Blog lunch at ATA conference September 23, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.2 comments
Corinne from Thoughts on Translation and I were talking about possibly organizing a lunch at this year’s ATA conference for fellow bloggers and those of you who read our blogs. We were thinking lunch on Thursday, the first day of the conference, would be a good choice. If you are interested in joining us, either add a comment or send us an e-mail.
TGIF: You too can learn another language September 19, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, Random musings.1 comment so far
Just like the goldfish clip from about a month ago, this ad with the bilingual cat and the lazy dog makes me laugh. This would never happen at my house. My dog barks at anyone who even walks on the sidewalk across the street – except for the Animal Control guy who was going to put out a trap to catch the skunk that sprayed my dog last Saturday. He left because Lily didn’t bark when he pulled up, so I didn’t know he was there (my doorbell isn’t working at the moment, but I don’t get many visitors so I don’t feel the need to run right out and fix it).
Yes, I’m in a run-on sentence kind of mood today…
Garfield has an interpreter September 18, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.add a comment
Garfield has never been on the cutting edge of language humor, so this comic strip is especially enjoyable for those of us in the T&I sector. Common themes in the strip include Garfield’s laziness, obsessive eating, and hatred of Mondays and diets, his abuse of Jon’s dog Odie, or how inept with women Jon is. The strip’s focus is mostly on the interactions between Garfield, his owner Jon, and Odie (my personal favorite). Recurring minor characters such as the mice Garfield refuses to chase or Garfield’s vet appear as well.
Postscript: Top 10 rules for working from home September 17, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.add a comment
Apropos working from home, Sarah from There’s Something About Translation had the most hilarious link about a week ago to a post on new media producer Ian MacKenzie’s blog called The Home Office: Fact or Fiction, contrasting what home office workers want you to think they are doing with what they are actually doing. If you haven’t seen it you simply must check it out!
Beetle Bailey: can you translate that? September 17, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, Translation Sites.add a comment
Since the Speed Bump comic strip was so well-received, I thought I’d share this Beetle Bailey comic strip with you all. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Beetle Bailey, Beetle made his comic-strip debut as a college cutup in 1950 in a mere 50 newspapers. He accidentally enlisted in the Army during the Korean War and has been in the Army ever since. Most of the humor revolves around the mostly inept characters stationed at Camp Swampy. Private Bailey is a pretty lazy soldier who usually naps and avoids work, and thus is often the subject of verbal and physical abuse from his Sergeant.
Translate some scoop for E! Online September 13, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, Random musings, Translation Sites.add a comment
It’s the weekend, so I am going to post something really fun yet still translation-related. Those of you who know me personally know that I am a big fan of TV. I enjoy numerous shows – just not reality TV – when and if I find the time to watch them. I usually download them and catch up on weekends or whenever I get a chance (like once the season is over). I just caught up on Heroes Season Two and plan to finally start Ugly Betty Season One tomorrow. It’s supposed to rain all weekend. Perfect “vegging out” weather.
Anyway, the point of this post is… Kristin at E! Online interviewed four actors from the TV show Heroes and had them answer in Japanese, Spanish, Korean and French, respectively. Apparently a fan asked the cast to describe the new season in one word at this year’s ComicCon. When it came time for Masi Oka’s (the adorable Hiro) turn, Milo Ventimiglia whispered something in his ear, and Masi answered the question in Japanese. Several weeks later at the Heroes season three premiere party (last night), the E! Online interviewer asked him to tell them in Japanese what was so great about season three, and he then proceeded to give the entire interview in Japanese. The interviewer was inspired and then asked three other bilingual actors to answer in their languages, and now the readers at E! Online have been challenged to translate the answers to find out the “scoop” on Season Three.
Someone was able to translate the Spanish and French (somewhat), but if you want to enlighten them or smooth it out it might be kind of fun. How cool is it that the show is so multicultural? They manage to effortlessly integrate the Japanese dialog with English subtitles without the American audience rebelling (probably a first since the average American doesn’t like subtitles – yes, I’m being sarcastic). OK, the Korean actor plays a Japanese guy, but still it’s a start to America embracing globalization… Every little step counts.
