Metaglossia: The Translation World

After story time, toddlers, elementary-aged students and their mothers gathered around educational stations in a classroom at the Kingwood Library Monday evening, Dec. 29.
It’s part of an ongoing series of classes offered one day each month of the year called “Para Los Ninos,” which is Spanish for “For the Children.”
“Let’s use our estimation skills. How many do you think are in here?” Assistant Branch Librarian Rose Sonnier asked a little boy as he stared at a jar of plastic eggs.
The educational program, sponsored by the Children’s Museum of Houston, began about 10 years ago, and has now expanded from the Houston Public Library system to the Harris County Public Library System.
The classes are designed to teach reading and listening skills in English and Spanish as well as foster math and critical thinking skills through crafts and hands-on activities. The sessions usually start with story time. Students and their parents gather to listen to a story in English followed by one in Spanish. Afterward, they break into groups and go to stations to learn that month’s lesson.
December’s Session, called “Math at Home” focused on problem solving and estimation. Fun, interactive games dealt with Measurements, money, sorting and classifying, geometry and graphing.
“I think it’s a really great program. I just love it,” Sonnier said.
Sonnier has been a children’s librarian for more than 20 years. She began teaching the Houston Children’s Museum’s curriculum 10 years ago while she worked for the Houston Public library.
“They send me a box of activities and all of the materials. I teach it to the kids, and they just love it,” Sonnier said.
She enjoys interacting one-on-one with the children.
“My favorite part of working with the children is watching them learn something new. I like to see their faces light up when they’ve learned something,” she said.
Parents and guardians can keep up with the upcoming dates and times on Kingwood and Atascocita Branch Libraries’ websites.
One incentive that encourages attendance is the Houston Children’s Museum’s offer of free tickets for the families who sign in the days of the classes.
For more information on Para Los Ninos, those interested my contact Tiffany Fontenot at the Children’s Museum at tfontenot@cmhouston.org or Rose Sonnier at Kingwood Branch Library at rsonnier@hcpl.net

Ken Bitgood doesn’t plan to stop until the whole world knows — sharing the good news, that is.
Bitgood is the CEO of Digital Bible Society and has a vision for every person in the world to have the word of God in their hearts before the year 2020.
DBS, with headquarters in Conroe, is a clearinghouse for digital resources for missionaries and mission organizations, pastors and churches, and individuals who are seeking to distribute Christian, biblical content in different languages, using tiny chips called a Micro SD chip.
“DBS is a Bible society for the 21st century,” said Carl Dobrowski, DBS rights manager based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“Very few are doing what DBS is doing, and that is distributing biblical resources for our brothers and sisters in closed countries.”
Along with the The Digital Bible Society , other missions-minded ministries make up a Digital Bible Alliance who have freely committed to giving material in numerous languages to the libraries of DBS, such as Bible League of Canada, Open Doors International and The Voice of the Martyrs.
With proper compression, DBS can add not only dozens of Bibles and reference books, but hundreds of hours of video and thousands of hours of audio to a single chip, according to Bitgood.
“Ken is the Christian Steve Jobs,” Dobrowski said. “He has the same mesmerizing ability, but not to bring attention to himself, but to marshal the distribution of digital content for the good and glory to God. He is a leader in the digital frontier.”
DBS distributes thousands of high-quality packages to missionaries working in countries that are closed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Our team strives together to make digital libraries available for those who otherwise would never have a Bible in their own language,” Bitgood said.
The five most persecuted countries for Christians are North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, where people can be killed if a Bible is found in their possession.
North Korea is the worst persecutor of Christians in the world. Christians are tortured, imprisoned and murdered, according to Tom Nettleton, of Voice of the Martyrs, one of the partners of DBS.
“Possessing a Bible, saying the words God or Jesus and meeting together are all offenses punishable by death,” according to the VOM website.
“Missionaries are encouraged to pass on packages to anyone they know working with the people group in the region,” Bitgood said. “The interesting thing about this chip is that it is not only easy to carry, but that it has the capacity to hold more than 50 times more material than a CD disk.”
Since January 2013, DBS has assisted in the creation and distribution of hundreds of millions of digital Bible and Christian resources in over 450,000 digital libraries that can be copied, according to Bitgood.
“These digital libraries have been delivered to those who need them most and many of them are being copied at a rate that only Heaven knows,” Bitgood said.
With the Conroe headquarters planning to open in January, Bitgood’s vision is becoming even more real.
“I’m ready to let everyone know we’re here,” Bitgood said.
The beginning of Digital Bible Society
After a radical, transformational salvation experience at age 17, Bitgood dedicated his life to Christ through prayer, study of Scriptures and missions, he said.
In 1982, being a bit of a computer geek and with the infancy of the personal computer, Bitgood started creating Bible software tools.
His passion was to find better ways to study the Scriptures by using the computer and Internet.
In 2001, in response to a missionary’s desperate cry for resources to minister the gospel in China, Bitgood founded the Digital Bible Society in his living room with his three homeschooled sons.
Bitgood had received a phone call from some friends, Pastors Hong and Amy Sit, whom he had helped set up computers for their mission program. These pastors were housing a missionary to China who had been there for 20 years and had returned to the United States to raise support.
“This missionary was attempting to scan the unabridged Matthew Henry’s Commentary (a very thick book) with the goal of taking it back to China on a CD,” Bitgood said.
Bitgood inquired where he had gotten such a resource in Chinese. The missionary told him that it was in English and that it was better than nothing, that they didn’t have any biblical resources in China.
Since then, Bitgood and his team at Digital Bible Society have been working and “dreaming of the day when every person, of every nation, will have complete and immediate access to God’s word and biblical quality resources in their own language.”
For 10 years, Bitgood’s all-volunteer organization visited dozens of Chinese mission conferences.
“We labored toward creating trusted partnerships, as we worked our way through five different major versions of a Chinese digital library,” Bitgood said. “To date, with more than 40 organizations contributing valuable Chinese content, we have sent out more than a quarter of a million copies of Chinese libraries.”
In January 2010, the Digital Bible Society changed significantly when various ministries came to both review the work DBS did for China and to learn of its desire to create a Bible library for the Arabic world.
Five organizations stepped forward and pledged funds, with the understanding that the Digital Bible Society would rapidly create for the Arabic and Persian speaking nations, what we had done for China, according to Bitgood.
Also at that same time, DBS was asked to study the changing face of the digital world to identify the best ways to distribute digital Bibles in the emerging digital revolution,” Bitgood said.
About one week later, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPad.
“The digital world was forever changed,” Bitgood said.
With tablets, Mp3 players, Mp4 players, handheld projectors, book readers, and smart phones popping up every year, it became obvious to Bitgood that if DBS were to serve in this “digital revolution, we needed our products to function on the wide range of devices that were changing the way the world computed.”
“Most of these devices have one common similarity, the ability to read data from a tiny chip called a Micro SD chip,” Bitgood said. “Within a year, the Digital Bible Society released Arabic and Persian libraries that were more than 70 times the size of our Chinese Treasures digital Bible. What has transpired since has been a string of large distribution initiatives that have now occurred on every continent.”
To learn more about Digital Bible Society, visit www.digitalbiblesociety.org.

My New Year's resolution is to get along better with people. My work performance is good, but my interactions sometimes create problems for me. What's the best way to improve the human relations side?

You're wise to adopt a relationship-enhancing resolution for the new year. Human relations play a critical role in performance, and the careers of many talented people have been derailed by gaps in interpersonal skills.

Use feedback you have received to determine the specific people problems that are most in need of your attention. To complement your efforts, I suggest developing the skill of active listening. It requires regular practice in the following three-point process:

Overcome barriers to connecting. If you catch yourself criticizing and labeling, stop yourself and hold back on judging people whose views differ from yours. Likewise, diverting the conversation by talking over or avoiding altogether does nothing to advance relationships. An equally limiting response is to start with a barrage of suggestions rather than help others come to their own solutions.

Practice reflective listening. Before jumping into a conversation with your own agenda, get in the habit of first paraphrasing what the person said. Restate concisely in your own words the essence of the content. It's also helpful to name the feeling that you believe the person is conveying (e.g. anger, disappointment, relief, happiness). Wait for or ask for confirmation to check your understanding. This affirmation puts the other person in a better place to be able to receive your comments. Begin by practicing your listening skills in low drama situations.

Advance to the next level of communication. Add to your listening effectiveness by taking skill-building training in: assertiveness (presenting your views and defending your rights without dominating or manipulating), conflict resolution (dealing with the emotional turbulence that tends to accompany differences) and collaborative problem solving (resolving issues in a way that includes and addresses the needs of all parties). These are fundamental communication tools necessary for effective human relationships.

View career columns by Deb Koen online at http://on.rocne.ws/DebKoen

Africa in 2014: The good, the bad and the ugly
Malema: South Africa’s ‘person of the year’
Visual communication in 2015
December 31, 2014 Features, Opinion & Analysis, Mushowe Knowledge

And with appropriate online marketing strategies and good partnerships, Zimbabwean visual arts has the capacity to take the world by storm
Knowledge Mushohwe

Creating a website is relatively cheap and renting a ‘wall’ online is even cheaper — it is free. In the New Year, Zimbabwean artists may take their work to the Internet and a global audience to increase the chances of selling their products.
No society can survive without visual communication.

