Fall 2021 New Releases In Translation - Book Riot - Translation

The mornings are crisp. The days are shorter. And the fall books are here! Autumn is always a busy time of year for books, with publishers releasing their big titles in the hope of capturing the interest of readers looking to settle in to the season with a good book or shopping for the holidays. But doesn’t this fall feel even more stacked with great new releases? I suspect a combination of factors — including shifting printer schedules because of the pandemic and publishers deciding not to publish their buzziest new books last fall because of the election — might have something to do with it, but regardless, I think it was always going to be a great season for new releases in translation.

While this season has something for everyone with exciting debuts, stunning poetry collections, and so much more, this season feels marked to me by new books from authors and translators known and loved by literature in translation readers, with new titles from Hiromi Kawakami, Fleur Jaeggy, Helene Tursten, and Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, and acclaimed translators like Margaret Jull Costa and Janet Hong. I’ve poured over the catalogs and galleys and highlighted just some of the best fall 2021 new releases in translation and because there’s just so much to choose from I’ve added notes for others you should seek out too!

The Best Fall 2021 New Books in Translation

Empty Wardrobes by Maria Judite de Carvalho, Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

Maria Judite de Carvalho is considered one of Portugal’s most important writers and so it’s a cause for celebration to see her ferocious 1966 novel, Empty Wardrobes, translated into English for the first time by the incomparable Margaret Jull Costa. Empty Wardrobes is a novel of women’s consciousness, of the untold lives of women as they navigate a world shaped by and for men. In her staggeringly brilliant introduction Kate Zambreno writes, “I couldn’t believe this consciousness had finally been rendered in literature, the consciousness of so many women familiar yet unknowable, no longer muted, not saturated with sanctimony but alive, alive with rage transmuting disdain into hilarity by sheer force, alive with intense paroxysms of sadness.” As you read it, you might ask yourself, as I did, is that my heart in my throat or a scream that can’t get out?

And don’t miss Cuíer, a bilingual anthology of queer Brazilian writers and the newest addition to the Calico Series from Two Lines Press.

The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, Translated by Janet Hong

Inspired by her own family’s history and the accounts of other separated Korean families, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim has created another powerful story of colonization and war, and the ordinary people caught in their wake. Like its devastating predecessor, Grass, also translated by Janet Hong, The Waiting is composed of stark and evocative black and white illustrations. Janet Hong’s masterful translation captures every nuance of emotion, the pain and heartbreak of this history, the agony of hope, in language that is at once sharp and subtle.

Three Novels by Yuri Herrera, Translated by Lisa Dillman

To celebrate their 10th anniversary season, acclaimed independent publisher And Other Stories has released this stunning new edition of the work of Yuri Herrera, as their 100th title. This volume brings together the three novels that have made Herrera one of the best loved and most revolutionary writers of the millennium: Kingdom Cons, Signs Preceding the End of the World, and The Transmigration of Bodies. Herrera’s novels of borders, migration, and violence are beyond anything that we might expect as they traverse into the realms of myth, epic, and fairytale. The translation and especially the notes from award-winning translator Lisa Dillman are a master class for translators, writers, and lovers of language alike. It’s clearer than ever in this collected volume — this is a staggering work of genius.

The Water Statues by Fleur Jaeggy, Translated by Gini Alhadeff

First published in 1980 and dedicated to Ingeborg Bachmann, The Water Statues is a strange and beguiling novella of family, wealth, and obsession told in fragments of narration and dialogue, set up at times almost like a play. An undeniable master of the short form, Fleur Jaeggy is known for her short, piercing, and yet still lush singular style and translator Gini Alhadeff has skillfully captured it, each word is so carefully chosen and each sentence, like “The eyes were flat as Alpine lakes that sweetly reflect celestial inequities” and “It is perhaps needless to say that they felt they had entered a dream, or a catastrophe, or simply a new life,” is dizzyingly beautiful. And be sure to read this rare interview with Jaeggy recently published in The New Yorker.

Em by Kim Thúy, Translated by Sheila Fischman 

“The word em refers to the little brother or little sister in a family; or the younger of two friends; or the woman in a couple. I like to think the word em is the homonym of the verb aimer, “to love,” in French, in the imperative: aime.” From the award-winning and internationally bestselling author of Ru, Mãn, and Vi, comes Em, a powerful novel of war, trauma, and exile. In short vignettes, Thúy weaves the lives of linked characters as if they were threads, set against the backdrop of Vietnamese history, such as events like Operation Babylift and the Mỹ Lai massacre. There is a raw, unsettlingly beautiful quality to Sheila Fischman’s translation, her own magical intertwining of poetry and prose that sings with Thúy’s storytelling. I’d recommend this one to fans of The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui.

