Lingua: Across Europe in 69 languages

Lingua(Blurb) What is the connection between Jan Smit and a Ferrari? Why do the Swiss speak such a weird type German? What language died out from an explosion, and which had a near-death experience? Lingua takes you on a journey along more than 60 European languages.

How? "Witty" (The Wall Street Journal). "Amusing and very readable" (El País). "Learned and pleasantly ironic" (The Guardian). And NRC Handelsblad concluded: "Delicious book. [...] Very well done."

Lingua is not only about the languages of Europe, it has also appeared in many of them. First in Dutch (as Taaltoerisme), then in English (as Lingo – sold 50 000 copies), Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish (Lingo), Russian (Lingvo) and German (Sprachen). With each version, the book got richer, and the very richest is this supplemented, revised, improved, comprehensive, to put it briefly, the final edition: Lingua.

Read more...

El fantasma en el libro: La vida en un mundo de traducciones

The ghost in the book(Blurb) 'El fantasma en el libro' is a brilliant essay on one of the least known and most present professions of today: translation.

In a world full of translations, it remains an invisible profession. The great unknown that, paradoxically, is everywhere: at work, in the cinema, on the internet, in advertising, in the media, on the street.

Javier Calvo, one of the best literary translators in Spain, shows the public the the backroom an exciting profession. This book collects both anecdotes about the past and the history of translation as well as the day-to-day life of the translator, the situations that they influence how this translates into the present and the uncertain future of an increasingly omnipresent and necessary profession.

Read more...

Lire, écrire et être libre: De l'alphabétisation à la démocratie

Read, write and be free(Blurb) Reading and writing are still concerns in today's world.

Many adults in France and around the world are still illiterate.

In this new book, José Morais tries to explain how to support the concept of literacy on a scientific basis. For him, parents must actively participate in this project. It also offers a school of free and critical thinking that universalizes the ability to read and write. Finally, his project is to promote instruments for the development of the person and the democratization of society.

Read more...

Educazione linguistica e plurilinguismo: Dal progetto europeo al contesto italiano

Language education and multilingualism(Blurb) The book proposes essential themes for educational innovation. The main documents drawn up by the European Council on the subject of languages of education and the recent National Indications on Italian and Foreign Languages in primary school are dealt with in an operational key.

From chapter to chapter, teachers are guided to reflect on the relationship between multilingualism and citizenship, language skills and intercultural skills, integrated language teaching and continuous curriculum, language of the school and language of the disciplines and to identify educational strategies and activities that best meet the needs of language education of the diverse plurality of pupils that schools welcome.

Read more...

Trattato di semiotica generale

General Semiotics Treaty(Blurb) The 'Trattato di semiotica generale' is thé book that has influenced and marked semiotics in Italy, and far beyond. The book defines the limits of the discipline and presents an elaborate theory of all the sign systems and possible communication processes.

The traditional problems of linguistics, logic, rhetoric, aesthetics, philosophy of language and theories of perception are once again assumed, discussed and reconsidered within the framework of a discipline that in 1975, when the book appeared, was in its infancy.

With this book Umberto Eco has become to all intents and purposes the "father" of semiotics and since then the Treaty of General Semiotics has never stopped being read, discussed, quoted, translated: reference point past and present (and certainly future) of entire Generations.

Read more...

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction

On writing well(Blurb) A beloved classic, this definitive volume on the art of writing nonfiction celebrates its thirtieth anniversary.

On Writing Well, which grew out of a course that William Zinsser taught at Yale, has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity, and for the warmth of its style. It is a book for anybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does.

Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts, or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you both fundamental principles as well as the insights of a distinguished practitioner.

Read more...

Multilingüismo y lenguas en contacto

Multilinguismo y lenguas en contacto(Blurb) This book provides an updated and reasoned introduction to the fundamental principles of multilingualism and contact between languages.