The trend set by cavemen centuries ago has continued to become an accepted form of communication.

Zimbabwean visual artists, both experienced and inexperienced are not looking to just pass messages from point A to point B, they invest all of their time into their work and expect to live off their profession.

Visual communicators, however, cannot expect to make money off their work if they do not carefully plan.

As we enter a new year, it is important that artists draw up a plan for all the projects they wish to undertake in 2015.

Working alone rarely brings success to visual artists.

Partnerships with other artists and sponsorship from embassies and non-governmental organisations have proven to be fruitful for visual communicators.

Organisations, the people with the financial muscle, are always looking to communicate with a targeted audience.

They know what they want to say and how to put the message across, but they crucially do not possess the expertise to mould the message.

Organisations will typically commission an artist or a group of artists to create the visual message on their behalf.

This is where visual artists come in.

As they plan for a productive year, they should identify verbal and written communication skills as important asserts.

Planning art exhibitions, explaining their art to an audience and building partnerships are some of the many instances where excellent communication skills come in handy.

Artists may in some instances be asked to make a presentation in front of potential partners and poor communication skills may get in the way of a good deal.

Visual communication complemented with impeccable verbal and written skills should make a good all-round artist.

Visual communicators are reputed for their eccentrics and are not exactly known for their sophisticated dressing.

Dirty and torn clothes may be appropriate for a sculptor when he or she is busy working the stone but when meeting potential sponsors, it would surely be a wise decision to turn up expecting to be taken seriously in more elegant and less smelly clothing.



Some visual communicators are also known to be moderate-to-heavy users of either alcohol or drugs, or both!

The majority in this category claim toxicants help them to create the necessary ‘spark’ to kick start the creative process.

Performing artistes such as Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix and Peter Tosh reportedly only took to the stage under the influence of marijuana.

Tosh, in one of his live recordings, can be seen puffing away a large blunt of the drug on stage.

Singer Marvin Gaye owes much of his later shows’ electric atmosphere to his heavy drug and alcohol intake.

Artists are all different and each has his or her own inspiration ‘route’.

However, alcohol and drugs in particular are known to be addictive.

If, for the artist, drugs or alcohol start to compromise the quality or quantity of his or her work, it may be time to consider quitting altogether.

Visual communicators can only be taken seriously by the community around them if they create, not for themselves and their immediate families, but for a wider audience too.

Exhibitions should be important events on any artist’s calendar.

The year 2015 may be the year for ‘old school’ visual communicators to get to grips with computer technology.

The ‘old school’ kind of artist typically develops two or three-dimensional artworks manually.

The computer is where visual artists may meet other artists and customers online.

The computer is also the home of graphic design, digital animation and motion graphics.

It is a useful tool even to visual communicators that produce artworks manually.

The Internet is fast becoming a global marketplace for Zimbabwean artists.

Creating a website is relatively cheap and renting a ‘wall’ online is even cheaper — it is free.

In the New Year, Zimbabwean artists may take their work to the Internet and a global audience to increase the chances of selling their products.

Visual artists can learn from the media industry’s example.

Newspapers are reporting depressed circulation and distribution figures, attributed to the ‘migration’ of readers from traditional print versions to the Internet.

The Internet’s popularity is on the ascendency and visual communicators would be unwise if they are not going to invest their futures to the digital world.

Artists have to make changes if they are to start to earn both respect and financial earnings.

However, all would be in vain if they lose their identity in the process.

Visual communicators should not compromise on their style for the sake of sponsorship, partnerships or endorsements.

The New Year brings little hope for struggling artists in our depressed market.

But with proper planning and preparation visual communicators can reach an audience as far away as Europe and the United States.

And with appropriate marketing strategies and good partnerships, Zimbabwean visual arts has the capacity to take the world by storm.

Happy and prosperous New Year.

Red Book Connect has announced the release of four new English/Spanish versions of Manager's Red Book.

In addition, the Kitchen Red Book and the Room Attendant Book, companions to the Manager's Red Book, are also available in a bilingual format.

Manager's Red Book helps user capture shift notes, document staff performance and customer comments and more.

"With an ever-increasing population of bilingual workers in the restaurant and hospitality industry, the importance of communication and management styles geared toward non-native speakers is paramount to a smooth operation," said Tom Frengillo , VP of Print Operations for Red Book Connect in a company press release.

Do you possess strong communication skills? Do perform well in a team setting? If so, it’s very likely you’ll be a highly sought-after candidate in 2015.

According to a November 2014 report by NACE, leadership, the ability to work in a team, and strong communication skills are just a few of the top skills employers are looking for in candidates in 2015.

As you prepare for your job search, it’s important to be aware of these top skills that will get you hired in the new year:

1. Leadership.

Candidates are more likely to be hired if they can show employers their ability to lead in the workplace. Leadership is an important quality to have because employers want employees who can lead teams, wear multiple hats, and have the ability to coach their coworkers.

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Demonstrate your leadership skills to employers by talking about previous leadership positions or situations where you had to lead a team in the workplace. This will show employers you are capable of being a leader for their company.

2. Ability to work in a team.

The ability to work in a team means being able to collaborate and work effectively with others. As a team player, you should have the ability to inspire team members and work together to accomplish a goal. This skill is highly valued by employers because they seek candidates who can bring their strengths to a team setting.

When explaining your teamwork skills to employers, provide examples of times where you had to work in a team or collaborate with a coworker to accomplish a task. This will give employers an idea of how you’ll perform in a team setting.

3. Problem solving.

Being a problem solver isn’t a skill many job seekers immediately think of when trying to impress employers. However, it’s a critical skill you must have in order to get hired in 2015. Illustrate your problem solving skills to employers by telling them about a time when you had to solve a problem and the result you achieved.

4. Written and verbal communication.

In today’s workforce, written and verbal communication skills are essential to workplace success. Whether you’re an entry-level candidate or you’re applying for a leadership position, you need to possess excellent communication skills.

The hiring process is an excellent opportunity to illustrate your communication skills to employers. At the beginning of the application process, show employers you’re a strong communicator by writing a flawless resume and cover letter, and promptly communicating with the hiring manager. When offered an interview, you’ll have another opportunity to display your verbal communication skills.

5. Initiative.

Employers want to hire candidates who are will to go above and beyond in the workplace. This is why having initiative is a trait that makes exceptional candidates stand out during the application process.

Show your initiative to employers by providing accomplishment stories about times where you took action to complete a project or meet a deadline. For example, let’s say a previous manager asked you to put a last-minute report together for a crucial presentation. You can talk about what you did to ensure you met your manager’s immediate deadline.

As you continue to search and apply for jobs in 2015, be sure to keep this desired skills in mind. By adopting some of these skills as a professional, you’ll get noticed by more employers and land a job in the new year.

What are some skills you plan to obtain in the upcoming year?

Répondez à une simple question et vous aurez une chance de remporter le livre du jour. En ce mardi 30 décembre, vous avez la possibilité de remporter le dictionnaire des supporters de Franck Berteau.

Comprendre l’autre quand on ne parle pas la même langue, ce n’est jamais facile. Cependant, grâce à Skype Translator, la barrière des langues pourrait être franchie plus vite qu’on ne pourrait le penser.

Microsoft Research a récemment dévoilé la version bêta de Skype Translator, qui est désormais disponible pour les personnes qui se sont inscrites en novembre dernier pour tester le programme.

Le principe est tout simple: quand vous vous connectez sur Skype, une nouvelle fonction affiche la traduction des paroles de votre interlocuteur étranger à l’écran. Si il y a un léger temps d’attente le temps que la traduction se fasse une fois que ledit interlocuteur a fini sa phrase, l’ensemble reste pour le moment assez prometteur.

Une démonstration a été faite lors d’une grande conférence donnée par Microsoft. On y voir deux personnes converser, l’une en anglais et l’autre en allemand, pendant que le logiciel traduit tout, sous les bravos de la foule.

Pour le moment, la preview de Skype Translator ne peut convertir les conversations qu’entre l’anglais et l’espagnol. De nouvelles langues vont arriver au fur et à mesure dans les prochains mois.

Skype s’est efforcé de trouver des moyens pour aider les communautés à être plus efficaces et à créer des connexions plus solides. Grâce aux innovations de Microsoft Research, Skype franchit à présent une autre barrière pour permettre aux gens de communiquer entre eux peu importe la langue qu’ils parlent.

explique Gurdeep Pall, le vice-président de Skype.

Skype Translator va ouvrir un champ de  possibilités infinies pour que les utilisateurs du monde entier se rapprochent, communiquent et collaborent ; désormais, ils ne seront plus entravés par la distance ou la barrière de la langue.

Cependant, il ne faut pas se réjouir trop vite. La vidéo de la conférence présentée sur les réseaux sociaux a été coupée et montée pour enlever les couacs qu’a connu l’application pendant la démonstration.

De plus, il n’a pas été précisé qu’il faut tout de même parler plutôt lentement et en articulant, faire des pauses, et de préférence éviter les bruits parasites comme «Heu» «Hum» et autres raclements de gorge.

