Chinese Lantern Festival

The Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House in West London exceeded all our expectations. The colourful lanterns were fabulous lit up against the dark winter night sky. I could easily fill this blog with around 20 photos and still feel that I am leaving some of the best scenes out. I can only give you a taster of the event here. You will have to go and see the spectacle for yourself either in London or China.

The Chinese Lantern Festival is a tradition with a 2,000 year old history.  It is celebrated on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month. It marks the end of the Chinese New Year period. This year it fell on 22nd February. It can fall anywhere between 5th and 7th March.

This year is the Chinese Year of the Monkey. Monkeys therefore featured prominently near the entrance to the Chiswick's Magical Lantern Festival. Below is the Monkey King figure that stood at the top of an enormous lantern.

The Chinese Lantern Festival marks the return of spring. It certainly did not feel like spring in London last night. It was a beautifully clear night for the spectacle nonetheless. Toasting marshmallows over a fire offered a welcome warm-up around the half-way point.

It is hard to convey the sheer scale of the event. It took around an hour and a half's walk to see all the lanterns. There always seemed to be another colourful spectacle in front of you, to the side, above or opposite.

Lanterns above a narrow walkway

The festival made clever use of Chiswick House's pathways, waterside, bridge views and open areas. Fish, frogs and ducks were sited at the waterside for example. Waterside reflections were used to great effect.

Waterside reflections at Chiswick House

Some of my personal favourites follow below:

The Chinese Dragon was a spectacle that you could see long before you reached it. It is 66 metres in length. Dragons are a benevolent symbol in Chinese culture. They symbolise strength, power and good fortune for the worthy.

We left Chiswick House enraptured and in awe. The Chinese Emperor bade us farewell near the exit.

Chinese Emperor and his soldiers 

Gaudí's Barcelona

Is it possible to visit Barcelona and not wish to stay longer? I have long wished to return. My recent visit for the ELIA Together Translation Conference provided the perfect opportunity to see more. Park Güell and the Sagrada Família by Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona’s famous architect, were top of my list. I also wanted to find out more about Barcelona as a popular smart city. And try out my recently acquired Spanish...

Park Güell

On the Saturday morning I knew that I been right to extend my stay. I sat relaxing on a bench in warm Catalan sunshine in Gaudí’s Park Güell. The temperature hit 23°C that afternoon. T-shirt weather in February. I even had live Spanish guitar music nearby.

Park Güell: view in sunshine over Barcelona

Gaudí’s Park Güell was the result of an extraordinary patronage and friendship between the architect and Eusebi Güell. It was originally intended to be a British-style residential estate. That plan did not work out. Park Güell gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 1984. Seven of  Gaudí’s works now have this status. 

Inside the Porter's Lodge (see top photo), it was possible to see the historical pictures of the park's development and its two influential men. Construction started back in 1900.

Today, Park Güell provides Barcelona with a fabulous public space overlooking the city. Gaudí’s architecture has a dream-like quality. It combines a number of influences from the classical to modern. The end result is an eclectic mix and uniquely creative at the same time.

Basílica de la Sagrada Família

On the Sunday we went to see Gaudí’s most famous work, the Sagrada Família. Gaudí never lived to see it finished. In fact, work is still ongoing. The completion date seems to vary according to the source. 

It was interesting to see how more work had been done since my previous visit. Last time much of the inside was obscured by scaffolding. This time I could marvel at the coloured light streaming through the windows.

With Gaudí, everywhere you look you see amazing detail. For example, below is a photo of the statues above the entrance. The opposite side has statues in a completely different style. They are very angular. Modernist in style.

Details above the entrance to Sagrada Família

As you walk around, you find yourself constantly looking up to the Heavens. Gaudí was a very religious man. He devoted the final years of his life to his expiatory church and even lived on site.

Looking up at the ceiling of the Sagrada Família's nave

My few Spanish words came in handy. Knowing how to pronounce Spanish words correctly was a big improvement on my first visit. I didn't understand the Spanish and Catalan spoken around me at speed. It's frustrating for a linguist to go back to beginner's level. I bought a children's book about Gaudí in the Park Güell shop. It is the perfect inspiration to keep going.

I hope to return to see the Sagrada Família finished one day in all the glory that Gaudí intended.

Belgium’s Ninth Art

The recent Tintin Exhibition at London’s Somerset House inspired me to visit the Comics Art Museum during my recent trip to Brussels.

Franco-Belgian cultural status

Comics have a much higher status and longer tradition in Franco-Belgian culture. Comic strips are regarded as the Ninth Art in French-speaking countries.

Asterix

I remember reading Asterix books when learning French at O’ Level. It didn’t matter that I didn’t understand all the words. I got the general sense from the picture sequences.

