Is Language a Means of Communication or Portal into Being?
Is language a means of communication? A friend recently used the word “flimsy” in a somewhat unusual context, and I asked, “What do you mean by flimsy?” He replied, “Well, the word means…
Can Machines Truly Understand? Language as Living Energy
Can machines truly understand? A client recently contacted me as an interpreter and said, “It’s critically important for me not just to convey the words literally, but to preserve the…
The Hidden Psychology of Interpreting That AI Will Never Replace
What will AI never replace? As an ATA-certified Russian translator and interpreter, I get to meet many people—and learn a great deal about the psychology of interpreting. What do people…
How is AI Affecting Language and Human Ability to Connect?
How is AI affecting language? "To reduce language to information is to flatten out the miracle of understanding." — George Steiner, After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation (1975) George…
A Good Metaphor for AI? Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea
What is a good metaphor for AI? Hans Christian Andersen is a genius in his ability to capture absolute metaphors — striking comparisons that cannot be easily interpreted in multiple…
What is the True Definition of Poetry?
What is the true definition of poetry? In Greek, the word “poiesis” from which we get “poetry” means “making.” In my mind’s eye, I can picture an ancient Greek working in his…
What is Language in C.S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength?
What is language? Have you ever met Language herself? I bet you have. This is how C.S. Lewis described the descent of Mercury in That Hideous Strength: “This was Language herself,…
Why Was Tolkien So Good At Writing?
Why was Tolkien so good at writing? Linguistics and philology are not the same. There is one essential difference between them that is often overlooked. I found this statement online,…