Must read for medical translators!

Thanks to this month's ATA Chronicle ​"Dictionary Review" column, I was very pleased to come across Svetolik "Paul" Djordjevic's Dictionary of Medicine: French-English with English-French Glossary, a new essential electronic resource for French-English medical translators. 

This electronic, single-volume CD-ROM is searchable, a great convenience for the modern laptop-toting, on-the-go translator. Djordjevic, a renowned lexicographer has updated this revised edition to include a large number of acronyms and abbreviations, which we all know to be the prickly thorn in the side of medical linguists, regardless of the source/target language.

In his review, Eric S. Bullington, captures this sentiment in full, "In my experience, the abbreviations and acronyms found in clinical reports, written up by physicians and nurses, being relatively nonstandard and incredibly numerous, are among the greatest challenges for novice medical translators and non-specialist translators when translating medical documentation."​

While this dictionary is certainly a great asset to any linguist's arsenal of medical references, Djordjevic is also expected to release the upcoming French-English Dictionary of Medical Abbreviations, Acronyms & Eponyms ​later this year. I will certainly be waiting in anticipation for this next release.

​And a tad of humor to close out Wednesday:

Zac gets a passive-aggressive message from his doctor.

Bahl harpin' ... Local NoCal dialect slowly disappearing

In a departure from the headlines featuring "sequestration" across the DC area, today's SF Chronicle featured a refreshing and insightful front-page article on Boontling, a regional dialect disappearing from Northern California's Anderson Valley. 

As a huge language geek, I have always been quite fascinated by the convergence and divergence of local dialects, some of which seem to survive, while others slowly fall into complete disuse and ultimate obscurity and abandon.

Take Italy for example, where the perpetuation of dialects is closely tied to the country's ingrained regionalism. Those Italophiles out there have to check out this clip from Benvenuti al sud ​(Welcome to the South).

This certainly brought me back to journalist Robert MacNeil's 2005 PBS Documentary and book, Do You Speak American?  ​This is an excellent overview of the history of American English and the dialects and accents that shape our country's language as we know it. At left, linguist Bill Labov explains the Northern Cities Vowel Shift (AKA my explanation for why I say "melk," ​"wuder,"​ and "pull" for "pool."
 

Nordic cool hits DC

Some Scandinavian cool will be making its way to DC over the next two weeks--with some phenomenal culinary, literary, theatrical, and musical events taking place at The Kennedy Center and around the city. Click here for the full program.

A special highlight for local translators is definitely going to be next week's Literature Panel: From Classics to Crime-Translating Nordic Fiction for American Readers. 

This free​ event will include a lively conversation with award-winning translators Steven T. Murray, the renowned translator of Stieg Larsson's best-selling "Millennium" series, and Tiina Nunnally, who has translated Pippi Longstocking and fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. Literary columnist Katherine A. Powers will moderate as these two literary translators delve into the joys, frustrations, and controversies surrounding translating popular fiction.

​So, if you are in the DC area, grab some ice wine and check out one of these events. Also, don't miss the Nordic Boutique on Level A and the LEGO Exhibit and Play Space in the Nations Gallery.

Event info:
Terrace Gallery - Monday, March 4, 2013, 7:00 PM
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
20566 Washington, DC

​I don't know why, but the Pippi theme reminds me a lot of АНТОШКА :-)

Här kommer Pippi Långstrump - The Pippi Longstocking Theme Song in Swedish. - Auf Deutsch: Hier kommt Pippi Langstrumpf! In English: Here comes Pippi Longstocking!

From Russia with love.

FRIDAY FUNDAY (TGIF!): And the Oscar goes to...

Here in the States, women get their "Super Bowl Sunday" with the Oscars Sunday night. Should be interesting (and long!).  Foreign language nominations include 2 French-language films and the first (but, controversial) nomination for Chile.

Foreign language noms:
Amour (Austria)
Kon-Tiki (Norway)
No (Chile)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
War Witch (Canada)

Suds up... SOAP note symbology-terminology

Just a quick Thursday post here. I am often asked about medical terminology, acronyms, symbols, etc. Here is one that comes up often, for those of you who do source documentation, SOAP notes, progress notes, etc.