A Dove in Free Flight: Poems by Faraj Bayrakdar, Translated by the New York Translation Collective

“The freedom within us is more powerful than the prisons we are in.” And so begins Syrian poet and political dissident Faraj Bayrakdar’s beautiful and important testament to the power of language, of poetry more specifically. These poems were written during his long imprisonment, smuggled out of prison, and published by friends without his knowledge to mobilize international pressure for his release. The poems themselves are intimate and powerful, of love, despair, freedom, and memory — of the body and of the soul. They pulse with a bright clarity. This is not art for art’s sake but art for life’s sake in its truest sense. Also included in the book is the fascinating story behind the collection’s translation into English — in a post-9/11 New York City where a group of students in acclaimed writer Elias Khoury’s Arab Prison Literature course at NYU decided to collectively translate the poems — an introduction by editors Ammiel Alcalay and Shareah Taleghani, a “Portrait of the Poet” by Elias Khoury, and an interview with Bayrakdar after his release.

People From My Neighborhood by Hiromi Kawakami, Translated by Ted Goossen

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of award-winning and bestselling Japanese author Hiromi Kawakami. Her writing is intricate and deep, often beautifully subtle with a restlessness that I’m drawn to. This new collection of 26 short “palm of the hand” stories — fictions small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand — is a perfect extension of all she does so well in her other books, like Strange Weather in Tokyo and its companion short novel Parade, both translated by Allison Markin Powell. It blends the mundane with the mysterious, it is both a story of everyday life and people, but — as is usually the case with Kawakami — there’s a strange, unusual element that’s endlessly fascinating.

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten, Translated by Marlaine Delargy

Maud is back! Everyone’s favorite octegenarian muderer has returned for more delightful and sinister mayhem. In six irresistible interlocking stories, Maud journeys to Africa and revisits memories of past…let’s call them indiscretions. Marlaine Delargy captures all that is sharp and darkly funny in Helene Tursten’s clever social satire. Fans of Tursten will also enjoy spotting detectives Irene Huss and Embla Nyström from her two other series, both also set in Sweden.

Last Words on Earth by Javier Serena, Translated by Katie Whittemore

A striking debut inspired by the life of Roberto Bolaño, Last Words on Earth follows the life of struggling writer Ricardo Funes who finally publishes an incredibly successful novel only for the dramatically altered trajectory of his literary career to be cut short by terminal lung cancer. This haunting novel of passion and art is told through the voices of Funes’s best friend, his wife, and himself. Like in her translation of Sara Mesa’s Four by Four, translator Katie Whittemore has proven herself to be a revelation, especially when it comes to multi-voiced novels. Last Words on Earth is also the first of a three-book-project conceived by Open Letter that revolves around ideas of art, integrity, and fame.

And don’t miss Ganbare! Workshops on Dying by Katarzyna Boni, translated by Mark Ordon, the first work on nonfiction published in Open Letter’s new Polish Reportage Series. I’d recommend this one for fans of Svetlana Alexievich and Emmanuel Carrère.

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For more incredible new releases in translation from this year, check out this list of Hot Summer 2021 New Releases by Women in Translation.

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A passion for translation they hope to pass on - Eternity News - Translation

They left their homes and families to make the long trek to Darwin with a single aim in view – to become better Bible translators so that they can share the good news of Jesus with people in their communities in their heart languages.

After three years of travelling to Darwin for three-week lesson blocks, a group of 15 experienced Bible translators have finally graduated from Nungalinya College’s first Diploma of Translating.

As well as relief that their studies are over, they are delighted about what they have learned over the past three years, especially during the final three-week intensive, in which they studied Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

Yarranydjil Dhurrkay, from Galiwinku on Elcho Island, said the Diploma course had equipped her to be able to equip future translators.

“It was good for me to learn those things and now I’m able to convey the teaching to new translators,” said Yarranydjil, who is also known as Rriwit.

Yarranydjil helped translate the New Testament into Djambarrpuyngu, which was published in 2008. This was her mother’s language. She also worked on the Gospel of Mark in her father’s language of Wangurri – which is the only Scripture available so far in that language.

“It was good for me to learn those things and now I’m able to convey the teaching to new translators.” – Yarranydjil Dhurrkay

She had particularly loved studying Colossians over the previous three weeks because she was reading it in her own translation of Djambarrpuyngu.

“It reminded me of what I did and I had to read some of my own translation and it encouraged me. And it’s by God’s grace that he’s allowing us to read our stories again – not our stories, but stories from God to others, for others. It has a very special meaning and deep meaning. And we want to let others hear that too.”

Coming from a multilingual family, as do most Indigenous people, Yarranydjil expressed the hope that one day all Indigenous languages would have their own Bibles.

