Bernie Sanders's Speech on Super Tuesday BERNIE SANDERS: Thank you! It is good to be home! You know, I have been all over this country, but the truth is, it is great and great to come home and see all my friends. You know, we want to win in every part of the country, that goes without saying. But it does say something and means so much to me that the people who know me best, the people who knew me before I was elected, who knew me as mayor, knew me as congressman, and know me as senator, have voted so strongly to put us in the White House. Thank you so much. This campaign — as I think all of you know, this campaign is not just about electing the president. It is about transforming America. It is about making our great country the nation that we know it has the potential to be. It is about dealing with some unpleasant truths that exist in America today and having the guts to confront those truths. It is about recognizing that in our state, we have town meetings and people come out, they argue about budgets, and then they vote. One person, one vote. In Vermont, billionaires do not buy town meetings, and in America, we are going to end a corrupt campaign finance system. We can disagree in a democracy, and that’s what a democracy is about, but I hope all of us agree that we’re going to not allow billionaires and their super PACs to destroy American democracy. In our state — in our state, you all know that we have many, many thousands of Vermonters who are working not just one job, they’re working two jobs, they’re working three jobs. And you all know that while our people are working so hard, almost all of the new wealth and income generated in America is going to the top 1 percent. Well, together, what we are going to do is create an economy that works for all of us, not just the people on top. And together, we are going to end and reform a broken criminal justice system. This country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, should not be having more people in jail than any other country on earth. That’s wrong. So we are going to invest for our young people in education, in jobs, not jails or incarceration. Now, I know many of my Republican colleagues think that climate change is a hoax. Well, I believe that you don’t develop real public policy unless you listen to the science, and the science is clear. Together, we are going to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Now, I know that Secretary Clinton and many of the establishment people think that I am looking and thinking too big. I don’t think so. So let me go on the record and say as you have heard me say for years, health care is a right for all people. And let me also say that in the United States of America, when we talk about public education, it’s not just first grade through 12th that has got to be expanded to make public colleges and universities tuition-free. What I have said from day one in this campaign and I suspect many of you were down on the lake with me when we announced on that beautiful day. What I have said is that this campaign is not just about electing a president. It is about making a political revolution. What that revolution is about is bringing millions of millions of people into the political process. Working people who have been so disillusioned, they no longer vote. Young people who have never been involved. What the political revolution is about is bringing our people together. Black and white, Latino, Asian-American. Gay and straight. People born in America, people who have immigrated to America. When we bring our people together, when we do not allow the Donald Trumps of the world to divide us up. When we bring our people together and when we have the courage to stand up to the billionaire class and tell them they can’t have it all. That our government belongs to all of us, not just super PACs and wealthy campaign contributors. Now, tonight, you’re going to see a lot of election results come in. And let me remind you of what the media often forgets about. These are not — this is not a general election. It is not winner-take-all. If you get 52 percent, you get 48 percent, you roughly end up with the same amount of delegates in a state. By the end of tonight, we are going to win many hundreds of delegates. Ten months ago, as you know better than any other group in America, when we were out on the lake, we were at 3 percent in the polls. We have come a very long way in 10 months. At the end of tonight, 15 states will have voted, 35 states remain. And let me assure you that we are going to take our fight for economic justice, for social justice, for environmental sanity, for a world of peace to every one of those states. Now, Wall Street may be against us and the super PACs may be against us. But you know why we’re going to win? Because our message is resonating and the people when we stand together will be victorious. So on a personal note, I want to thank all of you for the love and the friendship that you have given our family. You have sustained me. And I am so proud to bring Vermont values all across this country. So thank you again for helping us win here in Vermont tonight. And I look forward this evening to just saying hello to so many old friends. So thank you all very much!

