“An argument in olden Arab times was like a dance. People wooed each other, rejected or accepted, negotiated, insulted and convinced each other using subtle messages & connotations, all applied courteously,” notes 50% Syrian.
Ever wonder how to get dozens of people to work together over the internet to collaborate on translations to multiple languages? In nearly two years Global Voices' Lingua translation community has grown to include 15 different languages (7 more up-and-coming!) and over 75 volunteer translators. Honestly, we're astounded by the growth ourselves.
Dotmg announces that the free Malagasy spell checker he has been developing is now operational. The software, which is, as far as I know the first of its kind, is:”opensource, and is released under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3 (or above). It is part of a larger project called tsipelina, and the project is available on tsipelina.sourceforge.net. It requires PHP and a webserver, as it is written in PHP.”
To bring this series about Brazilian myths, legends and haunts as seen on the Lusosphere to a great close, we couldn't choose a better entity to speak about than Saci Pererê.
Lam Chun See from Singapore has a message for expatriates: “If you want to come to work and live in Singapore, you should adapt to our ways and not expect us to adapt to yours.”
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia reports that Google has added the Slovak language to their online translation service.
“Many people decide to live in Jamaica because they love the energy and vibe of the culture. Yet, there are those who decide that this is country is far too difficult for them to manage and bolt in less than a year”: Transition Sunshine offers a glimpse into “the real Jamaica.”
Reflecting on the meanings of Arabic names, A Diamond's Eye View of the World shares this list of the names of mostly Lebanese personalities - and how their names translate into English.
Maldita, a Filipina in Bahrain, wonders why anyone uses automatic translators; instead of “You are not worth anything” she got the translation “You do not have clothes“…
“‘Joe The Plumber' stopped being real and became a metaphor, and as a storyteller who delights in metaphors, the discussion suddenly became more interesting,” says Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp of the final US Presidential debate.
Now you've already met and been frightened by some of the Latin-American frights, legends and popular myths selected by Juliana Rincón in her two articles (here and here) about this subject for Global Voices, it's time to plunge headfirst into the imaginary popular universe of Brazil.
On the 9th of October, the day to celebrate the creation of the Korean writing system [Hangeul] returned. Since it was canceled as a national holiday, every year there has been a voice arguing that it should be made again as a national holiday, so that people can recognize the importance of the birth of the Korean alphabet. More emphasis on English in Korean society raises netizens’ concerns and opinions about the anniversary this year.
Designlog’s concern:
한글, 우리나라 글 맞는 걸까?
Emerson Santiago [pt] writes at Patafurdia Magazine about akonting, the musical instrument found in Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. “The Portuguese colonizers and the North American slaves owners began to call the instrument “Banjo”, coming from the Quimbundo word “m'banza” (language of the second largest ethnic group in Angola), which means “home”, “city”, likely a reference to the “banzo” that black slaves felt when supporting their lament on the instrument's strings.
Blogger Ken writes about verbal gaffs in Japanese politics [ja]. Ken uses the example of a recent statement by Minister Nariaki Nakayama, which the blogger says became a gaff because Nakayama offended both the teachers union and citizen groups opposing expansion of Narita Airport.
Jordanian MommaBean is in distress. Her daughter goes to a Madrassa - which translates to school in Arabic.
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