Thumbs up for Embassytown by China Miéville. Science fiction.
This is one of the few science fiction novels I could find that focuses heavily on linguistics as the science to go with the fiction. It was my first China Miéville novel. Now, if I knew two things about Miéville going into this book, it was that A. He is a genius and B.… >> Read more
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).… >> Read more
Thumbs up for White House Interpreter: The Art of Interpretation by Harry Obst. Linguistics/Memoir.
The author is German-English interpreter who served the U.S. State Department for nineteen years, working with seven presidents. He does a brilliant job of mixing on-the-job anecdotes – sometimes funny, sometimes embarrassing, always interesting – with non-technical descriptions of what an interpreter does, while throughout making the clear and illuminating point of why it is one of the most important jobs that no one thinks about.… >> Read more