I was delighted to see Asterix’s familiar figure in the museum’s foyer. There was also a Smurf, Lucky Luke, a red 2CV and Tintin’s moon rocket.

Tintin

A larger-than-life figure of Tintin appeared just inside the entrance (see first photo above). Tintin also appeared on the other side of the entrance along with Snowy (Milou), Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus. All were dressed in orange spacesuits.

History

The museum traced the history of comic strips back to cave paintings. Man has always shown a desire to tell stories. The Bayeux Tapestry was another notable example.

Methods

As you walk through the museum you see how comic strips evolved. Digital has transformed working methods. Educational comic strips developed in response to accusations of “impoverishing the intellects of their readers”. The approach demonstrated the versatility of the medium to spread knowledge to a wide audience.

Hergé’s skill

I particularly enjoyed the Tintin section. It pointed out the clever simplicity of Hergé’s drawings. Tintin’s face has very few features and is virtually expressionless. Drawings of Captain Haddock give contrast as an “emotional volcano”. Snowy's sequences emphasise that he is usually the one who saves the day.

Smurfs

Not every comic strip contained characters or stories that were familiar to me. The Smurfs are definitely well-known in the UK. They had their own section.

Belgian humour

I liked a comic strip entitled “COMMENT DEVENIR BELGE”. This was a humorous comic strip on how to become (or remain) Belgian. It used self-deprecating humour.

I found a complete book in the bookshop by Gilles Dal and Fred Jannin. It is the comic strip version of an earlier publication. It kept me well entertained as I waited for my train back to London. I giggled away just as I once did as a child reading Asterix. My poor fellow passengers must have thought me crazy.

2016 European Language and Cultural Events

Shakespeare's statue during Lumière London

Throughout 2016
Shakespeare 400
2016 is the anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. There is an extensive programme of events planned throughout the year in London, Stratford, Windsor and Glyndebourne.

Until 28 February
Spanish Flamenco Festival, Sadlers Wells, London, UK

Until 6 March
Magic Lantern Festival, Chiswick House, London, UK
Celebration of Chinese New Year

Until 6 March
Orchids 2016, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey, UK
Brazilian Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens

Until 28 March
Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire, Revolution Exhibition, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, UK

22 February 6.30-8.00pm
W.G Sebald Lecture on Literary Translation 2016, British Library Conference Centre, London, UK
Translating 3 Molière plays into English and having own poetry translated into German. Sponsored by BCLT at University of East Anglia (UEA)

25 February
Holding up the Mirror, One Hundred Years of British and Spanish Relations, British Spanish Society, Canning House, London, UK

1 March (First of 5 sessions)

Working successfully as a freelance translator, Karen Stokes/Janet Fraser, 

Karen at European Commission

Chartered Institute of Linguists, London, UK

1 March 1-2pm
Don't Mind the Gap, Using Technology to Empower L2 Translations by Professor Frank Austermuehl, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

3 March 2-3pm
Specialising in Technical Translation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

5 March 7pm-1am
Museum Night Fever, 9th annual event in Brussels museums, Belgium

11-12 March

The Translation and Localization Conference, Sound Garden Hotel, Warsaw, Poland 

11-12 March

Language Show Live Scotland, SECC, Glasgow, Scotland

Twitter: @LanguageShow  Hashtag: #LSLive

11-12 March
Tolk- en Vertaalcongres, Interpretation and Translation Conference, Hilversum, Netherlands
Theme: Getting ahead together! Organisations in Netherlands and Belgium are joining forces to host this conference

11-12 March
Language World 2016, Dunchurch Park, Rugby, UK
Association of Language Learning annual conference and CPD event. All education sectors.
Theme: Curriculum innovation

12 March
Disabled Access Day, Imperial War Museum, London, UK
Other event details elsewhere

12 March
ITI MAT Workshop, Jean-Pierre Mailhac's Translating Business Films, London, UK

12 March
ITI Western Regional Group CPD Workshop, Getting Paid from Abroad, Bristol, UK

14-18 March
11th SFT Medical English Seminar, French Translators' Association course for English to French and French to English translators in the Medical Faculty of University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France

14-22 March

Semaine de la langue française et de la francophonie

Annual event celebrating French Culture and the French language. This year’s theme will highlight the rich local variation in French used around the world. Watch out for local events.