El discurso del supermartes de Bernie Sanders BERNIE SANDERS: ¡Gracias! ¡Qué bueno es estar en casa! Como saben ustedes, he viajado por todo este país, pero a decir verdad, es maravilloso, maravilloso, volver a casa y ver a todos mis amigos. Como saben, queremos ganar en todas partes del país, esto ni hay que decirlo, pero sí dice algo, y es muy significativo para mí, que las personas que mejor me conocen, las personas que me conocían antes de que yo fuera elegido, que me conocían como alcalde, que me conocían como congresista y que me conocen como senador, me hayan apoyado tan fuertemente con sus votos para ponernos en la Casa Blanca. Muchísimas gracias. Esta campaña –como seguramente todos ustedes saben– esta campaña no es solo una campaña para elegir un presidente. Es una campaña para transformar a Estados Unidos. Es una campaña para hacer de nuestro gran país la nación que sabemos que tiene la potencial de ser. Es una campaña para liar con unas verdades incómodas que existen en el Estados Unidos de hoy y para tener las agallas para confrontar esas verdades. Es una campaña para reconocer que en nuestro estado tenemos plenos municipales y la gente asiste, discute sobre presupuestos y vota. Una persona, un voto. En el estado de Vermont, los multimillonarios no compran los plenos municipales, y en Estados Unidos vamos a terminar con un sistema de financiación de campañas corrupto. Podemos estar en desacuerdo en una democracia, y de eso se trata la democracia, pero espero que todos podamos estar de acuerdo en no permitir que los multimillonarios y los supercomités de acción política destruyan la democracia estadounidense. En nuestro estado, en nuestro estado, todos ustedes saben que tenemos varios, varios miles de vermonteses que están haciendo no solo un trabajo, sino dos trabajos, tres trabajos. Y todos ustedes saben que mientras nuestra gente trabaja tan duro, casi toda la riqueza y los nuevos ingresos generados en Estados Unidos se acumulan a beneficio del uno por ciento más rico. Bueno, juntos, lo que vamos a hacer es crear una economía que funcione para todos nosotros, no solo para los más ricos. Y juntos, vamos a poner fin y terminar con un sistema de justicia penal roto. En este país, el país más rico en la historia del mundo, no deberíamos tener a más personas encarceladas que cualquier otro país en la tierra. Esto está mal. Por eso vamos a invertir, a favor de nuestros jóvenes, en la educación, en trabajos, no en cárceles ni en la encarcelación. Ahora, sé que muchos de mis colegas republicanos piensan que el cambio climático es un engaño. Bueno, yo estoy de la opinión de que no se puede elaborar una política pública seria sin escuchar antes lo que dice la ciencia, y la ciencia está clara. Juntos, vamos a transformar nuestro sistema energético, de un sistema a base de hidrocarburos a uno caracterizado por la eficacia energética y la energía sostenible. Sé bien que la Secretaria Clinton y muchos de los de la clase dirigente piensan que mi visión y mi programa son demasiado utópicos. No lo veo así. Permítanme, entonces, que yo diga, para que conste, algo que me han oído decir durante años: La asistencia sanitaria es un derecho de toda persona. Y permítanme decir, además, que en los Estados Unidos de América, cuando hablamos de la educación pública, no hablamos solamente de los grados de 1 a 12. Esto tiene que ampliarse, para hacer que la matrícula en las universidades públicas sea gratuita. Lo que he dicho desde el primer día de esta campaña, y seguramente muchos de ustedes estaban ahí en la orilla del lago conmigo cuando anunciamos la campaña en ese día tan bello... Lo que he dicho es que esta campaña no es solo una campaña para elegir un presidente. Es una campaña para efectuar una revolución política. El propósito de esta revolución es el de atraerles a millones y millones de a participar en el proceso político. Trabajadores que han sido tan desilusionados que ya ni votan. Jóvenes que nunca han participado. El objetivo de la revolución política es unir a nuestro pueblo. Negros y blancos, latinos, asiáticoamericanos... Homosexuales y heterosexuales. Personas nacidas en Estados Unidos, personas que se han inmigrado a Estados Unidos. Cuando unimos a nuestro pueblo, cuando no permitimos que los Donald Trump del mundo nos dividan... Cuando unimos a nuestro pueblo y cuando tenemos el valor de hacerle frente a la clase multimillonaria y decirles que ellos no pueden tenerlo todo... Que nuestro gobierno nos pertenece a todos nosotros, no solo a los supercomités de acción política y los acaudalados contribuyentes a las campañas. Esta noche verán entrar muchos resultados electorales. Y déjenme recordarles de lo que los medios muchas veces se olvidan. Estos no son –esta no es una elección general. El ganador o la ganadora no se lo lleva todo. Si recibe el 52 por ciento, o bien si recibe el 48 por ciento, termina recibiendo aproximadamente la misma cantidad de delegados de un estado. Para cuando se termine esta noche nosotros nos habremos ganado varios centenares de delegados. Hace diez meses, como ustedes bien saben mejor que cualquier otro grupo en Estados Unidos, cuando estábamos ahí en la orilla del lago, estábamos al 3 por ciento en los sondeos. Hemos llegado muy lejos en 10 meses. Llegado el final de esta noche, habrán votado 15 estados; quedan otros 35. Y déjenme asegurarles que vamos a llevar nuestra lucha por la justicia económica, por la justicia social, por la cordura medioambiental, por un mundo de paz, a cada uno de esos estados. Puede ser ser que los más ricos del país y los supercomités de acción política estén en contra nuestra, ¿pero saben por qué vamos a ganar? Porque nuestro mensaje está resonando y el pueblo, cuando nos unimos, seremos victoriosos. Bueno, a título personal, quiero agradecerles a todos ustedes por el amor y la amistad que han dado a nuestra familia. Ustedes me han sostenido. Y me llena de orgullo llevar los valores de Vermont a todos los rincones de este país. Así que les agradezco de nuevo por habernos ayudado a ganar aquí en Vermont esta noche. Y espero con ilusión, esta tarde, la oportunidad de pasarla simplemente saludando a tanto viejos amigos. Así que, ¡muchísimas gracias a todos ustedes!

Bernie Sanders bio and proposals in a better Spanish translation

The English is from berniesanders.com.The Spanish is my translation.

