Alan Johnson (siehe vor allem Ressourcen-seite), ein Übersetzer und staatlich geprüfter Geologietechniker, hat ein Weblog angefangen.
New weblog by Alan Johnson (see in particular his Resources page), who does translations mainly in earth sciences and techology.
(Click to enlarge/Klicken, um zu vergrößern)
This is another picture, like the bonsai pictures taken from the Friedrichstraße multistorey car park in Fürth. If this is a Virginia creeper, I can look forward to taking many more pictures when it turns red!
Ein Buch für Richter ist in England veröffentlicht worden mit Vorschlägen zur korrekten Ausdrucksweise, berichtet die Guardian (Englisch). Sogar der Ausdruck asylum seeker (Asylbewerber) wird meist negativ benutzt.
Das Buch ist kostenlos online zu bekommen.
The Guardian reported on Thursday that the Judicial Studies Board has issued a book with recommendations on the sensitive use of language.
Frowned upon are asylum seeker, man and wife, girl (except for children) and businessman. A black should be called a black person (says the Guardian).
The book is available free of charge online.
It is not only about language. I have not looked at much. There is something about interpreters in the first section:
bq. An interpreter may be necessary even if the witness is able to communicate in English / Welsh to some degree: the language employed in judicial proceedings is so specialised in comparison to communicating in adequate English/Welsh in order to get by on a daily basis.
bq. Common words may have different meanings according to the understanding of the speaker.
bq. Always establish that the interpreter speaks not only the language but the dialect of the witness.
bq. The same interpreter may no longer be appropriate for opposing parties.
bq. There are serious dangers in allowing an advocate, friend or family member to act as an interpreter and whenever possible the interpreter must be
professionally engaged and ideally from an officially approved list.
bq It should not be assumed that an interpreter can continue without regular breaks: it is a very demanding process if done correctly, so allow an opportunity to indicate when a break is needed.
bq. A party may need the assistance of an interpreter throughout the proceedings, beforehand when giving instructions and afterwards when receiving an explanation as to what has transpired. An interpreter or translation of documents may be required to understand the documentation in proceedings. Failure to ensure this could amount to a denial of justice.
bq. To the extent that it is difficult for those with learning difficulties or inadequate language skills to understand the language employed in the court room, all efforts should be made to communicate in a manner comprehensible to the parties before you.
(Thanks to Maurice H. Varney for the links)
I’m particularly struck by the idea of growing clematis in a small pot. I only saw that today. I’ve photographed the bonsai before.
On the perennial topic of English borrowings in German, Renee Goodvin in the Living in Europe blogzine is interested in English words borrowed in German but given a different meaning.
Her example is Mobbing, which is certainly used a lot in Germany but I think does come from English.
bq. In German, das Mobbing translates to workplace bullying, which is what the woman on the tape was describing. However, the only time I ever use the word Mob in English as a noun is in reference to organized crime or a large group of dissatisfied or angry people. I also occasionally use mob as a verb as in the crowd mobbed the store, but in reference to workplace bullying? Never.
bq. I would really like to compile a list of English words with invented German meanings. If you have any examples, please email me at blondelibrarian (at) gmail.com.
Trying to think of words that fit what she means (if I understood her right), I found a Wikipedia entry on Scheinanglizismus. I had already remembered Pullunder, but this reminded me of Bodybag, which is used in Germany for those ‘handbags’ that are like a shrunk and mutated rucksack and hang close to the body. In English we tend to associate them with Vietnam. And there is a reminder of the ancient word Twen. Dressman and Handy too, of course.
I’m not sure that the article is fully reliable. Is Patchwork-Familie really invented? I seem to remember researching it when I first met it in German and finding some convincing English uses.
There’s a link to an article on invented English words in German by one Robbin D. Knapp, who may possibly be the author of the Wikipedia entry.