Below is a table of lab values. I am often asked to what these values correspond and why they are written in this tabular format.

Well, once again Maxwell​ to the rescue! This is really the Superman of all quick medical references and it is under $10 (invaluable tax-deductible investment).

So, here is your answer:​

Simple enough indeed. Mystery solved!

All roads lead to Rome...

Italy has been all over the news of late--with the world waiting with bated breath to see who will be selected as the new Pope, and more interestingly, whether or not the new Pope will be from a country in the developing world. Speculations abound, particularly with the announcement coming as a complete surprise--didn't Pope Benedict just launch his Twitter account in December (@Pontifex)?

Then, there are the upcoming Italian parliamentary elections and the Italians are keeping things interesting--with front-runners including comedian Beppe Grillo and self-proclaimed "unwilling" candidate Silvio Berlusconi--both of whom have criminal records and some very radical solutions to solve the nation's fiscal crises. 

After living in Italy for a few years, you become a bit unfazed by this oh, so Italian combination of absurdity and chaos (have you ever driven in Naples?). Well, speaking of that, the viral video above pretty much sums up Italy for me. If you have ever spent a fair amount of time in Italy, you will see exactly what I am talking about. 

With regard to Italy's future, young Milanese filmaker Brunella Filí is working on a documentary film, Emergency Exit, on Italy's brain drain and the generation of Italian youth forced to move abroad to find work and financial stability. She is currently crowdfunding her film on Indiegogo.com and it is expected to be released later this year. It is work a click just to listen to some of the testimonials. 

In bocca al lupo Italia!

TED 2013 and Linguist Brilliance

I always have to give TED credit for recruiting brilliant linguists and experts at the forefront of the intersection of language, communication, and culture among its speakers. After all, language says a lot about human thought, relations and innovation.

Next week, TED 2013 will kick off in Long Beach, Ca. and the distinguished linguist, John McWhorter, is slated to discuss texting in the context of speech and language evolution. For those of you not familiar with Mr. McWhorter's body of work, he is one of the most provocative sociolinguists of our generation and has challenged many fossilized linguistic paradigms--including in his brilliant The Missing Spanish Creoles: Recovering the Birth of Plantation Contact.  

I would highly suggest checking back on the TED 2013 site next week to download his and other speeches; although, I will be sure to post a follow-up here as well. In the meantime, here is some food for thought on the subtleties of human communication and language by cognitive scientist, Steven Pinker, from TED 2011. Quite thought-provoking and giggle-educing, plus RSA has provided the brilliant animation.

Cheers!

ProZ Conference 2013 - O Porto, My Porto

I am very pleased to announce that I will be participating as a presenter at this year's ProZ.com International Conference in Porto from June 8 to 9, 2013. This year's theme is "New Demands on the Translation Industry" and many great presenters are already lined up (Mox is coming!). Follow the jump to learn more about the conference and registration and to read more about my presentation. I will sure to have something snazzy for you with lots of take-away resources as always.

And, for those of you on the fence about registering, did I forget to mention Saturday night's Gala Dinner at the Burmester Cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia.

The Next Wave: Understanding How IT Developments Are Changing the Future of Medical Translation
Demand is exploding in the field of medical translation with the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device sectors representing the second-largest market share in the industry. Despite fast-growing demand and higher volumes of translation services in both traditional and emerging markets, the life sciences vertical is set to face new challenges in an expanding geographic environment that has become increasingly regulated and quality-driven. We will take a closer look at the trends currently driving the medical translation industry, including the recent push towards multilingual harmonization through controlled language and the implementation of common technological applications. Recent changes in the regulatory environment, transitions to e-documentation, and new approaches to terminology management as determinants of quality and consistency will also be explored.

O Vinho do Porto Burmester nasce de um acumular de saberes e tradições que remontam a um tempo em que a Região do Douro ainda não era Demarcada... Em 1750, data de fundação da J. W. Burmester, iniciamos um trabalho exaustivo na produção de Vinhos de Excelência que ainda hoje perdura.