Anglicity's Top 2016 Business and Cultural Blogs

2016 has proved a busy year for blogging. Unfortunately, any review of 2016 is not complete without a mention of Brexit. I think it is especially important for us to stress to current and potential clients how much we value our European connections.

The end of 2016 is fast approaching, so let’s recap on the year’s most popular blogs as we did in 2015. The most popular posts were the lists of largely European conferences and events. Many readers commented on how useful they found them. Thank you!

Mixing Business and Culture

Cultural posts are very popular. They are part of my marketing strategy - not a whim or a travel log. They reach out to both clients and colleagues. Cultural awareness is an essential part of translation. It is also an easier route to engage clients about translation issues.

When working with France, it is important not just to focus on business aspects. I noted with interest recently that a top tip for the British working with France is to:

‘Show an interest in French culture, history and society’

Le piège de la ressemblance / Light at the End of the Tunnel
French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain

My blog is not just for France or French-speaking countries. I never cease to be amazed by my blog’s analytics and the number of countries that it reaches worldwide. It’s not all about high numbers. Sometimes a blog with just 40 readers can be more effective in reaching new clients than one with hundreds of readers. That said, here are the most popular blogs of 2016:

Top 3 Event lists:

1. 2016 European Language and Cultural Events

2. 2017 Preview: Language and Cultural Events

3. November 2016 - Localisation, Language, Terminology and Cultural Events 

December 2016 is now available as a separate post to include end of year and festive events.

Other Blogs:

4. Belgium’s Ninth Art 

Photo blog of visit to Comic Art Museum in Brussels. Status of comics in Franco-Belgian culture. Tintin, Asterix, the Smurfs. Humour of 'How to become Belgian'.

Post from 21 February 2016

5. Dutch is FUN

Dutch language and culture taster class at EU Representation in the UK's home in London. A highly entertaining and humorous event.

Post from 18 March 2016

6. Should you choose a robot or a human?

Reflections from music and robots to machine translation. Why you should choose a professional human translator for creative marketing translations.

Post from 3 April 2016

7. Elia Together Conference

Review of the 1st European Conference bringing freelance translators and language service providers together in Barcelona. Focus on communication, relationships, growth and technology.

Post from 18 February 2016

8. Commemorative Poppies

Commemorative display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Created for Anzac Day, remembering the Battle of Verdun and Somme Centenaries and vigils.

Post from 29 May 2016

9. Big Data in Action

Transport for London's use of Big Data. London's transport challenges, data collection, planning and overcrowding. Future plans for open data and a personalised data service for passengers.

Post from 25 April 2016

10. Brexit Battles Ahead

Reflections on Brexit on the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. 

Post from 30 June 2016

Happy reading!

Brexit Citizens and Communities

Today, Theresa May and Angela Merkel met for the first time. I have followed Brexit events closely. Oddly enough, I have been working on a translation on team-building. The respective terms citoyenneté and community in French and English have stood in sharp contrast. French and English are full of false and fickle friends. The words may look similar, but they often have different positive or negative connotations, emotive appeal or different usages. They only look like equivalents. This set me thinking…

I used community in my translation. My French client queried my word choice. Communauté does not have the same resonance for him as citoyenneté. Yet, for me, the word community has a much greater emotive appeal and greater resonance in a text about working together. The emotive effect of a word in a foreign language is different for us.

I wince when I read an EU text addressing citizens. My reaction is instinctive. I wrote it off as Eurospeak until today. Now, against the Brexit backdrop, I see a fundamental breakdown in communication. I remember how odd the EU’s citizens’ dialogue sounded. The wording seems wrong to engage Brits from the front cover or the first words of a speech.

Citizenship in English is closely tied to nationality – and that now infamous Brexit word sovereignty. Sovereignty is important to the British for strong historical reasons. Citizenship is a cold, legal term; we associate it with our passports and official form-filling. It doesn’t have the same sense of belonging as community.

Citoyen has a much stronger emotive appeal in French than citizen in English. Its usage dates back to the French Revolution with its sense that all are equal. It appears in La Marseillaise – can you get more emotive than a country’s national anthem?

Researching my subject, I found that citoyenneté appears to have much of the usage of the English community. In a highly topical usage, I found it applied to efforts to bring Muslims and Christians closer together. A similar UK local government text refers to community cohesion.

My research has left me wondering if the UK would have felt more emotionally connected, if we had been choosing to remain in the European Community rather than leave the European Union. I suppose Brexiters will merely say that I am crying over spilt milk. I’m splitting hairs over word choice. Yet, such nuances do matter. They speak to something deeply rooted within us.

EU Presidency

The UK was to take up the EU Presidency in 2017. I think it was wrong that UK voters were never told how close we were to holding the EU Presidency during the Referendum. This should have been the UK’s chance to influence the future direction of the EU. Very few Brits were aware of the UK’s forthcoming opportunity. Nor did they know that the Presidency would have meant working as a team or trio with Malta and Estonia. The EU Referendum should have followed the UK’s Presidency if Brits were still dissatisfied after this 18-month period of influence.

