Municipal treats – suggested high-tea menus for a sweet tour of European cities

 

As so many people have finished digesting the excesses of Christmas and are preparing for the excesses of New Year’s, it is an ideal time to enjoy the sweeter pleasures of life before the January diet. Alas, with such a variety of pastries and cakes from all around the world to choose from, it is hard to narrow down one’s choice. Thus, I hereby propose a culinary tour of sorts of desserts named after cities in Germany, Austria and France as well as a few from the rest of the world to help you prepare the perfect high tea as they say in England. At the end, I will tell you my favorite choice. Hint: Italians have no reason to be upset with me.

For those wishing to enjoy a Teutonic theme, I suggest a selection of a Leipziger lercher, a Berliner, a Battenberg cake and a Frankfurter kranz. The first has a short crust with almonds, nuts and cherries while the second one is far simpler, a holeless doughnut with jam. The last two are sponge cakes with jam and marzipan or icing, jam and nuts, respectively. All go quite well with a strong cup of tea or weak cup of coffee.

In Austria, I suggest a piece of Lindzer torte with a Viennoiserie. The former is a fruit and butter torte while the latter is a rich croissant.

In France, a menu par ville might include a Paris-Brest and a Gateau Nantais and maybe a Gateau Basque (admittedly not a city). One is a pastry with praline while the second is a pound cake with almonds. The last features jam or cream. Any or all of them are fine accompaniments for an expresso.

For the “rest of the world” category, I would include a Leningrad cake, a New York roll, a Boston cream pie and a Santiago. The first is a Soviet creation featuring chocolate butter cream and cognac. The American ones are half cream and ganache or custard. The final one, of Spanish origin, is lighter with almonds.

With all these options, I personally would still prefer to sit down with a good éclair and a cannoli, which are not named after cities but my stomach doesn’t care. They both have a wonderful dough (choux as compared to crispy) and delicious cream. They make for a perfect afternoon treat.

So, as you eagerly await the upcoming Wednesday night binge, take some time and enjoy a properly made pastry or cake. It is not really important if it is named after a city or not. Seize the moment.

Keys to the house – the essence of an effective oral presentation

 

From classrooms to courtrooms, conferences to company meeting rooms and legislatures to webinars, one key to long-term professional success is the ability to make a persuasive oral argument. Due to the pervasive nature of English worldwide, many, if not most, presenters must make their statements in a foreign language. To quite a few non-native language speakers, this task seems Herculean, i.e., not only to stand up and talk in front of people but to do so in a second or even third language. Yet, the relative disadvantages of foreign speakers do not need to prejudice the effectiveness of their presentation because the most important elements of an impactful presentation are in their power.

First, it is vital to understand the dual purpose of an oral presentation. Clearly, listeners expect to receive the information they need or want (or told they need or want). They appreciate clear and appropriately deep explanations with sufficient support. They do not want to have masses of small print on a projector screen or need to interpret data. They can do that from the comfort of their desks. For the speaker, presentations offer the perfect opportunity for people to show their value. It is not always about being the greatest expert but rather about their effectiveness in transmitting that knowledge. A well-presented explanation creates a positive opinion of the person’s ability and strengths. This impression lasts far longer than the details or relevance of the actual information. Thus, both the audience and the presenter can benefit.

Contrary to popular belief, the accuracy and level of the language have only a minor impact on the long-term effect. Given the high percentage of presentations in English made by non-native speakers, native English speakers generally have some tolerance for minor grammar errors as long as they do not affect meaning. Occasional pronunciation, usually misaccented words, is accepted for the most part. Choosing simpler words, as many foreigners do, is not only not a sin but can actually a virtue in many cases. As for sentence structure, even native speakers get confused when making presentations. While a perfect presentation in terms of language is the goal, it is only an ideal, not a reality. As long as the language and message are clear, to err is human.

The truly significant elements of a successful presentation are preparation, fluency and confidence. The best lecturers make their presentations seem effortless just as NBA players make free throws seem easy (except for Shaq O’Neil). Their ease and comfort are partly a matter of personality and experience but much more a matter of organization and practice. They know what they will say because they have arranged the material and spoken about it so many times beforehand, albeit to their dog or cat or another willing listener. Practice does make almost perfect. This preparation allows the presenter to speak fluently since it frees the mind to focus on language and the audience, not on the content. In other words, they know what they want to say and can thus apply their effort to reaching the audience. Furthermore, fluency creates the image of confidence, which most listeners accept without question, i.e.,  if the speaker acts as if s/he knows the material, the listener can trust that person. Together, organizing, practice, fluency and confidence are the hallmarks of an effective lecture.