“That would make God happy,” she said.

Like Yarranydjil, Rosemary Jinmauliya Brown had to travel more than 500km to attend the Diploma of Translating course at Nungalinya from her community in Mangrida where she lives with her five children and two grandchildren.

“It was difficult leaving my husband and family to come to Nungalinya, but they allowed me to come,” said Rosemary, speaking at a special graduation ceremony at Nungalinya College after their final lesson last Friday evening.

“The three years that I’ve been studying is a type of road, but I found the way. I asked the Lord, I prayed and he gave me understanding … I learned so much on this journey.”

“Now God is calling me and I will go out to share the good news with other communities and the surrounding homeland who need to hear it.” – Rosemary Jinmauliya Brown

Rosemary, who is also known as Molly, says her passion is to pass on the message of the gospel to young people.

“Christian ministry is about how to inspire and to empower and transform others so that in the heavenly kingdom we will be welcomed as children of God, fully created with his glorious purpose… In ministry, the word of God to our people … brings hope and a new life for social and emotional wellbeing,” she said.

“At Nungalinya College I have learned lots of things and gained from the Bible through spirit and growth, built a strong foundation for Jesus … Now God is calling me and I will go out to share the good news with other communities and the surrounding homeland who need to hear it.”

Marjorie Roberts Hall had to make an even longer journey to Darwin – 635km – with her husband William, who are jointly Deacons-in-Charge at St Matthews Anglican Church in Ngukurr, formerly Roper River Mission, in Southern Arnhem Land.

Marjorie Roberts Hall with a Kriol Bible

Marjorie, an expert translator of the Kriol Bible and the recently launched Kriol Preya Buk, said she was grateful to have been able to complete the Diploma in Translating because she had missed out on the earlier Certificate in Translation CIT course offered at Nungalinya 20 years ago.

The government-accredited Diploma of Translating was adapted to incorporate specific Bible translation principles in response to the strong desire and need of mother-tongue translators for some formal training. It was run in partnership with Bible Society Australia with sponsorship from several NSW churches such as Figtree Anglican and Gymea Baptist.

In an interview with Eternity, Marjorie said she had found the last three weeks of the course particularly encouraging.

“The Holy Spirit helped us to see things and to know how to go home and speak those words, the stories from Colossians – Paul’s letter – because they were troubled at that time.

“And there was a friend that was leading the church at Colossae, who met Paul in jail, and then Timothy helped with Paul writing that letter. And then there was another believer, Christian brother, that took the letter back. Yeah, it was really strong and it helped us to be the person we are going to be, to humble ourselves and love one another,” she said.

“We have our spiritual battles, but we know how to go about it. We’ve got the Lord as our personal saviour helping us and, through him, he gave us that promise. There’s a lot of promises in the Bible for everyone and it’s free.”

Marjorie explained that Kriol is the “middle language” for the Indigenous people of the Northern Territory. “Kriol is good because it’s widely spoken but with different dialects such as Kimberley Kriol, middle Kriol and Ngukurr Kriol,” she said.

For those who don’t know, Marjorie explained that Kriol started back in 1908 when the Church Missionary Society established a remote mission on the banks of the Roper River in southern Arnhem Land. (According to historian John Harris, Kriol became the first language of the younger generation and was in use at Ngukurr long before it became the first language of other communities. Indeed, Kriol was for many years generally referred to as ‘ Roper Pidgin”. According to an article in The Conversation, Kriol developed into a fully-fledged language when Aboriginal children from various language groups were placed into dormitories with reduced parental contact and had Pidgin English as their only common bond.)

Kriol – which is the only language to have a full Bible so far – is now a resource for other language groups to help them translate their own Bibles, Marjorie says.

As helpful Kriol is, it’s not Marjorie or William’s only language. Like most Indigenous people they have a rich multi-lingual heritage.

“I’m a Kriol speaker but my language is Mungaru, from the Mataranka area. My grandmother’s language is Wubuy, my grandfather’s language is Marra. My father’s mother’s language is Jawoyn, around the Katherine area,” she said.

“Our family is from different areas. So working with Kriol helps the people and young people, even kids today when they have youth group or Sunday School, they learn about God’s great love towards them through Jesus Christ.”

With no Bible portions in either her father’s or mother’s language, Marjorie said the workers at the language centre at Ngukurr were helping her translate her own language, “to try to get the feeling of it and learn to do a story.”

Sandra Makurlngu, from Goulburn Island off the coast of Arnhem Land, speaks Kunwinjku and Maung but works as a Bible translator in Maung. She loves her work and said her heart’s desire is to continue to be a translator.

