The Voice of LingoTech
Intelligent crows can recognize human voices
May 16th
Crows are known for their craftiness, but new research into voice recognition show just how intelligent they are.
CARRION CROWS CAN DIFFERENTIATE between familiar and unfamiliar humans solely by the sound of their voice, according to a new study.
Crows have long been considered crafty, but the new research out of Europe confirms their intelligence, at least in discerning friend from foe.
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Milton Fingerman, who interpreted for Dachau survivors, dies at 90
May 16th
By John Pope, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune
Milton Fingerman, who, as a GI during World War II, was an interpreter for the cadaverous survivors of Dachau when that death camp was liberated, died Monday at East Jefferson General Hospital. He was 90. Those who knew Mr. Fingerman, a retired clothing buyer who had worked for stores such as Lord’s and Krauss during the 52 years he lived in New Orleans, said he was a kind, gentle man who loved children and was a longtime holder of New Orleans Saints season tickets, a volunteer at his synagogue and the Aquarium of the Americas and a member of the Krewe of Caesar.
But in the spring of 1945, Mr. Fingerman, a native of New York City who held an associate degree from the City College of New York, was a staff sergeant in the Army’s 20th Armored Division. One of the division’s companies liberated Dachau, the concentration camp where thousands upon thousands of people — there is no reliable number — had perished. Mr. Fingerman arrived at the camp about two hours later.
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The Benefits Of Being Bilingual
May 16th
By Jonah Lehrer of Wired
Samuel Beckett, born in a suburb of Dublin in 1906, was a native English speaker. However, in 1946 Beckett decided that he would begin writing exclusively in French. After composing the first draft in his second language, he would then translate these words back into English. This difficult constraint – forcing himself to consciously unpack his own sentences – led to a burst of genius, as many of Beckett’s most famous works (Malloy, Malone Dies, Waiting for Godot, etc.) were written during this period. When asked why he wrote first in French, Beckett said it made it easier for him to “write without style.”
Beckett would later expand on these comments, noting that his use of French prevented him from slipping into his usual writerly habits, those crutches of style that snuck into his English prose. Instead of relying on the first word that leapt into consciousness – that most automatic of associations – he was forced by his second language to reflect on what he actually wanted to express. His diction became more intentional.
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Duluth’s Phrazer Maker Sees Room For Device And Human Interpreters
May 15th
A Duluth-based company’s multilingual medical device won’t necessarily put human interpreters out of business, its inventor says.
“Our device is all about providing extreme accuracy and very timely service,” said Mat Johnson, founder and CEO of GeaCom Inc., which produces a device called the Phrazer out of the seventh floor of the Dewitt-Seitz building in Canal Park. “I could see the Phrazer and interpreters working together.”
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Understanding the difference between translation and interpreting
May 14th
Effective translation and interpreting are both vital assets to global businesses looking to seek growth in rapidly expanding economies, such as Brazil, China and India.
Effective translation and interpreting are both vital assets to global businesses looking to seek growth in rapidly expanding economies, such as Brazil, China and India. However, there are many distinct differences between these two disciplines and it’s important to establish the right service for your needs when embarking on a multilingual project.
Put most simply, translation deals with the written word, while interpreting deals with the spoken word. Translators and interpreters are not interchangeable, and the two disciplines are very different. Each is a profession in its own right and specialists hold different skills, expertise and specializations.
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Unpaid Translators Angry As Owner Of Firm Which Went Bust Sets Up New Linguistic Firm
May 14th
Angry translators have hit out after being left out of pocket when a Birmingham business went bust – only to see the firm’s director set up another translation firm.
They are furious that ALS (UK) director Hayder Al-Ani bought the company’s assets from the liquidators, setting up a new translation firm Convocco.
Translation and interpreting company ALS (UK), based in Edgbaston, issued a meeting of creditors notice in March after the Refugee Migrant Justice and the Immigration Advisory Service charities closed down after Government funding cuts, owing ALS £80,000.
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Google Goes Ga-Ga For Africa
May 11th
Google casts its web across the continent. Any complaints?
Africa is developing even faster than the new highways of offline Africa. Undersea cables reaching Africa on the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts, plus innovative mobile-phone providers, have raised internet speeds and slashed prices. In some African markets you can buy a daily dose of internet on a mobile phone for about the cost of a banana (ie, less than ten American cents). This burgeoning connectivity is making Africa faster, cleverer and more transparent in almost everything that it does.
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Negative Words Shut Down Higher Level Mental Processes
May 10th
The brain can unconsciously ‘decide’ to suppress negative information to minimize anxiety or mental discomfort, according to a new study.
By Christine Hsu
The brain can unconsciously ‘decide’ to suppress negative information to minimize anxiety or mental discomfort, according to a new study.
Just as psychologists have previously discovered that people who are bilingual and subconsciously access their first language when they are reading in their second language, the latest findings suggest that the brain unconsciously shuts down the same access to a bilingual person’s native language when it encounters a negative word such as war, discomfort, inconvenience and unfortunate.
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Greater Access to Translation Could Save Lives and Protect Human Rights in Africa
May 10th
New report from Common Sense Advisory and Translators without Borders highlights the growing need for translation in Africa
Translation is critical for addressing information inequalities in Africa. But could translation also improve economic development, health, human rights, and safety of the citizens of Africa? Findings from a new study reveal that the answer is “yes.”
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