Musings from an overworked translator

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.

TGIF: Learning English pronounciation August 14, 2009

I am a huge fan of Peter Sellers’ Pink Panther movies. I remember watching them with my mother and her almost falling off the couch laughing. The latest incarnation with Steve Martin – not so much. His accent is contrived beyond belief and makes me cringe, but this bit was somewhat amusing.

I’m starting to run low on ideas. If anyone has any fun videos they would like to share with the rest of us, feel free to send me the link to gertoeng AT jill-sommer.com. Have a good weekend, y’all!

TGIF: How not to learn English as a second language August 7, 2009

Ever since I first saw them in Germany I’ve always enjoyed the Axe commercials. This one features a class learning English as their second language. It’s definitely worth a giggle. Have a great weekend, everyone! I plan on thoroughly enjoying mine.

TGIF: Do you suffer from IOS? July 17, 2009

This hilarious video from Xerox is for sufferers from information overload syndrome. The Internet allows us to have access to entire libraries of information. There are those who claim the sheer volume of information which many of us are exposed to every day may actually impair our performance and add stress to our lives. I know I definitely feel like this some Fridays after a long week of researching terminology and concepts on the Internet. Is IOS affecting you? Have a great weekend and try to avoid the Internet as much as possible (you know, after you click on the video below…)!

Bonus TGIF: United breaks guitars July 10, 2009

I don’t know if you’ve seen this yet, but this is a very catchy tune. It’s gotten 900,000 hits on YouTube since it was uploaded on July 6. I saw it a couple days ago and can’t get the song out of my head (in German we call it an Ohrwurm).  As Dave Carroll explains:

In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.

The video was shot in 12 hours with friends dressed up as flight attendants and musicians. Volunteer firemen played the baggage handlers who are shown playing catch with the guitar case and tossing it like a hammer throw. Since the clip started generating publicity online, his schedule has been packed with interviews and requests for the band to perform. Taylor Guitars in California called him and offered to see if it could repair the damaged guitar. They also promised him a discount on his next purchase. And now the happy ending – United has since bought the video from him (hopefully for lots more money than the initial claim) and will be using it “for training purposes to ensure all customers receive better service from us.”

Since we travel more than most average citizens I’m sure you have all experienced luggage hassles. I remember being forced to check my soft-sided carry-on, which contained a six-pack of Radeberger beer for my Dad, in Frankfurt. They slapped a Fragile sticker on it, and it made it safe through Chicago. But when it got thrown onto the luggage carousel in Cleveland I saw a shadow forming around it. Yes, the bottles had shattered – and the suitcase still faintly smells of beer nine years later. Feel free to share your luggage horror stories in the Comments.

TGIF: How to clean your computer July 10, 2009

I figure if you are overworked like me you tend to ignore your computer. When I am busy I tend to let the files accumulate in my Attach folder and My Documents. Ideally I would zip the files up and archive them away once I’ve invoiced the job, but that is easier said than done. I try to keep up with it, but tonight I found myself archiving files from the middle of June all the way up to now. I then ran Ccleaner (formerly known as Crap Cleaner) to get rid of lots of temp files and speed up my computer. I try to do that once a month. Tonight I cleared out 414 MB of temp files, cached files, cookies, links, etc.

You should also try to thoroughly clean your computer once a month. Since I have a dog who sheds really fine hair, my computers tend to accumulate lots of dust in all the vents and the fan. I thought it would be fun to find a funny video on how to clean your computer. That was easier said than done, so you’ll have to settle on this one. This little video was made by a system admin to tell his father how to clean his computer. It is painful at times when he is trying to be funny, but it is in fact informative. I thought it would be helpful to all of you who are afraid to dive into the computer and give it a good dusting. I know I used to be afraid of touching the inside of a computer. Hopefully this will teach you a lot. Have a great weekend!