“I learned a lot so when I go back to my community I will share with them what I have learned,” she said.

Sandra Makurlngu

Sandra was educated at a time of bilingual education, but her children missed out on learning to write their mother tongue, having been taught only in English.

“In my time we were doing bilingual and it stopped halfway. But I would like the kids to know it, the younger generation to listen to it and write it. Today they’re learning in English and in language but somewhere in the middle it stopped, so there’s a missing generation. My kids don’t speak but I’m teaching them.”

Sandra said she had finished translating the Gospel of Mark in Maung and her voice was recorded for the Bible app.

“So young people or old people who don’t read it, they have to play it and read it and listen to it so they will understand and learn from it.”

She expressed her thanks to the churches that had supported the diploma course.

“You really helped us to come here and learn more about the Bible and how to translate it into our own language and do it properly, deeper, to make it clear, for our people to see the picture clear of how God is speaking to us in our own language today.”

Nungalinya principal Ben van Gelderen explained that these 15 diploma graduates were the cream of the crop in terms of Bible translation.

However, they were conscious that “they won’t be on this earth forever” and wanted to pass on their passion for translating to the next generation, “often their own relatives, granddaughters, grandnieces, who have some interest, but haven’t got the skills that they’ve got.”

So the plan from 2022 onwards is to offer courses catering to a cohort of students who are interested in translation work but not necessarily experienced in it.

“It’s going to be a big step because many of those younger ones I’m talking about look up to their grandmothers and they say, ‘Wow, they’ve been working on this for years and it’s hard work!’ Translation work is long, hard work. It’s good work, but it’s hard work and so there’s a bit of hesitancy. ‘Am I good enough to do that? Do I have the sort of Christian experience, do I have the literacy and English skills?’ They do, but there is a hesitancy. So we encourage people to start on that track – you will grow those skills; you don’t have to be an expert Bible translator to start being part of the translation team. So we are very encouraging of anyone who’s really got it in their heart from God … to take that step and start some formal training here at Nungalinya.”

The college hopes to launch a Certificate II in translating in 2023, providing a nuts-and-bolts introduction to the principles of translating.

“The Diploma of Translating had a lot of good things about it, particularly if you were an experienced translator… But if you really wanted to know how do I start a Bible translation process? What they call in this field, the principles of translation – naturalness, the flow of how it should work, those sorts of things – this new course will be really focusing on that a bit more explicitly. And that’s a great thing because that’s the sort of thing that new translators are yearning for.”

Ben suggested that if any “Balanda” (white person) was interested in Bible translation, there would be opportunities to serve at Nungalinya in the future.

“Bible translation works best when there’s a team in a community and in a language, and often that involves a white fellow or Balanda person as well. So those who have those sorts of linguistic skills, and passion for translation work, you may not need to go overseas – you may need to come up here!”

“Those who have those sorts of linguistic skills, and passion for translation work, you may not need to go overseas!” – Ben van Gelderen

Of the many Indigenous languages in the Northern Territory, Ben said there were about 15 strong languages, and “virtually everyone knows one of those. But there’s many, many more as well. So the language work really is just beginning.”

“It can be complicated when you’ve got a class of, say, 15 students – which is normal – to have 15 different languages. That can be really hard for the teacher because they probably know one or two, but they don’t know 15.

“Nevertheless, you get synergy as people are going through the same process in different languages because it’s really about teaching the process. So in the last few years, we’ve had those 15 in a group and there’s been about seven or eight languages and that’s worked okay. More than that may get tricky.”

He said the overall vision of teaching translation fitted well into the college motto of empowering indigenous Christians.

“In the early days, it was largely around understanding the Scriptures, so it was more like a Bible college, I guess. Nungalinya also had a real community development arm, knowing that there are many things in community life where other sorts of training would be helpful, not just learning theology.

“So this translation work is a nice amalgam and sits in the middle really. Clearly, it’s good for Bible translation, but having training in translation full-stop actually opens up employment for people with health, with the law, many other avenues as well. It’s a bit of a win-win situation. And we have other courses a bit like that as well.

“We’re sitting here in our art room and that’s another good example – a new course we brought on this year. People are expressing their faith, but selling their art to the art centre is also a really good opportunity to have a sustainable income and community.”

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Anna Maria Mattaar: Translating from Armenian into Dutch and vice versa - The Armenian Mirror-Spectator - Translation

I remember, years ago you said that in the Dutch archives you had found the first Dutchman interested in Armenian, Dionysios Vossius (1612-1633). Upon my request you wrote an article on that topic in Armenian, which was published in Azg newspaper. How did you find Vossius, and are there any other archival materials related to Armenians?