Une autre question se pose, celle de la finesse de la traduction de la langue, et bien entendu de l’apprentissage des langues. Certains utilisateurs crient déjà au miracle en disant que tout le monde pourra parler à tout le monde dans quelques temps: ce qui en soit n’est pas faux, mais il reste encore de nombreuses améliorations à apporter à la version bêta.

En revanche, l’application ne pourra pas dispenser d’un vrai apprentissage de la langue pour ceux qui voudraient voyager par exemple, car une fois face aux autochtones, Skype ne sera plus là pour traduire ! Que les traducteurs professionnels et les professeurs de langues se rassurent: : l’apprentissage des langues et la traduction ont encore de très beaux jours devant eux.

��Je commente en 1 clic !

Cupertino, CA (PRWEB) December 30, 2014 People who want to communicate easily and effectively while traveling in a foreign country can now head to the App Store or Google Play, and download Pavel Donovs extraordin...

LONDON, Dec. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Language Translation Software and Services in US$ Million. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2013 through 2020. Also, a seven-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based on public domain information including company URLs. The report profiles 110 companies including many key and niche players such as -

AppTek
Babylon Ltd.
euroscript International S.A.
Google Inc.
Global Linguist Solutions LLC

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/960428/ ;

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations I-1Disclaimers I-2Data Interpretation & Reporting Level I-2Quantitative Techniques & Analytics I-3Product Definitions and Scope of Study I-3II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW II-1

Translation Services Market Surges Ahead II-1

Current and Future Analysis II-2

Translation Industry Defies Recession II-2

US - The Largest Market II-3

Developing Economies to Drive Growth II-3

Improving Global GDP Signals Prospects for Business Expansion II-4

Table 1: World Real GDP Growth Rates in % for the Years 2012

to 2015: Breakdown by Country (includes corresponding

Graph/Chart) II-5

Language Translation Software Market: An Insight II-6

Table 2: Global Market for Language Software Technology by

Segment (2012 & 2014E): Percentage Share Breakdown of Value

Sales for Intelligent Content, Speech, and Translation

(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-6

Computer-based Translation Systems: An Overview II-7

Competitive Landscape in the Machine Translation Market II-8

Online Translation Market Players Increase in Number II-8

2. MARKET DYNAMICS II-9Globalization Drives Demand II-9The Rise of Internet-based Business Operations Lends Tractionto Market II-9Table 3: Global Proliferation Rate (%) of Internet by Region - 2012 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-10

Table 4: Internet Usage by Language (2013): Percentage

Breakdown of Number of Users for Arabic, Chinese, English,

French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and

Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-10

Table 5: Web Content by Language: Percentage Breakdown ofContent for Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian,Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, andOthers (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-11Growing Emphasis on Web Localization II-11Technological Advances to Fuel Growth in Language Technology II-11Technology for Translating Difficult Languages II-12Crowdsourcing Grows Stronger II-12Social Media Marketing to Lend Traction II-13Mobile Technology Promotes Machine Translation II-13Growing Smartphone Sales - A Business Case II-14Table 6: Top Ten Countries by Number of Mobile Users (2012)(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-15

Table 7: World Smart-phones Market (2011, 2013 & 2017P):

Breakdown of Sales in Thousand Units by Geographic

Region/Country (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-16

Table 8: Top Mobile App Languages by Popularity: PercentageShare Breakdown of Most Used Language (includescorresponding Graph/Chart) II-17Hybrid Machine Translation Blends Statistics and Rules II-17Real Time Translation: Yet to Become a Reality II-17Cloud - Based Services on the Rise II-18Human Translators - Still in Demand II-18Telepresence Propels Growth in Language Translation Market II-19Burgeoning Demand for Financial Translations Services II-19Localization in Medical Sector II-19Industry Faces Copyright Issues II-20Price - A Major Concern for Mid-Size Language Service Providers II-20

3. AN INSIGHT INTO LANGUAGE TRANSLATION INDUSTRY II-21

Translation Service: An Introduction II-21

Evolution of Language Translation Industry II-21

Automated Translations - A Historic Preview II-22

Industry Structure II-22

Language Service Providers II-22

Sought After Attributes in Translators II-23

Translation Companies II-23

Universities or Language Schools II-23

Freelance Translators II-23

Free Online Translation Services II-23

An Overview of Language Industry Services II-24

Interpretation II-24

Machine Translation II-24

Machine Translation Software II-25

Applications II-25

Computer-Assisted Translation II-25

Language Translation Software II-25

Online Translations II-26

Translation Memory II-26

Translation Memory Software II-27

Applications II-27

Technical Translation II-27

Mobile Translation II-27

Standards and Regulations II-27

4. PRODUCT/SERVICE LAUNCHES II-29Translate Your World Unveils SIMS II-29Waygo Introduces Japanese Visual Translator II-29Editage Unveils Multiple Language Translation Services II-29Lionbridge Introduces Additional Features for GeoFluent® II-29Welocalize Introduces New GlobalSight 8.5.1 II-29Yandex Adds New Languages II-29Sajan to Unveil Transplicity II-29Babylon Unveils Improved Babylon Translator Version II-30Transfluent Expands Localization Software to G-Cloud CloudStore II-30SDL and Capax Global Unveil Sonic Extractor II-30SpeechTrans Unveils S2S Software for Windows 8 II-30Voxbone Upgrades Lexifone Network II-30

5. RECENT INDUSTRY ACTIVITY II-31

Transaltions.com Enters Multilingual Content Management Deal

with Subway II-31

Cigna Collaborates with TransPerfect II-31

SYSTRAN Introduces New Website II-31

DocuSign and Welocalize Sign Localization Deal II-31

R.R. Donnelley Signs Deal to Take Over Multicorpora II-31

Theonera Partners with Summa Linguae to Offer Translation

Services II-31

Welocalize Takes Over CD Language II-31

Intonation Takes Over UPS Translations II-31

CSLi Purchases SYSTRAN II-32

NET-A-PORTER Signs Deal with Lionbridge for Content Management II-32

AppTek Takes Over Leidos' Omnifluent & Related Business II-32

SDL Enters into Translation Deal with Husqvarna II-32

Welocalize Enters Localization Partnership with Louvre Hotels II-32

Xplanation Takes Over LNE II-32

LanguageLine Takes Over Pacific Interpreters II-32

6. FOCUS ON SELECT GLOBAL PLAYERS II-33AppTek (US) II-33Babylon Ltd. (Israel) II-33euroscript International S.A. (Luxembourg) II-33Google Inc. (US) II-33Global Linguist Solutions LLC (US) II-34Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P (US) II-34International Business Machines Corporation (US) II-34LanguageLine Solutions (US) II-35Lionbridge Technologies Inc. (US) II-35Manpower Group Solutions (US) II-36Moravia IT a.s (Czech Republic) II-36RWS Group (UK) II-36Sajan (US) II-37SDL plc (UK) II-37STAR Group (Switzerland) II-37SYSTRAN S.A. (France) II-38thebigword Group Plc. (UK) II-38Translations.com (US) II-38TransPerfect Translations International Inc (US) II-39Welocalize Inc. (US) II-39Xerox Corporation (US) II-39

7. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE II-40

Table 9: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Language Translation Software and Services by Geographic

Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin

America and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with

Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through

2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-40

Table 10: World Historic Review for Language TranslationSoftware and Services by Geographic Region - US, Canada,Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of WorldMarkets Independently Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures inUS$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includescorresponding Graph/Chart) II-41

Table 11: World 15-Year Perspective for Language Translation

Software and Services by Geographic Region - Percentage

Breakdown of Revenues for US, Canada, Japan, Europe,

Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets for

Years 2006, 2014 & 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-42

III. MARKET

1. THE UNITED STATES III-1

A.Market Analysis III-1

Outlook III-1

Economic Recovery Rekindles Demand for Language Services III-1

Computers & Software: Widely Used Tools for Translation III-1

Rising Demand for Translation from Medical Device Sector III-1

Customization - The Future of Translation Solutions III-2

Product Launches III-2

Strategic Corporate Developments III-3

Key Players III-4

B.Market Analytics III-9

Table 12: US Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with

Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through

2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-9

Table 13: US Historic Review for Language TranslationSoftware and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figuresin US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includescorresponding Graph/Chart) III-10

2. CANADA III-11

A.Market Analysis III-11

Overview III-11

Canadian Translation Market - A New Employment Arena III-11

Product Launch III-11

Strategic Corporate Development III-12

B.Market Analytics III-12

Table 14: Canadian Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with

Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through

2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-12

Table 15: Canadian Historic Review for Language TranslationSoftware and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figuresin US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includescorresponding Graph/Chart) III-13

3. JAPAN III-14

Market Analysis III-14

Table 16: Japanese Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with

Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through

2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-14

Table 17: Japanese Historic Review for Language TranslationSoftware and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figuresin US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includescorresponding Graph/Chart) III-15

4. EUROPE III-16

A.Market Analysis III-16

Outlook III-16

The Demographic Profile of Users Drives Market III-16

Eastern Europe: Potential Opportunities for Translation

Industry III-17

Translation Industry & Energy Sector III-17

MT@EC to Address Challenges in the European Translation

Industry III-17

Consolidation Poses Trouble for Individual and Small Service

Providers III-17

B.Market Analytics III-18

Table 18: European Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Language Translation Software and Services by Geographic

Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, and Rest

of Europe Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Revenue

Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through 2020 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-18

Table 19: European Historic Review for Language TranslationSoftware and Services by Geographic Region - France,Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, and Rest of EuropeMarkets Independently Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figuresin US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includescorresponding Graph/Chart) III-19

Table 20: European 15-Year Perspective for Language

Translation Software and Services by Geographic Region -

Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for France, Germany, Italy,

UK, Spain, Russia, and Rest of Europe Markets for Years

2006, 2014 & 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-20

4a. FRANCE III-21A.Market Analysis III-21Outlook III-21French Language Translation Service Providers in Demand III-21Product Launch III-21Strategic Corporate Developments III-21Systran S.A. - A Key Player III-22B.Market Analytics III-23Table 21: French Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis forLanguage Translation Software and Services Analyzed withAnnual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-23

Table 22: French Historic Review for Language Translation

Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures

in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-24

4b. GERMANY III-25A.Market Analysis III-25Outlook III-25B.Market Analytics III-25Table 23: German Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-25

Table 24: German Historic Review for Language Translation

Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures

in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-26

4c. ITALY III-27Market Analysis III-27Table 25: Italian Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-27

Table 26: Italian Historic Review for Language Translation

Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures

in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-28

4d. THE UNITED KINGDOM III-29A.Market Analysis III-29Outlook III-29Rising Demand for Welsh Translation Services III-29Product Launches III-29Strategic Corporate Development III-29Key Players III-30B.Market Analytics III-31Table 27: UK Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-31

Table 28: UK Historic Review for Language Translation

Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures

in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-32

4e. SPAIN III-33A.Market Analysis III-33Outlook III-33Overview III-33B.Market Analytics III-33Table 29: Spanish Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-33

Table 30: Spanish Historic Review for Language Translation

Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures

in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-34

4f. RUSSIA III-35A.Market Analysis III-35Product Launch III-35B.Market Analytics III-35Table 31: Russian Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-35

Table 32: Russian Historic Review for Language Translation

Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures

in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-36

4g. REST OF EUROPE III-37A.Market Analysis III-37Outlook III-37Product Launch III-37Strategic Corporate Developments III-37Key Players III-37B.Market Analytics III-39Table 33: Rest of Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-39

Table 34: Rest of Europe Historic Review for Language

Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual

Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012

(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-40

5. ASIA-PACIFIC III-41A.Market Analysis III-41Outlook III-41B.Market Analytics III-41Table 35: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services by Geographic Region - China, India and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-41

Table 36: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Language

Translation Software and Services by Geographic Region -

China, India and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets Independently

Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for

Years 2006 through 2012 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-42

Table 37: Asia-Pacific 15-Year Perspective for Language Translation Software and Services by Geographic Region -Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for China, India and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets for Years 2006, 2014 & 2020(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-43

5a. CHINA III-44

A.Market Analysis III-44

Outlook III-44

New Tools for Translation Transform Industry Operations III-44

Software for Translating Ethnic Languages III-44

Localization Sector: Huge Opportunity III-44

Challenges Facing the Industry III-45

B.Market Analytics III-45

Table 38: Chinese Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with

Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through

2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-45

Table 39: Chinese Historic Review for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-46

5b. INDIA III-47

A.Market Analysis III-47

Outlook III-47

Overview III-47

Language Translation Sector Gains Impetus III-47

B.Market Analytics III-48

Table 40: Indian Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with

Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through

2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-48

Table 41: Indian Historic Review for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-49

5c. REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC III-50

A.Market Analysis III-50

Outlook III-50

Overview of Select Markets III-50

Korea III-50

Declining Standards: A Cause of Concern in Translation

Services Industry III-50

Malaysia III-50

Globalization Spurs Growth in Language Industry III-50

B.Market Analytics III-51

Table 42: Rest of Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current & Future

Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services

Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for

Years 2013 through 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-51

Table 43: Rest of Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-52

6. LATIN AMERICA III-53

A.Market Analysis III-53

Latin America: Continuous Growth of Language Services Industry III-53

B.Market Analytics III-54

Table 44: Latin American Recent Past, Current & Future

Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services by

Geographic Region - Brazil and Rest of Latin America Markets

Independently Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$

Million for Years 2013 through 2020 (includes corresponding

Graph/Chart) III-54

Table 45: Latin American Historic Review for Language Translation Software and Services by Geographic Region -Brazil and Rest of Latin America Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-55

Table 46: Latin American 15-Year Perspective for Language

Translation Software and Services by Geographic Region -

Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for Brazil and Rest of

Latin America Markets for Years 2006, 2014 & 2020 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-56

6a. BRAZIL III-57Market Analysis III-57Table 47: Brazilian Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-57

Table 48: Brazilian Historic Review for Language Translation

Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures

in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) III-58

6b. REST OF LATIN AMERICA III-59Market Analysis III-59Table 49: Rest of Latin America Recent Past, Current &Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-59

Table 50: Rest of Latin America Historic Review for Language

Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual

Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012

(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-60

7. REST OF WORLD III-61A.Market Analysis III-61Outlook III-61Saudi Arabia: Translation Industry Witnesses Rapid Growth III-61Product Launch III-61Babylon Ltd. (Israel) - A Key Player III-61B.Market Analytics III-62Table 51: Rest of World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Language Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2013 through 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-62

Table 52: Rest of World Historic Review for Language

Translation Software and Services Analyzed with Annual

Revenue Figures in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2012

(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) III-63

IV. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Total Companies Profiled: 110 (including Divisions/Subsidiaries - 115)

The United States (54)Canada (5)Japan (1)Europe (39)- France (3)- Germany (6)- The United Kingdom (9)- Spain (1)- Rest of Europe (20)Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) (8)Africa (2)Middle East (6)

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Great progress is being made in the world of translation apps. ExtremeTech reports that a new version of Microsoft’s Skype Translator can translate on the fly. The story says that it “has a long way to go before it’s ready for prime time” but that the preview shows that the company is headed in the right direction:

While it can translate instant messages in any of over 40 languages, this early build can only translate voice chat in Spanish and English. On top of that, this preview program only works on Windows 8.x and the Windows 10 Technical Preview, so Skype fans on other platforms are currently left out in the cold. Thankfully, that’s bound to change when this feature is fully baked.

In essence, Skype uses Microsoft’s neural network to translate the words to text. The words are then put through a Bing-based translation engine and a text-to-speech engine delivers the translated words.  

Francophonie économique: évitons de nous enfermer dans une colonne de verre
December 30th, 2014 Rédaction Financial Afrik

 

Par Jean-Luc Vovor, Directeur Associé de Kusuntu Partners et Président du Think Tank Kusuntu-le-Club.

 

Au Panthéon des nouvelles idées est celle de la Francophonie Economique, une nouvelle aventure d’organisation du commerce principalement entre locuteurs de la langue française et autres francophiles. L’économie nait du rapport entre les hommes afin de régir leur rapport aux choses, en premier lieu toutes les choses nécessaires et échangeables dans le but de satisfaire les principaux besoins de l’homme, au premier desquels se nourrir, se vêtir, se loger. Il est indéniable que l’usage de la même langue facilite les choses. Des études récentes indiquent qu’en situation de choix multiples, l’agent économique tend à favoriser à près de 70% de ses échanges, le partenaire qui partage avec lui la même langue.

La Francophonie aujourd’hui est essentiellement africaine dans la mesure où les pays francophones d’Afrique se sont approprié cette langue laissée par la colonisation et qui, il est vrai facilite les rapports entre des groupes ethniques qui en font l’élément commun multiplicateur de leur relations au quotidien. Mais dans la course au progrès et à l’équipement, la langue n’est pas tout et les agents économiques s’imprègnent de langues nouvelles si celles-ci permettent de faciliter leurs échanges économiques. Ainsi, dans la relation francophone, l’Afrique, amoureuse éconduite s’est mis à des nouvelles langues pour trouver les biens qui lui manquent d’abord pour sa propre survie, puis ensuite pour son développement. La Francophonie économique, il faut se l’avouer,  arrive un peu tard et sonne comme un mur de verre dans lequel l’ex-puissance coloniale tente pour sa propre survie d’enfermer ses partenaires éconduits il y a encore quelques temps.

La crise économique, la compétition mondiale, les perspectives d’équipement et celles de consommation africaines ont fait renaître assez récemment au sein d’une administration française en quête de remèdes aux maux de la récession et de la déflation, un retour d’amour pour l’Afrique. Retour qui n’est pas encore assez partagé par une population dont l’épaisseur des lunettes ne laisse pas encore entrevoir au-delà d’Ebola, Boko Haram et autres Seleka, la chance que représente l’Afrique et au-delà du partage de la même racine linguistique, une proximité culturelle et d’affaires encore trop sous estimée. Car autant que le québécois diffère de la langue de France, de Belgique ou de Suisse, la langue française d’Afrique est une suite de langues dont les populations se sont approprié les bases pour y construire leur propre véhiculaire économique et réglementaire.

