Their dad died of covid. Now they’re trying to get the clever word he made up into the dictionary. - The Washington Post - Dictionary

Aghast, Krieger burst into her dad’s study and told him the shocking news: Orbisculate is somehow not in the dictionary!

“And he looked kind of sheepish, and that’s when I found out that he made up this word when he was in college and had just been using it our whole lives, as if it were a real word,” Krieger says.

He’d always defined it as “when you dig your spoon into a grapefruit and it squirts juice directly into your eye,” she said. Though the family also applied it to other fruits and vegetables that unexpectedly spritzed.

Out $5 and wondering what other fake words might be lurking in her vocabulary, Krieger was mad at the time. But she quickly came to see her dad’s made-up word as a gift, one that encapsulates his mischievous and inventive spirit.

“It speaks to his creativity and the idea that, even when something’s painful and annoying like getting grapefruit juice in your eye, you can laugh and have fun with it.”

Two decades later, Krieger found herself telling that funny story again and again, in some very sad circumstances. Her father, Neil Krieger, died of complications from covid-19 in April at age 78. Since the Kriegers couldn’t have a proper funeral, Hilary Krieger, who now lives in New York, spent a lot of time on the phone talking with friends and family, and the orbisculate story kept coming up.

“I began to think, ‘Orbisculate is such a great word, why isn’t it in the dictionary? Orbisculate should be in the dictionary!’ ” said Krieger, an editor at NBC News.

Krieger, 44, called her brother Jonathan Krieger, 35, who lives in Boston and runs an online trivia company — and together, they hatched an elaborate plan to get the word officially recognized. To make it happen, they’d need help from friends and strangers.

Merriam-Webster adds about 1,000 new words to its master database every year, words that then trickle down to the company’s various print and online dictionaries. The most recent batch of new words, released in January, is full of pandemic-related vocabulary like “long-hauler” and “pod.” Technology-related words are also well represented — “reaction GIF” for example, and the use of @ that means to challenge — as in “don’t @ me.”

Editors at the dictionary’s whisper-quiet office, in Springfield, Mass., are constantly scouring newspapers, academic journals, books and even cartoon captions for new words.

“What we’re looking for is usage in publications with a large and broad readership,” says senior editor Emily Brewster.

Brewster and her colleagues generally track words for years or even decades before nominating them for dictionary status. This ensures that flash-in-the-pan coinages, like Will Smith’s use of “jiggy,” to mean trendy (briefly popular in the ’90s), can’t sneak in. But if a word really takes off, it can shortcut the process.

“The word that has the record for most quickly entering the dictionary is covid-19, at 34 days,” she says. “The term before that was AIDS.”

In addition to diseases, any words that describe concrete phenomena that affect many people tend to get picked up quickly, Brewster notes.

“That’s one of the things ‘orbisculate’ has going for it — there is no single word that captures the squirting in the eye that certain fruits do,” she says.

Getting a word into the dictionary isn’t easy, but the Kriegers’ 50-point plan as described on their website, is spot on, Brewster says. Encouraging people to use “orbisculate” in a wide variety of contexts, such as comic strips, news stories and the name of a Ben & Jerry’s sorbet flavor, will leave a compelling trail of evidence for lexicographers to follow.

“If they were able to accomplish all of that, the word’s status as an established member of the English language would be pretty irrefutable,” she says.

Even if they don’t succeed in getting the word added to the dictionary, the Kriegers’ project may help buffer them against some of the feelings of despair and hopelessness that have struck them and many families who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus, says psychologist Robert A. Neimeyer, director of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition. Among the many reasons that virus-related grief is especially shattering is that social distancing separates mourners from their friends and family.

“We are unable to gather together and we’re denied the simple reassurance of a human hug,” Neimeyer says.

The Kriegers’ orbisculation campaign may help them push back against feelings of isolation, he adds.

“This family has come up with a creative way of memorializing their father, by building a community around this thing that’s distinctive about him,” Neimeyer says.

That community, which the Kriegers named Orbisculation Nation, even has a uniform of sorts — a citrus-festooned T-shirt, which you can buy on their website for $25 or $28. (Proceeds go to Carson’s Village, a charity that helps families in mourning.)