Not only are current knowledge about the bilingual and multilingual mind summarized, but also the social, cultural and ideological factors that play an essential role in both multilingualism and contact between languages are explained and analyzed.

A novel aspect of the book is that sign languages are also taken into account. Sign languages always encounter complex contact situations with spoken languages.

Read more...

Sprachen der Welt: Warum sie so verschieden sind un sich doch allen gleichen

Sprachen der Welt(Klappentext) Gegenwärtig verwenden 7 Milliarden Menschen 7000 verschiedene Sprachen. Aber nur 6% der Sprachen haben mehr als 1 Million Sprecher.

Oft sind es nicht mehr als 1000 Menschen, die sich in einer Sprache verständigen können. Es gibt also große und kleine Sprachen.

Dieter Wunderlich erklärt, warum das so ist. Wie entstehen neue Sprachen? Welche sind miteinander verwandt? Was haben sie gemeinsam? Was unterscheidet sie? Wie verbreiten sich Sprachen und wohin geht ihre Entwicklung?

Read more...

Heerlijk Helder: Weg met Krommunicatie

Wonderfully Bright(Blurb) At the beginning of 2015, the Radio 1 programme Hautekiet started with the "Heerlijk Helder" campaign. Goal: to make right what is wrong, namely the often needlessly incomprehensible communication of politicians, lawyers, public services, banks, doctors and museums.

#HeerlijkHelder became a concept. Listeners sent in a lot of examples of inarticulate language.

Read more...

Das Alphabet des Denkens: Wie Sprache unsere Gedanken und Gefühle prägt

Das Alphabet des Denkens(Klappentext) Dies ist ein Buch über die Macht der Worte, angefangen bei ihren kleinsten Bausteinen, den Buchstaben, bis hin zu den Sprachen dieser Welt: In drei großen Abschnitten — «Wie Wörter wirken», «Was Wörter über uns verraten», «Wie wir Wörter für uns nutzen können» — tragen die Autorinnen verblüffende Erkenntnisse aus Psychologie, Linguistik und Hirnforschung zusammen und verbinden sie mit dem intuitiven Wissen von Schriftstellern und Dichtern.

Read more...

Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It

Fluent Forever Wyner(Blurb) For those who’ve despaired of ever learning a foreign language, here, finally, is a book that will make the words stick.

At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school — who does? — rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources.

In Fluent Forever Wyner reveals what he’s discovered. The greatest challenge to learning a foreign language is the challenge of memory; there are just too many words and too many rules. For every new word we learn, we seem to forget two old ones, and as a result, fluency can seem out of reach.

Read more...

Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe

Lingo Dorren(Blurb) Welcome to Europe as you've never known it before, seen through the peculiarities of its languages and dialects.

Combining linguistics and cultural history, Gaston Dorren takes us on an intriguing tour of the continent, from Proto-Indo-European (the common ancestor of most European languages) to the rise and rise of English, via the complexities of Welsh plurals and Czech pronunciation.

Read more...

Un funámbulo entre metáforas: Mantener el equilibrio en traducción literaria

A funambulo between metaphors(Blurb) I am translating a magnificent novel and I come across several new metaphors. How do I translate them? Some have zoomorphic allusions, should I keep the same animals? Several metaphors mention colours, will they be important? And the flowers, do I change them? Or maybe they convey a style?

There are several passages where the lexicon is offensive, will it be important to keep it despite the inappropriateness? And the tone? And this level of language? The comme-like comparative conjunction abounds in my text, do I always translate it as, or are there other ways to do it? And this passage so ambiguous? How do I convey that? And if I can't, can I compensate for it? How can I maintain the effect?

Read more...

Guía prática de bilingüismo

Practical guide of bilingualism(Blurb) In an increasingly competitive world, being able to master at least one foreign language has become indispensable.

This manual, aimed at parents and educators, contains the keys that will allow you to successfully overcome the challenge of bilingualism. We are all concerned with giving our children the best, and today, knowing languages is essential. The hard part is finding a suitable way to help your children learn languages.

