Thumbs up for Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World by Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche. Linguistics.
Despite the title, Found in Translation covers both translation (of the written word) and interpretation (of speech). I suspect that I would have loved this book more were I not fairly familiar with both topics already (especially having just read White House Interpreter, a much more immersive look at interpretation, my specific area of interest). However, had I been unfamiliar, I think my mind would have been blown. Don’t know anything about either subject? Then you should read this book. You will learn things about the world you didn’t even know you didn’t know, and be entertained in the process. Would you like to meet the people who translate The Simpsons into Finnish, or ad slogans for Apple? Or the people who interpret trash talk at the World Cup, or 911 calls? Or the ATM that speaks Latin? Or a chat room of volunteers saving lives by translating SMS messages after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti? Found in Translation is a fun and enlightening exposé of the often-hidden role translation and interpretation play in the world.
Translation. It’s everywhere you look, but seldom seen. The book will help you find it. Found in Translation shines a spotlight into the nooks and crannies of everyday life to reveal that translation is right there, hidden just beneath the surface. Worth an estimated $33 billion, translation is the biggest industry that you never knew existed.
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