“You’ll get a random text from your friends wearing their T-shirt, and it basically means ‘I’m thinking of you guys,’ ” says Jonathan Krieger. “Just to have that reminder, that there are people who are thinking about you and who care about you, helps a lot.”

The Orbisculation Nation isn’t just sending texts. It is also helping the Kriegers check off items on their list for orbisculation domination, with a goal of putting the word to use publicly enough that it has a chance of becoming legitimate.

People the Kriegers don’t know personally, but who were just inspired by the campaign, used the word in an online crossword puzzle (Goal No. 1) and a homemade cartoon (Goal No. 19). And when the “Because Language” podcast announced online voting to determine their word of the year, the Orbisculation Nation put their favorite word over the top.

It’s such a good word, it might have won even without their online campaign, says podcast host Daniel Midgley.

“Orbisculate felt like a refreshing splash of citrus in an otherwise grim year of words,” Midgley says.

It has been nearly a year since Neil Krieger’s death, and his children are still reeling from the loss. But their campaign to get their father’s word into the dictionary has helped them recapture a little of the joy that has been missing from their lives.

“I could picture him being really excited about the fact that The Washington Post is interviewing us,” Jonathan Krieger says. “He’d say, ‘It’s dynamite!’ It’s dynamite — that’s a thing he always used to say.”

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Courtesy Translation: Prime Minister Malu Dreyer: Leaving the shutdown in cautious steps through testing and vaccinating - DVIDS - Translation

Press Release from the Rheinland-Pfalz State Government from 04 MAR 2021
Courtesy Translation: Alper Koemuer, Public Affairs USAG Wiesbaden

Prime Minister Malu Dreyer: Leaving the shutdown in cautious steps through testing and vaccinating

"I have been working for many weeks to give a perspective to families in the state, the economy, culture and the event industry. With an increasing vaccination rate and well-available rapid tests soon, we have new factors that significantly change the assessment of the situation. We expect less severe and fatal medical conditions due to a higher vaccination rate. A broad test concept detects infections more quickly and prevents further infections. This makes a new risk assessment not only possible, but necessary," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer after a video conference of the heads of the state governments with Chancellor Merkel.

"The pandemic threatens many existences and lifetime achievements of many people in retail, gastronomy, culture and the event industry. That is why it was important for me to give these areas a clear perspective. Families have had to arrange work and home schooling for the past four months. It was and is an act of strength. All grades will go back to school before the Easter holidays. However, it remains on alternating schedules. We are stepping up additional funding opportunities for children. Retail and catering are also desperate to reopen. The rising temperatures will also help us to reopen restaurants, at least outdoors," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer.

The next federal conference will focus on travel. Rheinland-Pfalz is committed to a clear perspective for hotels, holiday apartments and caravan tourism over Easter.

New factors change risk assessment

Everyone in the state has made a major contribution with great discipline to the decline in the number of infections. For this she thanked the people from the bottom of her heart. "Rheinland-Pfalz has already vaccinated 87 percent of all residents of nursing homes. In a few weeks' time, all elderly citizens over the age of 80, who wish to do so, will be vaccinated.
Appointment notifications for the end of March will be sent out in these days. This is the population group in which the largest proportion of the serious and fatal cases of the pandemic have occurred so far. Vaccinations will significantly reduce the number of serious and fatal comparable cases in future. Nevertheless, no new optional infection rates can be tolerated. If the number of infections were to increase again exponentially, the health service could quickly reach its limits with younger patients," the Prime Minister warned. Numerous reports on “long COVID” are alarming.

Vaccination continues to pick up speed

"We look forward to the prospect of getting so much vaccine in April at the latest that we can also include the independent doctors in the vaccination strategy on wholesale logistics," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer. Health Minister Spahn had previously stated at the Federal Conference that he expected many more vaccines to be available in the end of March or early April. In the Rheinland-Pfalz vaccination centers alone, 50,000 initial vaccinations are pending within the coming weeks.

Everyone should receive a free test offer once a week

A combined strategy of opening and testing is now planned. Each further step should be done every two weeks to see how each step affects the infection rate.

