Thought I had COVID-19 the other day but it turned out I’d just messed up my nose by sauteeing a whack ton of jalapeños until they smoked. So I’m still here. Still working on some projects – a book, an exhibition catalogue (when will people start going to exhibitions again?), and a collection of essays… Continue reading How to stay sane on Twitter
Category: Current events
COVID-19 and the end of Waldenponding
Well, for the past 4 years I’ve largely been doing what Venkatesh Rao would call “Waldenponding,” that is, retreating from the Internet the way Thoreau retreated to his cozy cottage in the woods. I’m not completely gone – I still use email, maintain this website (a de facto part of the Cozy Web due to… Continue reading COVID-19 and the end of Waldenponding
Swatches
Two years ago, Donald Trump was roundly mocked for saying Russia had taken over “vast swatches of land.” That wasn’t his first noteworthy use of “swatch,” though. In November 2015, he recommended: “In Syria, take a big swatch of land, which believe me, you get for the right price, okay? You take a big swatch and… Continue reading Swatches
RIP Ray Furness
The world recently lost an inspiring teacher and all-round excellent person: Prof. Raymond Furness of the University of St. Andrews. He was the first German tutor I met at St. Andrews, at a reception for overseas students. I saw “German” on his name tag and said, “Oh!” but when he turned my way I came… Continue reading RIP Ray Furness
Is translation a bullshit job?
No. But it comes up occasionally in David Graeber’s book Bullshit Jobs, based on this much-shared essay (in lieu of a thorough review, I’ll just tell you that if you like that essay you’ll like the book). Graeber includes plenty of anecdotes from people languishing in pointless employment. One reads: My job is to oversee… Continue reading Is translation a bullshit job?
An appreciation of Aileen Derieg
In 2007, I was a frumpy housewife in small-town Ontario with two children running in all directions and two German degrees gathering dust in the attic. My career up to that point had consisted of a couple of poems one of my professors had seen fit to publish, an annual review of the German legal… Continue reading An appreciation of Aileen Derieg
More Trumpian back-translation
This Süddeutsche Zeitung article (entitled “The Germans are bad, very bad”) with a collection of Trump’s statements about Merkel – translated into German, of course – made me want to try another back-translation exercise. I picked just one of the many quotes, a longer one that demonstrates the editing/cleanup process his statements often undergo on… Continue reading More Trumpian back-translation
How to discuss Fire and Fury in German
This article from Der Spiegel is great for those of you looking to augment your political-gossip vocabulary. Next time a German speaker asks you about Präsident Trump and the new Enthüllungsbuch (exposé) by Michael Wolff, you can pepper your response with some of these key words and phrases: Sensationsschmöker Sensational page-turner Die brisantesten Zitate… Continue reading How to discuss Fire and Fury in German
Trump und die Lügenpresse
So the current occupant of the White House recently tweeted: “The FAKE & FRAUDULENT NEWS MEDIA is working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media […]” And this article in the Berliner Zeitung translated it as: “Die betrügerische Lügenpresse arbeitet hart daran, Republikaner zu überzeugen, dass ich die sozialen Netzwerke… Continue reading Trump und die Lügenpresse
“Five Germanys”
Recent events have inspired me to re-read Fritz Stern‘s book Five Germanys I have known (grammar nerds will note that it is “Germanys,” not “Germanies,” because the usual plural spelling rules don’t apply to proper names), specifically the middle section about nurturing, preserving, and defending liberal democracy. Reading this book ten years ago, I skimmed that… Continue reading “Five Germanys”