It is important to note that the issue of language mastery does not affect those elements. Many native speakers are awful lecturers, as anybody who ever studied at an American or British university can attest. Instead, the most important aspects of an impressive lecture are in the hands of any speaker, native or not. Clearly, foreign speakers require greater time and effort than native ones. Of course, extremely subpar language can render listening painful. However, as long as the language issues are minor, any English speaker can produce an effective presentation.

A foot on each side – a perspective on a freelance/salary job mix

 

Every entrepreneur has experienced the fear of leaving the gilded cage of a salary to enter the financial uncertainty of independence. Not only is that fear justified but, depending on the circumstances, the sudden dive into the deep water may not be a wise option. Consequently, many freelancers initially maintained a second job to reduce the feeling of insecurity and allow themselves to build their business and confidence. As in most decisions, it carries benefits and costs, some more obvious than others.

I can speak about the issue since I wear two hats. On the one hand, I am a full-time freelance translator. I invest my heart, money and energy in improving my skills and business. I identify myself as a Hebrew-English translator. Yet, I also teach English half-time at a local engineering college and have done so for more than 30 years. I teach some 8 hours a week, two hours a day in the afternoons. I retained this job as I built up my freelancing business and still retain it by choice. Thus, I have two language-related but quite different professions.

Clearly, a second job has financial benefits and, therefore,  provides emotional security,  especially in the early stages of a career as an independent. A second source of income means that a person will be able to pay the vital bills, such as mortgage/rent and electricity, even during slow months or a dry period. As a result, it makes it easier to demand higher rates and make wiser long-term decisions. It is known that the ability to walk away from a deal is one of the keys to success in negotiation. With a salary arriving every month in the bank account, it is possible to have some financial security.

A second job also provides a means of balancing job satisfaction. All professions tend to demand extraordinary effort in one direction or another, whether that is the ability to concentrate at a computer, deal with the public or any other requirement. Likewise, every job fails to involve elements that are vital for human happiness. For example, home-based professionals often suffer from social isolation. A second job offers the opportunity to create a balance. In my case, spending time with young adults with the future in front of them keeps me young and socially interacting, counteracting the hours staring at the screen. Second jobs can emotionally complement a main job.

However, they can also create great stress due to time demands. Many positions involve varying levels of investment. The factors affecting the required effort at any given time include seasons, special projects and annual deadlines. Freelancing generally cannot predict the quantity or scale of projects to come. Thus, when both the salaried job and independent career suddenly become time-intensive at the same time, it can lead to extraordinary pressure for a short period. Despite all the best efforts to manage this stress, such double-peak times are challenging.

A second cost of having two jobs is the ultimate necessity to make one secondary. In other words, one’s self-worth and effort tend to heavily focus on one job to the relative neglect of the second. Depending on the level of perfectionism of the individual, this compromise can be personally painful. On a wider level, colleagues in the second job may not “appreciate” your lack of total commitment even if they understand the reason. If they are totally dedicated to the “team”, they may disrespect the “slacker”, who may not be able to focus solely on the job. While nothing that the person can do will probably change this attitude, it is nonetheless unpleasant to be looked down on by colleagues. This status is a more subtle price of having two jobs.

In the long term, it may be simpler just to take the dive, become a freelancer and leave the old life behind. However, such a risk is not appropriate for every person and every situation. Clearly,  a schizophrenic work life can provide financial and emotional security. However, the potential workload can become overwhelming and create professional identity issues. A person’s choice to dive into the deep end or wade in from the shallows is a personal choice. No answer is wrong; merely a matter of choosing the consequences.

Gaby á Paris – A birthday remembrance

 

Today is my late mother’s birthday. She would have turned 98 today, but did live to 96. As birthdays are times to bring up happy memories, I will share the connection that was Paris and my mother.

 As a matter of background, she was born and spent her first 20 or so years in Paris, in the Marais, aside from a few years during the war in southern France. She immigrated to the United States in the early 1950s but made frequent visits to Paris to see her friends and family once she married and was financially able to do so. In fact, later in their lives, for many years, my parents owned an apartment in Paris, also in the Marais, where they spent a month or so twice a year. Thus, she and my father were regular visitors to Paris and felt at home there.