What I found was a handwritten notebook. Vossius was born into a scholarly family with a keen interest in languages. He studied Ancient Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Syriac and Arabic. Vossius published his first Arabic dictionary at the age of 16. It is a pity that he lived for a very short time as he died at the age of 21, otherwise he would have been the first Dutch Armenologist at that time. In the notebook I have mentioned he had copied excerpts from the Bible, in Latin on one side and in Armenian on the other, thus comparing and learning Armenian.

I also found other interesting things. At the beginning of the 18^th century, after 17^th century printer Voskan Yerevantsi, the second Armenian printing house was established in Amsterdam, where a German has worked there. He learned the Armenian language from the Armenian employees of this printing house and published a textbook of Armenian. At the University of Leiden, I found the first version of that book, which was defective. Seeing that this version is not good, they modified it and a few years later they published the complete version. But nobody in Armenia knows about that first version, so I am going to write an article about it.

Besides, I have an idea to compile a book summarizing the episodes about the Armenians in Dutch literature. There are Dutch novels, in which suddenly an Armenian character appears.

At the moment I am cooperating with the embassies of Armenia in the Netherlands and the Netherlands in Armenia. 2022 will mark the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Netherlands, and we want to organize events within the framework of that occasion. Next year we plan to organize an exhibition of Dutch paintings in the National Gallery of Armenia, an exhibition of books related to the Netherlands in the National Library in Yerevan, and an exhibition of books printed and written in the Netherlands in Matenadaran. And in Netherlands everything is much more difficult to organize. Let me tell you a story. Together with the Armenian Ambassador to the Netherlands, we were thinking of organizing an exhibition of books related to Armenia at the Hague Book Museum, which wanted to show the ties between the Netherlands and Armenia from the 4th century until today. [4^th Century refers to the patron saint of the city of Maastricht, Servatius, an Armenian, who died in 384 – A. B.] I sent the program to the museum, talked on the phone, they were very interested, telling me they would discuss and contact us. I waited, I wrote them a month later and received an answer they had decided do not organize such an exhibition. I wanted to know the reason, they wrote something from which it was clear that it was an excuse. I called them and it turned out that next to that museum was the Turkish embassy, which they were afraid of.

I thought so. Is the Turkish-Azerbaijani lobby also strong in the Netherlands, is there a lot of pressure?

It seems that it is not so much, but in general they are afraid of the Turks.

Anna, being a non-Armenian, unlike many of my compatriots, you speak Armenian like an Armenian. Can you tell me why you learned Armenian?

Armenian is a very rich language, the Armenian nation has a very rich literature from ancient times to the present, it has very interesting writers, a very rich history, which when you read, you understand that the Armenian nation is very resilient, there have survived so many catastrophes, disasters and difficulties, but they remained. That is a very big issue.

Another catastrophe happened a year ago; in those days you were in Armenia again.

Yes, I came to Armenia to work on The Diary of Anne Frank. I came to Armenia on September 26 and the next morning the war started. Then, when I returned to Netherlands, it was very sad that they either did not know about the war at all, or they were saying: well, Armenians and Azeris always fight. I tried to explain that the Armenians are not fighting, but defending themselves, the Azeris attacked Armenia with the help of the Turks and others. But they do not understand or do not want to understand, which is very painful.

What do Armenians have to learn from the Dutch and vice versa?

The Dutch can learn patriotism towards their own nation from the Armenians, because it seems that there is no concept of nationality for the Dutch. The Dutch do not like their nation, their history, what other nations have written about them. And Armenians may learn from the Dutch to accept people as they are. In Netherlands you go out in strange clothes and no one looks at you, they do not say anything, they accept you as you are. I think that is a good thing.

You used to come to Armenia with your family, and for several years now you have been coming without your children.

Yes, I come twice a year, on business, for my cooperation with the embassies and for my studies. It is true that I was divorced from my Yerevan-born husband, but after that my connection with Armenia has become even stronger. When I came to Armenia with my ex-husband, I paid more family visits, but after the divorce I am more free to do my own job, that’s why my workload has increased here. I am constantly trying to establish contacts between Armenian and Dutch institutions. Once we went to Amberd, where I accidentally met the staff of the Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station. I connected them with their colleagues in the Netherlands, and I am glad that they cooperate now. My children still understand Armenian (although they say they do not), they even speak a little. And my daughter, who did not want to hear about Armenia for several years for obvious reasons, recently said that one day my children and I will definitely go to Armenia again to rediscover the country together…

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Allison Hanes: Quebec anglophones lost in translation - Montreal Gazette - Translation

The Quebec government's new anti-racism ads turned out to be less than inclusive for one half of the Two Solitudes.