Mais il faudrait aussi sortir de l’attitude du désespoir qui est l’image que peut donner vu d’Afrique, le foisonnement en France d’initiatives qui semblent se dupliquer les unes et les autres. Sans avoir encore pleinement défini et mis en œuvre les nouveaux contours de la Fondation France Afrique pour la croissance, apparaît le concept de Francophonie Economique, tous deux organes émanant d’une riche série de rapports parlementaires, gouvernementaux ou commandés par la présidence de la république elle-même en 2013 et 2014 sur la chance que représente l’Afrique pour la France.

L’Afrique aime la France et regrette l’absence de cette ancienne amie qui l’a longtemps oublié. Mais l’Afrique veut pouvoir avoir plusieurs amis, parler la langue de tous ses amis et faire commerce avec tout le monde. La francophonie ne saurait être un cylindre de verre, fermé par le bas dans un océan d’opportunité et dont la France occuperait la partie haute et ouverte sur le monde. La francophonie, forte des liens culturels qu’elle crée entre nous doit permettre une construction, ensemble, d’une sphère de co-prospérité économique, une création d’un espace francophone complice et ouvert sur le monde pour mieux saisir et construire sur les opportunités de la globalisation. Faire de notre proximité linguistique, culturelle et réglementaire un outil de conquête, ensemble.

Excellente année 2015 !

Togo  - Quatre (4) prix d’excellence ont été décernés lundi par Robert Dussey, le ministre Ministère des Affaires étrangères et de la coopération à trois de ses collaborateurs qui se sont illustrés de façon excellente au cours de l’année 2014.




C’est au cours d’une cérémonie solennelle à laquelle ont pris part des membres du gouvernement et les représentants du corps diplomatique accrédité au Togo.


Le premier prix, dénommé « Prix d'excellence du ministre » pour récompenser le fonctionnaire qui a le mérite de contribuer à l'avancement du travail du ministère en étant dévoué à toutes les tâches. Il a été attribué au chargé d'étude au protocole d'Etat, Tchassanti Bassirou.

Le « Prix d'excellence des langues », est attribué à Kpadé Agossou des Affaires juridiques pour sa performance dans les langues étrangères dont le Chinois.

Le « Prix d'excellence de création et de l'innovation » qui prime l'originalité dans les idées et la flexibilité pour leur mise en application a été décerné à l'équipe de « Diplomag ».

Le quatrième prix, « Prix d'excellence du personnel» récompense un agent d'appui du personnel du ministère pour sa simplicité, son humilité et la façon dont il a été serviable. Cette récompense est allée à Atavi Kossi Moses.


A la fin de la cérémonie de récompenses, le chef de la diplomatie n’a pas tari d’éloges à l’endroit des lauréats.

« Je voudrais vous dire que vous constituez une véritable vitrine de l'excellence administrative de la diplomatie togolaise par la qualité de votre travail qui est à la fois tourné vers l'extérieur et l'intérieur », a-t-il indiqué.

Les lauréats ont reçu chacun une cuisinière, une moto, une enveloppe offerte par le Chef de l'Etat, Faure Gnassingbé ou une bourse ou encore un billet d'avion.

Mal nommer les choses ou les nommer de manière inintelligente ou de façon malheureuse est un travers bien sénégalais.

Nous ne parlerons pas ici des dénominations et autres appellations que certains de nos compatriotes utilisent pour «catégoriser» des Africains (Dringue, Niak, Naar) ou bien même leurs propres concitoyens. Nous aborderons uniquement dans cette contribution l’usage fait du vocable «bourde» (pour dire «burda» ou «burdatu») par certains locuteurs de la langue française (du français sénégalais) dans les médias et la presse nationale.
Mais avant d’en arriver au fond de notre pensée, survolons rapidement le contexte historique qui a fait surgir une pratique poétique dédiée au Prophète Mohammad (Psl). Commençons d’abord par signaler que l’Arabie de l’époque mouhamétane (7ème siècle après JC) était très fortement marquée par le goût de l’art oratoire et de l’exercice poétique. Les champs de bataille n’étaient pas les seuls théâtres d’affrontement entre les premiers musulmans et les idolâtres mecquois. Les joutes verbales occupaient également une place non négligeable dans cet univers d’adversité totale.
Aussi, le Prophète (Psl) avait-il lui-même des poètes «attitrés» dont les plus célèbres sont Kaab ibn Malick, Abdallah ibn Rawaha, Hassan ibn Thabit et surtout Kaab ibn Zuhayr. Et c’est ce dernier qui aurait le premier titré un de ses poèmes dédiés au Sceau des Messagers du substantif «Burda» (tunique, manteau). Et Idriss de Vos, dans son ouvrage intitulé «Eloges du Prophète, Anthologie de poésie religieuse», affirme que «c’est parce que ce poème valut à son auteur tant d’honneur que les poètes, au cours des siècles, s’ingénièrent à surpasser le poème de Ka’b et en reprirent le nom, dans l’espoir de recevoir à leur tour l’agrément du Prophète». C’est dans ce sillage qu’il faut placer quelqu’un comme Ahmad Shawqi (poète néoclassique égyptien) ou bien Busseïri auteur de la «Burda» récitée au Sénégal quelques jours avant la célébration de la naissance de l’Elite du genre humain, nous voulons nommer Mohammad (Psl).
Après avoir rapidement campé la genèse du mot «Burda» dans le territoire poétique arabo-musulman, venons-en maintenant au cheminement qui a conduit (dans les textes et propos des Sénégalais francophones) du terme «Burda» à celui de «Bourde».
Ainsi donc, le vocable «Burda» ou «Burdatu» est de l’arabe. Son emprunt par les wolofophones (ou pulaarophones et autres) a produit l’expression «Bourde». La racine du mot a été maintenue ; cependant une mutation vocalique s’est opérée au niveau du suffixe. L’emprunt est un procédé naturel qui s’effectue entre des langues qui sont en contact. Toutefois, ce qui est intéressant avec le terme «Bourde» -employé par les francophones sénégalais- c’est qu’il est le résultat d’un double emprunt : parti de l’arabe, le terme «Burda» est devenu «Bourde» en wolof et est réutilisé tel quel par les locuteurs du «français sénégalais» sans rien changer au mot.
L’emprunt de l’arabe au wolof ne pose pas de «problème» : il s’agit ici d’une opération linguistique réussie, simple et classique. C’est au niveau du glissement du wolof au «français sénégalais» que le transfert ne devrait plus laisser indifférents  les linguistes ; ceci pour au moins deux raisons. Premièrement, le mot «Bourde» emprunté au wolof (langue de départ) trouvera un homonyme «une bourde» dans le français (langue d’arrivée) ; même si par ailleurs le genre a changé durant le transfert. Par exemple, on entend dire : «Le bourde de Tivaouane.»
Deuxièmement, la signification péjorative de l’homonyme français est aux antipodes du sens véhiculé par «Burda» qui a une place -comme nous l’avons vu- dans le lexique panégyrique du Prophète (Psl). Et notre avis est que dans la seconde phase s’est effectué un emprunt que nous qualifierions de «paresseux» et «d’irréfléchi».
Et c’est pour cette raison, profitant de ces quelques jours qui nous séparent du Mawloud -et durant lesquels le mot «Bourde» sera plusieurs fois répété et écrit- nous invitons modestement la communauté journalistique d’expression française de notre pays à dire désormais «Burda» et non «Bourde». Et c’est quelqu’un qui a consacré une thèse de doctorat à l’écriture journalistique qui le demande humblement.

Dr Malick WONE
Enseignant, correcteur et écrivain
malickwone@gmail.com

VIDEOS De François Hollande à Nicolas Sarkozy, en passant par Emmanuel Macron ou Christine Lagarde, Challenges.fr s'est penché sur les talents linguistiques (très variables) de nos politiques.

Gare aux traductions médicales sur Google !
Le Point - Publié le 30/12/2014 à 12:46
Parfois, faute de traducteurs, même les médecins peuvent avoir à utiliser Google Translate. Une étude a évalué la fiabilité de cet outil.


Moins de 60 % des traductions sont correctes, mais il existe des différences considérables selon les langues. © SALOM-GOMIS SEBASTIEN / SIPA
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C'est une expérience bien réelle qui a conduit des chercheurs du NHS anglais (National Health Service) à s'interroger sur la qualité de la traduction des phrases médicales les plus souvent prononcées dans leur pratique quotidienne. En effet, un jour, ils ont été confrontés à une famille dont l'enfant était hospitalisé dans le service de soins intensifs pédiatriques de l'hôpital de Nottingham. Les parents ne parlaient pas l'anglais et aucun traducteur n'était disponible. L'équipe soignante a donc fait appel à Google Translate. Tout s'est bien terminé, le jeune malade s'est rétabli, un traducteur a même confirmé aux médecins qu'ils avaient transmis la bonne information, mais ces derniers ont alors eu l'idée d'évaluer, a posteriori, la qualité de ces traductions automatiques.

