Around the web – March 2016

Did you celebrate Easter? Jakub Marian created an interesting map of the word ‘Easter’ in various European languages. March also saw the first anniversary of the new version of my website. Anyway here’s a round-up of the most popular articles about language and translation that have appeared online this past month.

• Here are 15 things great translators and interpreters have in common. And what makes T&I professional? Carmen Arismendy has some answers.
• When you interpret, how do you deal with possibly unintelligible words spoken by foreign language speakers? Judy Jenner  tells a story about what recently happened to her.
• Colleague Elena Tereshchenkova blogged about writing content in your non-native language.
• Do you say ‘hayfever’ or ‘allergies’? Lynne Murphy looks at differences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Does this give you allergies or hayfever?

• Staying in North America, the Quebec Association of Certified Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters is currently running a one-month advertising campaign aimed at the business community & general public (article in French).

One of OTTIAQ’s advertising posters

• Has the UK forgotten how to speak to its European neighbours?
• Do some professors ‘kill’ translation students?
• The emeritus professor of French at the University of St Andrews recently explained why the French regulate linguistic behaviour so much.
• Did you know ‘storm in a teacup’ has Roman origins? Here are 30 of the English language’s most bizarre phrases.

Why do we say “It’s brass monkeys outside”?

• Thanks to Skype Translate, a Microsoft executive talked about prostitutes without even knowing it.
• Still on the above subject, here’s some humour: when it seems every word in French has a homonym related to sex.

Related articles:

• Around the web – February 2016
• Around the web – January 2016