Author of the article:

Allison Hanes  •  Montreal Gazette

Publishing date:

Nov 25, 2021  •  5 hours ago  •  3 minute read  •  11 Comments

Quebec Premier François Legault has stated he considers anglophones to be part of the Quebec nation. But there are times it doesn't feel as if he means it, Allison Hanes writes. Photo by Jacques Boissinot /The Canadian Press

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Maybe we should just let it go.

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Perhaps it’s making a mountain out of a molehill. After all, it’s not an existential threat to rights or services (and Lord knows there are enough of those these days). Plus the government quickly corrected course.

Still, there’s something telling about the latest misunderstanding between the Two Solitudes that can’t merely be swept under the rug.

In case you missed it, the Quebec government unveiled a new ad campaign to fight racism  this week.

In both languages, the public service announcement asks: “In Quebec, a group of young Black people gathered in a park at nightfall are called?”

In French, the answer is: “des amis québécois.” The ad then cuts to a cluster of smiling, laughing people of colour sitting on a park bench at sunset, concluding with: “Put an end to prejudice.”

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Much ink could be spilled about the effectiveness of the messaging and whether it will go very far in combatting racism in a province that is still in denial about its subtler, systemic forms. But it’s the English version that has raised the most eyebrows. It just answers the provocative question: “friends,” before cutting to the tagline.

Was something lost in translation? Or was the subliminal message that anglophones aren’t Quebecers? In the current climate of rising language tensions, it was a question that everyone from journalists to opposition MNAs to the Quebec Community Groups Network, an umbrella organization for English-speakers, wondered about on social media.

The explanation was equally revealing. According to Benoît Charette, the minister in charge of the fight against racism, it wasn’t meant as a slight toward English speaking Quebecers. However, his spokesperson noted, the term “ Québecois” has a different connotation in English than in French.

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So a call was made somewhere in the process of producing the segments not to use the word Quebecer in the English version. And, however unintentional, a campaign to promote inclusiveness turned out to be exclusionary … toward anglophones.

Much has already been made of this irony. It quickly became clear the missing word was going to overshadow the goal of the ad campaign, which is to fight stereotypes.

Even French-language commentators rushed to the defence of English-speaking Quebecers — which is reassuring. And Christopher Skeete, the parliamentary secretary on anglophone affairs called the lapse “unacceptable .” The capsules were quickly withdrawn. They will be recut so that anglophones are identified as Quebecers in English, too.

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The quick fix suggests good faith on the part of the government. But what does it say that anglos were left out in the first place?

Either someone in the upper echelons of the Quebec cabinet and bureaucracy doesn’t think of anglophones as Quebecers — or they assume English-speakers don’t think of themselves that way. Both mindsets are troubling, especially given the whole point of the ads was to challenge biases and the broaden the general public’s idea of who qualifies as a Quebecer.

It’s all the harder to swallow given the swell of pride Premier François Legault is trying to instil in Quebecers (or at least some of us), with the creation of new cultural institutions and a new culture course in schools. Both are designed to strengthen the sense of the national identity, history and language.

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Who is all this aimed at, though? Who belongs? Legault has stated he considers anglophones to be part of the Quebec nation. But there are times it doesn’t feel as if he means it.

There are days when English-speaking Quebecers or their institutions are used as a convenient foil for political gain or to rally the nationalist troops. There are moments when the concerns of anglophones are treated like an irritant or an afterthought. There are also times when the powers that be take actions that run contrary to the interests of the English-speaking community or other minority groups, such as recent laws that seek to enshrine collective rights over individual ones.

In this context, is it better to be ignored instead? Not really. It’s a painful reminder of where anglophones stand in the eyes of some of our fellow Quebecers — somewhere between a spoiled minority and angryphones who always have an axe to grind. No matter how much French we learn, how much we participate in Quebec society, this kind of thing leaves the impression we don’t count when it comes down to it.

Perhaps we’re reading too much into one word missing that will soon be added to a public awareness campaign. But sometimes what goes unsaid speaks volumes.

ahanes@postmedia.com

1. 

   Hanes: The tissue box versus the dictionary

2. 