C'est dans sa récente série "Christmas" que le British Medical Journal a publié l'étude alors réalisée. Elle a consisté à sélectionner dix messages parmi les plus fréquemment délivrés aux malades et à leurs proches et à demander à Google Translate de les traduire en 26 langues différentes. Puis les résultats ont été soumis à des professionnels de santé ayant comme langue maternelle l'une des 26 langues concernées et il leur a été demandé de les reformuler en anglais. Quiconque a déjà consulté la notice d'un appareil d'électroménager ou d'un meuble en kit peut se douter que la qualité et la précision des informations écrites ne sont pas toujours au rendez-vous...

Le coeur de votre mari était emprisonné

Premier enseignement : globalement, moins de 60 % des traductions sont correctes, mais il existe des différences considérables selon les langues. Le taux de "conformité" atteint 74 % lorsqu'il s'agit de traduire de l'anglais dans une langue européenne occidentale, avec un record de 90 % pour le portugais. En revanche, le passage à une langue asiatique et africaine est nettement plus aléatoire (seulement 45 % de phrases justes), le pire de tout étant la traduction vers le swahili, avec 90 % d'erreurs. Or, comme le soulignent les auteurs, il est alors difficile de respecter les bonnes pratiques selon lesquelles "le médecin doit écouter attentivement son patient, prendre en compte son point de vue et répondre honnêtement à ses questions".

Quand la vie des malades n'est pas en danger, certaines "interprétations" peuvent faire sourire. "Votre mari a fait un arrêt cardiaque" est devenu, en marathi "le coeur de votre mari était emprisonné". Pour "l'état de votre femme est stable", le message transmis au malheureux mari a été "votre femme ne peut pas tomber plus bas". Et, quand après un décès brutal, les médecins voulaient informer une épouse polonaise de la possibilité de faire don des organes de son mari, cela a donné : "Votre mari peut donner ses outils."

La conclusion des auteurs de ce travail est évidente : mieux vaut avoir recours à un vrai traducteur aussi souvent que possible. Cela devient presque indispensable dans les situations les plus dramatiques, les procédures nécessitant un consentement et celles comportant un risque médico-légal. Et pourtant, l'article indique que cette étude n'a pas évalué l'exactitude et la précision des traducteurs humains... Pour information, dans notre pays, le site de l'Institut national de prévention et d'éducation pour la santé (Inpes) propose des livrets bilingues déclinés en 23 langues (dont des dialectes) pour faciliter la communication avec les personnes migrantes ou étrangères.

Couverture du livre « Poésie du gérondif » (éditions Le Tripode)

Je n’avais jamais entendu parler de l’auteur Jean-Pierre Minaudier avant que Mathieu Deslandes n’y consacre de belles lignes mais son livre, lu ces jours-ci, m’a tellement enchanté que je souhaite en remettre une couche comme ça, en douce, entre deux fêtes.

Minaudier n’est pas un linguiste qui vous inflige le spectacle des quinze langues qu’il parle couramment, ce n’est pas l’un ces profs de français d’autrefois qui sortaient leur Bescherelle à tout bout de champ comme une pervenche son carnet de contraventions, Minaudier n’est pas non plus une vedette du jeu télévisé « Les chiffres et les lettres » ou un finaliste de la dictée de Pivot et il n’est pas encore entré à l’Académie française, ce temple de la docte langue.

La langue aux 44 voyelles

Non. Quand il ne traduit pas de l’estonien « L’homme qui savait la langue des serpents » d’Andrus Kivirähk, Minaudier est un amoureux des langues, de toutes les langues du monde, même celles que l’on invente – il existe 40 000 sites d’inventeurs de langues, nous apprend-il. Que dis-je amoureux, un malade plutôt, un drogué des temps improbables, un obsédé des perversités du COD (complément d’objet direct), un frappadingue des idiomes parlés par quelques locuteurs à la mémoire fantaisiste, un dénicheur de langues quasi mortes qui lui font parcourir la planète en une demi-page, un accro au ! Xoon, la langue la plus riche en voyelles (44 !). Pas du tout un flic des règles, plutôt un fanatique des exceptions. Bref comme Alexandre Vialatte (l’un de ses maîtres) un jouisseur de mots, de lettres, de verbes, de cuisines verbales.

« (Vagabondages linguistiques d’un passionné de peuples et de mots) » est le sous-titre de sa « Poésie du gérondif », qui vous réconciliera avec la terre entière et vous donnera l’envie de partir sac au dos, sur les traces de ce « voyageur compulsif », explorer la grammaire du lakota, langue des Sioux, et faire le fiérot en appelant Sitting Bull, Thathanka Iyothanka, son vrai nom, tout comme, en apache, Geronimo répondait au nom de Go Khla Yeh.

Ou bien vous irez fureter avec ce « dilettante irrémédiable » du côté du navajo, cette « langue athapascane », la seule à n’avoir jamais « chipé un seul verbe à aucune langue étrangère », et qui se refuse, question de savoir-vivre sans doute, à navajoïser le mot tank, lequel se dit donc « chidinaa’na ce’’ibee’eldoohtsohbikaa’ dahnaazniligii » (je vous fais grâce des accents), soit « une voiture qui glisse sur le sol avec de gros fusils dessus ».

Minaudier collectionne à tout va les ouvrages de linguistique. Si vous avez « le bantou pour les nuls » qui traîne sur une étagère ou un manuel de purépécha qui cale le lit du petit, envoyez ça à l’éditeur qui fera suivre. Minaudier est preneur de tout, il n’en aura jamais assez. Pensez, il ne possède que 1 163 ouvrages de linguistique, lesquels – il a compté, il compte et conte tout – tripotent 864 langues (dont une bonne trentaine de mortes). C’est peu puisqu’on parle dans le monde environ 6 000 langues et que Minaudier ne parle que le français, l’anglais, l’estonien et le basque. Mais on n’a pas besoin de baragouiner les langues pour se perdre dans les méandres des manuels qui les détaillent. « Je les dévore comme d’autres dévorent des romans policiers », écrit-il.

Ça vient de loin. Ado, il avait inventé une langue, le chirois, il a même traduit en chirois un épisode de Corto Maltèse, c’est dire l’attrait de ce professeur de langues qu’on aurait rêvé avoir eu en classe. Son amour des langues est contaminant, comme naguère à la Sorbonne le professeur Goughenheim, auteur de l’indépassable « Les mots français dans l’histoire et dans la vie », donnait envie à ses étudiants de consacrer le reste de leur vie à l’étymologie. « Une grammaire, c’est avant tout du rêve et de la poésie », insiste Minaudier et il le prouve tout au long de cet ouvrage dont on a du mal à se détacher.

Le club très fermé des langues solitaires

Il s’arrête un instant pour se recueillir auprès du ket, langue sibérienne parlée à tout casser par 210 personnes, mais il ne chuinte pas, et brandit un joker quand s’annonce le couplet des langues « en voie de disparition ». Il préfère filer pour mieux s’attarder au chevet de l’un de ses dadas, les « isolats », c’est-à-dire les langues orphelines, sans familles auxquelles se rattacher, des langues solitaires. Ainsi l’urarina, le kwaza, le tikuna, le warao, le kootenai, le karuk, le yuchi… On se laisser bercer par ces mots, on voyage dans des langues qu’on ne parlera jamais.

Tiens revoilà ! Xoon, sa marotte. Cette langue fait partie des adeptes des « fameux clics » (fameux, vous m’en direz tant) qu’on ne trouve que dans les langues khoisanes et dans certaines langues bantoues d’Afrique. ! Xoon en compte 83 , un record (encore un). Oui mais qu’est que ces « fameux clics » sonores ? Accrochez-vous :

« Ce sont des consonnes “ ingressives ” prononcées en bloquant le passage de l’air simultanément en deux endroits puis en abaissant la partie centrale de la langue pour provoquer une différence de pression entre l’air emprisonné et l’air extérieur ce qui fait que lorsqu’on rompt le contact, de l’air entre dans la bouche (au lieu de sortir comme c’est toujours le cas quand on parle français ».

Rassurez-vous, ces envolées techniques sont rares. Déjà, le traitement du passé entraîne Jean-Pierre Minaudier sur un autre continent, auprès de langues amazoniennes qui possèdent une catégorie de passé pour les verbes, comme le français, mais aussi un passé pour les noms, ce dont nous sommes dépourvus. En guarani les noms ont également un futur, ce qui est très pratique pour un couple. Par exemple la femme peut dire cheménakue soit « celui qui était mon époux » ou bien cheménara soit « mon futur époux » ou encore le très subtil cheménarangue, soit « celui qui devait être mon époux mais ne l’est pas devenu ».

Chaque page est gardée dans la marge par une citation. 136 citations en 136 langues. La traduction est donnée en fin de volume. Ainsi page 57, lit-on :

« E gatolo a ulukele kae e koukoua a moa »

Ce qui veut dire « les vers de terre rampent, mais les coqs chantent ». C’est du futunien. Mais où parle-t-on cette langue ? Un index nous aiguille : en Polynésie. On peut trouver une grammaire du futunien à Nouméa, celle-là Jean-Pierre Minaudier l’a déjà.

Infos pratiques
"Poésie du gérondif" par Jean-Pierre Minaudier
(Vagabondages linguistiques d'un passionné de peuples et de mots)
«  Poésie du gérondif » par Jean-Pierre Minaudier, Editions Le tripode, 160 p., 14,70 euros. 