Theresa May today suggested that she would let the EU Presidency go. I believe that this is a mistake. Even without Brexit, the EU will have to redefine its mission and remit. All the indications suggest that the UK will remain one of Europe’s staunchest allies and a strong trading partner. Our pragmatic approach could prove useful in the tricky times ahead.

Cultural differences in communications

I can only hope that the EU PR machine reconsiders its homogenised communications as a result of Brexit. It needs to take greater account of cultural differences. I wonder how many other miscommunications like citizen and community are lurking in other translations. I can’t help thinking about Khrushchev’s “we will bury you”. What we understood and what he meant weren’t the same thing. The influence of those words was far-reaching, as Brexit is proving now. 

What will Brexit mean for democracy and union in the United Kingdom?

Ah, but Theresa May and Angela Merkel seem to agree that ‘Brexit is Brexit’. Did they mean it? What do they each understand by Brexit? Undoubtedly, not the same thing at this early stage.

What did the UK public understand by Brexit? Not how it is turning out… Will the Referendum withstand legal challenge in the courts? Where does any course of action leave democracy?

Is the subject really so dead and buried?

A Divided House

Many a time I have walked past the Houses of Parliament in Westminster and gazed up in awe. During the Easter break I seized the opportunity to see the magnificent buildings from the inside. A special guided tour was available as part of Women's History Month. It was entitled "From petitions to Prime Minister". This fascinating tour was all about women in Parliament and the suffragettes. The 2015 film Suffragette was the first production ever granted access to film inside the Houses of Parliament.

Inside the grounds of the Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament are steeped in British history. Unfortunately, that history has not been so great for women. 

Statue of Oliver Cromwell looking down

Spot the Woman?
There are very few portraits of women inside -  unless the women concerned were queens or consorts. I could have easily missed the small stained-glass window to the Women's Suffrage Movement if our guide hadn't pointed it out.

Women's Suffrage Window

An Injustice depicted as Justice
One of the most moving stories related to a painting by Irishman Daniel Maclise. He painted the face of Caroline Norton as "The Spirit of Justice" in the House of Lords. In those days, women were the property of their husbands. Caroline Norton fought a campaign over the custody of children and divorce conditions. 

Cat and Mouse
I was horrified to hear of the lengths that women had to go to win the right to vote. It went far beyond raising petitions. Quite a hefty endeavour before today's e-petitions. The suffragettes went to prison, on repeated hunger strikes and were force-fed repeatedly. Can this really have happened in my country in the last century? The circumstances surrounding The Cat and Mouse Act seem horrific.

Heel of Lord Falkland bears Suffragette damage

Petitioning for Change
Of course today, women shouldn't need to go to such lengths today to get justice or be heard, should they? It should be a simple matter of writing to your MP. Not every just cause can raise a massive petition. Some causes aren't glamorous enough for widespread popular support. Slavery wasn't just. It took just men to overthrow it.

Gender-neutral?
Modern women still struggle to improve conditions for their children after a divorce. They tend to get on with doing their best for their children, rather than staging stunts like climbing Buckingham Palace. Yes, roles in society are changing. Yet, gender-neutral decisions in a world that is not gender-neutral are not fair. They favour the father. Not the mother. And certainly not the children. The latter are forced to live a bizarre, nomadic existence between homes, used as a weapons of abuse in ways beyond their understanding.

Causes without Glamour
Just 25% of British MPs and 8% of the judiciary are women. It is very difficult to gain male MPs' attention to the unfairness of so-called gender-neutral laws, domestic abuse and coercive control. How do you win the support of wealthy male MPs on the subject of post-divorce finance for women and children? Many women and children live in poverty or near-poverty for years after divorce.

Suffering Children
Children grow up in the time the courts take to deal with matters. The slow family courts allow abusive fathers too much time to cover their financial tracks. The Government is quick to make digital connections that withdraw payments to single mothers. Yet access to the evidence that would prove a case of relentless financial abuse is blocked as "confidential".

Attitudes to Women
It's legal to use the legal system as an instrument of abuse and mental torture. The system is too formulaic. Too male. It too readily dismisses women's complaints as irrational, too emotional, too stressed, too negative... 

Misogyny and Class Division
As I stood in the Houses of Parliament, I understood why it is so hard for so many women. The very fabric of the building reeks of misogyny and class division. Protocol did not allow us to sit down inside the House of Commons or the House of Lords. I'm a British citizen. I have the right to vote. I think I deserve the respect and the right to sit down.

Digital Decision-makers?
The voting system is out of the ark. It lends itself to bullying. How can MPs take informed decisions on Britain's digital future (and the Snooper's Charter in particular), if their place of work is an historic relic? Are they going to wait until the Thames floods the Chamber?

A New Environment?
The Houses of Parliament is a fabulous museum. It should be a museum. Visitors would flood in. England and the United Kingdom deserve a new purpose-built building with the latest digital technology and security systems. Perhaps attendance would improve if there were actually enough seats for everyone? Set out in a less adversarial way? 