   Hanes: Many Quebec anglos wonder who, if anyone, is in their corner

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Chinese translation of Nuskha Hyi Wafa launched in Beijing | Wed, 24 Nov 2021, 10:56 PM - Associated Press of Pakistan - Translation

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Chinese translation of Nuskha Hyi Wafa launched in Beijing | Wed, 24 Nov 2021, 10:56 PM  Associated Press of Pakistan

Courtesy Translation: Rheinland-Pfalz Minister President Malu Dreyer: More vaccination, more testing and more 2G - Breaking the fourth wave together - DVIDS - Translation

Press Release from the State Government of Rheinland-Pfalz; from 16 NOV 2021
Courtesy Translation: Nadine Bower, Community Relations

Rheinland-Pfalz Minister President Malu Dreyer: More vaccination, more testing and more 2G - Breaking the fourth wave together

"Almost exactly one year ago, we had to close all leisure facilities in Germany in order to reduce contacts. This was followed by the lockdown in retail and school closures for an excruciatingly long time. We want to avert this in winter 2021. Luckily, we have a vaccine available this winter. The majority of the population has protected themselves from a severe course of the disease with a vaccination and people protect others because they are much less contagious. And yet we are again experiencing a very high infection dynamic. The strains in hospitals and intensive care units are increasing. There, especially unvaccinated people wrestle with death. We have put a lot of effort into the vaccination campaign, but there are still too many people who do not want to be vaccinated. That is why we cannot impose another lockdown on society as a whole. However, we consider a lockdown for the unvaccinated to be a protective measure to break the fourth wave without having to close schools, day-care centers, retailers, cultural institutions, businesses or hotels and restaurants again," said Minister President Malu Dreyer after the meeting of the heads of the state governments with the incumbent Chancellor and the current Vice Chancellor.

"Many people are wondering why the intensive care units are filling up again despite vaccination. The reasons are manifold: Unvaccinated patients stay longer in the intensive care units, we have lost nursing staff in hospitals due to the long, exhausting corona pandemic. Additionally, we have postponed non-urgent operations in Rheinland-Pfalz in order to make room for COVID19 patients. And we want to continue to prevent this, because it is a great burden for people with cancer or heart disease if long-awaited and urgent operations cannot be performed," said Minister President Malu Dreyer.

Dreyer said that it was important to her that the federal and state governments continue to fight together against the pandemic and agree on a joint approach and thus also give guidance to the population. The new Infection Protection Act, which the German Bundestag passed today, enables the Federal States to take the protective measures that make the respective events necessary even after 24 November. "We have a toolbox that currently goes further than the measures used so far in certain areas: These are 3G in the workplace, 3G in local public transport and in regional and long-distance trains (except school transport) and 2G in leisure events, culture, hotel and gastronomy and services on the body. Special rules apply to children and young people. We are expanding the test obligation, we are offering free citizen tests again and are pushing for booster vaccinations for everyone aged 18 and older," said Minister President Malu Dreyer.

"Throughout the summer and autumn, we drove through the state with our vaccination buses, we advertised and appealed. But fewer and fewer people came to get vaccinated. We are currently experiencing a real rush; because now many whose second vaccination has been more than 6 months ago, want to be boostered. We are doing everything in our power, together with general practitioners and hospitals, company doctors, and we are reactivating vaccination centers in order to significantly increase the supply again. We want to vaccinate as many people as possible as soon as possible," said Minister President Malu Dreyer.

Therefore, regular tests, AHA rules and masks remain a very important protection even for vaccinated people. "In Rheinland-Pfalz, we have already prepared a tightening of our Corona Control Ordinance and will implement the decisions of the MPK," said the Minister President.

Here are the points in detail:

Expanding vaccination offers – pushing boosters

"First and second vaccination doses for previously unvaccinated people remain crucial, but booster vaccinations are also playing an increasingly important role in the fight against the pandemic. Since the demand for vaccinations will continue to rise sharply, we have already expanded the existing vaccination offer of the medical profession, the mobile vaccination teams and the vaccination buses in Rheinland-Pfalz by 21 vaccination sites in hospitals and eight vaccination centers. All citizens should be able to receive a booster vaccination on the basis of the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) if the second vaccination was at least five months ago," said Minister President Malu Dreyer. "We will also prepare for children between the age of 5 and 12 to be vaccinated once the EMA approves this and the federal government has provided the necessary vaccine."

Protection of vulnerable groups in care facilities

"Cases of infection among vulnerable groups, especially among older people in need of care, are increasing," said the Minster President. Therefore, Rheinland-Pfalz has already introduced a daily test obligation for unvaccinated staff in hospitals. This also applies to care facilities and integration assistance facilities as well as in similar institutions.

In particular, we must provide additional protection for vulnerable groups. The Federal States consider it necessary that all employees in hospitals and integration assistance facilities as well as in old people's and nursing homes and mobile care services are obliged to be vaccinated against the coronavirus when in contact with vulnerable persons. The state governments ask the federal government to implement this as soon as possible."

3G regulation in the workplace

"The workplace must be corona-safe. Therefore, a nationwide requirement is that only recovered, vaccinated or tested persons may work there (3G regulation). Compliance with this 3G regulation should be monitored and documented by the employer on a daily basis. Employers should also continue to offer a free test at least twice a week. Where there are no operational reasons to the contrary, work from the home workplace (home office) should be made possible depending on the infection process," said the Minister President.

