Filed under: Carnegie Mellon, Computer science, Culture, Education, Language, Technology, Translation
Maxine Eskenazi knows how much can depend on the meaning of a single word. While she was living in France, her French mother-in-law sent one of her American aunts a gift of delicate chiffon fabric. But the French have a different name for the sheer material—mousseline—while “chiffon” means “rag.” Eskenazi’s mother-in-law received, therefore, a well-intentioned note thanking her for the “nice rags.”
Such incidents, along with Eskenazi’s experiences teaching English in France, instilled in her a lifelong appreciation for the intricacies of language learning. More > (PDF p. 15)
Under the Iraqi sun, sweat pours down the soldier’s face and into his eyes. He squints at the man standing before him, who gestures vehemently and repeats something. But the soldier doesn’t speak Arabic. Is the man threatening him? Warning him of danger? More >