Aller plus loin
Sur Rue89 - Les Blogs
« Poésie du gérondif » : le livre le plus enthousiasmant du moment parle de grammaire

Atlantico : Selon Boaz Keysar, professeur en psychologie à l'université de Princeton, le fait de s'exprimer dans une langue étrangère permettrait de rationaliser sa manière de penser. Comment l'expliquer ?

Thomas Godard : Dans son étude Keysar demande aux participants de choisir un certain nombre de fois entre deux options: jouer à pile ou face pour gagner 2,50 dollars ou bien empocher directement 1 dollar sans même avoir à jouer.

Si l’on s’en réfère à la probabilité mathématique, le choix le plus pertinent économiquement, et donc le plus "rationnnel", est de jouer à pile ou face à chaque coup. Or Keysar a constaté que lorsque l’on explique le jeu aux participants dans leur langue maternelle, ils choisissent de jouer à pile ou face dans 50% des cas, alors que quand la question leur est posée dans une langue étrangère, ce taux monte à 70%. Keysar en conclut que l’on a tendance à être plus rationnel en langue étrangère.

 
 
Cette expérience s’inscrit en fait dans un débat plus large sur notre sens de la moralité en langues maternelle et étrangère. D’autres études ont été menées dans lesquels les participants sont confrontés à un choix cornélien (sacrifier un homme pour en sauver cinq autres), qui ont montré que l’on est plus  prompt à briser un tabou (sacrifier un homme) et agir de façon rationnelle (dans une perspective utilitaire) lorsque la situation nous est présentée dans une langue étrangère.

Si l’on suit les conclusions de Keysar, on pourrait en déduire qu’il serait préférable de s’appuyer sur des locuteurs non-natifs pour un certain nombre de décisions importantes. Il avance par exemple l’hypothèse de confier à des immigrants le rôle de jurés dans les décisions de justice.

Cela pourrait-il s'expliquer également par le fait  que les fonctions cognitives sont plus orientées vers l'applications de règles logiques en langue étrangère, alors que la langue maternelle découle d'une certaine spontanéité ?

Apprendre sa langue maternelle et apprendre une langue étrangère, ce sont deux expériences entièrement différentes. Lorsque l’on apprend sa langue maternelle, on n’apprend pas seulement une langue, on apprend à appréhender le monde. A chaque fois que l’on acquiert un mot nouveau, on se familiarise aussi avec une partie du monde qui nous entoure. Lorsque vous avez appris le mot "voiture" en français, vous n’avez pas seulement appris le signifiant (le symbole linguistique oral ou écrit), mais aussi le signifié (le concept, l’idée même d’un véhicule à quatre roues transportant des personnes). En apprenant une langue étrangère, on n’apprend qu’un code linguistique en général, c'est-à-dire qu’on apprend les signifiants car, coche, Auto, автомобиль qui correspondent au signifié que l’on connaît déjà. Il y a donc un attachement émotionnel plus fort la langue maternelle, parce que c’est la langue dans laquelle on appréhende le monde : les mots de la langue maternelle nous apparaissent ainsi comme le reflet de la réalité. A l’inverse, les mots de la langue étrangère nous apparaissent plus comme un code que nous déchiffrons, et ce déchiffrement crée une distance cognitive et un détachement émotionnel vis-à-vis du contenu.

Following successful experiments teaching chimpanzees to use sign language, Dr Greg Watts has announced the first examples of human teen speech.

‘What we were all taught in medical school is that the vocal chords go through a maturation process, and that inarticulacy is inevitable during the adolescent phase. I’ve always doubted this theory – MRI scans show no major anatomical changes, and postmortem examination of teenagers tragically killed in accidents, or just twatted by annoyed parents, has confirmed this.

‘We then conducted recreational post-mortem examinations on teenagers – technically, this is murder, but I don’t think any jury would convict. Same result – no anatomical variations.

‘We’ve been training a small group of teenagers to use human speech by offering rewards – time on the Xbox, food, a look at a woman’s boobies, puerile humour on DVD – and it turns out they were just lazy. Perfectly capable of speech, they just couldn’t be arsed.

‘We’ve published a series of conversations in Nature. Teenagers are similar to humans in their interests – sex and chips are the main themes. The first teen word we heard was ‘whatevs’, and this turns out to represent 28% of all words uttered by the creatures.’

When asked about the impact of the research, Dr Watts told reporters that this was ‘a year I’ll never get back. Frankly, I got more sense out of the chimps. Turns out it’s possible to converse with teenagers, it just isn’t worth doing’.

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The man responsible for Xbox Live is leaving Microsoft.

Boyd Multerer is no longer at the Xbox’s parent company (via Neowin). The engineer posted a “goodbye” this morning, saying that it was time for him to look into doing something new. This comes after 18 years with Microsoft. During that time, Multerer launched the Xbox Live online networking service and created the XNA game-development language.

Goodbye Microsoft. It was a good run. Xbox was Great! Time to do something new.

— Boyd Multerer (@BoydMulterer) December 29, 2014
As director of development for Microsoft’s Xbox division, Multerer was most recently responsible for helping to design the Xbox One. He was key to giving Microsoft’s latest gaming hardware three different operating systems to let it quickly jump between games, apps, and the menu system.

TEHRAN -- The Persian literary monthly Bokhara paid tribute to Iranian Jewish lexicographer and translator, Soleiman Hayyim (1887-1970) at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation on Sunday.
 
A number of literati including Managing Director of Bokhara Ali Dehbashi, the director of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, and Department of Islamic Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of Iran Director Mostafa Mohaqqeq-Damad attended the ceremony, the Persian service of MNA reported on Monday.
 
Hayyim had studied at an American college and his English was good so he worked as a translator in the then ministry of finance, Dehbashi said.
 
It was during those years he felt a great need for an English-Persian bilingual dictionary, upon which he usually spent 8 hours a day, he added.
 
“Hayyim was expert in finding Persian synonyms for English words and phrases, and he was highly interested in Persian literature,” Dehbashi said.
 
His two-volume dictionaries especially the English-Persian one has been the first bilingual dictionary over the past years and has always been a good model for the future lexicographers, he stated.
 
Mostafa Mohaqqeq-Damad also gave a brief explanation about Hayyim and his works and efforts in compiling the dictionary.
 
Iranian Jewish Rabbi Younes Hamami Lalehzar who was also present at the ceremony talked about the recently-published Hayyim Persian-Hebrew Dictionary, which was introduced at the end of the ceremony, and said, “Hayyim had prepared the preliminaries for the dictionary and his manuscripts are still available.”
 
It took about 12 years to complete the dictionary, he added.
 
Lexicographer Mohammadreza Bateni, also attending the ceremony, said that almost all the dictionaries by Hayyim have been re-edited and refreshed.
 
The ceremony was brought to an end by unveiling the Hayyim Persian-Hebrew Dictionary.
 
 
RM/YAW
END
 

“The fabric of memory is reinforced by stories, rent by silences.” In Anthills of the Savannah, Chinua Achebe memorably reminds us of the importance of stories. An elderly character in the novel meditates on the crucial place stories occupy in the matrix of society. “It is the story…that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is our escort; without it, we are blind. Does the blind man own his escort? No, neither do we the story; rather it is the story that owns us and directs us. It is the thing that makes us different from cattle; it is the mark on the face that sets one people apart from their neighbors,” says the elder.

I have often argued that a major part of Nigeria’s malaise lies in the indifference of too many Nigerians to memory. In the absence of memory, a people cannot know – to use an Igbo proverb Achebe was rather fond of – where the rain began to beat them. We live in a country where most of the central players in the defining event of our history – the Biafran War – never seemed to reckon that it was important to leave intimate accounts of the tragedy as they saw it. This lacuna has left a country that gropes and fumbles, uninstructed by any sense of what led to a war in which more than two million people, most of them children, perished.

Let’s then pause to applaud Mrs. Ejike for the guile and wile she used to ensure that her husband stayed on the task of writing his memoir until completion. She deserves considerable credit for the glorious, rich and complex narrative that her husband, Professor Chiweyite Ejike, has produced. In fact, if everybody here were my friend – and therefore knew of my habit of calling it as I see it – I would simply have said, “Go, get a copy of the book, read it, be educated by it, be enlarged and be entertained.”

Let me sketch out a case why readers should invest time in reading this rich-veined account by Ejike, a man who may be unassuming but who has lived a remarkable life, a life accentuated by ordeals mastered, opportunities seized, challenges dominated, trials surmounted, and promises redeemed.

One of the greatest bequests of this book is the amazing breadth of its subject matter. To look at the contents page is enough to figure out that Aguowulu has broad ambitions. Even so, the book’s table of contents does not come close to revealing the wide range of the memoir. In fact, it is wrong to characterize the book merely as a memoir. It is that, but it is much more. It is a book of cultural excavation, vast historical knowledge, and a compendium of the author’s accomplished life. It combines personal anecdotes with recollections of some of the epochal events that have shaped, and continue to shape, Nigerian politics and academia. It is a book concerned, in one breath, with the cultural practices, history, legends and idioms of Aguobu-Owa, the locale of the author’s birth, and, on the other hand, a grasp of world historical events, including the tensions and dramas provoked by the forces of British colonialism.

