestriel dédié à la traduction baptisé “Eyes of Languages”/Uyūn al-Alsun) publié le 6 janvier 2025 sur le site de l’agence TAP : tap.info.tn/fr/Portail-à-la-Une-FR-top/18282123-parution-prochaine

L’Institut de traduction de Tunis, anciennement Centre national de traduction, publie des oeuvres traduites, d’auteurs tunisiens et étrangers, principalement vers l’arabe, et appartenant à différentes branches (littérature, sciences humaines et sociales, histoire..) ainsi que la traduction de chefs-d’œuvre de la littérature mondiale.

L’Institut oeuvre pour la promotion du savoir à travers la traduction et au rayonnement du mouvement intellectuel sur le double plan, régional et international.

1. Depuis sa création en 2006, l’Institut a publié près de 160 ouvrages traduits. Notons que les droits d’auteurs des livres traduits sont détenus par l’Institut qui a le droit à l’exploitation totale de l’ouvrage, sa publication et sa distribution.

Effective conflict resolution in intercultural communication entails utilizing strategies for managing cultural conflicts based on scientific approaches and research. The aim of this research is to assess and identify strategies that aid in managing conflicts arising in intercultural interactions, particularly those aimed at overcoming cultural barriers and fostering positive interactions among representatives of different cultures. An online survey method was employed in this study, and statistical methods, including comparative analysis of means and computation of t-values, were used for data processing and analysis. Experimental results indicate statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups in resolving intercultural conflicts. The mean value in the group employing specific conflict management strategies was significantly higher (75 compared to 70 in the control group), indicating more successful resolution of conflict situations. t ≈ 8.66 denotes significant differences between the groups. The findings of the study confirm the effectiveness of utilizing specific conflict management strategies in intercultural communication. This article underscores practical significance as it offers concrete strategies and tools for effective conflict management among professionals in the field of intercultural communication. The research outcomes can be leveraged to enhance communication strategies in organizations and promote increased levels of mutual understanding and cooperation among representatives of different cultures.

Tadeusz Sławek, professeur, poète et traducteur polonais, a développé une réflexion sur la pratique du métier de traducteur à partir de nombreuses perspectives, entre autres philosophique, linguistique, culturelle et historique. En s’appuyant sur la pensée d’écrivains et de théoriciens tout autant polonais que venant d’autres aires linguistiques, l’auteur met en relief le rôle que joue le processus de traduction dans le monde d’aujourd'hui. En effet, dans son essai « Na okrężnych drogach », Tadeusz Sławek souligne l’importance des sources de notre civilisation pour comprendre l’Autrui, et présente l’acte de traduction comme un dialogue. Le caractère innovant de son point de vue repose sur le fait que sa démarche, en tant que réflexion sur l’avenir de l’Europe cosmopolite, contribue à la prise de conscience accrue de la valeur des différences culturelles.

Translating in the land of otherness: between theory, philosophy and practice

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58282/acta.18950

Tadeusz Sławek, Na okrężnych drogach. Tłumaczenie literackie i jego światy, Kraków-Gdańsk : Karakter, Instytut Kultury Miejskiej, 2021, 240 p., EAN 9788366147713.

 

1Tadeusz Sławek, né en 1946, est un philologue, poète, prosateur, essayiste, critique et traducteur (de l’anglais britannique et américain). Il a traduit des poèmes de Wendell Berry, William Blake, Allen Ginsberg, Seamus Heaney, Robinson Jeffers, Thomas Merton, Jerome Rothenberg, Emily Dickinson ou James Dicky, mais aussi des textes de John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Pete Sinfield et Nick Cave.

2Professeur et autorité en matière de théorie et d’histoire littéraires ainsi que d’études littéraires comparatistes, il se spécialise particulièrement dans les enjeux à la frontière entre littérature, culture et philosophie. Associé à l’Université de Silésie, où, entre 1996 et 2002, il a exercé la fonction de recteur, Tadeusz Sławek a été également invité à plusieurs reprises par des établissements étrangers : University of California à San Diego (États-Unis), University of East Anglia à Norwich (UK), Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II à Naples (Italie), Stanford University en Californie (États-Unis). Également lauréat de nombreux prix et membre de multiples comités et institutions, comme l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences (PAN), ce chercheur est considéré aujourd’hui comme l’un des représentants les plus éminents de la pensée humaniste contemporaine en Pologne.

3Grâce à son esprit ouvert, et aux nouvelles approches à la traduction, qu’il a développées, influencées surtout par la philosophie contemporaine (Emmanuel Kant, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Walter Benjamin, Jacques Derrida), Tadeusz Sławek inspire ses étudiants et collègues. Dans ses travaux, le critique polonais tient à souligner la dimension intemporelle du travail du traducteur et son influence sur l’avenir des générations futures. C’est le cas notamment dans Na okrężnych drogach. Tłumaczenie literackie i jegoświaty [Sur les chemins détournés : Traduction littéraire et ses mondes] (2021) où il se donne pour mission de rappeler ce que devraient être les idéaux de chaque traducteur mettant ainsi en avant le défi fondamental de la traduction : reconnaître les différences et trouver un langage commun qui ne les élimine pas.

*

4L’édition de 2021 des Rencontres littéraires de Gdańsk, « Retrouvés dans la traduction » (Gdańskie Spotkania Literackie, « Odnalezione w tłumaczeniu »), a été l’occasion de rassembler sous forme d’ouvrage les réflexions développées par Tadeusz Sławek lors d’une série de séminaires menés au cours de l’année universitaire 2019-2020 à l’Université Jagellone de Cracovie. L’essai Na okrężnych drogach. Tłumaczenie literackie i jegoświaty [Sur les chemins détournés : Traduction littéraire et ses mondes] a paru grâce à la coopération de l’Institut de la Culture Municipale de Gdańsk (Instytut Kultury Miejskiej w Gdańsku), organisateur du festival susmentionné, et de la maison d’édition Karakter, située à Cracovie. La collaboration de ces deux institutions avait abouti, en 2017, à la publication d’un excellent texte portant sur la même thématique, Pięćrazy o przekładzie [Cinq fois sur la traduction], de la célèbre traductrice polonaise Małgorzata Łukasiewicz, à laquelle on doit un nombre considérable de traductions de l’allemand, œuvres littéraires (Mann, Hesse, Walser, Sebald ou Roth notamment), comme traités philosophiques (Nietzsche, Adorno, Simmel, Gadamer…). L’ouvrage de Tadeusz Sławek nous apporte pourtant un point de vue différent sur le sujet de la traduction. En enrichissant ses propos d’ordre philologique de nombreuses remarques et notions empruntées à différents domaines — principalement la philosophie, l’histoire, l’histoire littéraire et la linguistique — l’auteur propose une démarche ambitieuse et originale.