15 March

TAUS Roundtable 2016, Vienna, Austria

Theme: Game Changers in Localization

(NB: 20-23 March GALA Conference, New York, USA – not in Europe but usually well-attended by European language professionals)

Patrick Twidle of Court of Justice of the European Union

17 March 
EMT Network Meeting, Brussels, Belgium
Topic: Traineeships

17 March 
Dutch Language Evening, Europe House, Westminster, London, UK
Talk with Dutch and Frisian Taster Classes

22 March
ITI London Regional Group/University of Westminster, Meet the Client, University of Westminster, London, UK

8-9 April
EULITA 6th General Assembly of the European Legal Interpreters and Translators Association, Strasbourg, France
Includes visits to European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe

Mareike Steinig, Boat Trip Guide/Interpreter, FIT Berlin

11-15 April
Trust, Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation
Training Course at University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

11-17 April

London Book and Screen Week

Events to coincide with London Book Fair (see below)

Twitter: @LBandSW

12-14 April

The London Book Fair, Olympia, London

Twitter: @LondonBookFair  Hashtag #lbf16

13 April

European Academic Colloquium on Technical Communication Studies, Tekom Europe, Berlin, Germany

14-16 April

Intermedia Conference, 3rd International Conference on Audiovisual, Łódź, Poland

15 April
Introduction to Dictation for Translators, ITI, Milton Keynes, UK
Automatic Speech Recognition Software Workshop

15-16 April (13-18 April with extra events)

BP16 Conference, Prague, Czech Republic

Facebook

Twitter: @bp16conf  Hashtag #bp16conf

BP15 Zagreb, Croatia: CPD attendance certificate

18-19 April

Challenges in Literary Translation Conference, Istanbul Aydın University School of Foreign Languages, Istanbul, Turkey

21-22 April

ELIA ND Focus, Mallorca/Majorca, Spain
Theme: Business Strategies and Mergers & Acquisitions

21-22 April

11th EUATC Conference, Budapest, Hungary

Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary

22-24 April

Translation Days by the Sea, Schlossgut Gross Schwansee, Lübeck Bay, Germany

23-24 April
The Complete Walk, Celebration beside the Thames in London of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's Death.

25-28 April
PCST 2016, Public Communication of Science and Technology, Istanbul, Turkey 
Theme: Science Communication in the Digital Age. Pre-conference workshops for early career researchers and practitioners.

27-29 April

Congreso Internacional de Traducción: EnTRetextos, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

Theme: Specialised translation: Research and Profession

27-29 April

JIAMCATT 2016, International Annual Meeting on Computer-Assisted Translation and Terminology, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Theme: Technology as an agent of change

2-3 May

TransLaw 2016, International Academic Conference, School of Language, Translation and Literary Studies, University of Tampere, Finland

Theme: Translation and Interpreting as a Means of Guaranteeing Equality under Law

5-6 May

4th Theories and Realities in Translation and Writing Forum, 
Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, Naples, Italy

Theme: Creativity in Translation / Interpretation and Interpreter / Translator Training

5 May-14 July
BSL Level 1, City Lit, London, UK
British Sign Language Level 1, 11 sessions over 11 weeks on Thursday 10am-4pm

12 May

TAUS Roundtable 2016, Barcelona, Spain

Music at Cervantes Institute Open Day in London

17-18 May

Language Technology Industry (LTI) Summit 2016, Brussels, Belgium

Atomium in Brussels, Belgium

18-20 May

MemoQfest International, Budapest, Hungary

On ELIA Budapest panel with Jessica Rathke and Anne-Marie Colliander Lind

19-21 May

FaCT: Second International Conference on Food and Culture in Translation,University of Catania, Sicily, Italy

20 May
Workshop on Vascular and Abdominal Surgery, ITI Medical and Pharmaceutical Network, Olching, Germany

20-22 May

SFÖ 2016 Conference, Annual Conference of the Swedish Association for Professional Translators, Umeå, Sweden

23-28 May

LREC 2016, Portorož, Slovenia, 
International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation

BP15 Conference freelancers enjoy lunch at Lake Bled, Slovenia

26-28 May

Transint2016, International Conference on Translation and Interpreting, University of Trieste, Italy

Theme: Convergence, Contact, Interaction

30 May-1 June

EAMT 2016, Riga, Latvia

Cheers at FIT Anniversary Party, Berlin 2014

1 June

TAUS Roundtable 2016, Riga, Latvia

Theme: Game Changers in Localization

6 June
An Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics, City Lit, London, UK

6-7 June

TAUS Industry Leaders’ Forum, Dublin, Ireland

8-10 June

LOCWorld31 Dublin, Ireland

Theme: Engaging Global Customers

9-10 June
Fun for all: 4th International Conference on Game Translation and Accessibility - Taking Stock, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Tasting Spanish jamón and language classes at Cervantes Institute, London

10-12 June

UTIC 2016, Ukrainian Translation Industry Conference

Facebook

11 June

ITI Anniversary Party, London, UK (further details to be advised)

