Debate on UNIFIL raging in Spain / Arrecia el debate sobre la fuerza de paz en el Líbano | 26 comments (26 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Tip Jar (none / 0)

"These bilingual diaries are a whole lotta work."

Man, I can imagine! My wife (an educated native Spanish speaker) translates, usually English to Spanish but occasionally the other way. Her English vocabulary is better than mine and she sweats some pieces. Is there a really good reason to translate on an English language site. I understand there are nuances and maybe a wider audience issue, but a steady diet of translating would drive most people (me for one)insane.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Sep 9th, 2006 at 12:00:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip Jar (none / 1)

Sh*t, I was writing you a log reply and lost it...

Anyway, just survey the Coments, and Diaries on multilingualism [starting with this excellent summary by DoDo from 3 months ago].

You don't see it, but a lot of the content here is translated (and, I would guess, about half is digested) from non-English sources. We have had bilingual comments, especially since I introduced the two-column format, and diaries in other languages (these with little success except for one by Afew that sparked one of the epic ET pie fights). Disclaimer: I am one of the big pushers for a multilingual ET.

Also have a look at the Eurobarometer: Europeans and their Languages to get an idea of how being an English-only site limits our reach and our potential to be the pan-European blog.

Spaniards are not far ahead of Mexicans in our ability to speak or write English, or any other languages, and diaries like this are an attempt at drawing in a crowd of Spaniards with good passive English skills.

Nothing is 'mere'. — Richard P. Feynman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Sep 9th, 2006 at 04:04:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip Jar (none / 0)

Well, you've convinced me. I just thought the pain would be too much and didnn't consider all the benefits. Your bilingual skills are exceptional, but I know translating technical material still takes a lot of patience. So, my hat's off to you and many thanks for what you and others are doing. I never even thought about all the hidden work already being done when material is translated from Spanish (or another language) into English without the side by sides. My Spanish is still bad after almost 40 years of marriage (a few courses), and numerous long visits to Spanish speaking countries. Political commentary in Spanish is particularly difficult for me though I am making some progress now that we are spending more time in Mexico. Your side by sides may also become a factor in improving my Spanish skills as well as those of others (as you note).

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Sep 9th, 2006 at 10:56:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tip Jar (none / 0)

Interesting articles also. Looks like Europeans as a group are becoming more multilingual, particularly in certain second languages. I would guess the same trend may occurring in the US with large scale immigration from various places, but I doubt much of that trend can be attributed to families that do not include at least one immigrant member. Americans as a whole, I believe, still tend to be rather insular in their thinking.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Sep 9th, 2006 at 11:25:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Debate on UNIFIL raging in Spain / Arrecia el debate sobre la fuerza de paz en el Líbano | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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