TGIF: Law & Order: UK explained to the Yanks February 18, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.3 comments
Thanks to Silvina Jover-Cirillo (@ATGTranslations) for sharing this hilarious video. I’m a huge Law & Order fan. I have been known to lose several hours of the day to L&O marathons, so I stay away from the television when I need to translate. I have been enjoying Law & Order: UK for the last year or so. Apparently L&O: UK is launching on BBC America. This is their intro clip explaining the British justice system (and British culture) to American viewers. Even if you aren’t familiar with the show I promise it will make you laugh. And if you haven’t seen the shows yet you simply must!
Just one thing: according to Asylum UK, “Certain words get lost in their translation, mind, such as “knackers”, which they take to mean “pants”, when, as we all know it means “bollocks”, which they in turn would probably translate as “male cows or bulls.”
Ah, the English language… full of mysteries and misunderstandings for both sides of the pond.
Belated TGIF: “F%&! you” sign language performance February 12, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.4 comments
One of my friends shared this precious little video with me today, and I absolutely had to share it with all of you. This is NSFW (not safe for work) if you are watching in an office, but since most of us work from home that won’t be an issue…
This is a woman named Anna’s final for a college level sign language class in which she signed Cee Lo’s “Fuck you”. This is a language blog, and sign language is a recognized language. American Sign Language or ASL is said to now be the fourth most commonly used language in the United States. Enjoy!
The original video is cute too.
TGIF: My Blackberry is not working January 28, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.2 comments
Well, since I did such a bad job vetting the latest video I feel you all deserve a TGIF bonus video.
This video has been making the rounds in the last few weeks, and you most likely have already seen it. If you have, I’m sure you would enjoy watching it again, because it’s quite funny. My friend Heike liked it so much she sent it to me twice 😉 If you haven’t yet seen it, enjoy.
Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield star in this sketch from The One Ronnie, written by Dawson Bros. A guy walks into a store and tries to return his blackberry, which isn’t working. The other guy gives him the best tech support he can. All kinds of hilarity ensues.
P.S. Orange is a mobile phone service in the UK.
TGIF: Google Translator Song January 28, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.5 comments
Google Translate has been all over the news this week. According to a news report from Tuesday that was circulated on Twitter by @rinaneeman, Google admitted that its translation engines are not perfect and not yet ready for sensitive debates, saying “If we were going from zero to 10, we would be about five”. Then on Wednesday Jiri Stejskal published a news report on the CETRAblog that Google has patented its “unique” web-based translation technique. This is of course further proof that the U.S. Patent Office has their collective heads <ahem, let’s just say “in the clouds”>. So it stands to reason that this week’s TGIF video should feature Google Translate.
TGIF: Sherlock Holmes, Grammar Nazi January 14, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.3 comments
I haven’t had a TGIF video in a while, because I haven’t really seen any that have been worthwhile. I’ll post videos on Friday occasionally when I find them, but there aren’t enough language-related videos out there to do so regularly. As always, if you find a video you’d like to share with everyone please send it to me and I will be happy to give you full credit for discovering it.
I am a Sherlock (2010) junkie. If you haven’t seen the latest incarnation of Sherlock Holmes from the BBC I suggest you do, because it is fabulous. There are only three episodes at the moment, with plans for more to come. It is set in 21st century London, and Holmes texts while Watson is a blogger. In this clip, which introduces Holmes to the audience, he visits a potential client in Minsk.
Greetings from Denver October 28, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in ATA, Fun stuff.2 comments
Greetings from the 51st ATA Conference in Denver, Colorado (the photo to the left is the view from my hotel room this morning). I am really enjoying meeting so many of you loyal readers face-to-face. I encourage you all to post comments, because sometimes it feels like I am writing into a vacuum. I am so gratified to hear that so many of you enjoy the blog. I know I enjoy writing it. I have started a list about upcoming topics I would like to write about and have also spoken with several people about possibly writing guest posts.
