TGIF: This is Norway December 4, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.1 comment so far
The days are starting to run together and I almost missed posting this Friday video this week too! You all need to start reminding me 😉
I happen to have a very fond place in my heart for Norway. I had a huge crush on an AFS student who lived a town over back when I was in high school. I also dated a guy who lived abroad in Norway. I spent an enjoyable week in Trondheim in February 1989 and visited my AFS friend. I learned to love bread with Swiss cheese with jam here and drank moonshine. My friend got so trashed on moonshine that she started speaking with a British accent. It was hilarious. Norwegian is also very similar to German, so it didn’t take me long to pick up what they were saying. I wanted to share this fun little video about Norway with you all.
ATA video of the 50th conference November 30, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in ATA, Fun stuff.add a comment
Members of ATA received an e-mail wrap-up of the conference this morning, with links to the photo slideshow, postconference news, and the video below. I think it does a nice job highlighting the benefits of being an ATA member. If you remember, I mentioned that Amanda was wired for sound at our session for First Time Attendees, and she is featured towards the end of the video. If you have a sharp eye you might see me briefly standing there as well, but my “Warning: Translator with an Attitude” bag is featured prominently. Enjoy!
Der HDL-Song November 15, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.1 comment so far
Everyone complains about the decay of written language through the Internet and chatting. This appears to be especially prevalent in German, where they are already fighting the encroachment of English on the German language, which people call “Denglisch.” Apparently English chat vernacular has also sneaked its way into the German subconscious. This talented young man offers a humorous take on the situation. Just a word of warning: the song is in German and there are no English subtitles (instead there are German), so only German speakers will be able to enjoy it. Sorry about that folks! But I definitely wanted to share this with you.
youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw5gxZ3njx4&NR=1″
TGIF: Once Upon A Time November 13, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.add a comment
It’s Friday the 13th! To counteract the supposed bad joo-joo I thought I would share this video clip of an adorable little French girl named Capucine. This is just about the cutest thing I have seen in a while. Have a great weekend, everyone!
TGIF: Hugh Laurie on American slang versus British slang November 6, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.1 comment so far
After a couple weeks’ break I am going to continue displaying my love for Hugh Laurie. He is without a doubt my favorite British comedian (and there are some really good ones like Eddie Izzard and Rowan Atkinson). His shows Jeeves and Wooster and Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry are a total scream. Their ability to play with language is simply wonderful. If you haven’t seen them, I suggest you head on over to YouTube or borrow the DVDs from your local library. Have a great weekend, all!
TGIF: The power of a good story October 22, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.add a comment
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
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.1 comment so far
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.
Blog lunch at ATA conference October 8, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, Random musings.16 comments
Since we had such a fun time last year I was thinking it might be good to organize another lunch at this year’s ATA conference for fellow bloggers and those of you who read our blogs. We met last year for lunch on Thursday, the first day of the conference. I suggest we meet in the lobby right at 12:35 or so. I will be presenting the First-Time Attendees presentation until 12:30. Feel free to meet me in the back of the room if you want to be sure to find me.
Since the conference hotel is directly on Times Square I was thinking the Stage Deli might be a good choice. There are plenty of options for both vegetarians and meatatarians. The sandwiches are massive and can be shared or taken back to the hotel to eat for a late-night snack. The hotel is located at 1535 Broadway (on W. 46th) and the Stage Deli is at 834 7th Avenue (which is at W. 53rd and 7th – just 7 blocks down and one over). If anyone has another suggestion, please add a comment here. The restaurant should be within walking distance of the hotel.
If you are interested in joining us, either add a comment or send us an e-mail so we can be sure to look for you.
TGIF: Monty Python in a Language Lab October 2, 2009
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.2 comments
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
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, TGIF.3 comments
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.
Musings from an overworked translator 