Starting 8 March, all citizens should be able to get tested at least once a week, even without symptoms. The federal government will carry the costs for this. The state and municipalities in Rheinland-Pfalz are setting up rapid test centers throughout the state. "I am infinitely grateful to our municipal partners and especially to the volunteer firefighters: we already have almost 1,500 rapid test volunteers ready and can start as early as Monday," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer. The exact location of the rapid test centers will be announced this weekend.

In addition to the self-testing, rapid tests carried out by third parties will remain important, making documentation safer. Irrespective of the federal government, Rheinland-Pfalz has already ordered 4 million rapid tests and another 2 million in the procurement process, so that we can get started as quickly as possible. Today, the first 450,000 test kits will be sent from the state to the municipalities. For this purpose, initial protective equipment will be provided free of charge.

The federal government will discuss the further test strategy and future offers - especially from private companies - with entrepreneurs later this week.

"I am particularly pleased that the Rheinhessen company “AESKU. Diagnostics.” received approval for self-testing from the Federal Office of Medicinal Product and Medical Devices yesterday," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer. She herself got engaged to get an impression of the situation just last week and was sure that they would soon be available in retail stores. The self-testing allows all people who want to test themselves at home as a first step and, in the event of a positive result, to take the necessary measures such as isolation at an early stage. "This gives people a bit more security and also strengthens their own responsibility," the prime minister said. A positive result of a self-performed test had to be confirmed by a PCR test.

Rheinland-Pfalz tests more often in schools than recommended in the decision

In school operations, Rheinland-Pfalz will continue to adhere to our more generous rule, which allows teachers to be tested as often as they want.

Opening perspectives

After the first opening step on 22 February, when elementary schools started alternating classes and hairdressers were allowed to reopen, further opening steps will follow from 8 March.

More contacts in the private sector possible

"It was important to me that we also get a relief in the private sector. Starting 8 March, two households will be allowed to meet again, but no more than 5 people. Children up to the age of 14 are not included," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer.

Starting 8 March, preschool children in Rheinland-Pfalz will be able to return to daycare - starting 15 March the "urgent" appeal will be cancelled

"Education is my number one priority. That is why I have worked hard to ensure that educators and elementary school teachers are given a higher priority in the vaccination order. In Rheinland-Pfalz, this occupation group will receive their first vaccinations on 15 March. In addition, they can be tested at any time without cause," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer. Therefore, the preschoolers could soon return to the daycare centers. Starting 15 March 2021, the appeal to the parents (to keep their kids home) will be withdrawn. Daycare centers will be operated under the limitations of the corona conditions, always taking into account the development of infections.

Second opening step starting 8 March

Starting 8 March, bookshops, flower shops and garden centers will reopen. They are equated with the retail stores of daily needs.

Close-body care services can also start up again. Offers where a mask cannot be worn, such as cosmetics and shaving, are only possible after a test taken on the same day.

Openings depending on incidence rates starting 8 March at the earliest

"These have been long and difficult negotiations, but with an incidence rate of less than 50, there is a clear prospect for Rheinland-Pfalz," the prime minister said. However, if the infection rate does not remain stable below 50, but increases to a level between 50 - 100, a general opening of all retail stores will not be possible until the beginning of April. "At the moment, the incidence rate is between 48 and 52. We are well advised to proceed very meticulously. We have good prospects, but also a high level of responsibility," said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer.

With regard to the agreement between the German states and the federal government, that a "stable incidence rate" of less than 50 is required for a possible third opening step, and that if this incidence rate is exceeded, the openings must be withdrawn again after three days, the state will discuss the further steps in Rheinland-Pfalz in the coming days, in particular with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Retail Association and the local umbrella organizations.

"Our goal is that each individual can help to keep the infection situation under control, to remain stable below 50 and thus to allow openings," appealed Prime Minister Malu Dreyer. This is a particular challenge. Rheinland-Pfalz has achieved a lot due to the commitment and discipline of our people. Nationwide, Rheinland-Pfalz has the highest rate of vaccinations given and for some time now, it has been one of the best epidemiological locations. Since last Saturday, the incidence rate is below 50 again. However, it is not yet clear in which direction the infection situation will develop in the coming days.

It is already clear that in counties with an incidence of over 100, these opening steps will not be implemented.