3G regulation in public transport

When transporting people on buses, suburban and underground trams, trains, ferries and airplanes, it is more difficult to trace the contact persons of an infected person, especially during high incidences. For this reason, the 3G rule is to be introduced in local public transport and regional and long-distance trains in addition to the current mask requirement. School transport is exempt from this. If passengers are not vaccinated or recovered, they must carry proof of a negative corona rapid test when using a means of transport. At the start of the journey, the test acceptance must not be more than 24 hours old. The proof of the test must be presented on request.

2G regulation for events, gastronomy, hotels and services on the body

In unvaccinated people, the corona disease is often much more severe. They have a significantly higher risk to infect others. Therefore, special measures are necessary and justified, said the Minister President. "In Rheinland-Pfalz, therefore, we will also restrict access to leisure events and facilities, cultural events and facilities, sporting events and exercises, gastronomic facilities and other events - indoors - as well as basically to services on the body and overnight accommodation to vaccinated and recovered individuals (statewide 2G regulation) starting at a hospitalization rate threshold above 3 in order to break the infection dynamics. The intensity of the implementation takes into account the regional infection situation. If the rate drops below the threshold again for five days in a row, these regulations can be waived again. Compliance with the access regulations will be monitored consistently and even more intensively than before," said the Minister President.

2G plus starting at a hospitalization rate above 6

"If the threshold of the hospitalization rate exceeds 6, Rheinland-Pfalz will require a negative test for vaccinated and recovered persons many areas."

(2G plus) State opening clause starting at a hospitalization rate above 9

"We have the opportunity to take further protective measures under state law starting at a hospitalization rate of 9 with the consent of parliament in the case of particularly high infection rates with a particularly high burden on the public health system."

Free tests until March 20, 2022

"We welcome the fact that the federal government is once again offering the citizen tests free of charge," said the Minister President.

Prosecution for falsification of vaccination and test certificates

"People need to be able to rely on the fact that the evidence of vaccination or recovery is valid and correct. The law passed today by the Bundestag ensures that those who falsify vaccination and recovery certificates or using falsified evidence can be punished in a legal manner in the future. This also applies to those who want to have an electronic vaccination or recovery certificate issued with falsified evidence. It is also punishable to issue a false test certificate. This is no minor offense, which is why targeted control days will be held in Rheinland-Pfalz," said the Minister President.

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

Date Taken:	11.24.2021
Date Posted:	11.24.2021 04:01
Story ID:	409970
Location:	WIESBADEN, HE, DE

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'NFT' is Collins Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2021, beating out 'crypto' and 'cheugy' - CNN - Dictionary

Written by Jack Guy, CNNLondon

"NFT," the abbreviation of "non-fungible token," has been named Word of the Year by dictionary publisher Collins, beating "crypto" and "cheugy" to the top spot.

An NFT is "a unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible," according to a blog post from Collins, published Wednesday.

Acting like virtual signatures, NFTs prove the authenticity of an artwork as the blockchain serves as incorruptible proof of ownership, meaning that "original" artworks and their owners can always be identified via the blockchain, even if an image or video is widely replicated.

They also provide scarcity, and as a result the digital art market has been booming.

In March, a digital artwork named "Everydays: The First 5000 days" sold for $69.3 million via Christie's, making its creator, graphic designer Mike Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, one of the art market's most valuable living artists.

The idea of a digital revolution is also captured in another of the dictionary's candidates for Word of the Year: "crypto," short for "cryptocurrency," digital money that is challenging traditional forms of money, according to Collins.

It also named "metaverse" in its blog post, following Facebook's announcement that it would change its corporate name to Meta.

Other selected words reflect the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with "double-vaxxed" and "hybrid working" making the shortlist.

"Climate anxiety" reflects growing concern about the damage humans are doing to the planet, while "neopronoun" is a way of referring to a person without using their name or traditional markers of gender, such as "he" and "she." Collins gives "xe," "ze" and "ve" as examples of neopronouns.

Rounding out the shortlist are "Regencycore," which is defined as a fashion aesthetic inspired by the Georgian-era clothing seen in the Netflix show "Bridgerton," and "cheugy," which is used to say that something is out of date or uncool.

In 2020, Collins named "lockdown" its Word of the Year, for obvious reasons, and, earlier this month, Oxford Languages made "vax" its pick for 2021.

Defined as "a colloquialism meaning either vaccine or vaccination as a noun and vaccinate as a verb," vax was relatively rare until this year, the company, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, said.

In September, vax appeared more than 72 times more frequently than the year before, said Oxford Languages, which analyzes news content to track changes in the English language.

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