Communication as Translation

This post is about what I learnt in class today.

Each communication act can be considered a translation. Not necessarily should communication acts be between two languages or cultures, you can even “translate” a thought into spoken words, a gesture into an explanation of its meaning and a book into a film, to make some examples.

In the video above there are some examples of translation, even in the broader meaning of the word:

• Italian gestures are translated using an explanation of their meaning;
• there’s an oral description, made by one of the travelers, of what a vigile does, and the other one is surprised to hear that in Italy a traffic warden carries a pistol. At the end of the video, there’s the typically Italian applause adressed to the pilot after a plane lands;
• the captain translates his announcement into English by talking with a very strong Italian pronunciation and, when he doesn’t know how to translate something, he uses onomatopoeia.
• there’s also the use of subtitles, i.e. a translation from oral verbal language into written one.

Some Interesting Infographics From Grammar.net (warning: image heavy-ish)

More on Grammar.Net

When Foreign Tourists Are Lost in Translation

Thanks to a Facebook friend, I’ve just read a very interesting article. When it comes to giving pieces of information in English, Italian call center operators either have a hard time speaking in English or even hang up right after hearing “Hello”. Callers may have to wait for a long time, and sometimes pay a lot of money if they call a pay number. Of course there are exceptions, but they’re hard to find. In some cases, there’s the same number for asking information in both Italian and English, but you can’t always hear instructions in English (e.g. “If you’d like to talk to an English speaking operator, press 1″) and the people who answer calls are the same.

The article is in Italian, but there are videos with audio in both Italian and English.  Sky.it called call centers of businesses that tourists might be interested in contacting (e.g. bike/car sharing services) based in Rome, Venice, Turin, Milan, Catania, Naples, Florence and Bologna.

I’m surprised that in Rome, caput mundi, “the world’s capital” according to a famous saying, very few call center operators contacted can speak English.

You can listen to all the conversations here.

“The Glamour of Grammar” by Roy Peter Clark

You know, I’m a translator, a Foreign Languages student and, on top of all, an English language lover. I’m interested in anything related to English language and culture, and I’d like to learn as much as possible about them. I’m constantly finding ways to keep me updated and to put what I’ve learned into practice. On a typical day, you can find me listening to songs in English, surfing websites in English, or even (over)using English words in conversations. I’ve liked the English language since I was a little girl: I spoke my very first English words when I was 4 (no, I wasn’t raised in a bilingual environment… my Dad taught me a few words and sentences he knew), even if I knew very little then. I started studying English when I started middle school, and haven’t stopped ever since.

Back to the book, I read about “The Glamour of Grammar” by Roy Peter Clark for the first time on Jenn’s blog, In My Bag, where she posted a very interesting review. She’s a freelance writer and blogger, and owns several blogs.

Here’s a description of the book:

Early in the history of English, the words “grammar” and “glamour” meant the same thing: the power to charm. Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools, aims to put the glamour back in grammar with this fun, engaging alternative to stuffy instructionals. In this practical guide, readers will learn everything from the different parts of speech to why effective writers prefer concrete nouns and active verbs. THE GLAMOUR OF GRAMMAR gives readers all the tools they need to”live inside the language”–to take advantage of grammar to perfect their use of English, to instill meaning, and to charm through their writing.

Some information about the author:

Roy Peter Clark is vice president and senior scholar at The Poynter Institute, one of the most prestigious schools for journalists in the world. He has taught writing at every level–to schoolchildren and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors–for more than thirty years, and has spoken about the writer’s craft on The Oprah Winfrey Show, NPR, and The Today Show; at conferences from Singapore to Brazil; and at news organizations from the New York Times to The Sowetan in South Africa. A writer who teaches and a teacher who writes, he has authored or edited fifteen books about writing and journalism, including his most recent, Writing Tools.

You can either get a copy of the book online, or take part in Jenn’s giveaway by following the guidelines on her blog.