5Le volume se compose de quatre-vingt-quatre courts essais dont certains forment des séries, et dont les titres guident le lecteur. C’est notamment les cas des chapitres suivants : « Babel 1-11 », « Lettres 1-5 », une série sur Achille et d’autres mythes grecs, « Glace lisse 1-3 », « Entrelacement de lectures 1-9 », « Assez de lectures 1-4 », « Chemin vers la langue 1-3 », « Rien n’est plus grave qu’une traduction 1-11 », « Langue propre 1-5 », huit essais sur Alexander Pope et enfin une série « Langue pas-si-propre 1-9 » qui clôture le volume et dont nous donnons une traduction. Tadeusz Sławek insiste davantage sur certains sujets et motifs — comme la notion de source qui réapparait dans la dernière série —, qui reviennent tout au long du livre et s’entremêlent à d’autres thématiques.

Tour de Babel : réflexion sur l’Europe

6Il en va ainsi pour le thème de la tour de Babel qui ouvre l’essai. Tadeusz Sławek tente de faire ressortir le sens positif de ce mythe et y « voit la promesse d’un nouveau départ dans la multiplicité et le désordre, dont nous devons faire quelque chose pour sauver notre destin commun » (« zobaczyć obietnicę nowego początku, w wielości i rozgardiaszu, z którymi musimy coś począć, aby ocalić nasz wspólny los », p. 7). S’appuyant sur la pensée de Jacques Derrida, qui l’accompagne depuis plusieurs décennies, le critique polonais tente de montrer que, grâce à la traduction, une nouvelle Europe peut s’élever « sur les ruines de la tour de Babel » (« na gruzach wieży Babel », p. 6). Il estime même, à la suite d’Umberto Eco et d’Emmanuel Macron, qu’à cause de la concentration de différentes cultures, « la traduction est la langue de l’Europe1 » (« językiem Europy jest tłumaczenie  », p. 12).On est très proche ici de l’hypothèse avancée par Georges Steiner dans son célèbre ouvrage After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation (1975), selon laquelle le processus de traduction est au centre de la communication humaine, voire de toute compréhension. Le traducteur devient ainsi un « messager » (« wysłannikiem », p. 14) dont la mission est de traiter l’altérité avec respect et compréhension afin de préserver ce qu’il y a d’original, de différent et d’étranger dans le texte source.

7Ainsi, Tadeusz Sławek se positionne du côté de la diversité et de la traduction, comprise comme un dialogue. D’après lui, le traducteur a le pouvoir d’apporter la paix entre plusieurs langues, cultures et peuples sans niveler les différences entre eux. C’est en ce sens que la traduction peut construire un pont entre les hommes, réalisant ainsi le rêve de Walt Whitman : « l’internationalité des poèmes et poètes » (« internationality of poems and poets2 », p. 41). Pour cette raison, Tadeusz Sławek considère la traduction comme une force capable de créer une communauté multilingue transnationale, faite de la somme de ses différences.

8Les concepts de Tadeusz Sławek coïncident avec la pensée de Heinz Wismann, philosophe et philologue allemand, d’après lequel les langues de culture, dont les sources remontent loin dans le passé, constituent le plus précieux élément de notre héritage européen commun à cause de la richesse des significations qu’elles offrent. Les deux critiques sont unanimes sur ce point : les langues se fécondent mutuellement grâce au travail du traducteur. La traduction consciencieuse des œuvres littéraires est donc le seul garant du développement culturel.

Un travail en profondeur

9Toutefois, cela ne sera possible que si la traduction est « consciente et ciblée » (« samoświadome i skupione », p. 30) car, comme l’affirmait Derrida dans Des Tours de Babel (1985), « rien n’est plus grave qu’une traduction » (p. 137). Si le traducteur prend son travail au sérieux, soutient Tadeusz Sławek, « la traduction pénètre [le texte et la langue] en profondeur » (« tłumaczenie jest ruchem zgłębiającym », p. 87). Le traducteur qui fait preuve d’indépendance, mais aussi de distance critique par rapport à ses décisions, s’enfonce sous la surface des significations enregistrées dans le dictionnaire et examine attentivement les mots dont les significations semblent évidentes (p. 85-90). Tadeusz Sławek rappelle aussi la pensée de Martin Heidegger, qui met en garde contre l’apparente sécurité que nous offre le dictionnaire, et plus précisément contre la tentation de la « sécurité sémantique » (« bezpieczeństwo semantyczne », p. 130), en raison du risque d’affaiblir la sensibilité du traducteur aux significations cachées dans les termes. La langue est vivante et les significations évoluent constamment : « par leur nature elles bougent, changent leur place et, partant, le dictionnaire ne parvient pas à les suivre » (« ze swojej istoty nieustannie się przemieszczają, zmieniają miejsca pobytu, więc słownik za nimi nie nadąża », p. 194). Au contraire, il les immobilise, et les aplatit. Il devient évident que le traducteur ne peut pas se restreindre à des entrées de dictionnaire car la traduction a fort peu de points communs avec la « comptabilité linguistique » (« księgowością językową », p. 21).

10La réflexion de Tadeusz Sławek entre alors sur le terrain de la politique. Ce type de références apparaissant à plusieurs reprises dans son essai, ce choix constitue sans doute la particularité du texte. L’auteur remarque notamment que la traduction ne se limite pas, dans son essence, à une dimension purement communicative et pragmatique de la langue, mais se tient du côté de la philologie, qui s’efforce de lutter contre l’industrialisation du langage dont le journalisme serait un exemple parfait. Dans cette optique, la traduction est censée protéger le « potentiel subversif » (« dywersyjnypotencjał », p. 103) véhiculé dans une œuvre littéraire et « dirigé contre les structures qui fabriquent et propagent des discours au service de l’unification idéologique ou esthétique » (« skierowan[y] przeciw strukturom fabrykującym i propagującym mowę służącą ideologicznemu lub estetycznemu ujednoliceniu », p. 103). Ainsi, le traducteur qui remplit dûment sa tâche contribue à la construction d’un certain ordre social et politique propice à l’hétérogénéité et à la diversité.

11Pour réussir, le traducteur doit néanmoins montrer de l’intérêt pour le caractère matériel du langage. Cette partie de l’ouvrage de Tadeusz Sławek est assurément d’une grande valeur. Le critique polonais souligne de nouveau l’importance de l’altérité, mais cette fois-ci il s’agit de la forme des signes verbaux. La « corporalité » (« cielesny kształt », p. 40) de la lettre, phonétique et graphique, laisse toujours sa trace dans le texte cible, le traducteur conscient ne peut donc pas négliger ce que Derrida a appelé « un corps verbal3 » (p. 40). La forme et la sonorité des mots provenant des différentes langues varieront toujours, aussi n’existe-t-il pas d’équivalents parfaits. En effet, le traducteur « erre » (« tułasię », p. 16, 107, 137) entre les langues, voué à l’échec, incapable d’accomplir son travail de manière satisfaisante.

