Monthly Archives: March 2011

Don’t mix these up

congé—permission to leave; a formal bow on departure; a farewell (con-ZHAY)congee—a rice porridge typical in some Asian diets (CON-jee) court marshal—officer who performs duties in the courthouse and/or courtroomcourt martial—military trialcourt Marcia—trial for a Brady

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Poke me in the eye

I’m safe and sound back from Ethiopia. Before I left, I was inoculated to the tune of well over $500 at the King County Public Health Department Travel Clinic. I’m assuming the shots worked; I think I’d know by now … Continue reading

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Translator as imperialist conspirator

From the Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook: “Colonial powers were shameless in their efforts to conquer Ethiopia, even resorting to a tactic of mistranslating state documents. In 1889, Ethiopia’s Emperor Menelik II signed the Treaty of Wechale with the Italian … Continue reading

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What language is your television

I always like to watch TV while I’m in other countries. It interests me to see what kind of shows are played and in what languages. On one Eastern European trip, I got to watch Who Wants to be a … Continue reading

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Me in your inbox

Couple things before I leave town, including an etymology, of course! The Professor installed a widget that allows you to request an email notification of new entries. Sign up to save time if you’re constantly clicking on WordsWordsWords in hopes … Continue reading

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