Sarah's Archives

an archive of content from ≈ 2005 - 2015, relating to international business, translation, freelancing, and working online.

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Australian English

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I’ve noticed a few peculiarities to Australian English since I’ve arrived (colourful slang aside, of course). For example, on the train up the coast the other day, we heard “… Passengers for Caloundra, please detrain here.” Detrain??! As in, disembark or alight?!

Detrain doesn’t get too many Google references (most of them are French, “…de train”, etc). And it’s not just me who finds it strange, either. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News had a reader write in and complain about it here, and had the following to say about its origins:

The Macquarie lists “detrain” as meaning “to alight from a railway train” – and says it[‘s] chiefly military slang. Although it’s not listed in either D.H. Dowling’s Digger Dialects or in Amanda Laugersen’s Diggerspeak – so it’s not Aussie military slang. The opposite (getting on board) is covered by another military word “entrain”… And similar words are used in the military of aircraft: if you get on board you “enplane” and if you get off you “deplane”.

It even gets a mention in the online Urban Dictionary, but with very specific Australian (and even more specifically, Brisbane) references:

A newspeak-esque term QRail train conductors use to describe the act of getting off a train.

Train conductor: Passengers for the Ipswich, Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines, please detrain at Central. Make sure you collect all of your belongings before detraining. Thank you.

Passenger: WTF!?!?

The whole misuse of English debate is often levelled at terms like this, but I don’t buy it. (I’m sure being native to a country with a “non-standard” form of English plays a part in my opinion too.) Here we have an example of a word with valid origins being used as management jargon by Queensland Rail. That’s not misuse, it’s re-use. So pretty standard language behaviour, then.

Mind you, I’ve yet to hear the average Joe use it, but given it’s short, snappy and does the job, it seems to fit the requirements of Australian English just nicely!

Friday funnies: Make the naked translator into a super translator

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Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

I found this on a post from Translatorscafe dated WAY back to 2004. Ellen Kapuzniak was the original poster, and she called for translators to “dress” their stick-translator with the attributes required for a super translator, and then upload the results. Some of my favourite attributes include what looks like a million fingers (all the better to type 1,234,567,890 words per minute, apparently) and a fixed grin to dispel all doubts from the minds of prospective clients (sounds like my profile photo for Proz).

What would you add to the picture to make a super translator?

And more importantly, why am I faffing about with this today? I have a 5.30pm deadline that’s only getting closer…

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Top Ten Misconceptions about Translation and Translators

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I’ve just found this great little piece on the website of NOTIS, a chapter of the American Translators Association (ATA). I don’t normally reproduce clips this long in full, but this one is worth it 🙂

Top Ten Misconceptions about Translation and Translators:
 by Caitilin Walsh. Reprinted from the August 1994 ATA Chronicle.

10. Anybody with two years of high school language (or a foreign-tongued grandmother) can translate.
9. A good translator doesn’t need a dictionary.
8. There’s no difference between translation and interpretation.
7. Translators don’t mind working nights and weekends at no extra charge.
6. Translators don’t need to understand what they’re translating.
5. A good translator doesn’t need proofing or editing.
4. Becoming a translator is an easy way to get rich quick.
3. Translation is just typing in a foreign language.
2. A translator costs $49.95 at Radio Shack and runs on two ‘C’ batteries.

And the #1 misconception about translation and translators:

1. That marketing copy that took a team of 20 people two months to put together can be translated overnight by one person and still retain the same impact as the original.

Seems to me the image of translators hasn’t changed much since 1994… but I’d love to be contradicted. Does anyone disagree?

Incidentally, NOTIS has a page full of interesting articles and resources on client education – definitely worth a look.

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Friday funnies from my cubicle

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Some lazy link love today (seeings as it’s Friday) – inspired by my temporary return to cubicle dwelling.

Overheard in the Office: this very funny page is part of the larger Overheard in New York site. Anyone who overhears something funny in their workplace can write in and post it for all to enjoy. And it’s interactive, so you can vote for your favourites. Perfect if you miss the funny moments of sharing an office with more than a handful of people.

