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| I found this beautiful shot on a friend's wall on Fb and I was captured by its beauty, butterflies are all different. Each butterfly is one world. There are not two butterflies that are alike, just like languages. |
Each translation is different from person to person, there are as many translations as our personalities. Some people prefer the verbal usage of the sentence. Some other people prefer the nominal version as well as free translations. Editing is different from person to person likewise.
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| Communicating is a beautiful gift |
Indeed the Italian verb/noun "Tradurre" is still in use in our language when you transfer prisoners from one place to another. The verb "transfer" is also helpful in this case. It comes from Latin as well and it originates from the verb "Trans Ferre": to take from one place to another. It is also used as a language metaphor to transfer the meaning of a word or an image to something similar but with much more power of expression.
I would appreciate very much having my blog posts edited by an English proofreader. It is an opportunity for me to learn a lot about new trends and usages of the English language. In my case, it is about American English. I also like sharing my thoughts and discoveries with my proofreaders. In other words: the art of translating.
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| knowing a foreign language opens windows on the world |
In middle and high schools in Italy, books are based on British English which is spoken in Great Britain and Ireland only. However American English is the most popular language nowadays. Just like Ancient Greek, that was the 'must' foreign language to learn in the classical ages.
Indeed nowadays the language that you end up speaking when you practice English as a second language is American English. It is a fun language because there are new words, neologisms, new expressions every day.
American English is to some extent British English younger sister. As a consequence, it is more flexible. I actually think of British English as an old auntie to American English. I have spoken British English very rarely.
BRITISH ENGLISH-AMERICAN ENGLISH COMPARISON. AN EXAMPLE: I actually have a story to tell about the first difference I noticed between British English and American English. I was 16 years old and learning English with much passion. I started writing down every single word and expression I learned from foreigners I met in Perugia, Deruta, and everywhere I could "Attaccare Bottone" (tr." to engage somebody in conversation).
I eventually made friends with a lovely lady from London and her nieces who were my age. This lady lived in Deruta at that time. She was a writer. When I visited London a few years later I received an invitation to dinner from my friends' family and other guests were invited. Towards the end of the dinner, I expressed myself by saying out loud "I am stuffed". As soon as I said that, someone at the table corrected me very politely by saying the correct English expression: "I have had an elegant sufficiency". I will never forget that dinner. Everybody laughed and had fun with me learning English! Who knows who still uses this expression in English. maybe it is obsolete by this time. so many years have gone by.
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| In Italian, we have the expression "Attaccare Bottone" which literally means "sewing/stitching a button" but used as a phrasal verb with the meaning "to engage someone in a conversation" |
NOTE ABOUT ITALIAN LANGUAGE: compared to both languages, American English and British English, Italian is not as flexible. It is rather complicated and sometimes not logical at all. Logic does not seem to be a priority. I link this to the fact that not being logical and practical takes us straight to bureaucracy.
Regarding this thought, my question is: is the language responsible for our actions and as a consequence influencing the course of our life and of our communities? I personally believe that languages have a huge influence on developing our thoughts. I am getting more and more curious about this subject. I want to understand why everything in Italy is so complicated, I must find the origin of it and I wish I could find a solution to this problem and see it solved within my lifetime frame.
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| In the world, there are probably as many languages as the number of our flags. |
As you may understand the above wish is a dream. Therefore I better go back to what is more realistic and pertaining to my small world: the art of translating.
I love when someone proofreads my writings. This is my best way of learning a language, of going a step forward and improving my knowledge of foreign languages.
Languages are the fruit of dialogues, exchange of ideas, it is the purest way of communicating. It is important to me to catch the opportunity of learning by editing my mistakes.
Additionally, by repeating the exercise of editing mistakes in a foreign language, I wish to emulate the same process in my private life. By doing this I can learn more, improve and become a better person. However, there are mistakes that I repeat frequently and I cannot get rid of!
About the important subject of mistakes in our life, I am herewith repeating a statement I read on a friend's wall on Fb: "Eventually, people will realize that mistakes are meant for learning and not for repeating" which is probably the American version of the Italian motto: "Sbagliare è Umano, Perseverare è Diabolico" (tr." making mistakes is a human weakness, repeating mistakes is evil").
I wish everybody a good editing job in their lives. We can have a better world by editing ourselves first. Only example matters. It is really efficient for the step forward to positive thinking and perfect making Renaissance style.
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FRIENDS OF CAMA
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