RECENT WRITINGS

View this page to keep up-to-date with current projects, thoughts, ideas and general information from the translation world.

KFC Catalan Translation Failure

My current stay in Barcelona is great. I've been enjoying the sunshine, mixing with the locals, and working hard to improve my knowledge of the local language: Catalan. Catalan is the co-official language in the Catalan (North-East region of Spain, covering the...

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KFC advertising campaign in Barcelona

Associate ITI

I am very pleased to announce I have been awarded associate membership of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), the professional body governing translators and interpreters in the UK. This is the result of 3 years of hard work in the industry that I...

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Machine Translation Literacy

Isn’t it great how computers are making the world smaller and bringing people together? 20 years ago, when I first learnt how to translate, none of the technology was around that we have now. I remember (as will other translators over a certain age) sitting with a...

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Update – May 2022

So, I have been very quiet over the last few months. Where have I been? What have I been doing? In addition to providing my normal client-focussed translation services, I’ve been completing my 2nd MA Translation Studies module: Computer-Assisted Translation, the...

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Hazel Hayman whitewater kayaking

Coffee Shop Travelling

As someone who loves meeting people from other countries, learning foreign languages and experiencing other cultures, one of the things I’ve missed most during the Covid-19 pandemic is travelling. Like everyone I have been subject to local lockdowns and stay at...

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Photograph with a pink and white polka dot table cloth, Laté and Tarte de Nata

Translating acronyms and abbreviations

One of the interesting challenges I’ve come across in my life as a translator is translating acronyms and abbreviations. What do I mean by these? Well, an abbreviation literally means short as it comes from the Latin word brevis meaning short. Abbreviations could...

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Idioms

For my first blog I thought I would explore the world of idioms as they appeal to my sense of humour, yet I find them intellectually fascinating at the same time. Idioms are linguistic customs characteristic of a country or region. Even without knowledge of a...

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