Say what or the joy of trying to understand extreme accents in foreign languages

 

Most people in the world are exposed to a second language. Some are fortunate enough to live in a place where many languages are spoken while others have to learn an additional language in a more formal way at school. Regardless of how well they are exposed to a foreign language, people always have less confidence in their knowledge of it relative to their mother tongue. There is no method more certain to feed that doubt than to visit a place where people speak a version of the foreign language so different from what they learned that it is hard to understand. The failure to understand immediately raises the question whether this incomprehension is a result of poor knowledge or the “weird” manner of speaking. Almost every language has these outliers, including French, Spanish, Arabic and English. The cause of the local uniqueness may be historical, linguistic, geographic or any combination of these. The difficulty posed by these variants makes being a translator far easier than being an interpreter in terms of language knowledge.

Even after the advent of radio and television, devices that shattered geographical language barriers, every area, whether a village, city, province or country, has its own vocabulary and way of pronouncing words to one degree or another. In some cases, the resulting dialect is so different from the standard language that even non-local native speakers struggle to understand it. For example, the Picard dialect in northern France sounds like French but only “sort of” due to its strange syntax. Of all of the Spanish variants, Chilean Spanish combines rapid speech with missing syllables and local vocabulary, a deadly combination. As for Arabic, putting aside Moroccan Arabic, which is a language in itself, Bedouin Arabic is beyond the ability of most non-native speakers to understand due to its different pronunciation of certain sounds, among other reasons. The English language enjoys a myriad of accents, with among the most confusing existing in Scotland and the parts of the south in the United States. Even native speakers struggle to understand what the locals are saying. An encounter with any of these dialects will instill doubt in the most intrepid of language learners.

The source of these local language identities may be historical, i.e., it is a previous form of the language. For example, Church Slavonic is the old Orthodox Slavic language, which was retained in Church literary and speech even after the reform of the Russian language in the 18^th century. The Cajans or Acadians, who live in Louisiana, speak an old Breton French as part of their creole dialect as they left France several centuries ago. Old Anglo-Saxon speech survives in signs and the writings of Tolkien, who studied the language. It is possible to find bits and pieces of previous “versions” of language here and there.

A more common factor in a very local dialect is the presence of other languages in the area and among the population. French speakers in all of the colonies may use the French framework but freely integrate words from African or other native languages into their speech, including even Dutch in some northern areas of France. Berber, a non-Arabic language, makes its presence felt in North African Arabic. Spanish in South America borrows Indian words while English in many southwestern states in the United States steals terms from Spanish. Depending on the local ethnic mix, the main language develops its own style.

From another point of view, geographical isolation is a vital factor in differentiation. Where mountains or extreme geography limit contact with other cultures, languages develop in their own way. The heights of mountain ranges, the great distances of the oceans, the lengths of the desert and depths of the jungle cut off a language from its source and ultimately create a new one over time. The dialect becomes ever more distinct from the standard form.

This evolution creates challenges for linguists. For interpreters, this diversity means that knowing the standard version may not be sufficient to be able to understand the speaker. By contrast, written communication remains relatively standard over cultures. Official Russian from the Brezhnev era is not much different than the current form. For the foreign visitor under the impression that several years of language study in high school or college will ensure smooth linguistic sailing in foreign lands, it is a shock to experience total incomprehension. The only reaction to the flood of apparent gibberish is “say what”. However, to cheer up any bewildered foreign visitors to such areas, it is normal. It is not you. It’s them, at least from the visitor’s perspective.

On translation, fidelity and project choice

 

To non-linguists, translation seems a rather simple task, merely expressing the meaning of words in one language in another language. A solid knowledge of grammar and a comprehensive dictionary should suffice in faithfully rendering the content into a second language. However, in practice, the term “translation” encompasses a wide variety of text types, from the most technical to the most creative, and purposes, and from literal rendering to cultural equivalency. The significance is that the art of faithful translation involves a variety of approaches. For individual translators, these characteristics may define which projects they should accept.

The use of the term faithful as it applies to translation naturally poses the question “to what”. In some rare cases, the translator must rigidly reflect the form and content in the source language into the target language, mistakes and all. For example, a translation of a court deposition must show the level of language and evasiveness of the source text as these elements may have legal significance. For documents submitted to a foreign court, the translated text must be written in line with the accepted writing norms of the foreign court while fully reflecting the content of the original document, no more and no less. Medical documents, due to their potentially significant role in any lawsuit, must strictly reflect the content of the original but yet must be understandable to a reader of the target language. Marketing documents, including travel-related documents, must speak to their target audience, i.e., flow well in the second language, at the expense of the form of the original text while referring to the same factual elements. Finally, literary translation involves the art of expressing the uniqueness of a writer’s style and message into a second language, which may sometimes involve radical changes of the syntax and even details. For example, Umberto Ecco wrote in one of his essays that one scene whose core element was swearing in a holy city took on many different forms in its translations into various European languages in terms of city and actual curse in order to communicate the extremity of the act. Thus, the translators’ obligation to be faithful is far from straightforward.