If the seven-day incidence rate in our state remains stable below 50, retail stores could reopen, as well as museums, galleries and botanical gardens. The opened retail stores are obliged to ensure compliance with capacity limits and hygiene regulations through strict access control measures and consistent implementation of hygiene concepts.

Joint arrangements should be taken with neighboring counties with higher incidences in order to avoid, as far as possible, cross-border use of open services.

If the infections are above this mark up to a maximum of 100, increased protective measures apply in this opening step. Then only appointment shopping will be possible. This will be somewhat expanded. Visits to galleries, zoos and botanical gardens will only be possible with appointment booking and documentation.

"It is very important, especially for young people, that contact-free outdoor sports will be possible again, especially for children under the age of 14. Group offers are even made possible here," says Prime Minister Malu Dreyer.

"If the 7-day incidence rises to more than 100 on three consecutive days, we will pull the emergency brake on the second business day and return to the regulations in effect today."

Fourth opening step depending on incidence rate – starting 22 March at the earliest

If the 7-day incidence rate remains stable for an additional 14 days, outdoor catering can also reopen starting 22 March. The requirements then necessary depend on the epidemiological development.

The same applies to theatres, concert halls and opera houses as well as movie theaters. Contact-free sports indoors should also be possible again. If the incidences are above 50, daily fast or self-testing is mandatory for these offers.

Fifth opening step depending on incidence rate – starting 5 April at the earliest

Even if the incidence rate does not fall below 50 but remains below 100, the retail trade can also open by 5 April at the latest. The federal and state governments will discuss further opening steps in the areas not yet named on 22 March.

Economic aid and hardship funds for cases that have so far fallen through the cracks

"The federal and state governments continue to support the companies with extensive support measures. Since November, more than EUR 8 billion have been disbursed through the various federal aid programs. The restart aid, which has been launched now, supports solo freelancer who were only able to apply for bridging assistance to a limited extent due to low fixed operating costs. With the so-called “Extended November/December Aid” and the increase in the progress payments in “bridging aid III” to up to 800,000 euros, large companies with a higher financial need can now also be helped. With a common funded hardship fund, the federal and state governments want to make an additional offer to help in cases where aid programs have so far been unable to take effect. The details of the scheme will be clarified in the next conference of the state governements," the prime minister said.

Border regimes in the regions bordering the virus mutation region Moselle

Independently of the Prime Minister's Conference, Prime Minister Malu Dreyer informed that there is no temporary reintroduction of border controls at the Schengen Borders. "There will be close coordination of the operations on the German-French border with the competent authorities of the Saarland and Rheinland-Pfalz and the French side in order to ensure a common regional approach. In the event of any findings in the context of the existing border search measures (e.g. commuters without a current test), the persons concerned will be informed of the legal situation, referred, if necessary, to the nearest test center and the local health authority will be informed."

Source: https://ift.tt/30ucXb1

Date Taken:	03.08.2021
Date Posted:	03.10.2021 05:19
Story ID:	390808
Location:	WIESBADEN, HE, DE

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Courtesy Translation: Hessen state government decides on next opening steps in schools - DVIDS - Translation

Press Release from the Hessen State Government from 09 MAR 2021
Courtesy Translation: Nadine Bower, Public Affairs Specialist

State government decides on next opening steps in schools

A big opening step for all students will take place after Easter.

"The past few months have clearly shown that our schools cannot be replaced as places of social coexistence and central anchors for the education of our children, despite a very well organized and pedagogically high-quality distance education. For example, grades 7 and above have not been able to attend school for more than two months now. We can and will no longer maintain this state of affairs," said Minister of Culture, Prof. Dr. R. Alexander Lorz, today in Wiesbaden. "That is why the Hessen state government has decided that a major opening step for all students should take place after the Easter break."

If the development of the infection allows, grades 1 to 4 will be taught in limited normal mode (i.e. five days a week) and grades from class 5 onwards in the alternating model starting 19 April. Senior classes, which can already be taught in attendance, will continue to be taught in school. "We want to give our students a reliable perspective for safe teaching," said the Minister of Culture.