12Ce raisonnement se poursuit dans les chapitres « Lettres », dans lesquels Tadeusz Sławek met l’accent sur la relation entre la forme et la couche sémantique. Le rapport intime entre le signe et la signification qui s’impose au traducteur rend sa tâche impossible à achever, ne lui permettant de transmettre qu’un « écho » (« echo4 », p. 55) du texte source, et non son « image miroir » (« lustrzane odbicie », p. 54). Tadeusz Sławek cite le fameux ouvrage de Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854), pour expliquer que la susmentionnée difficulté exige du traducteur une grande « magnanimité » (« magnanimity5 », p. 47). En effet, afin de « sauver l’esprit non seulement de l’œuvre, mais de l’époque » (« ocalić ducha nie tylkodzieła, ale i czasu », p. 46), le traducteur doit au texte une lecture attentive, voire « tendre » (« czuła », p. 45, 55). L’emploi de ce terme renvoie au concept de « narrateur tendre » (« czuły narrator ») forgé par Olga Tokarczuk, écrivaine polonaise, lauréate du prix Nobel de littérature 2018, laquelle d’ailleurs a maintes fois souligné dans ses essais6 le rôle que jouent les traducteurs dans la popularisation de la littérature auprès des lecteurs du monde entier.

Un pont vers les civilisations anciennes

13La « lecture n’est jamais un simple décodage de phrases, mais — que nous le voulions ou non — elle nous entraîne dans des contextes plus larges » (« lektura nie jes tnigdy prostym odczytywaniem zdań, lecz — czy chcemy, czy nie chcemy — wciąga nas w szersze konteksty », p. 117-118). Percevoir que la langue, par sa nature, n’est pas « simple » (p. 130, « prosty ») et ne se réduit pas à un message univoque qui habite les mots, demande du traducteur de la patience et « une oreille philologique » (« ucho filologiczne », p. 131).C’est une aptitude qui permet de discerner les « sens latents »(« uśpione sensy », p. 131), de déchiffrer les significations symboliques par lesquelles la littérature « garde le contact avec les couches profondes de la mémoire, avec les civilisations qui sombraient sous terre » (« utrzymuje łączność z głębokimi pokładami pamięci, z cywilizacjami, które zapadły się pod ziemię », p. 214). Cependant, pour accomplir cette tâche, pour faire face aux multiples époques historiques traversées par la langue, le traducteur est supposé s’intéresser à tout. Afin de comprendre non seulement les mots, mais aussi l’esprit du temps auquel le texte a été écrit, le traducteur ne peut ignorer aucun domaine de l’activité humaine, de la mode à la politique, car chacun d’entre eux lui permet de mieux appréhender les différentes « formes de la vie » (« formy życia », p. 60).

14Cela oblige le traducteur à s’embarquer pour un voyage à travers de nombreuses lectures, souvent apparemment éloignées de son sujet, grâce auxquelles il développera son propre réseau de « cordages » (« olinkowanie », p. 95), qui lui permettra de mieux pénétrer l’ouvrage qu’il est en train de traduire. Ces questions sont soulevées dans les séries de chapitres « Lectures » et « Assez de lectures », où Tadeusz Sławek recommande de lire non seulement des essais scientifiques et historiques, mais aussi des œuvres poétiques tout autant de l’époque du texte traduit que de celle du traducteur. Cet effort contribuera à améliorer sa langue et son imaginaire, à trouver le ton juste, car chaque période historique construit, d’après la théorie de « structure of feeling » de Raymond Williams, sa propre image du monde et sa propre « structure d’expérience émotionnelle de la vie » (« strukturę emocjonalnego doznawania życia », p. 92), qu’elle exprime dans un langage créé dans ce but. Cette hypothèse de l’écrivain gallois — souvent considéré comme l’un des fondateurs du courant des Cultural Studies — révèle la raison pour laquelle chaque génération devrait faire ses propres traductions, mais elle fait voir aussi pourquoi le devoir du traducteur est de remonter à la source de la langue, du texte et de la culture. C’est ainsi, qu’il pourra retrouver « l’esprit et le feu » (« ognia iducha », p. 184) de l’œuvre originale — c’est-à-dire son caractère propre. En ce sens, comme l’écrit Thoreau7, « la littérature ouvre l’accès à l’histoire de l’humanité » (« literatura otwiera dostęp do historii ludzkości », p. 117), et donc aussi aux sources du langage et de notre civilisation.

*

15Ce qui frappe dans l’ouvrage de Tadeusz Sławek est la brièveté des essais, qui signalent plutôt certaines corrélations entre les notions et les sujets, sans toutefois les épuiser — une forme du discours qui encourage le lecteur à approfondir les thèmes qui l’intéressent. Riche en références des plus diverses, Sur les chemins détournés se caractérise pourtant par l’absence quasi totale de notes de bas de page expliquant les concepts ou les termes auxquels l’auteur renvoie, laissant une fois de plus au lecteur le soin de trouver lui-même les informations dont il a besoin. Ce choix laisse croire que le critique accorde sa confiance au destinataire de l’essai.

16Le style de l’auteur, qui utilise avec une agilité admirable un langage figuratif et métaphorique — comme il sied à un poète — constitue une qualité incontestable du texte.

17L’autre point fort de la pensée de Tadeusz Sławek est indéniablement son approche du mythe de la tour de Babel, selon laquelle le processus de traduction et le rôle du traducteur deviennent une occasion pour réfléchir sur l’avenir de l’Europe. Tadeusz Sławek met surtout en exergue l’importance de l’altérité culturelle dans le travail du traducteur, dont la mission est d’accueillir la richesse linguistique et ethnique dans le texte cible et dans sa propre langue en évitant de penser en termes de pureté linguistique. L’auteur de Sur les chemins détournés invite à voir dans la traduction littéraire un outil qui peut contribuer au développement d’une Europe cosmopolite, et dans la littérature, un moyen de prendre conscience que ce sont les différences qui font la richesse de la culture (p. 29).

18La lecture de l’ouvrage de Tadeusz Sławek, en particulier par les étudiants auxquels ces essais étaient initialement destinés, peut amener à changer de regard sur la traduction, considérée non seulement comme un processus, mais surtout comme une confrontation et une rencontre entre plusieurs cultures, comme « une vertu de l’hospitalité » (« cnota gościnności », p. 232) qui constitue une composante importante de la construction de « l’esprit de l’Europe » (« ducha Europy », p. 185). Il s’agit donc d’un ouvrage important qui offre une perspective originale sur le métier du traducteur, dont le rôle serait, selon Tadeusz Sławek, de se faire gardien de l’altérité et de la démocratie.