Aguowulu is one of the most penetrating and impressive analyses of Igbo cultural mores that I have ever read. Ejike is that rare intellectual, a man whose depth of knowledge as a scientist is matched by his uncommon insight into the social and cultural forces transforming his society. And he is able to demonstrate how those forces, and the transformations they have wrought, have left our society enervated, confounded and confused.

Ejike’s sensibility is that of a modern man, but one who realises that cultural self-knowledge is key to his society’s organic development. Early in the book, he articulates the four essential planks of social ethos in his natal community. I’d suggest that the nodes he identifies, namely rationality, humility, even-handedness, and objectivity, apply – with varying degrees of variation – to much of Igboland.

For me, the presence of such gems in Professor Ejike’s book is a great boon. And the book teems with proverbs, folklore, legends, and a genealogical account of his kingly ancestry. Besides, the book contains magnificent and illuminating passages that vivify the philosophical harvests and cultural institutions of his people. Always, whether he is explicating the Ozo title or the patterns of social and gender classification in his community, one has the sneaking suspicion that his findings have wider applicability within the broader Igbo collectivity.

The more personal aspects of the book are equally memorable. These sections detail, among other subjects, Ejike’s development within a large family of sixty-plus children and twenty-two wives, his educational odysseys, his sojourn abroad, his experiences as a suitor, husband and father, the trials and travails of the Biafra War days, his triumphs over adversities, and his working life, the most productive of his years spent as an academic or academic administrator. In a narrative that is at once expansive and attentive to detail, I found myself moved, in particular, by four different sectors.

The first is in the author’s clearly affectionate portrait of his father, a man who held the office of king at a time of momentous change – specifically, in the years when the British held sway over Nigeria. The author’s remarkable father, Chief Ozo Ejike, was an early advocate of education, a man who, at every opportunity, championed the acquisition of knowledge, convinced that this was the recipe for the African’s ultimate liberation. The second area I found spellbinding is the author’s narration of his and his family’s frequently harrowing experience of the Biafran War. In retelling the events of the war, Ejike offers his reader several intimate portraits that, one, lend a human face to the drama of the war and, two, demonstrate the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of colossal tragedy. The third lies in the author’s reminiscences about social relations in years gone by. His description of the indissoluble bond of friendship between his father and the near-legendary Chief Onyeama of Eke struck a chord in me. Chief Onyeama’s tragic end, before the very eyes of Chief Ozo Ejike, is told with great feeling and telling restraint. Then there is – the fourth facet – the author’s loving portraiture of his inner life and the lives of members of his family. Here, he uses a few broad strokes to convey the dimensionality of each subject, himself included. As a man, a husband and a father, I was deeply touched by the author’s homage to his wife – a kind of extended love letter, really – as well as his account of the accident that left his first daughter, Nne-emelie (Nene), paraplegic. In her father’s writing, Nene’s indomitable spirit comes alive. It is a spirit that pushed the gravely wounded young woman to achieve high academic goals and to attain her dreams to be an architect. Nene’s inner strength also enabled her to surpass her doctors’ best projections for post-accident rehabilitation.

I have refrained from summarizing any account of the numerous gripping adventures that have marked the author’s life, in his hometown, other parts of Nigeria, or abroad. Each reader deserves to encounter the rich vignettes in the book with the freshness of revelation and the attendant stimulation that they offer. But here’s my promise: there is enough material in the pages of this book to rival the delights in a fictive thriller, enough history to keep aficionados of history riveted, and enough cultural insight to reward anybody who feels a profound sense of loss about the dramatic and continuing erosion of Igbo cultural awareness.

I envy Professor Ejike his facility for recollection. I often marveled that one man could have had such an exciting and layered life, and even more that he could have remembered so many details in their dramatic particularity. It is nothing short of the gift of a genius.

Let me end by commenting on the author’s style. Professor Ejike is fond of his name, Aguowulu. Reading the book, I was convinced that the man has been appropriately named. His life has been as regal, powerful, dramatic, significant and variegated as the leopard’s. But there’s more than a hint of the leopard too in the way he has written this book. The narrative exudes an exuberance and confidence, a dazzling power and momentum, a nimbleness and versatility that bring to mind the genteel grace, muscularity and domineering strength that define a leopard. We are fortunate that a man of such impressive intellect, such humility, such an undying spirit and such profound generosity is among us. We are even more fortunate that he has taken the time to limn his incredible life – which, more than his life, is actually a chronicle of a distant and besieged past that is all but vanished as well as a more recent past whose profound lessons some of us seem intent on ignoring.

I celebrate Chiweyite Ejike the man. And I highly (repeat, highly) recommend the book to you.

Ryder System is partnering with the telephone language interpretation service Language Select to provide support for more than 200 different languages for the company’s pre-owned vehicle customers.

Customers calling Ryder will bring a Language Select interpreter on the line. The customer’s needs will be translated to the Ryder sales representative and the appropriate pre-owned vehicle information will be translated back to the customer.

The service is available during the operating hours of Ryder’s Used Truck Centers. Ryder’s pre-owned vehicle customer line can be reached at 1-800-USED-TRK.

“Language should not be a barrier to ensuring we provide the best pre-owned vehicle solution to our diverse base of customers across the globe,” said Eugene Tagney, vice president of asset management and vehicle sales at Ryder.

Ryder’s pre-owned vehicle inventory includes commercial and heavy duty vehicles including tractors, trailers, straight trucks, panel and cube vans, refrigerated trucks and stake trucks. The company sells more than 17,000 vehicles a year from its network of 59 used truck centers across North America.

For more information click here.

Anyone writing critically about the Bible — scriptures revered and followed by millions of believers worldwide — would do well to brace himself or herself for pushback from those believers, as well as scholars who view the Bible as God's word.

As reported here in June, 75 percent of Americans believe the Bible is "somehow connected to God," according to a Gallup poll, while 28 percent believe it is the "actual word of God."

Kurt Eichenwald, a Vanity Fair magazine contributing editor whose reporting specialties include health care, finance and child pornography, got a dose of blowback for his pre-Christmas story on the Bible on the cover of Newsweek, which is owned by a media firm connected to a controversial Christian group.

"No television preacher has ever read the Bible. Neither has any evangelical politician. Neither has the pope. Neither have I. And neither have you," Eichenwald wrote. "At best, we’ve all read a bad translation — a translation of translations of translations of hand-copied copies of copies of copies of copies, and on and on, hundreds of times."

Eichenwald asserted the article "is not intended to advance a particular theology or debate the existence of God. Rather, it is designed to shine a light on a book that has been abused by people who claim to revere it but don’t read it, in the process creating misery for others."

The article brought strong words from Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who called Eichenwald's work "a hit-piece that lacks any journalistic balance or credibility. His only sources cited within the article are from severe critics of evangelical Christianity, and he does not even represent some of them accurately."

While Eichenwald wrote that his conclusions were "based in large part on the works of scores of theologians and scholars, some of which dates back centuries," Mohler noted the writer quoted only three modern scholars in the story, none of whom represented traditional viewpoints: Bart D. Ehrman, whom Eichenwald calls "a groundbreaking biblical scholar and professor" at the University of North Carolina; Jason David BeDuhn, a professor of religious studies at Northern Arizona University; and Richard Elliott Friedman, a Jewish Studies professor at the University of Georgia.

Others have come to Eichenwald's defense. Daily Kos blogger Fokozatos Siker, praised the veteran reporter as "one of my favorite journalists because he is one of these rare types in the MSM (mainstream media) who is willing to go after bad people tooth and nail. Usually it's about politics, but today it is about fundamentalist Christians."

Of the Newsweek piece, Siker added, "this article took my breath away at how aggressive it is."

And Hemant Mehta, the Patheos.com "Friendly Atheist" blogger, applauded Eichenwald's piece for telling "us something we’ve known for a long time: Many Christians will distort the Bible to say whatever they want it to say."

But Daniel B. Wallace, a professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, a major evangelical institution, criticized Eichenwald's reliance on certain sources. "Time and time again the author presents his arguments as though they were facts. Any serious disagreements with his reasoning are quietly ignored as though they did not exist," Wallace wrote. "Eichenwald is in need of a healthy dose of epistemic humility as well as a good research assistant who can do some fact-checking before the author embarrasses himself further in print."

And seminary president Mohler offers a blunt assessment of the story's impact on Newsweek, and not on Bible believers. He said Eichenwald's article "is exactly what happens when a writer fueled by open antipathy to evangelical Christianity tries to throw every argument he can think of against the Bible and its authority (T)his article is likely to do far more damage to Newsweek in its sad new reality."

Newsweek, one of America's pioneering newsweeklies, has faced financial difficulty over the past 10 years and only last year restarted a print edition after dropping it at the end of 2012, the BBC noted. The publication is owned by IBT Media, a company with "significant ties to David Jang, the Korean pastor hailed by some of his followers as a messianic figure, a 'Second Coming Christ,'" according to Christianity Today magazine.

Email: mkellner@deseretnews.com Twitter: @Mark_Kellner