Musings from an overworked translator

TGIF: The power of a good story October 22, 2009

I’m home for a couple days before heading to the ATA conference. I couldn’t leave you all hanging without a TGIF video. I’m not going to give away the punchline, so all I’m going to say is “Enjoy”!

TGIF: Hugh Laurie speaks French at the Emmys October 9, 2009

I think Hugh Laurie is awesome and love his humor (as well as his skits on language with Stephen Fry). In this clip Hugh Laurie is speaking French at the Emmys. Enjoy! And have a great weekend.

TGIF: Monty Python in a Language Lab October 2, 2009

When I was studying languages in college we had to spend lots of time in the language lab, which facilitated the learning of languages using headphones and cassette tapes. After listening to the tapes we were supposed to repeat what was said. This was apparently supposed to help eliminate accents when speaking in the foreign language. Things could get a little crazy in the language lab, since so many different languages were spoken at the same time. You really needed those headphones to concentrate. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to work as a language lab assistant. My head hurts just thinking about it. I’m sure things have changed since then (kids probably download MP3s to their MP3 players), but I thought some of you might appreciate this little throw-back to the days of styrofoam walls and bulky headphones – and who doesn’t love Monty Python?

TGIF: What if? September 25, 2009

Twatif? As many of you know, Twitter limits its messages to 140 characters. That isn’t a problem online, but what if it happened in the real world? This video from FromBogotaWithLove shows what might happen if the conversation cut off in the middle of a word and led to some awkward misunderstandings.

Warning: contains some really funny sexual connotations.

TGIF: Idol contestant singing Ken Leee September 11, 2009

Sorry for the delay in posting this. If you follow me on Twitter you know I’ve been having problems with what day it is this week.

Everyone, you have GOT to see this!!!! This contestant on Bulgarian Idol sang Mariah Carey’s famous song, Ken Leee. I’ve added my comments to the bottom so as not to color your enjoyment of the video. 🙂

I love the judge’s question:

What language was that?
English

What I don’t understand is, why this lady was so stubborn and adamant about her ignorance.

Ken Leee”
“Don’t you mean ‘Without You’ ? ”
“No”

LOL! epic fail

TGIF: Facebook manners and you September 4, 2009

I joined Facebook a while ago and have really enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, both online and in real life. I have a lot of people who I have really cared about or were close to at one time or another, and Facebook allows me to quickly and easily reconnect with them. For example, I was able to experience President Obama’s Inauguration as well as celebrate the birthday of a friend who lives in California without actually being there through my friends’ status updates and uploaded photos.

However, there is also a downside to Facebook. You have to keep in mind who is following you when posting status updates or photos.  I use Facebook purely for personal use. I do not have many friends on Facebook who are colleagues (I can count them on one hand and regularly talk to them on the phone or meet with them in real life). The reason for this is because many of my colleagues use Facebook for both personal and professional reasons, and some are connected with some of my clients. It isn’t that I lead such a wild life that it might turn them off, but I really don’t want my clients to know when I go out to dinner or reading memos about me with personal information or memories of high school. One of my friends from high school has stopped participating because she overdid it broadcasting some of her political beliefs and didn’t think about who was following her (future colleagues and coworkers).

This made me think about Facebook and Facebook etiquette. One thing that really bugs me is when people post their Twitter updates to Facebook. It’s actually pretty awkward, because Twitter and Facebook are two completely different forums – not to mention unnecessary since some people may be following you on Twitter and Facebook and don’t want to read the same thing twice. It’s no. 4 of the 10 Twitter crimes that will get you unfollowed (BTW, it’s a must-read if you are on Twitter!). Here are some other Facebook manners that you may want to consider. Watch Timmy and Alice’s bad behavior to learn the do’s and don’ts of Facebook.

TGIF: Arnold Schwarzenegger in Japanese commercials August 28, 2009

This is a long video (10 minutes long), but it consists of 30 commercials that Arnold Schwarzenegger has done for the Japanese market. The videos just keep getting better as you go along, so be sure to watch the entire 10 minutes. Go grab a cuppa and sit back and enjoy a little break. Oh, I would appreciate it if one of the Japanese readers could tell me what the commercials in which he is laughing hysterically and acting psychotic are advertising. I’m guessing some kind of energy drink or nutritional supplement because it’s probably illegal to sell acid in a bottle, but I could be wrong :-).

Have a great weekend!

TGIF: Blackadder meets Mr. Johnson August 21, 2009

I love the BBC sitcom Blackadder, which features Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson as Edmund Blackadder and his servant Baldrick. Each series is set in a different historical period in British history with Blackadder and Baldrick as main characters. Ink and Incapability is the second episode of the third series, which is set in Elizabethan times. In this episode, Dr. Samuel Johnson (played by Robbie Coltrane) seeks the patronage of Blackadder’s master, Prince George (played by the delightful Hugh Laurie – yes, he of House M.D. fame) for his new book, A Dictionary of the English Language. Enjoy and thanks to Licia for sending me the link! If you get a chance, be sure to watch the entire episode. It’s a hoot! And you might think about buying the entire series. I promise you won’t regret it; I love my copy.