NOTES

1 Emmanuel Macron, « Mamy apetyt na przyszłość », Gazeta Wyborcza, 22 février 2020.

2 Walt Whitman, « Two Letters », dans idem, The Collected Prose, New York : Hallmark Editions, 1969, p. 325.

3 Jacques Derrida, L’Écriture et la différence, Paris : Éditions du Seuil, 1967 ; Pismo i różnica, traduit du français par Krzysztof Kłosiński, Warszawa : Wydawnictwo KR, 2004.

4 Małgorzata Borowska, cité d’après Zygmunt Kubiak, « O tłumaczeniu wierszy Kawafisa », Literatura na Świecie, no 1-2, 1996, p. 390.

5 Henry David Thoreau, Journal, t. 1, Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1949, p. 376-377.

6 N.d.T. : Voir Le tendre narrateur : Discours du Nobel et autres textes, Paris : Noir Sur Blanc, 2020.

7 Henry David Thoreau, Walden, czyli życie w lesie, trad. Halina Cieplińska, Poznań : Rebis, 1999, p. 121.

RÉSUMÉS

M

How to translate a game with no words

Story by Nicole Carpenter

 • 4d

How to translate a game with no words© Image: Rundisc/Focus Entertainment via Ryan K. Rigney

Chants of Sennaar, the 2023 language puzzle game from Rundisc, uses fictional languages but was developed in French and English. “Our choices of vocabulary, riddles, and puzzles were made from the outset to suit both languages,” creative director Julien Moya told Polygon, referencing how players who speak these languages might approach the translation puzzles in the game. Yet plenty of other languages have different structures, which means localizing Chants of Sennaar required a careful process.

 

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“I know that things were a lot trickier later with certain languages, such as Chinese, which have very different structures and principles and required a lot of adaptation,” Moya said.

No one quite knew how to localize Drew Carey in The Sims

This week on Polygon, we’re looking at how cultural differences affect media in a special issue we’re calling Culture Shock.

 

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Naturally, this became a challenge for translators dedicated to translating a game about translating different languages. While Rundisc handled English and French internally, it turned to narrative localization studio Riotloc for help expanding the game’s reach. Translators for the Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Spanish versions of the game spoke to Polygon via email about the process of translating the “translator’s mindset,” as Russian translator Anna Kiseleva put it, for Chants of Sennaar.

 

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Polygon: What’s it like to localize a game with an invented language? I’m sure it’s both intriguing and challenging.

Anna Kiseleva, Russian translator: Strictly speaking, in Chants of Sennaar, the source language is still English. There are four artificial hieroglyphic languages but the goal of the game is for the player to translate these vocabularies into their own language. This game is more about a translator’s mindset than about invented languages. The authors spoke English so they created the process of translating into English, and if your player speaks another language, you need to carefully adapt this process with this new language in mind. In my case, it’s Russian.

 

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Thankfully, we ourselves are translators, so we understand this process well, that’s what we do for a living. First, you decode words. Then, you combine these words. And then, you try to make sense out of this combination.  These three stages are implemented in the game itself: you see a sequence of hieroglyphs first, then you start to understand some of them and they are shown as words. And finally, when you have decoded all the words in a sentence, that’s where things get even more interesting.

 

This third stage — making sense out of the words — is the most difficult. So difficult that the developers needed to keep it relatively simple compared to the real thing, while making this part of [the] puzzle interesting. I think they did a wonderful job, found the ideal balance. For example, let me show you a line of hieroglyphs and its “official” English translation from the game:

 

ME ME SEEK/WANT GO/PASS UP/GREAT means “We want to go up.”

About the ME ME part: to make the player think, the developers included peculiarities into the invented languages. For example, the Devotees’ language creates plural words by repeating a singular symbol (WE = ME ME), while the Warriors etc. have a separate symbol that means “plural”.

 

The Bards use “you” as a synonym of “me” and have an inverted word order:

BROTHER PLURAL YOU PLURAL BE means “Brothers, we are.”

To attract a bit more attention to this stage and to the fact that a translator needs to create a sentence out of the words, not just mix them up like ingredients in a salad, I went a tiny step further and made two translations for strings with peculiarities, showing both of them to the player after full decoding. It looks like this (all in Russian, of course):

 

Stupid, Warriors are! [Warriors are stupid!]

Seeking, I’m not. [I’m not seeking.]

Camila Fernandes, Portuguese translator: It surely is! As the translation work took place, we didn’t have access to all of the characters used in each language created for Chants of Sennaar, but we dealt with the concepts transcripted into English. So, for the Brazilian Portuguese localization team, it was a EN-PT translation. The main challenge was to understand the context and choose the right words in Portuguese in a way that no message would lose its meaning. Luckily, the client’s team was available to provide all the information we asked for. Along the process, the story unraveled through words, sentences and half-sentences, making me eager to see the game being launched in my language so I could explore it as if I hadn’t helped translate it (LOL).

 

Iori Honda, Japanese translator: At the early stage of this project, I felt that this game might be difficult for general players. For Japanese players, learning English can be particularly challenging due to the significant differences in language structures. This concern applied to all the languages featured in CoS, making me worry that the game might not be suitable for Japanese players.

 

Since not every player is adept at learning foreign languages, my translation approach focused on being “easy for beginners” and “player-friendly.”

One of the most challenging aspects was a task where players act as interpreters between groups, creating sentences based on single pictures. The translation tone for this was intentionally neutral, using simple words that players could use to deduce the appropriate terms, while also considering the word order of each language. Anticipating that some players might forget the grammar rules by the end of the story, I included tips in the translations, offering grammatical and word hints whenever possible.

 

To my surprise, many players enjoyed CoS after its release. They had fun guessing words and forming sentences, and some players and reviews even mentioned that the translations were well-done. I didn’t expect such a positive reaction from the players and was pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed the language-learning aspect of the game.

 

Fernando Moreiras, Spanish translator: Newly invented languages are really commonplace in cultural products. As a fan, I had some knowledge of languages like Quenya or Klingon, and had read about the processes the authors went through to create them. My first hard contact as a translator with invented languages was as a literary translator, when they commissioned me George Orwell’s 1984, featuring Newspeak. The use of Newspeak in English was perfectly documented by Orwell, so first I needed to adapt the rationales leading to changes in English to the needs of my target language, which was Galician. After establishing the Galician Newspeak grammar and neology, everything went actually pretty smooth.

 

Are there different ways to “translate” these invented languages for different countries/markets?