This one made me laugh out loud:

11AM Return Calls to Clients
Co-worker on phone: Uh yes, this is [Brett Myers} with the Mortgage Company. It’s Wednesday, 10:30 AM…I’m sorry! It’s just that…well, you sounded like a voicemail voice.
1350 Deming Way Middleton, Wisconsin via Overheard in the Office, Apr 12, 2006

True Office Confessions: all that CEOs find frightening about worker access to the internet – “bringing the confessional to the comfort (and discretion) of your cubicle… because a lot can happen between 9 and 5”. Just what you need to remind you that there are worse coworkers/bosses/jobs in the world.

Tuesday Chuckles

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This was posted to the ITI’s French Network egroup last year, and I’ve just come across it again while trawling my archives. It’s been circulating the internet for some time now and although its origins are a little suspect (as explained in painful detail here), I reckon it’s still quite amusing:

Mensa Invitational

The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year’s winners:

  1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
  2. Ignoranus : A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.
  3. Intaxication : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
  4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
  5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
  6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
  7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
  8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.
  9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
  10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
  11. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
  12. Karmageddon : It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.
  13. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
  14. Glibido : All talk and no action.
  15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
  16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.
  17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
  18. Caterpallor (n.): The colour you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

Of course, if I were really eager, I’d come up with a few more of my own (think of how it would enhance my professional image!) But I’m not…

Responses to "So, what do you do?"

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According to journalist Kathy Foley, there’s a group on Facebook where journalists post the top responses they get in social situations when they announce “I’m a journalist”. So here are the top four responses I get when I say I’m a translator:

Scenario 1: a typical “European” response

– So what language do you speak?
insert my answer
– [Pause] Oh… I know a guy speaks 7/10/17 languages fluently! He’s amazing… launches into the life story of this other amazing person I’ve never met

Scenario 2: a typical English response

– So what language do you speak?
insert my answer
– I took some French/German at school. Didn’t learn a thing, and the teacher had it in for me… launches into a story about how they’re “not able” to learn languages

Scenario 3: a typical Irish response

– So what language do you speak?
insert my answer
– Ah, so you travel all the time for work then?
I do my best to explain that it is possible to have a language job that doesn’t involve call centres or working for the EU

Scenario 4: a typical Australian response

– Ah, yes. My friend’s wife is [German/French/Japanese, etc.]. She does some translation too, you know, in the evenings every now and then – when the kids have gone to bed, of course…
I just smile and nod, about all that is usually expected of me at this point

And then there’s what I’d love to hear people say:

  1. So how did you progress from speaking those languages to actually translating professionally?!
  2. Any advice for learning languages as an adult?
  3. Wow, intelligent AND beautiful! Here’s a cheque for 1 million pounds, just for making my evening.

What are the typical responses you get when you say you’re a translator?

Credit where credit is not due?

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Apparently, I’m an e-expert…

Our research suggests the following:

e-experts are well above average in their understanding, exploration, and use, of the digital universe. An active online consumer, you really appreciate the benefits of digital devices to your life, which includes work, leisure, keeping in touch, shopping, travel, and entertainment. You are keen to share your enthusiasm, and are already thinking about your next e-nlivening e-xperience!

…but I’m not sure appreciation, enthusiasm or even thinking comes into it – I’m just a perfectly “normal” Gen Y-er.

I’ve put a link to the survey in the right-hand column of my blog. Have a go and let me know what you think.

Unpredictable scribblings of a genius moose…

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If you’re thinking of starting a blog but are having difficulty finding just the right name (we all know how important web presence is, after all!), then have a look at this little programme written by Andrew over at Jalecode. It will generate a random name for your blog that is guaranteed to meet the first commandment of the blogosphere, i.e. your blog name must be original, with just a touch of mystery and where at all possible, sound deep and meaningful!

No wonder I struggled to come up one…