#universaltranslation

[the-sasha-cantrelle-blog]

I will never forget my high school French class. It was Freshman year, and I was barely passing with a C on my report card. I justified this grade by telling everyone it wasn’t a big deal because French was of little importance in life anyhow. Especially since everyone in the U.S. sollicites Spanish as a better choice for foreign language classes as we are glued to the Mexican border (most clearly forget that we are also attached to Canada). In any case, I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I didn’t know at the time was that two years later I would move to France, only to decide that I would actually stay there forever. Needless to say, I kissed my C average goodbye. 

What my 15 year old stubborn mindset was clearly unaware of was not only the different opportunities that would present themselves - in French mind you- but also the health changes that would arise. Here above you may find the fascinating cases in which the human body adapts to learning and applying foreign language and how to reap the various benefits. 

Once I became perfectly fluent in French, I stumbled across an article at work that expresses how bilinguals are often victims of a multiple personality side-effect. That being said, I am not the same person in English that I am in French. In sum, the article assesses how it is possible to develop a sort of alter-ego in different languages as foreign culture modifies our relationship with others and our way of interacting. Part time journalist, part time undercover spy? Whatever it may be, this is simply the proof that #knowledgeispower

Here below are the two articles in French and in English if of interest that concern multiple personality and language:

FR:

http://madame.lefigaro.fr/societe/les-bilingues-ont-ils-une-double-personnalite-271015-99048

EN:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3004943/Being-bilingual-really-two-minds-Researchers-say-people-different-personalities-language.html

[the-sasha-cantrelle-blog]

You say to-MATE-o, I say to-MAH-to. Today I have decided to address a subject that not only touches many political issues the world faces today, but also a dilemma that arises from a linguistics point of view. The question is nearly this: who is right and who is wrong? Sorry to disappoint but in most cases, there isn’t a correct answer. Across the United States, from California to Louisiana and up through New Jersey, nobody will admit to having an “accent” or when it comes down to deciding the “correct” way to describe something like a carbonated beverage. Now is it: “Soda”? or is it “Pop”?...not all will give you the same answer... 

These circumstances amount to the same explanation as far as translation goes. For example, in China you might expect everyone to understand each other. However, if you put a Cantonese speaker in front of a Mandarin native, you may as well call up an interpreter to translate. I am always very surprised when in France, certain people use the UK English and I don’t understand what they initially mean. As a college student I often babysat and the mother would ask me to put the baby in the “push-chair”. I wondered to myself does she mean a high chair? A rocking chair? Or maybe the stroller? I once even told her that we don’t say that in English...right before she pulled out the dictionary to prove me wrong! So how exactly does a translator know which are the best words to choose when assessing a document? 

In order to answer this question, a translator must rely on cultural references, which is the principal reason it’s recommended to assign the work to a person that has actually spent time in the “target language” country. Everything is relative from one culture to the next. For instance, I’m sure you never realized that there are 50+ different ways to say snow in certain parts of Russia: melted snow, almost melted snow, icy snow...have I made a point yet? The English language isn’t nearly as rich. Truth be told, you couldn’t possibly translate the freezing temperatures that Nordic countries know so very well, until you have spent a year or two under the Northern Lights of Finland. 

The same goes for colors and numbers. Have you ever wondered why brides don’t wear white in Asia? Or why you never will find floor number 4 in a Chinese hotel? It is simply because white and the number four represent death and mourning in their culture as well as in others. Ever asked yourself why banks are so frequently decorated in blue? It is simply a translation for trust. And the list goes on. So getting back to our initial question, the best way to decide on word choice comes down to choosing a strategic translator who is familiar with the target language’s codes and customs. Because yes, English is English: Po-TATE-O / Po-TAH-to. But no: a push-chair and a stroller are two very different words.