Kiseleva: In this particular case, the whole issue was just to show how you translate these hieroglyphs into Russian, using Russian words and grammar constructs. For example, Russian does not have modal verbs, so a construct like “Seeking, you are” is even less understandable for the Russian player because we never say “you are seeking,” we say “you seek.” Here, I used the same method as above, because for the Russian player, the Bardic and the English are equally foreign, so it made sense to handle them the same way.

 

Moreiras: Personally, I think that the actual difference does not pivot on countries or languages, but on genres. Artificial languages for drama, like the ones I already mentioned, tend to have some strict rules that you need to follow, or at least mirror or adapt, in your target language. On the other hand, artificial languages for comedy (thinking of Smurf or Minion languages, or even some Fake Latin uses) don’t really have any mandatory rules, there you just crack jokes that work for the target audience and get some laughs.

 

What sort of expertise and research goes into your work on Chants of Sennaar?

Kiseleva: In this particular case, we were to make our own work process public, so all it takes is to be a professional translator, I guess.

Fernandes: In addition to knowledge of the source and target languages, it is necessary to always be on the lookout for ambiguous words taken out of context. But that goes for most game localization projects.

 

Moreiras: Actually, knowing several grammatical systems pretty well and reading or watching works where artificial languages are featured. I already had that base covered since I was a teenager, not only for full languages like Quenya or Newspeak, but also for involutions or evolutions of languages like those appearing on films like Quest for Fire or A Clockwork Orange. Being a nerd prepares you for this kind of work.

"...The Machine Translation for Khmer Braille, developed by the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), secured a gold medal (1st place) in the Digital Inclusivity category..."

https://m.phnompenhpost.com/national/khmer-to-braille-translation-app-wins-gold-in-thailand
" #metaglossia_mundus

Vanamala Vishwanatha recalls her journey into translation.

Written by Arnav Chandrasekhar 

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Bengaluru | Updated: January 21, 2025 19:08 IST

Acclaimed Kannada translator, Vanamala Viswanatha and her book Bride in the Hills. (Image: Penguin.in/hydlitfest.org)

For a millennium and longer, Kannada has been a language of culture and literature – and the past century has been no exception, with Karnataka having no shortage of great writers. But for those from other states or countries wishing to read these works, a language barrier might stand in the way. These readers have found an ally in translator Vanamala Viswanatha. A long career as an English professor, intricate knowledge of Kannada, and even a stint as a newsreader eventually led her to this craft – with her latest translation being of the great Kuvempu’s Malegalalli Madumagalu or Bride in The Hills as the translated edition is titled. But this is by no means her only work – over the years she has worked on books by authors such as P Lankesh and Sara Aboobacker, to name just a few, and translations of archaic Kannada writing.

 

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One of the major pieces of literature that Vanamala Vishwanatha translated was the medieval Kannada poetic work ‘The Life of Raja Harishchandra’, which was published by the Harvard University Press for the Murty Classical Library of India. She had also retired from Azim Premji University as a Professor of English studies.

 

Looking back on her connection to Bengaluru, Vanamala Viswanatha said, “I moved to Bangalore 51 years ago for my postgraduate course in English… the big cities provide you a certain anonymity, while the smaller cities provide their own sense of warmth. Bangalore was a mega city for me after smaller towns like Mandya and Mysore. The exposure that Bangalore offered to a larger world enabled several things. It was not the internet age, where you could sit in a village and still access the world. Working in premier institutions such IISc… and the Regional Institute of English, both these places provided a lot of exposure. There were always interesting events in Kannada as well where I felt rooted.”

 

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On her journey into translation, Vanamala Viswanatha recalled, “We had a whole tradition of bilingual scholars who were English teachers but working in Kannada through the last century – perhaps it is only now that the two paths have diverged… it used to be very syncretic. The Karnataka Sahitya Academy and so on used to bring out a journal in translation. Dr B C Ramachandra Sharma was one of the editors. Now and then he would give me a short piece to translate, largely prose. That was in the mid-80s. The turning point was in 1990 when Ramachandra Sharma, K B Suppanna, and K V Tirumalesh came together to run an intensive 10-day workshop for translators. We became more conscious about the process and its politics… that year, I moved to Bangalore University where I could teach Translation Studies as a paper.” By 2000, she had already published several translations.

 

Before her most recent translation of Kuvempu’s work, Viswanatha had already translated some of his literature – a couple of short stories, an essay, some poems, and songs such as “Doni Saagali Munde Hogali”. On Malegalalli Madumagalu, she said, “This particular work was so huge, and the gravitas it had – it is somewhat forbidding to translators… around 2019, after I finished a novel translation for Oxford University Press, I wanted to do something ambitious… a couple of publishers thought it was too big for their bandwidth. But Penguin showed interest. The Kuvempu Pratishthana offered support by way of helping me acquire copyright material and other support.”

 

On the unique aspects of translating Kuvempu’s work, she said, “Kuvempu had centuries of Kannada at his fingertips and was able to bring it into a layered text with all these characters speaking their dialects which are very typical of their location. The language of the narrative itself is Modern Kannada, along with the authorial comment since it is written from an omniscient perspective – and this comes with a lot of Sanskrit words.”

 

To anyone looking to translate Indian literature, Vanamala Viswanatha has this to say, “It is important to like what you do. Otherwise, it is drudgery. Once you enjoy the process – no compromises there… we are at a time when translations are coming into their own and receiving a lot of attention. The publishing industry is also more open to it. Earlier people would go around with manuscripts and find a publisher for translations. These days you can find a publisher first and interest them in what you want to do… when you have a contract in hand there is an edge to it that helps keep up your enthusiasm and discipline. A translator also has to disseminate – because there is such an explosion of information in all media today, the reading culture is losing its original base. Unless people know you have done this work, it may quietly go away.”

Video content is one of the most important tools for communication today in this world. However, language barriers reduce its reach. BlipCut AI Video Translator offers an effortless way to translate video content and...

Monday, January 20th 2025, 7:54 AM CST

 

Video content is one of the most important tools for communication today in this world. However, language barriers reduce its reach. BlipCut AI Video Translator offers an effortless way to translate video content and connect creators, businesses, and educators with different audiences around the world. Here’s how to use BlipCut AI Video Translator to easily translate videos, convert speech into text, and optimize your translations for maximum impact.

 

Part 1: The Importance of Video Translator

The world is getting smaller, and people are communicating more effectively across languages. Videos are a very powerful medium of communication, but the impact of videos is reduced if there is a language barrier. Video translators bridge this gap and make content accessible to a wider audience.

 

The Need for a Reliable Video Translator

In a world that has turned out as it is, a good video translator is very important. For creators, for businesses, for educators who are reaching out to audiences across the globe, language barriers can be quite pivotal in that process. Videos can be one of the best media where content can be put to best use, but if these messages fail to reach the non-linguistic audience, they greatly diminish in effect. A reliable video translator enables content to cross those impediments, allowing the proper communication of these messages to varied audiences.

