“la parole exportée”

However irritating the French may appear to the rest of the world at times, one of the few things that are really appreciated in some remote countries, Japan, for instance, is French pop singers.

Here is an example of a song that traveled worldwide, to strike a lighter note on this day of francophonie, when official speeches are better left at the door.

In 1965, an obscure 18-year-old, France Gall, won the Eurovision contest with a song written by the great Serge Gainsbourg. It can’t have been too strenuous for him, but it was an instant success. I remember how my friends and I would spend every recess singing (well… shouting) this with youthful enthusiasm.

The first video clip is a copy of the original recording.

A recent Japanese version, by Ishikawa Rika. She is so sweet, putting all her energy into pronouncing those terribly difficult words, yet with such a smile:

photo credit: openDemocracy

As a citizen of Europe, I am convinced that every effort made to bring together our diverse identities deserves to be mentioned, and this is often made possible through language learning and/or translations.

Cafebabel.com is an online European magazine, a network of blogs that discuss topics related to life in Europe. The Paris blog has, for instance, a post on France and Europe. Some of you may be aware that the second half of 2008 will be dominated by the French E.U. Presidency. Don’t expect to miss it, as the French government is already actively (how else?) preparing for it.

You may prefer to read and listen to this article here, or read this one, entitled Cars and the City: The end of an era? published in 5 different languages.

Seven different languages are catered for so far: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Catalan and Polish, but not all posts are available in the seven languages.

photo credit: Beatrice M

Finally, if you want to read about our famous croissants (not invented in France, by the way), or get a recipe to make them for breakfast, follow this link.

Enjoy!

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation held a conference in Brussels (Belgium) yesterday, Towards a European Master’s In Translation.

This EMT Conference 2008 was the second of its kind. Its stated goals were to:

• bring together translator training specialists from the EU and prospective member countries, as well as employers and international organisations
• discuss issues related to translator training in the EU and implementing an EMT
• seek consensus on a common EMT curriculum and implementation criteria
• build a network of universities in the EU to implement the EMT
• establish cooperation between universities in different countries
• professionalise translation as an occupation within the EU.

The next EMT Conference will be in 2009.

With 27 member states and 23 official languages, the European Union is now actively pushing for an official status for translators. The Translation DG has also published a model curriculum for the proposed European Master in Translation, an 8-page document, the detail of which you can read here. I noted with interest and satisfaction that most of the prerequisites and contents of the proposed EMT are identical to what my translator’s school, E.S.I.T. (Paris), has been advocating and teaching for years. This is most encouraging.

“The main objective of a European Master’s in Translation programme should be to produce highly qualified translators who possess all the basic skills required of a professional translator and who are capable of carrying out demanding translation and translation-related tasks and of acting responsibly as members of their profession.”

I do hope that the entire effort and the ensuing recognition will make our profession more visible. This can only be in the interest of businesses and individuals who need to have access to properly trained and responsible translation professionals delivering high-quality services.