Karen at Chartered Institute of Linguists' Members' Day

13 June

Translating Culture, Jean-Pierre Mailhac, Chartered Institute of Linguists, London, UK

14 June

Translating Business Film Material, Jean-Pierre Mailhac, Chartered Institute of Linguists, London, UK

Cultural Awareness Workshop with the CIOL's BPG Group

18-19 June
1st International Conference of Aptrad, the Portuguese Association of Translators and Interpreters, Porto, Portugal

24-26 June
11th Conference on Legal Translation, Court Interpreting and Comparative Legilinguistics, Linguistics Institute of the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland 

29 June 
Clarity International, FCA Handbook: delivering plain language, London, UK

29 June-1 July
Critical Link 8 Conference 2016, Edinburgh, Scotland
International Council for the Development of Community Interpreting 
Theme: A New Generation - Future-proofing interpreting and translation

9 July
City Lit Deaf Day 2016, City Lit, London UK
Find out more about deaf education, BSL, etc

11-15 July

Terminology Summer School, Vienna, Austria

11-15 July
Translate in the City, City University, London, UK 

16 July

7^th AIIC Workshop on Interpreters for Interpreters, Berlin, Germany

18-23 July

AIIC Seminar on German Language and Culture, Berlin, Quedlinburg and Weimar

For interpreters with German as a B or C language

23 July
European Conference of Science Journalists, Manchester Central, Manchester, UK

23-30 July

5^th AIIC Workshop on Spanish Language and Culture, Barcelona, Spain

For active Conference Interpreters

25 July-24 August

Intensive course in Translation Technology, Centras @ UCL, London, UK

31 July-6 August
World Shakespeare Congress, Stratford-upon-Avon (and London)
Theme: Creating and recreating Shakespeare on 400th Anniversary of his death

8-10 August

Translate in Cambridge, Cambridge, UK (further details to be advised)

15-27 August

Short courses for Conference Interpreters with English B, London, UK

15-17 September
Translation Studies: Moving Boundaries, 8th EST Congress (European Association for Translation Studies), Department of Business Communication, Aarhus University, Denmark

22-23 September

ATC Conference, UK Association of Translation Companies’ Annual Conference, London, UK (venue and further details to be advised)

30 September
International Translation Day on feast day of St Jerome, the patron saint of translators.
Theme: Translation and Interpreting: Connecting Worlds / Unissant les mondes grâce à la traduction et à l'interprétation

30 September - 1 October
DRONGO Language Festival, Jaarbeurs, Utrecht, Netherlands

October (to be confirmed)
ELIA Networking Days, Brussels, Belgium

Paul Kaye introduces Malachy Hargadon's talk for Clarity at Europe House

6 October 
Copywriting Conference 2016, Professional Copywriters' Network, London, UK (details to be advised)

13-15 October 
METM16, Mediterranean Editors and Translators Meeting 2016, Tarragona, Spain
Theme: Raising standards through knowledge and peer training

14-16 October 

Language Show Live Olympia, London, UK

Twitter: @LanguageShow  Hashtag: #LSLive

27-28 October

ICIT 2016, 18th International Conference on Interpreting and Translation, London, UK

27-28 October
From Legal Translation to Jurilinguistics: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Language and Law, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain

(2-5 November, ATA 57^th Annual Conference, San Francisco, USA – not in Europe but attended by many European translators)

5 November

16th Annual Portsmouth Translation Conference

Theme: Learning Beyond the Comfort Zone

7-8 November

VIII EAFT Summit, Luxembourg

Future-proofing the profession panel at Europe House, UK

8-10 November

tcworld conference 2016 Stuttgart, Germany

New President and Council at FIT Conference Berlin 2014

10-11 November

6^th SELM Conference, Spanish Society of Modern Languages, Seville, Spain

20-21 November
Expolingua, 28th International Fair for Languages and Culture, Berlin, Germany

21-22 November

LT-Accelerate 2016, Brussels, Belgium

24-25 November 
NTIF 2016, Nordic Translation Industry Forum, Malmö, Sweden

Man vs Machine Banners at FIT Congress Berlin 2014

December (dates to be confirmed)
ELIA ND Focus, Networking Days for Project Managers, Barcelona, Spain

ELIA Together 2016, World Trade Centre, Barcelona

2017

February (dates to be confirmed)
ELIA Together 2nd Conference, Berlin, Germany

3-5 August
FIT World Congress, Brisbane, Australia

NB: Inclusion in this list does not constitute endorsement of any conference, event or third party by Anglicity Ltd. This list is for information purposes only. All details should be checked on the organisers' websites, as they may be subject to change.