In order to make it possible to start alternating classes, schools should set up at least one day of attendance per week for grades 7 and above, starting on 22 March, and thus before the Easter break, if the national incidence level does not rise above 100 by then. In doing so, the state is responding to the wishes of the National Student Council, the National Parents' Advisory Council and the concept group consisting of school practitioners, for a gradual return to more normality, the minister stressed. "With the gradual transition to alternating lessons, we will not only relax the situation for the families, but at the same time enable our older students to see their classmates again after months of distance learning."

Secondary school teachers to receive vaccination offers after Easter

For a few days now, teachers and school staff in elementary and secondary schools in Hessen have been vaccinated as a priority. This group of around 30,000 people equals about 50 percent of all teachers in Hessen. "We aim to provide vaccination to teachers and other staff in all other forms of school after Easter," Lorz said. In addition, the school openings in Hesse will continue to be accompanied (initially until the end of April) by the weekly tests already offered to teachers and school staff. The Hessen state government is also currently working intensively to offer regular self-tests for students as well as teachers after the Easter break.

Source: https://ift.tt/3bybd76

Date Taken:	03.10.2021
Date Posted:	03.10.2021 05:17
Story ID:	390983
Location:	WIESBADEN, HE, DE

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Why a white poet did not translate Amanda Gorman - BBC News - Translation

For Quinsy Gario, a black Dutch spoken word artist, Gorman's words need to be handled with care as they involve embodied knowledge and the cultural baggage that come with being black. "The Dutch language needs to have a conduit, a person that's been able to push to the same extent as Amanda Gorman did, and connect to a local understanding of what those words mean, and how those words can resonate."

Translations.com Debuts Enhanced GlobalLink Connect Integration for inRiver - Business Wire - Translation

NEW YORK & SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Translations.com, the technology division of TransPerfect, the world’s largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, today debuted its latest inRiver integration for GlobalLink^® Connect. The enhanced solution gives users more ways to leverage GlobalLink Connect’s translation workflow management while creating and processing translation requests within the familiar inRiver interface.

Translations.com is co-hosting a webinar with inRiver on March 24 to discuss this enhanced solution in more detail with Indiska and Fenix Outdoor, the parent company of Fjällräven. Registration is open here.

GlobalLink Connect for inRiver provides an all-in-one solution to initiate, automate, control, track, and complete all facets of the translation process. inRiver’s product information management (PIM) system combines with GlobalLink Connect’s extended localization workflow capabilities to create a seamless plug-and-play solution with minimal effort and virtually no IT overhead.

inRiver offers the only digital-first PIM™ solution that drives faster time-to-market and better buying experiences across every customer touchpoint. GlobalLink Connect gives those same users the power to create better cross-border customer experiences in new markets across 170+ languages worldwide.

Features of the joint solution include:

• Multiple linked or referenced entities configured and submitted to parent products
• Support and compatibility of translations from inRiver
• New or updated content submission based on inRiver market availability
• Translation status tracking from inRiver
• Custom markets mapping from entities for translation
• In-context review of inRiver products

“As organizations expand into new marketplaces and geographies, accurately translated product data becomes a differentiator for brands to engage their buyers,” said Gauri Chawla, Vice President, Global Alliances and Partners, inRiver. “The integration with GlobalLink provides a powerful solution to solve common challenges of digital commerce.”

Phil Shawe, President and CEO of TransPerfect, commented, “inRiver has been a trusted partner for over five years. Our newly enhanced GlobalLink inRiver integration will benefit joint customers by allowing them to scale up and translate large data sets more efficiently.”

About inRiver

inRiver empowers organizations to deliver revenue-driving product information at every touchpoint. inRiver’s digital-first PIM™ enables organizations to bring compelling product stories to life for highly customized purchases, obtain actionable guidance on what influences buying decisions, and then quickly adapt to put insights into action. inRiver helps B2B and B2C organizations turn product information into strategic assets to drive revenue for over 1,500 brands and 500 customers globally. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, inRiver has offices in Chicago and Amsterdam. For more information, visit inRiver.com.

About Translations.com

Translations.com is the world’s largest provider of enterprise localization services and technology solutions. From offices in over 100 cities on six continents, Translations.com offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 5,000 global organizations employ Translations.com’s GlobalLink^® technology to simplify the management of multilingual content. Translations.com is part of the TransPerfect family of companies, with global headquarters in New York and regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.translations.com.

