Sanskrit-the fashionista’s favorite language

Wondering what that beautiful written language that you have seen displayed in recent years in so many tattoos, religious ornaments and jewelry is called? SANSKRIT.

 

Sanskrit has become the most stylish language around, fashion-wise. This could be due to the sheer beauty of this written language with its intricate dips, flourishes and curls.  I personally have about 10 pieces of jewelry displaying Sanskrit (thank you, Me & Ro of NYC!) writing, five pieces of artwork with Sanskrit in my home and one Sanskrit tattoo on my right wrist (the OM symbol). Because it has become so visible in some many places, the interest in Sanskrit (Sanskrta, as it is also known) has been reawakened.

 

One of the oldest languages of India, Sanskrit is no longer a spoken language, but continues to be used in religious rituals, and its classical form is still cultivated as a literary language. Some people have called it the “mother of all European languages”; however some strongly protest this, considering it to be more like a “big sister”. In fact, it is very similar to Lithuanian and Greek. Still UNO reports that 97% of all languages have been influenced by Sanskrit.

 

In the classical period of India, Sanskrit was used much like Latin in Medieval Europe, as the literary language of the well educated. It is the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It has been reported (but not everyone is in agreement) that Sanskrit is the most suitable language for “computer software”.

I am so interested in this language that I have started reading, basically, a Sanskrit 101 language learning book. So far, it’s pretty difficult, but I am always up for a challenge. I'll let you know how it goes…

Buddha Hoarder?

Yes, it is true. I have over 100 Buddhas in my home. That includes any Buddha image in artwork, statues and one Buddha tattoo on my neck. People who don't know me well always ask WHY? People who do know me well already know. This may sound like I am a "Buddha hoarder"or that my home is a cluttered Buddha mess but my house is large enough that it works. The majority are in my room, of course.

When I was 20, I received my first Buddha statue from my first spiritual teacher in Boston (which I still had until recently when my son broke it by throwing a ball in the house). She had introduced me to Hindu ashrams and taught me the art of meditation. That peaked my interest (although I had already been studying East Asian religion and Japanese language at Boston University).

The turning point was, however, when I traveled to Tokyo at 21 for two weeks as I planned to move and work there after I graduated. In between interviews at various companies, I decided to take the train to Kyoto (about 230 miles-similar to New York to Boston). This trip still makes me laugh because my kanji recognition was not so good at that point and I kept pressing the wrong button for a ticket to Kyoto   and this means you have to knock on the window and get your money back and try again and I did this, literally, three times without success.

Finally, a couple of hours later, I was in Kyoto.As I walked down Teramachi Street, I entered one temple after another. I felt an inner peace and a "knowing" that I had not felt in a church since I was a child.

The Buddha then became a symbol of inner peace and safety to me. The Buddhas surrounding me in my home and the one eternally etched on my neck remind me everyday to be loving, to be kind, to be tolerant, to be peaceful and most importantly, to be MINDFUL.

Creating a more efficient relationship between the localization vendor project manager and the outsourced translation team

Creating a more efficient relationship between the localization vendor project manager and the outsourced translation team

One of the most time challenging issues when you are working on a large, complex, multilanguage project is managing all (at times, as many as 19 languages) of the outsourced translation teams.

Based on experience, here are a few tips to make that relationship tighter and less problematic.

-Most teams will trust the Trados analysis that you send but there is always that one or two teams that must redo the analysis themselves, causing delays. Typically, they come up with a different yet minor result (interestingly enough, they usually don't complain when the word count discrepancy is in their favor) even though they have the same translation memory and use similar settings. This can go back and forth for a few days and wastes a lot of time. In my experience, we agree to disagree and go with one of the logs (typically, theirs). Otherwise, this can go on and on. You need to choose your battles when a looming deadline is on the horizon (and in this business, it usually is).

-Different cultures and teams show different levels of responsiveness. Typically, all teams confirm receipt of the localization kit I prepare but sometimes, one or two of the teams don’t respond at all or only respond after several phone calls and emails. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that they have received the localization kit and will meet your deadline. Follow up with them until you receive a response. On the other hand, I once did not hear from a vendor and was told that he was not used to having to confirm everything and that he found it “bothersome”. I explained to him that if he did not confirm there would no way of knowing that he did indeed receive the kit.

The biggest challenge? Late deliveries. All translation teams agree to the delivery date up front but again, 2-3 teams are always a day late and/or need a “friendly reminder”. It tends to be the same languages every time. I used to battle back and forth with these teams but now, to save myself time and aggravation, I give these particular teams a different deadline than the more reliable teams and end up getting all the localized files from all teams back on the same day, which ensures I make timely deliveries to the client.

Easter heard round the world...

Feliz Páscoa, Joyeuses Pâques, frohe Ostern, Cáisc Shona Dhuit, Veselé Velikonoce, イースターおめでとう, Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych or Buona Pasqua! No matter how you say it, in the Christian world, Easter Sunday is one of the most celebrated and beloved holidays. My children officially consider it their "Christmas in the Spring"...

As to be expected, although the religious theme is the same throughout all Christian countries, Easter is celebrated around the world in different ways. For example, the Ethiopian Easter festival is called Fassika. At the Easter service, all Ethiopians wear a traditional white garb, called yabesha libs. During all their holidays, Ethiopians eat a huge, special sourdough bread called dabo.

Although we love our chocolate bunnies in the US, in Australia, the children celebrate with chocolate bilbies (a small marsupial) because they believe the Easter Bilby brings eggs and because it is native to Australia and also because of the fact that the rabbit has destroyed land, crops, vegetation and burrows of other native Australian species. Interesting!

Chocolate Bilby

In Poland (and many other Slavic countries), Easter is celebrated with the Blessing Basket. The basket is prepared the Saturday before Easter. Inside the basket they place colored eggs, bread, cake, salt, paper and white colored sausages. This basket is then taken to church for a blessing. It is believed that Great Lent which is the forty day fast before Easter is not over until the basket has been blessed hence the reason why it is called Blessing Basket. The Polish people also celebrate with Watering, which is a sprinkling of water for good luck.

In Belgium, the children eagerly wait for an old man who “flies” to Rome to collect eggs from the Pope and brings them back. In Latvia, they have colored eggs and use them for games. One game played is the Egg-Knocking Game.They also eat a dish known as Paska which is also eaten with a traditional bread known as Kulich (a sweet saffron bread).

In Israel, there are many processions where groups travel the route of Christ’s journey to Golgotha. The route is referred to as the Twelve Stations of the Cross.

In Crete, they make make a special bread called Paschal bread. It is round with moulded flowers on top.

No matter how or where you celebrate this holiday, chances are, there is an eager child waiting for a colored egg, chocolate or something else sweet and an adult enjoying the bloom of spring and all the feelings of renewal, rebirth and awakening that are associated with Easter Sunday.