Actually, it's not that complicated. It only takes a little imagination, and the determination to achieve it.

Read more...

Sprachbildung und Mehrsprachigkeit: Ein Curriculum zur Wahrnehmung und Bewältigung sprachlicher Vielfalt im Unterricht

Sprachbildung und Mehrsprachigkeit(Klappentext) Schule hat die Aufgabe, die Lernenden auf das Leben in einer mehrsprachigen Welt vorzubereiten. Das Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit versteht sich als ein konkreter Schritt zur Verwirklichung dieser Zielsetzung. Dabei geht es darum, sprachliche Bildung als eine integrale Aufgabe für Bildungs- und Schulpolitik wie auch für den Unterricht in allen Fächern zu etablieren.

Im Fokus stehen die Sprachkenntnisse und Spracherfahrungen der Schülerinnen und Schüler. Diese sollen in der Lage sein, sich in der aktuellen Sprachenvielfalt zu orientieren, sich neue sprachliche Qualifikationen anzueignen und sich in vielsprachigen Situationen selbstsicher zu bewegen.

Read more...

111 errori di traduzione che hanno cambiato il mondo

111 translation errors Capuano(Blurb) The truth is that a translation error can make you die. Or compromise something important. As the (real) stories that this book deals with show. Intending, words of one language misjudged in another, bad transcriptions, commas moved, words misrepresented or misheard. Intentionally or randomly. Real or presumed errors.

Mistakes that have caused earthquakes, governments to drop, created animosity or favored agreements. Made people happy or unhappy. Reading these pages, you will learn that thanks to a translation error, Nero became short-sighted, Luther invented a religion, Truman decided to bomb Japan, innocent people ended up in jail, people believe in the strangest things and a square has turned red...

Read more...

La voce del testo: L'arte e il mestiere di tradurre

The voice of the text Cavagnoli(Blurb) One of the greatest Italian translators reveals, in a profound but accessible way, all the secrets of the trade (and art) of translating a literary text. This book creates a journey within the literary language for anyone who loves books and is an indispensable tool for those who translate or want to translate.

"This book originates from the desire to share my reflections and experiences in the field of translation and its teaching in courses and workshops. Translation is, as an experience, reflection.

Read more...

What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs

What really matters for struggling readersBlurb) A part of the What Really Matters series, the Third Edition of What Really Matters for Struggling Readers examines the increasing amount of research demonstrating that we can teach every child to read.

Using non-technical summaries, nationally recognized scholar and author Dick Allington delivers a concise and balanced introduction to reading remediation and intervention programs; showing teachers how to use a variety of best practices with children who are struggling readers in order to transform them into proficient readers.

Read more...

Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms The World

Found in Translation(Blurb) Translation. It’s everywhere we look, but seldom seen—until now.

Found in Translation reveals the surprising and complex ways that translation shapes the world.

Covering everything from holy books to hurricane warnings and poetry to peace treaties, Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche offer language lovers and pop culture fans alike an insider’s view of the ways in which translation spreads culture, fuels the global economy, prevents wars, and stops the outbreak of disease.

Read more...

Is That a Fish in Your Ear? Translation and the Meaning of Everything

Is that a fish in your ear Bellos(Blurb) Is That a Fish in Your Ear? by David Bellos asks: how do we really make ourselves understood to other people?

This funny, wise and life-affirming language book shows how, from puns to poetry, news bulletins to the Bible, Asterix to Swedish films, translation is at the heart of everything we do - and makes us who we are.

Read more...

Babel No More: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners

Babel no more Erard(Blurb) In Babel No More, Michael Erard, “a monolingual with benefits,” sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers.

On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like the nineteenth-century Italian cardinal Joseph Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages, as well as those of living language-superlearners such as Alexander Arguelles, a modern-day polyglot who knows dozens of languages and shows Erard the tricks of the trade to give him a dark glimpse into the life of obsessive language acquisition.

Read more...

Additional information