One of my mother’s “pilgrimages” in Paris was a champagne and caviar snack at the bar at one of the department stores (whose name I have forgotten). She truly relished both champagne and caviar. However, I believe that the greatest joy she experienced on these visits was the thrill of being able to afford it after growing up in a neighborhood and family that enjoyed an abundance of love but was rather limited in available funds. It was an “I did it” moment.

On a more familial note, she used to stop by the delicatessen of a dear friend for a good Jewish lunch. Her childhood friend ran an old-fashioned Jewish delicatessen. I myself spent much time there. You could get poppy pastries, not too sweet, tasty rye bread, delicious corn beef and tongue, and, of course, some schnapps. There were barrels of salted herring and other fish. It was a feast for the eyes, nose and tongue. During all the years it was open, my parents would stop by to say hello to Robert but also to her past with its rich memories. It was time travel of the best kind.

The connection between past and present expressed itself best in my mother’s feelings arriving and leaving Paris after a month. Upon arrival, she relished checking on the neighborhood, buying food and drinks for the apartment and catching up with her “bande”, those friends and family that had survived the war, as well as newer friends that happened to be in Paris at the time. My parents never went to bed before 1 or 2 in the morning in Paris, going out every night. During the day, they would listen to Bach at a church or see a museum, occasionally taking a train to somewhere outside of Paris if they wanted a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. However, towards the end of the visit, my mother, having drunk from her fountain of youth, was ready to leave the gray clouds and noise of Paris to return to the sun, sports (tennis and golf) and peacefulness of Los Angeles. My mother was as happy to leave as she was to arrive, knowing that she would be back in some six months to begin the cycle again. For my mother, Paris was who she was, but only a part of it.

In short, my mother and Paris never parted even if she did leave the city. Happy birthday, Gaby, from le fils de Gaby.

On time and timelessness – the Historical Dictionary

 

This last week, the Israel Translators Association organized a fascinating online lecture on the historical dictionary in Israel. For those unfamiliar with the term, this type of dictionary documents the meaning, use and spelling of words throughout history, using both handwritten and printed texts. As the Hebrew language is one of the most ancient tongues, its history is especially rich and varied. From the points raised by Ayelet Harel, the presenter and a former researcher at the National Dictionary, it was clear that despite its historical focus, the work was intended for the present and future as evidenced by the choice of technology and its intended use. Furthermore, the results of this work clearly demonstrate that the opus will never end and its approach also applies to all languages.

It was quite remarkable that the organizing founders of the dictionary immediately considered the future. From the start in the 1950s, they have chose to use the most advanced digital methods available to record the texts intended to be analyzed in the future. These methods included, at various times, punch cards, and CDs and now involve direct online search. Keeping in mind the complex, costly, and time-consuming nature of advanced digital records at any time but especially in the past, the decision shows the importance placed on long-term thinking. In the same vein, current researchers, often two or more staff members, do not use AI so as to ensure that the final result accurately reflects the use of any term in the text.

Likewise, in its approach, the project took the long-term approach and began by creating a corpus of texts in Hebrew throughout the history of written Hebrew. Early texts, through the invention of the printing press, are often have illegible or unclear. The compilers took care to reflect and note this ambiguity in the material entered into the databank. It also chose to enter a wide variety of texts in order to provide a sufficient basis to identify the development of the Hebrew language over its history.  Researchers then carefully examined the meaning of and spelling of each Hebrew word in a given text, comparing it to the concordance. Today, a researcher or simply any curious person can go to the dictionary site and view the history of any given word from the Bible to today. The slow and steady approach has created a treasure of knowledge for future generations.

Given the nature of language, this tracking of language will always be relevant because language development is a never-ending process. Every generation selectively modifies the use and even spelling of the words. For example, in English, the “gay 90’s” referred to the optimistic time before the 20^th century (alas, not realized), not a trend in sexual relationships. In terms of spelling, people consider “shoppe” rather quaint while few people today get upset with “thru”. As languages are dynamic, tracking their changes will always be timely.

Clearly, the Hebrew historical dictionary is neither the only nor even first such project. Most languages have etymological sources and keep digital records of their language. While for some, the view of the past may seem a useless and merely an intellectual pursuit, like all history, language paints a picture of the world that was, elucidates the world that is and provides an indication of the world that will be. The historical dictionary is both of timely and timeless value.