As you read this, I am at a conference, attending stimulating sessions on the connection between authors and translators (and I’m giving a talk myself, on the Swedish author and translator Gösta Knutsson). Here’s some interesting reading to keep you occupied while I’m away.
The first article is about the use of French in France, and how this compares to the way many Americans complain about the role of Spanish in the U.S.
Next is a piece on linguistics, which includes the sentence: ‘Language diversity is the “crucial fact for understanding the place of language in human cognition”’.
The Swedish author Stieg Larsson has become a worldwide phenomenon and this article explores him and his work, including its translation. I don’t usually read thrillers myself, but I have read and enjoyed his first book in Swedish, and I plan to read the next two while I’m at home next month, recovering from surgery.
Here, Edith Grossman explores translating Quixote.
The next piece on all the languages in NYC and on preserving languages.
Finally, have a laugh with these funny signs from around the world.
#SundaySentence
1 hour ago