As a result, translators approach each type of text differently. On the most basic level, a word-by-word translation with little consideration of syntax, as typical of some machine translations, involves little translator input but not a small amount of resoluteness as the resulting text sounds awful . However, when translators must render the content of the original text into the form of the target language, they must apply their knowledge of these forms to produce a natural-sounding document. When the genre lacks any prescribed form, the translator’s linguistic skills come to the fore as it is necessary to produce a seamless text, one that does not sound like a translation. Finally, in a literary translation, the linguist must reproduce all the nuances of the writer’s style, often when there is no direct equivalent in the target language. This translation tests not only the ability of the translator to identify the overt and hidden elements of the original but the creativity to find their equivalents in the second language. In each case, the translator calls on a different toolkit of skills.

Consequently, the ability to effectively translate all or many document styles is far from obvious. Personal tendencies, training and practice hone certain skills while bypassing others. Some translators are perfectly at ease handling the most technical texts due to their knowledge of the content and form but may produce the most unremarkable marketing text imaginable. By contrast, a translator with the ability and experience to successfully render the effect produced by one language into another language when given full rein may fail when required to follow strict rules of syntax and vocabulary, a result of that same creativity. Experienced professional translators know when the document involves a genre too far.

Thus, translation goes far beyond the formal knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and involves a comprehensive understanding of how to translate specific types of documents. Each genre has its approaches and challenges. Yet, the basic goal remains the same, i.e., to produce a faithful rendition of the original document into another document, however that fidelity is expressed.

Birds of a feather – Expats and friendship

 

One of the heaviest prices to pay when adopting a new country is leaving behind old friendships. This loss creates the need to build a new network of friends, a task that can be challenging. Clearly, chemistry is an essential element in any friendship, including platonic ones, and generally hard to find. Complicating this search are a series of cultural elements that render it difficult to make bonds with one’s adopted people as I will explain.

To clarify, by friendship, I am referring to platonic friendship, not romantic or professional connections. In the former, sex helps dissolve, at least temporarily, many cultural differences. In the latter, occupational interests create a mutual need to cooperate and a natural shared experience. Platonic friendships involve liking someone without interest or need. They are, thus, highly susceptible to cultural interference.

The most obvious factor making it difficult for an expat to make friends with a local person is a lack of a shared childhood. An expat generally only meets someone after they have become an adult. You do not share the same school , neighborhood or even university. It is impossible to talk about the “time that…..” Expats start at zero.

This limitation can be severe in cultures where people stop adding to social circles early on in life, often no later than university days. In many societies, such as many parts of France, registration on the friend list stops at the age of 25 or so. For older immigrants, it can make it quite difficult to find similarly aged friends.

Another societal limitation is gender segregation. In some countries,  such as the United States and the UK, men and women can become platonic friends without raising too many eyebrows. By contrast, in more conservative regions, notably the Middle East, there is too often a sexual assumption to any connection between people of the opposite sex. This attribution takes on more serious consequences when either party is married or in a serious relationship. As a result, the pool of potential friends is even more limited.

Not only do people from different cultures lack a shared childhood but they often grew up in widely different cultures. They do not share the same childhood memories, whether it is TV or societal rituals. It is far more comfortable to not need to explain to someone. Foreign friends require more effort.

Even the rules of friendship vary from culture to culture. For example, Americans have no problem with dividing their friends into limiting categories, e.g., golf friends and travel friends. By contrast, Europeans tend to take the total obligation approach, i.e., a friend must be willing to fully commit to a friendship. The differences in conceptions often take years to understand and lead to great and frequent disappointments. They also sometimes block friendship.

With all these interference factors, expats can find it difficult to fully integrate into a new society. The connections too often feel a bit forced. Fortunately, the chemistry between people is occasionally sufficiently strong to allow the creation of a friendship between expats and natives. More common, at least in my experience, is that expats find the most common ground with other expats, not necessarily from the same country, with similar enough cultural backgrounds. Expats form their own tribe in a certain sense.

According to the expression, birds of a feather stick together. Expats partially replace shared childhoods with shared experiences of trying to integrate into an alien society. We often grasp each other better than we understand our new home-grown neighbors no matter how much we strive to integrate ourselves. Such bonding is not a tragedy but an indication of the strength of human will to adjust and adapt. Human beings, even imported ones, need a telephone line to hand out on.

Crossing the ty's – The ESN speed-marketing event

 

Last week, I attended a speed marketing event in Jerusalem organized by Helena Baker as part of her English Speaking Networking activities. It was the first time I had experienced such a format and found it quite promising. The full day involved a series of 4-minute discussions with rotating partners as well as two roundtable discussions with relevant business people, each of 40 minutes. The main marketing activity consisted of short introductions and question asking in order to learn more about the other person. Of course, there was more than enough time before the sessions, during lunch and after the formal program to have more in-depth discussions. It was an intense day but three elements stand out as I look back: the marketing opportunity, the wide diversity and the importance of brevity.