What exactly is ‘Blue Anon,’ conservatives’ favorite new term? - The Daily Dot - Dictionary

If you’ve seen the term “Blue Anon” appear on social media over the past few days, you may be wondering what exactly the phrase is all about.

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*First Published: Mar 9, 2021, 12:27 pm

Mikael Thalen

Mikael Thalen is a tech and security reporter based in Seattle, covering social media, data breaches, hackers, and more.

Google Translate still isn’t good enough for medical instructions - The Verge - Translation

Google Translate still isn’t reliable enough to use for medical instructions for people who don’t speak English, according to a new study published last week. Sometimes, it works: it was the most accurate when translating emergency department discharge instructions into Spanish. But a lot of the time, especially with less common languages, it doesn’t — the study found it was only 55 percent accurate for Armenian. That’s a big problem when it comes to health information, where any misunderstanding can be dangerous.

“All you need is one error that creates confusion for a patient, and they don’t take their blood thinner or they take too much of their blood thinner,” says study author Lisa Diamond, a health disparities researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “And you end up with medical emergency.”

“All you need is one error that creates confusion for a patient”

Federal guidelines say that hospitals and health care organizations have to provide interpreters and translators for patients who don’t speak English. The guidelines are designed to fill a vital need — these patients are at a higher risk of medical complications because they may not understand instructions given by their doctors.

However, in practice, many hospitals don’t offer interpreters to every patient who needs one — they’re expensive, and many health care groups struggle with the cost. Even if a hospital does have interpreters on staff or a subscription to a phone interpreting service for verbal communication, they’re less likely to have a way to translate written instructions. “There’s a clear gap in the ability to provide written information for patients,” says study author Breena Taira, an associate professor of clinical emergency medicine at UCLA Health.

It’s become common for doctors to resort to Google Translate in medical settings, Taira says. “You can imagine that a well-meaning emergency department provider thinking, ‘I really want to provide my patient with instructions in their own language, and my hospital doesn’t have a mechanism to do this — why don’t I use this automated translation software,” she says.

The new study evaluated 400 emergency department discharge instructions translated by Google Translate into seven different languages: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, and Farsi. Native speakers read the translations and evaluated their accuracy. Overall, the translated instructions were over 80 percent accurate.

That’s an improvement from 2014, when an analysis found that Google Translate was less than 60 percent accurate for medical information. Google Translate improved in 2016, when it started using a new algorithm — since then, one 2019 study found that it can be over 90 percent accurate in Spanish.

But the new analysis also found that accuracy varied between languages. Like the 2019 study, it found that Google Translate was over 90 percent accurate for Spanish. Tagalog, Korean, and Chinese had accuracy rates ranging from 80 to 90 percent. There was a big drop-off for Farsi, which had a 67 percent accuracy, and Armenian, which had a 55 percent accuracy. In one example, Google Translate turned “You can take over the counter ibuprofen as needed for pain” into Armenian as “You may take anti-tank missile as much as you need for pain.”

“You may take anti-tank missile as much as you need for pain”

Even languages like Spanish and Chinese that were usually accurate could have Google Translate errors that could confuse patients. An instruction for a patient taking the blood-thinning medication Coumadin read “Your Coumadin level was too high today. Do not take any more Coumadin until your doctor reviews the results.” It was translated into Chinese as “Your soybean level was too high today. Do not take anymore soybean until your doctor reviews the results.”

One of the main problems with relying on machine translation is that it can’t account for context, Diamond says. The program might not recognize that a word is the name of a medication, for example. “It loses the meaning of what you’re trying to say,” she says.

Eventually, machine translation programs might improve to the point where they can accurately and safely translate medical information. But based on the way they work now, they aren’t a good approach.

Instead, doctors should write out instructions in English and have an interpreter go over those instructions verbally with a patient, Taira says. But that’s just a stop-gap — ideally, health systems should give doctors a way to get professional translations of materials. Each doctor is going to do the best they can with the resources they have available. “What we need to do, really as a system, is to make things easier for the provider,” Taira says.