We deserve better representation for women and children by women. Sometimes you can't change an environment without changing the environment. 

We deserve a grown-up Parliament... I have no allegiance to any particular party. However, the Green Party have just captured how most women see British politics very well.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is

an English 

copywriter and

multilingual digital 
marketer. 

Dutch is FUN

For sheer entertainment value it has to be 10/10. No, this is not a review of a West End Show, but a language and culture class at Europe House in London.

The Dutch readily concede that their language is not the most melliferous on the planet. If you want honey in your ear, better study Italian. Judging by Thursday’s taster class, the Dutch do not take their language too seriously. They certainly know how to make learning about language and culture FUN.

Swamp Language

First up was Gaston Dorren, author of Lingo: A language spotter’s guide to Europe. The title of his talk had worried me in advance. Dutch: the Sound of the Swamp sounded derogatory. A frog peered out from the screen at us all.

Frogland

All became clear. Gaston showed how the story of Dutch began in a swamp with detailed maps. Clever drainage and building up hillocks improved the landscape. The Dutch use Frogland as a term of endearment for their country.

Gaston Dorren presents sign interpreters with Dutch gender challenges

Size v. Influence

Gaston joked about the size of the Netherlands. At one seventh of the size of the UK, it could fit into Scotland and get “mislaid” up there. He explained how Dutch appears in the top 1% of the world’s languages. Dutch has 24 million speakers. It is the twelfth most widely used language on the internet. It is the fifth most commonly requested language in job vacancies according to a 2013 UK survey.

History

How did the Netherlands become so influential? It became populated and prosperous at a time when Northern Germany was in economic decline. Gaston acknowledged a “shameful colonial past”. Standing in London before a largely British audience, he had no fear of anyone throwing stones on the subject. He reduced the historical wars between our two countries to wins, losses and draws as though they were international football matches. Our two nations do so love the beautiful game.

Dialects

The country’s geography helped create extraordinary linguistic diversity. There are very different dialects. A dialect on one side of this small country is unintelligible on the other side. You can still hear traces from the three original tribes. Gaston attributed their retention to the population’s lack of mobility. They didn’t travel much for 1500 years. If you need a huge pole to cross all the wet bits, well, you don’t get very far from home.

Pronunciation

Dutch has a reputation for difficult sounds. Gaston admitted that getting your pronunciation wrong could cause difficulties in the kitchen. You might get your eggs and onions muddled up. Disastrous.

The infamous “g”

It is the “unpleasant g” sound produced in the throat that is the real issue for English-speakers. Henriette Louwerse of the University of Sheffield tackled the “g” issue head on. No room for any delicacy. Dutch is loud. Seconds into the language class, she had the whole room grazing their throats to throw up the correct sound.

Henriette Louwerse demonstrates Dutch sounds

Attitude to language

Henriette continued the humorous tone set by Gaston. She regaled us with the incredulity of her compatriots that she taught Dutch language and literature in Britain. The Dutch are proud of their country, art history, football and sports. They have never won a Nobel Prize for Literature. While they expect refugees to learn Dutch to integrate, Henriette described the attitude as “mercantile” rather than emotional.

Badges

The Dutch will insist on speaking in English to her students however. She has to equip them with humorous badges to overcome the problem: “I speak Dutch. Can I do it with you?”

Goal

Obviously, Henriette could not teach the whole room her native tongue in just 30 minutes. A better target was to be able to pronounce Dutch footballers’ and football managers’ names correctly. We all repeated the various sounds after her.

Intonation

Henriette demonstrated the rising intonation of Dutch questions. The intonation may sound exaggerated to an English ear. It is important if you want a Dutch person to understand that you are asking a question. Otherwise you risk not getting what you want.

Tactile

In the Netherlands, you do not greet someone from a distance. The words alone are not sufficient. The Dutch are a tactile nation. You must go right up to them, look them in the eye and shake them firmly by the hand as you greet them.

Henriette explains how easy Dutch is

Catching Enthusiasm

Otherwise Dutch is apparently easy for English speakers. Henriette proved this to us by having us decipher two printed conversations on a leaflet. No problem. Henriette is the kind of teacher you can’t disagree with. Her enthusiasm is catching.

Dutch Embassy

This great language taster event was organised by the Dutch Embassy with Europe House’s language officers Paul Kaye and Stephen Turkington. Paul gave particular credit to Lauren Harris at the embassy.

Attentive full house at Dutch and Frisian taster classes

At the break they laid on Dutch beer and delicacies. They catered for everyone. The ground floor venue gave easy access for a knowledgeable disabled guest. Two BSL signers interpreted for two deaf visitors amid the full house. It can’t have been easy interpreting some of Gaston and Henriette’s vocabulary - never mind the speedy and humorous delivery.

Every six months, Europe House stages an event celebrating the language and culture of the current holders of the EU Presidency. Slovakia will hold its first-ever Presidency of the EU next. The Dutch have set the bar very high for the Slovak Embassy.