tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42981060299007266622011-07-08T02:48:02.312-04:00Words that matterThis blog explores the Finnish and English languages from a translator's point of view.Joukohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11971181783374397238noreply@blogger.comBlogger51100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4298106029900726662.post-90217196210556650242010-03-07T20:47:00.002-05:002010-03-07T20:53:24.171-05:00When languages collide<!--StartFragment--> The first known Finns to settle in the Americas arrived in 1638 as part of the Swedish attempt to colonize the Delaware River Valley. This area eventually fell under Dutch and later English control leaving only a few place names as an acknowledgement of Finnish presence. It was not until the period between approximately 1850 and the early 1920s that significant Finnish Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00042707282354178957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4298106029900726662.post-29544561832367147902009-12-13T15:01:00.008-05:002009-12-13T22:48:41.108-05:00Of commas and of punctuationIt could be the most costly piece of punctuation in Canada.A grammatical blunder may force a certain Canadian telecommunications company to pay an extra $2.13-million to use utility poles in the Maritime Provinces after the placement of a comma in a contract permitted the deal's cancellation.The controversial comma sent lawyers and telecommunications regulators scrambling for their English Joukohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11971181783374397238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4298106029900726662.post-77185430960811676622009-07-10T12:17:00.009-04:002009-07-10T16:04:42.718-04:00One and a half billion …. and countingMy students often ask whether British English is ‘better’ than American English. This is probably not a very wise question to ask a native speaker of American English, but overlooking that, what about the assumption behind their question? Is one variety of a language better than another or all the others? Ask a linguist and the answer will be, “Of course, not!” Ask the average citizen on the Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00042707282354178957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4298106029900726662.post-70705648080715470572009-05-14T16:33:00.015-04:002009-05-20T09:16:09.720-04:00Ecirp Nelle Hada and translating literatureI was born with half of my brain dried up like a prune, deprived of blood by an unfortunate fetal mishap. Doctors called it first Wernicke’s and Broca’s aphasia but later concluded that my condition is hemiplegia. As a result, I do not speak as well as I think. But that is true of most people, as nearly as I can tell.When I finish reading a book from front to back, I read it back to front. It is Joukohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11971181783374397238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4298106029900726662.post-13524704531953490062009-04-04T11:27:00.025-04:002009-05-14T17:12:48.900-04:00When the West was wildWhat is the official language of the USA?There is a persistent myth that German almost became the official language of the United States. The sentiments against imperialist England and the English language were so strong that supposedly in a vote in 1776 German lost to English by just one vote. This same year the country declared its independence. However, the population of Americans of German Joukohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11971181783374397238noreply@blogger.com0