 

For Creators: Expanding Audience Reach

For YouTubers, influencers, and independent filmmakers, a video translator can open up an enormous audience reach. This way, content is translated into multiple languages, reaching out to international markets, increasing the viewership base, and enhancing the engagement rate, as audiences engage more with what they understand.

 

For Businesses: Enhancing Global Communication

Video translation helps boost the communication of businesses operating in other countries or those dealing with international customers. Be it marketing campaigns or internal training videos, content translation makes sure it reaches the heart of the local audience and matches the cultural nuances. It also helps communicate more effectively with employees, partners, and customers, reducing misunderstandings and fostering better relationships.

 

For Educators: Promoting Inclusive Learning

A trusted video translator is much sought after by teachers and schools because it ensures an inclusive learning environment. E-learning, which involves courses, lectures, and training videos, draws many learners of various linguistic backgrounds. Inclusive learning makes the students gain better understanding and actively participate in their learning process.

 

Introducing BlipCut AI Video Translator

There emerges an easy solution to translate video to English content easily through the new AI Video Translator. It is the easiest and efficient method for the multiple language video translation that saves the user experience of the interface. The intelligent interface and highly advanced AI capabilities of BlipCut ensure that the videos can be translated in a jiffy by people with minimal technical know-how. That automation saves so much time and energy, which helps the creators, businesses, or educators to really focus on delivering good content.

 

Part 2: Step-by-Step to Translating Videos with BlipCut

Step 1: Upload Your Video

 

Start by clicking the Upload button to choose a video. Either pick a file from your device or paste a video link directly.

 

Step 2: Set Source and Target Languages

Select the source language of your video manually or let BlipCut detect it. Then choose your target language from the dropdown or search bar.

 

Step 3: Add Optional Subtitles

If you have subtitle files (SRT or VTT), upload them to improve accuracy and text alignment.

 

Step 4: Explore Advanced Settings

Use voice cloning to match voices in the video, or choose from BlipCut pre-designed natural voices.

 

Step 5: Begin Translation

Once settings are complete, hit the Translate button to start processing.

 

Part 3: Tips for Optimizing Your Translations

Video content translation presents the problems of accuracy and maintenance of context most of the time. This guide will enhance your quality in translation videos and pass your message to different languages and cultures.

 

Best Practices for Using BlipCut Effectively

In order to use BlipCut to the maximum extent for translation purposes, one needs to get aware of the options that BlipCut offers. Though audio and video quality contributes to the quality of translation, publish only good quality video files. Preview translation with the help of BlipCut’s preview option before finalizing them. Before finalizing the translation output language, consider the language proficiency of the target audience and cultural sensitivities.

 

Adjusting Translation Settings

BlipCut AI Video Translator offers customizable settings to improve translation accuracy. Adjusting these settings according to your content’s complexity can make a significant difference. For example, selecting specific language models or adjusting the speech recognition sensitivity can yield more accurate results. If your video includes industry jargon or uncommon terms, use BlipCut’s glossary feature to maintain consistency.

 

Ensuring Context Accuracy

Video content translation will involve taking much more of context, as the literal translations create distortions within the message. In this aspect, AI algorithms are available within BlipCut to pay for considerations with manual reviews needed on output to polish up on their own. Don’t forget about idiomatic expressions, cultural references, and even the tone while reviewing portions of translation to assure the overall coherence and video quality remains well-served by those intact flow and meaning.

 

Refining Text When Using the Video Translator

Refine the professional quality after BlipCut has done the initial translation. Edit awkward phrasings or grammatical errors that might have been omitted by the AI. Use BlipCut’s text editor to make real-time changes, allowing for the perfect fine-tuning of subtitles or voiceover scripts. A final review by a native speaker can add yet another layer of precision, ensuring that the translation sounds natural to the intended audience.

 

Part 4: Common Use Cases for BlipCut AI Video Translator

From marketing to education, BlipCut AI Video Translator is revolutionizing the way industries approach video translation localization. Here are some key examples of how it can be effectively:

 

 

Localizing Marketing Content

This can be very important for marketing, as BlipCut AI Video Translator can allow businesses to tailor their promotional videos to various languages and cultural subtleties, hence allowing businesses to effectively reach their target audiences across international markets. Using the BlipCut AI Video Translator will ensure marketing campaigns are meaningful to local markets, creating the culture of trust and brand loyalty among audiences.

 

Creating Multilingual Tutorials

The BlipCut AI Video Translator is crucial for multilingual tutorials, which extend the reach of educational content extensively. Educators and content developers can use BlipCut to translate video to text tutorials into multiple languages so that the learner from diverse linguistic backgrounds may understand the content. This capacity democratizes education by breaking the language barrier to allow more people in the world to gain knowledge and skills.

 

Generating Translated Video-to-Text Subtitles

BlipCut is outstanding in the generation of translated video-to-text subtitles that would enable the better perception of video. Native language subtitles to the viewer are of importance because a viewer would like or require perceiving and understanding the information conveyed in a video translation. The oral speech is transcribed into written text so as to eliminate the barrier of language in which access to the same could be beneficial for the audiences. The feature is significantly useful for training videos, film, and commercial presentations; therefore, proper understanding of such is necessary.

 

Showcase BlipCut’s Versatility in Different Industries

BlipCut AI Video Translator is versatile in different industries and, therefore, a very valuable tool for many applications. In e-commerce, BlipCut helps in localizing product demonstrations and advertisements, meaning businesses can easily reach global customers. In the healthcare sector, it translates patient education videos so that critical health information reaches diverse populations.

 

Conclusion

The AI Video Translator offers a very direct and powerful video content translation, transcription, and accessibility enhancing solution. BlipCut makes video localization easier for its users by translating videos from any other language into English and other target languages, saving time and resources in the localization process. As it provides accurate subtitles and transcriptions, this helps the user ensure their content is understood by a bigger audience. Whether for business, education, or entertainment, BlipCut makes creating multilingual content easy.

"...Skills Essential for Future Language Interpreters
Cultural Competency:
Understanding cultural contexts to convey messages accurately.
Technological Proficiency:
Mastery of interpreting tools, platforms, and devices to remain competitive.
Specialized Knowledge:
Expertise in specific industries (e.g., legal, medical, or technical sectors).
Adaptability:
Flexibility to work in varied settings, from virtual conferences to on-site events.
Communication Skills:
Clear articulation and active listening to ensure seamless communication.
Summary of the Future of Language Interpreting
The future of language interpreting in global events is poised for transformative growth. By integrating cutting-edge technologies, embracing inclusivity, and addressing industry challenges, the field is adapting to the evolving needs of a globalized world. While technology offers unprecedented capabilities, the irreplaceable role of professional interpreters ensures that human expertise remains central to the industry.

