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    • Archive for August, 2009

    Now Taking Votes: Amsterdam or Paris?


    2009 - 08.13

    Posted in Uncategorized, cultural curiosity | No Comments »

    We are now planning our next World to the Wise Cultural Tour for spring break of 2010, i.e. mid-March. We have room for 20-25 culturally curious travelers, and have narrowed our destination down to two options:

    AmsterdamAmsterdam – unique architecture & charm, canals, Dutch Masters, Van Gogh, rich history, Anne Frank, Corrie ten Boom and the Hiding Place, world’s largest flower market, the warmth of the Dutch people (who almost all speak English!)

    OR:

    Eiffel Tower b&wParis - the Louvre, the Impressionists, Versailles palace, Eiffel Tower, Latin Quarter, sidewalk cafés, French cuisine, Champs Elysées, Parisian hosts

    Please click on the comment link below and add your preference — and if you’re interested in either one, say so! We’ll announce our decision soon and begin taking reservations. In any case, this inaugural Cultural Tour promises to leave a lasting impression!

    The Art of Translating a Song


    2009 - 08.10

    Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

    If you’ve ever sung “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in church, or grew  up singing “Are You Sleeping” as a child, you’ve sung songs that were originally written in a language other than English. Most of us are unaware of the art involved in the translation of a song; we somehow think it’s simply a matter of translating the literal words of the song from one language to another.

    Nothing could be farther from the truth! If a song is intended to be sung in another language, it must of course be crafted in such a way that the new words fit the rhythm of the melody — all the way down to the number of syllables. This inevitably means that a literal translation is usually impossible when creating a singable translation — which sometimes comes as a bit of a shock to the uninitiated! The goal of the song translator is to create a singable version of the song that has the same musical flow as the original language, while maintaining the integrity of the ideas expressed in the lyric. It therefore takes a good dose of artistic talent and sensitivity to render a worthy song translation.

    Let’s take the example of “Are You Sleeping” — as you know, the French words go like this:

    Frère Jacques, frère Jacques

    Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?

    If we were to translate those lines literally, it would come out like this:

    Brother James, brother James

    Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?

    Try singing that! (This does not explain why we sing “John” in English, instead of “James”, which is the translation of “Jacques”!)

    So whoever translated the first song switched the first two lines in order to fit the rhythm of the melody. This is but a small yet representative example of what song translators deal with on a regular basis.

    Our song translators are experienced craftsmen who are poets in their own right, paying careful attention to the vital components mentioned above. The sign of a great translation is that those singing it cannot even tell it’s a translation, just as many people have no idea that “A Mighty Fortress” was initially written in German! This is the goal of all our translators at World to the Wise. We also have them work in teams in order to complement each other’s strengths and thereby produce a better result.

    To find out more about our song translation services, e-mail us at admin@worldtothewise.net.

    Traveling in Comfort


    2009 - 08.03

    Posted in business travel, cross-cultural, cultural awareness, cultural curiosity, cultural intelligence, cultural understanding, international culture, travel | No Comments »

    If you’ve traveled abroad, you know what I’m talking about — chances are, the airplane passengers or the tourists wearing white tennis shoes at the Eiffel Tower are Americans.


    While travelers from many cultures don one of their nicer outfits for the trip, Americans opt for comfort. As Sarah Lanier puts it in her book, Foreign to Familiar, there is something in the American mindset that says being comfortable is of higher importance than looking appropriate.

    There is a reason for this, Lanier goes on to explain. It turns out that cultures that are generally more informal — including not only the US, but also Australia, the modern state of Israel and Canada, for example — are the younger countries who have had less time to develop age-old traditions piled high on top of each other. The older, more traditional cultures are called “high-context” cultures, while the newer cultures are “low-context’. Even in poor countries, the people dress their very best when going to a meeting, out in public or to someone else’s home for dinner.

    Americans, Australians and other low-context cultures are quick to address each other by their first names. Even though I’ve now been back in the US for fifteen years after living in Europe, I’m still taken aback at times how even in somewhat formal situations, such as in TV or radio interviews, the first name is used immediately.

    Remember, we’re not talking necessarily about right or wrong here — but what is important is that the traveler be oriented to the host culture he or she is visiting. Otherwise, innocent mistakes will often be interpreted as insults. This works in both directions: the Korean culture, for example, is one of the oldest on the planet, therefore extremely high-context. Koreans immigrating to the US should be prepared for the shock of informal American culture. Many Koreans prefer to be addressed by Mr., Miss or Mrs. and their surname, and are often offended when immediately addressed by their first name.

    The quintessential low-context culture is southern California, which explains why many people in California, whether natives or recent arrivals, feel a sense of freedom to be creative, start new trends, or be different.