TGIF: I Love Lucy: A Matter of Interpretation September 12, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.4 comments
It’s Friday! Time for another video. This particular I Love Lucy isn’t the most well known of her clips, but this clip seriously amused me. Lucy gets arrested in France for passing counterfeit money and gets thrown into the Bastille. As always, wackiness ensues.
They just don’t make comedies like this anymore. I Love Lucy was wicked funny, and I believe they were also the first “bilingual couple” on television. I grew up with a crush on Desi Arnaz. I think everyone did. Must be where the idea of “tall, dark and handsome” came from – and was the beginning of my love for foreign men.
Share your favorite line in the comments below. My favorite is “Nobody speaks English–they’re all foreigners!” Ah, Lucy…
Translation-related Speed Bump September 6, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.1 comment so far
The weather is overcast and rainy here in northeast Ohio, so I am spending the day translating a contract and installing a bunch of little programs that I have been meaning to install for a while, such as the updated UniLex interface and a little program called CompleteWordCount. I’m also organizing and deleting extraneous files off my computer and have a few translation-related comic strips to share. This is one of my all-time favorites. Most of you may have already seen it, but if not I hope you enjoy it.
Dear Germany: Eine Amerikanerin in Deutschland September 5, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, German culture, Random musings.10 comments
I am reading the most fantastic book, which I received as a birthday gift from one of my best friends in Germany. Dear Germany: Eine Amerikanerin in Deutschland by Carol Kloeppel could have been written by me! If you are an American who has lived in Germany (or Austria or Switzerland for that matter) for any length of time or are thinking about moving to Germany, you need to order this book right now. She talks about the little things that made me scratch my head and some things that I simply didn’t register but wholeheartedly accepted because that was just the way it was. For example, the German beds and Bettwäsche [bedding] or the practice of riding your bike everywhere even in business attire. I can’t wait to read what she has to say about the small refrigerators.
The chapter this morning entitled Fahrvernügen und Führerscheinhölle [Driving Pleasure and Driver’s License Hell] made me almost fall out of bed because I was laughing so hard and then cry because I could totally relate. It brought back all those memories of getting a ticket for driving the wrong way on a one-way street and having an ungültige Fahrerlaubnis [invalid driver’s license]. I had to jump through a ton of hoops and spend a lot of money to get my German driver’s license, but it was all worth it. I consider passing the written portion of the test – in German no less – with no errors (five are allowed) on the first try to be one of my greatest accomplishments.
Carol Kloeppel is just a few years older than me (born in Minnesota in 1963). She has a degree in communication science and worked as a journalist and producer for various television broadcasters in the U.S. She met German television journalist Peter Kloeppel in New York in 1990 and moved to Germany to be with him. They lived in Cologne and later moved to Bonn. I keep wondering if I saw her on the streets of Bonn or if she was a member of my American Women’s Club of Cologne or the International Women’s Connection in Bonn. The book is really well-written and entertaining, and her translator, Claudia Geng, should be commended for a job well-done!
I can’t wait to read more, and I’m ordering a copy for my friend Jane right now.
Belated TGIF: Happy Birthday August 30, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff, Random musings.5 comments
Yesterday was my birthday, and I spent it out of the office enjoying myself. The highlight was celebrating with my German Meetup.com group and friends and family at the local Oktoberfest. After starting off the night at the keg tapping (free beer) and enjoying the traditional German style polkas of The Hank Haller Band in the main tent, we spent the night drinking and dancing to a great rock band called Disco Inferno in the Microbrew Bier Garden.
I wanted to share this little birthday clip I received featuring Disney movie clips with characters saying Happy Birthday in various languages. Some of the languages (including the German one) are inaudible, but it is a cute video all the same. I’m off to celebrate my niece’s birthday today and both of our birthdays tomorrow with the immediate family. Why celebrate one day when you can celebrate all weekend? 🙂 Monday is a holiday both here and in Germany, and I’m going kayaking on Lake Erie (weather permitting). [Edit: Robin reminded me that it isn’t a holiday in Germany. I got our Labor Day confused with May Day – hey, it happens 🙂 ] I’ll be back in the office on Tuesday. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!!
