The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/807252
30 The Linguist Vol/56 No/2 2017 www.ciol.org.uk OPINION & COMMENT Heady 24 Email linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk A bilingual translation convert Thank you, particularly, for the February/ March issue. As a (now retired, male) interpreter, I found the article on the feminisation of interpreting fascinating. But the article by Marta Dziurosz ('In My Opinion…', TL56,1) I found even more interesting. During my years as a translator, I have always been suspicious of bilingual translators, i.e. those who translate out of their native language. That is until now. Ms Dziurosz's article and a recent experience have changed my attitude. I was invited by a colleague in the Evangelical Church in Germany to proof- read their English translations of articles in a 100-page glossy magazine about their work worldwide. It turned out to be much more than proof-reading. It involved revising translations by their German staff translators, occasionally reformulating and retranslating parts, copy editing and (finally!) proof- reading. The translations were good, clearly by German native speakers (a flavour not to be removed from the text). I sent back the texts, with the changes I had made highlighted, and they were generally accepted. Some perceptive suggestions for improvements to my versions were also made. It was a stimulating experience and, I felt, contributed to a better end-result than if I had been the sole translator. I now declare myself a convert to Marta's co-translation! Tony Coates MCIL The MFL Pedagogy Review ('The Right Way to Teach', TL56,1) offers a useful contribution to the current debate, not least because it highlights the provision of a realistic amount of time as a prerequisite for effective language learning. However, there is an implication that current shortcomings in teaching and learning are recent occurrences, even though they have featured regularly in Ofsted/HMI (Her Majesty's Inspectors) reports since the mid-1970s. Similarly, some of the remedies proposed are not new. For example, the proposal to teach listening, speaking, reading and writing in an integrated way is reminiscent of the 1991 National Curriculum Order: "pupils should take part in activities which combine two or more of the four language skills". Alan Dobson FCIL Teaching review: nothing new An interest in toponymy (the study of place- names) came early to me. My attempts to discover what country names actually mean have led to some interesting discoveries – the more eyebrow-raising among them including the Maldives ('thousand islands'), Papua ('frizzle-haired', from a description of the inhabitants), Myanmar ('strong and honorable') and Zimbabwe ('stone houses'). Likewise for capital cities: Addis Ababa means 'new flower' apparently as a result of the Empress in 1886 admiring the landscape and seeing a flower of rare beauty. Chicago is 'a garlic place' because wild garlic (chicagoua) grew abundantly in the area. Khartoum is 'the end of elephant's trunk' and most probably derives from the narrow strip of land, resembling a trunk, which extends between the Blue and White Niles. Milan simply means the 'middle of the plain', while Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia is the 'town of the red hero', under the pressure of Soviet activism. The origin of London area names provides an interesting insight, painting an innocent, even idyllic scene. Carshalton is 'a farm by the spring where cress grows'; Bromley, 'a clearing where broom grows'; and Croydon, 'a valley of wild saffron'. And in more central spots we see early indications of labour and industry: Chelsea: 'a landing place for chalk'; Chiswick: 'a cheese farm'; and Soho: 'a hunting cry'. As for long names, Webster Lake in Webster, Massachusetts, is better known as Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagogg- chaubunagungamaugg – an indigenous word for a 'neutral fishing place near a boundary': a spot shared by several tribes. A popular interpretation is 'You fish on your side, I fish on my side, nobody fishes in the middle'. Adam Jacot de Boinod is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World. ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD The origins of place TL