As the demand for multilingual communication increases, language interpreting will continue to bridge gaps, foster understanding, and facilitate collaboration on an international scale. By staying ahead of trends and investing in innovative solutions, event organizers can ensure the success of global events in the years to come..."
by Susan Tan
Localization Expert
https://conference-interpretation.asia/future-of-language-interpreting/
" #metaglossia_mundus

"National Thesaurus Day, on January 18th, honors Peter Mark Roget, the author of Roget’s Thesaurus, who was born on this day in 1779.

1st Century – Philo of Byblos, a Greek historian, and grammarian, wrote On Synonyms, a dictionary of synonyms that scholars consider to be the first ancient thesaurus. Dating to the late 1st century or early 2nd century CE, the book lists Greek words that are similar in meaning to each other. Sadly, we don’t know much more about On Synonyms because copies of the work haven’t survived over the centuries.
4th Century – Sanskritis had a thesaurus in verse form, titled ‘Amarakosha.’
1815 – Roget invented the log-log slide rule, a ruler-like device that allows users to easily calculate the roots and exponents of numbers. So while the inventor of the thesaurus was compiling words for his tome, he was also hard at work on the log-log slide rule. A true jack-of-all-trades.
1840 – Roget retired from a successful career in medicine and spent the rest of his life working on “Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases.” He only started work on his Thesaurus after retirement in his 60s.
1848 – Peter Mark Roget begins writing the unofficial ‘Thesaurus.’
1852 – Roget published his first book of synonyms in 1852.
1965 – The HTOED took 44 years to complete (started in 1965, published in 2009).
At just under 4,000 pages, the HTOED (Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary) is the largest thesaurus in the world. It covers approximately 800,000-word meanings from Old English to the present day.
In total, 230 people have worked on the project.
2009 – The Historical Thesaurus Of The Oxford English Dictionary was published in 2009. Volume Two, the index, is longer than Volume One.
Before Roget, the word “thesaurus” simply meant a store or treasury.
The Oxford Dictionary gives “thesauri” as the plural of “thesaurus”. The Cambridge Dictionary prefers “thesauruses”, saying “thesauri” is “formal”.
Curiously, Roget omits the word “bear” in the list of animals in his Thesaurus. but he does include the phrase “had it been a bear it would have bitten you” under “Inattention”.
Roget’s thesaurus lists the word “thesaurus” under the concepts of “list”, “word” and “store”.
The HTOED provides a breadth of knowledge that is found in no other work and has more synonyms than any other thesaurus. The word immediately, for example, has 265 synonyms, ranging from ædre, which is only found in Old English, to yesterday, which is first recorded as being used in the sense of immediately in 1974.
It’s taken approximately 320,000 hours to complete the HTOED – that’s the equivalent of 176 years
The project has cost approximately $1.8million – roughly $1.25 per meaning
With financial straits being an ever-present backdrop, one team-member, perhaps with excessive zeal, worked out how many pages of the OED could be recorded by a slip-maker within the lifetime of a single pencil (answer: 130)
A logophile is a lover of words
The division between “words people” and “numbers people” is deep-seated. Many mathematicians may try to steer clear of thesauruses, and bibliophiles may avoid calculators, but the thesaurus is actually linked to a mathematical tool.
Urban Dictionary helps people decipher the latest slang terms, but where should you go when you need a thesaurus of slang? Urban Thesaurus, of course. The site, which is not affiliated with Urban Dictionary, indexes millions of slang terms culled from slang dictionaries, then calculates usage correlations between the terms. Typing in the word money, for example, gives you an eclectic list of synonyms including scrilla, cheddar, mulah, coin, and bling.

https://southfloridareporter.com/peter-mark-roget-a-retired-doctor-began-writing-his-thesaurus-it-took-4-years-to-write/

This grant promotes international exchange and skill improvement activities among translators of Swedish literature and drama.
More >
https://www.kulturradet.se/en/our-grants/grants-for-translators-of-Swedish-literature/

Christian Lingua Breaks Barriers: Expands Christian Translations to Over 225 Languages!

PR Newswire

RUTHERFORDTON, N.C., Jan. 17, 2025

RUTHERFORDTON, N.C., Jan. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- For almost two decades, Christian Lingua has been breaking language barriers in Christian preaching by offering ministries, publishers, churches, and authors accurate, localized, and context-driven translations of Christian literature into more than 220 languages. As the world's largest faith-based translation company, Christian Lingua has a full-time staff of over 70 individuals who manage projects with a team of around 1,300 linguists and voiceover artists.

Michael Yurchuk, the founder of Christian Lingua, brings 18 years of expertise in managing Christian translations, earning the trust of renowned Christian leaders such as Tim Keller, John Piper, Rick Warren, Right Now Media, Cru, and many others.

 

Christian Lingua has reached an important milestone by expanding its language offerings to include five new languages, bringing the total number to 225. The newly added languages are Kisi, Tonga, Mende, Temne, and Kuranko.

Christian Lingua ensures that the Word of God is not just translated but also understood and felt by a diverse and global audience like never before. In his last interview, Michael Yurchuk discussed his primary purpose: "We knew that every language has its unique cultural lens, and we aimed to preserve the book's spirit while making it relevant to people in all corners of the world. It has been a journey of faith and commitment for our team, and we strive to make our translations a personal and heartfelt experience for our readers.

Christian Lingua avoids relying on AI or Google Translate to ensure that Christian linguists authentically and faithfully convey the original message to the target audience. Our commitment to authenticity and accuracy is unwavering. During the last 19 years, Christian Lingua has completed many projects, including single-page devotional translations, 44,000 pages into two dozen languages, subtitling of 25,000+ videos, and much more.

Spreading the Good Word Globally With Christian Translations

Christian Lingua's services, which include book translations, voiceovers, subtitling, and podcast translations/narration, are designed to help modern preachers, publishers, Christian organizations, and churches expand the Kingdom of God by communicating with people in their language. Since 2006, CL has translated over 200 million words into 225 languages for 2,000+ ministries. It has also dubbed or subtitled half a million minutes of Christian videos. By partnering with Christian Lingua, you can reach a wider audience, increase the impact of your message, and make your ministry more accessible and inclusive.

 

A single mission drives Christian Lingua's translation efforts: making Christian ministry hassle-free for clients. Christian Lingua aims to help missionaries reach out to more individuals by providing localized & soulful translations that contextualize a client's message, earn their audience's trust, and help them spread the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ worldwide.

Christian Lingua's prime directive is to eradicate language barriers in Christian preaching. Spread your message globally with accurate translations, and click here to learn more about their mission or become a partner in their mission to globalize Christian ministry.

