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…
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…
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,…
What is the Major Problem of AI?
What is the major problem of AI? Well, life is full of metaphors. Who would have thought that there’s a connection between nutrition and AI? I was listening to a…
What is the Biggest Problem with AI?
What is the biggest problem with AI? Recently, three clients approached me with a request to write something for them, emphasizing that they had “zero tolerance for AI” in their…
How to Master the Art of Translation?
How do you master the art of translation? When someone asks me how to become a literary translator, I have to stop and think. There is so much to say.…