The event was an ideal way to physically meet potential customers, direct and referrals, from all occupations and locations. The best marketing involves a personal element, selling oneself if you will. The challenge is to overcome the difficulty of finding relevant and interested businesses, the issue of geographical distance and the significant amount of time involved in developing those contacts, which may or may turn out to be relevant. In this speed marketing format, business people from all over the country choose to gather for a few hours, listen and learn. An entrepreneur can make a strong impression on many relevant customers in a short period of time. For freelancers, the opportunity to attain direct customers and, even more significantly, future referrals is priceless while the financial cost is quite minor. Speed marketing is a viable and valuable marketing tool.

One of the most striking impressions of the attendees, over 150 of them, was the sheer diversity. Women represented a slight majority, which reflects the actual distribution in many of the freelance niches, notably translation and interpretation. The people were of all ages, from students in their twenties to people past standard retirement ages. The occupations covered a wide spectrum of services from standard ones such as accounting, law, real estate and finance to more personal ones such as business coaches of all kinds and media experts as well as some unique ones. I was the only translator there, which is good. As this was in Jerusalem, many religious businesspeople also attended, also reflecting Israeli reality. The common goal, to market oneself, unified a very diverse audience.

In terms of actual marketing, every attendee introduced himself/herself multiple times, which, in effect, helped the participants understand and fine-tune their marketing, not sales, message. During a short lecture and workshop on presenting oneself, the importance of short and clear messages, including what makes a person or business special, was highlighted. As the day progressed, each participant began dropping the generalized description of the occupation and went directly to the distinguishing element and how that has helped their customers in the past. For example, one financial advisor briefly explained how his company had helped a client arrange the current and future financial needs of his children while an interior director explained how she had renovated a house to allow full access to a recently handicapped person. This method has the double advantage of clearly expressing the competitive advantage of that individual while avoiding “sales talk shutoff” since the person is telling an interesting story, not trying to persuade you to buy something. It was amazing how deep and effective a one-minute message could be.

Thus, speed marketing is an effective method, helping both the speaker and listener. Its financial payback derives not only from direct sales but from referrals from the attendees. Participants listen, learn and gain an impression of a large number of potential contacts within a short period of time. In many cases, the freelancers would have find these contacts using standard marketing methods, especially if they live far away. It is a great opportunity to meet a great diversity of potential contacts and learn the power of brevity. In short, the ESN event crossed all the T’s, notably opportunity, diversity and brevity, even while dotting all the I’s.

Vive le Roi – Considering 2025 and 2026.

 

What was, was. It may not have been as bad as people feared and felt. That is a good omen for 2026. I, like many business people, did a basic calculation of my numbers for last year, analyzed the details and attempted to derive some conclusions from them. Clearly, each business has its own narrative and situation. I will share my key takeaways:

1.    AI did not wipe out the business, translation in my instance. In fact, my invoiced total increased almost 8%. Although it felt there were far too many slow months, I cannot complain. The landscape changed but it is not a post-nuclear apocalypse.

2.   Speaking of AI, like Covid, it has transformed the business world but its effects are far from omnipresent. Specifically, people still have an effective choice to use or ignore AI, just as many people led perfectly normal lives without cellular phones for at least a decade. Some professionals have embraced AI to one degree or another while others ignore it by choice. There is still sufficient room for both groups. In translation, AI has not replaced other machine translation models, merely becoming one of the options. Its use in freelancer business management is still developing.

3.   Having stated that my revenues actually increased, the relative importance of various services and niches changed this year. Some previously regular clients and work decreased signficantly but new niches compensated for the drop. The key to survival is the readiness to explore new opportunities and supplemental services. While it is never optimal to equate previous success to future possibilities, in today’s extremely dynamic market, it is dangerous.

4.   In trying to remain relevant, it is important to seek and take advantage of marketing opportunities, i.e., never stop searching for new business. For example, this week, I am attending a speed marketing event (first time) in Jerusalem. I have no idea whether it will lead to new business but it is vital to make the effort. Marketing is a long-term process and requires consistent effort. Attend conferences of peers and target customers. For translators and interpreters, the Israel Translator Conference in Tel Aviv will occur on February 16-18 and will be available online. I suggest you check out the program. Opportunity comes those that seek it out, as Mr. Buffet said.

5.   Certain essential elements of a service business do not change. Prompt and professional service and communication remain the keys to long-term consumers. Customers prefer to buy from pleasant and capable people.

As the French said, until 1789 at least, le Roi est mort. Vive le Roi, which in English comes out “The King is dead. Long live the King”. 2025 is over. For some, that is quite fortunate. Every business had its challenges and can learn from them. It is now time to make 2026 a successful year. May its reign be well remembered.

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.