How do You Do That?!
The conference opens with an address in a foreign language. The speaker launches headlong into a highly complex subject at breakneck speed. The talk is replete with terms whose spelling I can only guess, most of which encoded in the alphabet soup of acronyms. To make matters worse, he insists on cracking jokes as culturally-specific […]
The Great Race Around the World
Think Magellan was the first man around the world? Think twice. The identity — and status — of the first man to go full circle may surprise you big time. My TED-Ed Lesson on Magellan’s Circumnavigation of the World is out. In a 4-minute video it tells you everything you need to know about this incredible […]
Nice Trumps Nasty
Most of us have learned to see politeness as wimpy and meek. We contemplate meanness as a shield worth wearing, despite the long-lasting harm it does to others and ourselves once the excitement of immediate gains fades away.
The Accidental Translator
This book tells the story of how I accidentally became a translator — and soon thereafter an interpreter — 30 years ago. It also testifies to how winding anybody’s professional route is and it drives home an idea best summarized in this quote by John Lennon: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” The book was […]