The World in Words

by Trad Online

Fifty translators from all over the world share insights into their cultures. A linguist's dream!

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Trad Online is a French language service provider.

We are proud to be involved in a number of side projects, such as this one, by supporting culture and the environment in a time of economical downturn.

Reviews

[Lindu Pindu · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I helped edit, proofread, and other miscellaneous jobs for this book, you might think I'm a bit biased. I certainly can't tell... The idea itself is great, and some of the contributors offer real insight into their country.

I especially loved (and blubbered while reading) Thabani's entry, which sparked my interest in South Africa. Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Vietnam and Yemen were other favourites. What all those entries have in common is eloquence and, vair-vair importantly, a story to tell, even though each chapter is structured as a sort of interview.

In short, you better buy the book in January to have a couple trees planted with the proceeds.

Here's an excerpt from Vietnam:

another interesting phrase in Vietnamese: “buồn như con chuồn.” When someone uses this phrase, they are somewhat sad over their unfulfilled expectations. “Buồn như con chuồn” literally translates as “as sad as a dragonfly.” You may ask what the relation is between sadness and a dragonfly, since it seems they do not have anything in common at all. Well, the link between sadness and a dragonfly is the sound. “Buồn” (sad) rhymes with “chuồn” (dragonfly). It is a new way to create unique similes, which has been very popular among youths in recent years. A feeling will be compared to an animal or object whose pronunciation rhymes with that of the feeling.