Media Contact:

Michael Yurchuk

828-351-9559

The increasing availability of cross-linguistic databases dedicated to documenting morphosyntactic, lexical and phonological features has proliferated the use of such data for studies on language evolution and human history. However, most of these databases were not designed to ensure independence of features, such that it is not valid to jointly use all their features in large-scale statistical analyses assuming independence of inputs. Here, we curate published data from five large linguistic databases to generate two global-scale cross-linguistic datasets: GBI (from the Grambank dataset), and TLI (using inputs from the World Atlas of Language Structures, AUTOTYP, PHOIBLE and Lexibank). The datasets minimize logical dependencies of features and forms of strong statistical dependencies that go beyond phylogenetic and geographical signal. They are also made available in densified form, reducing the proportion of missing data. We document our curation principles and workflows to ensure reusability of this framework with other inputs or thresholds of independence. Our curation steps on both datasets reveal robust and comparable global patterns of structural linguistic diversity.

This paper examines how flouts and violations of conversational maxims are represented in translation and how this influences the different types of translational equivalence. A number of scenes from audiovisual media where there is a gap between one character’s intended meaning and another’s reply were examined by comparing the employment of conversational maxims in the source and target text. Additionally, the relation between the employed translation strategies, equivalence type, and the representation of the maxims was analyzed. The results showed that audiovisual translators tend to reduce ambiguity through strategies like addition and explicitation, which alters the features of the maxims found in the source text. Moreover, linguistic differences also make retaining ambiguity a challenge. Furthermore, while functional equivalence is often seen as the ideal type to convey the sense of a text, in cases where the text contains double meanings, the rendition of sense is no longer straightforward. As a result, translators must employ compensational strategies to maintain the ambiguity or explain its existence. The study concludes that the translators must pay attention to nuance to choose the best equivalents and phrasings for each given situation since even slight changes may change the implicatures of the text.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-04187-8

#metaglossia_mundus 

Abena had just moved back to Accra after living in Paris for over 20 years. She visited a local tailor to have one of her favourite dresses altered. (Naturally, after indulging in some of Ghana’s delicious local dishes, she had put on a bit of weight).

As she discussed with the tailor the best options to expand the dress, a woman walked into the shop. Without so much as an “excuse me” or asking for permission, she immediately started talking to the tailor about her intention to rent the shop next door.

 

Abena, trying to keep her composure, continued her conversation, but every time she spoke, the woman interrupted with her own questions. The tailor, caught between the two, divided his attention, answering the woman while also trying to assist Abena.

After several interruptions, Abena, now visibly frustrated, politely but firmly said, “Could you please wait until I’m done?” Her words, though calm, struck the woman like a thunderclap. Offended, she erupted in anger, shouting: “Why, are you the only one who can talk to him? Do you think because of your car you’re better than everyone else? Do you even know who I am?” The woman stormed out, still yelling as she made her way down the street.

Abena was stunned by the outburst and couldn’t understand the woman’s reaction. But as the days went by, Abena started noticing the same behaviour in other public places— at the grocery store check-out, in markets, in telecom offices, even at the bank – where customers would interrupt while she was at the counter with questions or documents to sign, and it seemed like the pattern was almost everywhere she went.

Abena and I both relocated from Paris to Accra around the same time, so we often met at Accra cafés (a very French thing to do!) to chat about our settling-in experiences and share insights. During one of our café meet-ups, Abena confided in me about the experience she had with the woman in the tailor’s shop. She was puzzled by the woman’s reaction and frustrated by the interruptions she’d encountered in other public spaces.

To Abena, who was used to direct communication, she didn’t understand why people wouldn’t wait their turn or offer a simple “excuse me.” These encounters, though minor, spark a realisation that cross-cultural communication is crucial, especially in business. So, how do we adapt to these differences in communication styles?

What is cross-cultural communication?
At its core, cross-cultural communication is about understanding how people from different backgrounds interact and how their cultural differences influence communication. Culture shapes how we express ourselves, how we build relationships, and how we work—both individually and in teams. In business, understanding these differences is key to success.

High-context vs. low-context cultures
Edward T. Hall’s theory of high-context and low-context cultures provides a useful framework. In high-context cultures (like Ghana), communication is often indirect, with a strong emphasis on non-verbal cues—things like tone of voice, gestures and body language.

Relationships and context matter just as much, if not more, than the words being spoken. In contrast, low-context cultures (like France) prefer direct, explicit communication where people say exactly what they mean.

There’s less reliance on reading between the lines, and the focus is often on clarity and getting things done. Abena’s frustration with the tailor’s shop incident was a classic example of this cultural difference. She was accustomed to a straightforward conversation; but in Ghana, the situation called for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between the people involved.

Multi-tasking: A key difference between cultures
Another important aspect of cross-cultural communication is multi-tasking, and it varies greatly between high-context and low-context cultures. In high-context cultures, multi-tasking is often the norm. People, like the tailor, are more likely to juggle several tasks at once; and it’s not uncommon for conversations, phone calls or meetings to happen simultaneously. In these cultures, relationships take priority and tasks can be completed in parallel.

This multi-tasking approach can sometimes make interactions seem disjointed or fragmented to outsiders but for those familiar with the culture, it’s a natural way of doing business. In contrast, low-context cultures typically value a more monochronic approach—focusing on one task at a time.

Time is seen as a finite resource, so when people are engaged in a conversation or meeting, they tend to give their full attention to the task at hand. This approach often leads to a more structured and efficient environment, where multi-tasking can be viewed as inefficient or disrespectful. For businesses, this difference in multi-tasking preferences can create challenges when trying to coordinate teams or manage expectations across cultures.

Why it matters in business
As businesses become more global, it’s important to recognise and adapt to these cultural differences. Whether you are leading a team or negotiating with international partners, understanding whether a culture is high-context or low-context can shape how you communicate and manage your work. For example, in a high-context culture, a more relaxed, multi-tasking approach may be the norm while in a low-context culture, a more structured and focused work style might be expected.

Being aware of these nuances can help prevent misunderstandings of both verbal and non-verbal communications, and improve productivity. It’s all about respecting cultural diversity and understanding that different people bring different ways of working, communicating and problem-solving to the table. Embracing these differences leads to stronger relationships, better teamwork and, ultimately, business success.

>>>the writer is the Founder of Elite GK Consulting, specialising in etiquette and soft skills training. Gifty holds an MSc. in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Open University, and is a Certified Etiquette Coach from The British School of Excellence. Before founding Elite GK Consulting, Gifty gained extensive experience in international relations, diplomacy and cultural diversity, including a notable tenure at UNESCO in Paris

https://thebftonline.com/2025/01/18/a-firmer-grip-on-cross-cultural-communication-your-gateway-to-stress-free-successful-international-business/