We had our 3rd annual Blogger Lunch today. After an initial bit of confusion locating the restaurant, approximately 20 bloggers and readers ultimately enjoyed a nice meal at PF Chang’s and hopefully enjoyed chatting with those around them. I know I enjoyed chatting with everyone. Some of the bloggers who attended were Tess Whitty (@Tesstranslates) from Swedish Translation Services, Fabio Said (@fidusinterpres) from Fidus Interpres, Abigail Dahlberg (@thegreenerword) from The Greener Word , Michael Wahlster (@Translatethis) from Translate This!, Tom Ellett from The Wor(l)d Weary Translator, and Eve Bodeux (@ebodeux) from Bodeux International and the Speaking of Translation podcast. I hope I haven’t missed anyone. I would like to thank Eve Bodeux for choosing the restaurant and making the reservation.
I would also like to thank all of you readers who joined us today. I hope you enjoyed talking with my fellow bloggers and perhaps were inspired to start your own blog or perhaps offer a guest post every once in a while. The most difficult part of blogging is coming up with new ideas for posts and keeping things fresh. By meeting you face to face I hope everyone walked away from this lunch with a deeper appreciation of the symbiotic partnership between blogger and readers.
Do you enjoy eating cabbages? October 21, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, Translation.8 comments
One of the members of the ATA German Language Division shared an interesting blurb from the October 16-22, 2010 edition of the Feedback section in New Scientist with us, and I thought you might enjoy it as well. Thanks, Cantrell!
DO YOU enjoy eating cabbages? We’re not sure whether the teenager known online as binarypigeon does, but her mother tells us that when she wanted to test the limitations of online automatic translation systems, she typed the phrase “I enjoy eating cabbages” into one. She told it to translate this into Japanese – and then translate the resulting phrase back into English, and then translate that to another language, and then back to English, and so on.
After approximately 20 such translations, binarypigeon’s simple statement had turned into: “Therefore, that is eaten because of possibility of fact of thing of possible possibility, designated that and that of a certain specification regarding that reason being shown it becomes, is inferred or as been, because either one types, whether it has been shown the fact that possibility should do my cabbage to that of the reason of this type, either one should enjoy some dependence of the range hypothesis our appointments which are shown, whether, these of appointment of the appointment which is shown are done.”
In the light of this, Feedback hopes that international bodies like the United Nations will continue to rely on human translators rather than mechanical ones for a while.
Thanks Feedback and thanks binarypigeon! I think this example shows that machine translation still has a long way to go before it will ever be a viable option to replacing a human translator.
Revenge of the Sith… Errr I mean Backstroke of the West July 29, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.add a comment
One of the folks I follow on Twitter recently posted a link to hilarious screencaps of English subtitles for a Chinese DVD of Revenge of the Sith (Episode III of the Star Wars film series). As the author explains, “a couple of years ago when i was living in shanghai i bought a revenge of the sith dvd off the street. it came with hilariously mangled subtitles that ranged from somewhat close to what the actors were saying to far, far away….” It is a very amusing analysis of failed subtitles. I hope you all enjoy it!
TGIF: The Trouble with Voice Recognition July 16, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.2 comments
Fabio at Fidus interpres just posted this video on his blog today. I normally hate to repeat what other translators post, but this is just too hilarious not to post. Plus, I wanted readers who don’t read his blog to see it (and if you aren’t reading his blog, why not??). The trouble with voice recognition software is that it has problems with accents – in this case Scottish. I love a good Scottish accent. I would marry a Scot in a second just for the accent (yes, it is true about Americans being suckers for accents). I have joked with my friends that I would pay a Scot to read the phone book for me. I just love how they sound. This video is hilarious, so I hope you enjoy it.
TGIF: A small rewrite (Shakespeare sketch) July 2, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.1 comment so far
Long-time readers know of my love for both Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie. Here is a live Shakespeare sketch called ‘A Small Rewrite’ made for Comic Relief, with Hugh Laurie as Shakespeare and Rowan Atkinson as the editor. It’s a total scream. Enjoy!
Musings from an overworked translator 