Category Archives: London
More Clerkenwell history: the Russian connection and a musical coal man
Where would you find Russian revolutionaries in the early 1900s? The biographies of the future leaders of the Soviet Union show that they were men well travelled as it was not easy to organise left-wing parties in Tsarist Russia, and radicals were often forced into exile. I wrote last week about Clerkenwell’s radical history, and [...]
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Clerkenwell history: ghosts, cows, medical monks and revolution
Ever wondered what lies behind the name of the area you live or work in, what history is held by the streets you tread daily? In a rush to get around much of the time we remain unaware of the dramas of the past. Our office is based in Clerkenwell, a busy part of central [...]
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Shubbak: London’s Summer of Arabic Arts
Artwork by Noureddine Daifallah London has a sizeable Arabic population, and a few areas of high density (the area around Edgware Road is the best known, with a long established Arabic community). So it’s surprising to find out that the Shubbak festival this month is London’s first ever Arabic arts festival. The festival of contemporary [...]
Polish poems on the Underground
Pic: Annie Mole (under CC BY 2.0) who also writes the excellent Going Underground blog “Poems on the Underground” has been sharing poetry with London’s travelling public since 1986. Poems are displayed in lieu of adverts in Tube carriages. The latest round of posters highlight the work of Polish poets. • Jim Dickson is a [...]
British English translation that’s not bad at all
President Obama’s visit to London seems to have led to a timely resurrection of the Anglo-EU guide. This graphic gives an amusing sideways glance at phrases commonly used in business and bureaucracy with the “translation” of British: • Jim Dickson is a director of WorldAccent Translation, London
Also posted in British English, funny, localisation, Obama 1 Comment
American & British English translation? It’s behind you!
(Click for professional American to British translator) Even when two people apparently speak the same language, regional variations or a lack of local knowledge can lead to total misunderstanding. • Jim Dickson is a director of WorldAccent Translation, London
Also posted in American English, British English, English, funny, localisation 1 Comment
Glimpsing the heart of London
Pic: © Bob Collins, Courtesy Museum of London An exhibition of “London Street Photography” opened last week at the Museum of London. It provides a fascinating glimpse of London life throughout the last 150 years, using street photography largely from the museum’s archive that has not been widely exhibited before. • Jim Dickson is a [...]
Also posted in Chinese, Portuguese 1 Comment
“POLYply 7: translation” London event
Just heard about an interesting sounding event tonight (Thursday 10 February): POLYply 7 is an event in central London themed around translation, featuring works and performances from David Rule, Jooyeon Park, Caroline Rabourdin, Tim Atkins, and Peter Manson. • Jim Dickson is a director of WorldAccent Translation, London
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Multilingual London: mosaic of “Englishes”
Although we tend to talk about English as if it is something monolithic, there are numerous Englishes. Tune into the conversations happening around you in a café or on the Tube, and you’ll make out a mosaic of variants. So claims an interesting article entitled “Language can’t stay still – just listen to London” in [...]
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Clerkenwell House of Detention, ghost tales and mummified cats