Translation bidding systems

Re Céline’s post here attacking bidding systems on translation sites: I’m sure cranky old Mr Smith would be delighted to see that people of the same trade have not yet given up meeting together for merriment and diversion, the conversation ending in a conspiracy against the public and in contrivances to raise prices.

Commies and fascists

Dress code, hand signals, and messiahs apart, there were few important differences between the Falangists and the Stalinists. Hence the bizarre nature of the punchup started by the former at a PR event the other day for a book (Santos Juliá, Historia de las dos Españas) promoted by the latter. Here‘s Arcadi Espada: In a…

PNV

Interesting to note that the BBC considers “moderate” a party, the PNV, that proposes unilaterally to tear up the constitution if it wins today’s elections. (I suppose you all know the joke in which los de Lepe travel to the metropolis to register a new separatist party. So tell me the name of this new…

Language blog aggregator

I’m not on my home machine very much, so I’ve banged together a little, slow language blog aggregator to keep me amused.

Beasts of Europe

The word “cat” does not appear once in the proposed European constitution, although there are five “animals.” Here‘s a search tool.

Snuck

I’ll bet no-one’s going to make jokes about English having become the official language of West Virginia.

Ruy blast

A deformed heap of dwarves
Cuts pourpoints in your coat of king;
And the imperial eagle, which, formerly, under your law,
Covered the whole world of thunder and flame,
Cuit, poor plucked bird, in their infamous pot!