Bernie Sanders on the Issues The American people must make a fundamental decision. Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all? Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaire class, or do we continue to slide into economic and political oligarchy? These are the most important questions of our time, and how we answer them will determine the future of our country.	El programa electoral de Bernie Sanders El pueblo estadounidense se ve enfrentado hoy con una decisión de suma importancia. ¿Vamos a seguir en el camino que, durante los últimos 40 años, nos ha llevado al empobrecimiento de la clase media y a una brecha cada vez mayor entre los más ricos y los demás, o vamos a luchar por un programa económico progresista que creará empleos, aumentará los salarios, protegerá el medio ambiente y ofrecerá asistencia sanitaria a todos? ¿Estamos dispuestos a combatir el enorme poder político y económico de la clase multimillonaria o vamos a continuar nuestro descenso hacia una oligarquía tanto económica como política? Estas son las preguntas más importantes de nuestros tiempos y nuestras respuestas determinarán el futuro de nuestro país.
Meet Bernie Bernie Sanders is a Democratic candidate for President of the United States. In 2006, he was elected to the U.S. Senate after 16 years as Vermont’s sole congressman in the House of Representatives. Bernie is now serving his second term in the U.S. Senate after winning re-election in 2012 with 71 percent of the vote. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he attended James Madison High School, Brooklyn College, and the University of Chicago. After graduating, he moved to Vermont where he worked as a carpenter and documentary filmmaker. In 1981, he was elected as mayor of Burlington, the state’s largest city, by a mere 10 votes. As mayor, Bernie’s leadership helped transform Burlington into one of the most exciting and livable small cities in America. Under his administration, the city made major strides in affordable housing, progressive taxation, environmental protection, child care, women’s rights, youth programs and the arts. In Congress, Bernie has fought tirelessly for working families, focusing on the shrinking middle class and growing gap between the rich and everyone else. Bernie has been called a “practical and successful legislator” and he was dubbed the “amendment king” in the House of Representatives for passing more amendments than any other member of Congress. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Bernie worked across the aisle to “bridge Washington’s toxic partisan divide and cut one of the most significant deals in years.” In 2015, Democratic leadership tapped Bernie to serve as the caucus’ ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee. Bernie lives in Burlington, Vermont with his wife Jane. He has four children and seven grandchildren.	Biografía de Bernie Bernie Sanders es precandidato demócrata a la presidencia de Estados Unidos. En 2006 fue elegido al Senado de Estados Unidos después de 16 años como representante único del estado de Vermont en la Cámara de Representantes. Bernie está ahora en su segundo período como senador estadounidense luego de haber sido reelegido en 2012 con el 71 por ciento del voto. Nació en Brooklyn, Nueva York. Asistió a la preparatoria “James Madison”, a la universidad Brooklyn College y a la Universidad de Chicago. Luego de graduarse, se trasladó a Vermont, donde trabajó como carpintero y documentalista. En 1981 fue elegido alcalde de Burlington, la ciudad más grande del estado, ganando la elección con un margen de tan solo 10 votos. Como alcalde, su liderazgo contribuyó a la transformación de Burlington en una de las pequeñas ciudades más animadas y atractivas de Estados Unidos. Durante su mandato, la ciudad hizo grandes progresos en temas de vivienda económica, tributación progresiva, protección ambiental, cuidado de niños, derechos de la mujer, programas para jóvenes y las artes. En el Congreso, Bernie ha luchado incansablemente por las familias trabajadoras, enfocándose en la problemática del empobrecimiento de la clase media y de la brecha cada vez mayor entre los más ricos y los demás. A Bernie lo han calificado como “un legislador práctico y exitoso” y en la Cámara de Representantes lo denominaron “el rey de las enmiendas” por haber logrado la aprobación de más enmiendas que cualquier otro miembro del Congreso. Como presidente del comité de asuntos de veteranos del Senado, Bernie trabajó con senadores republicanos para “superar las tóxicas divisiones partidistas de Washington y llegar a uno de los acuerdos más significativos en años”. En 2015, los líderes de los demócratas en el Senado escogieron a Bernie para ser el líder de los demócratas en el comité del presupuesto del Senado. Bernie vive en Burlington, Vermont, con su esposa, Jane. Tienen cuatro hijos y siete nietos.
A living wage Millions of Americans are working for totally inadequate wages. We must ensure that no full-time worker lives in poverty. The current federal minimum wage is starvation pay and must become a living wage. We must increase it to $15 an hour over the next several years. We must also establish equal pay for women. It’s unconscionable that women earn less than men for performing the same work.	Un salario familiar Millones de estadounidenses trabajan por salarios totalmente inadecuados. Debemos asegurar que ninguno que trabaje a tiempo completo tenga que vivir en la pobreza. El actual salario mínimo federal es un salario de hambre y debe llegar a ser un salario familiar. Debemos aumentar el salario mínimo federal a $15 la hora durante los próximos años. También debemos hacer que los salarios de las mujeres sean iguales a los salarios de los hombres. Es imperdonable que las mujeres ganen menos que los hombres por hacer el mismo trabajo.
Medicare for all “Health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income. The only long-term solution to America's health care crisis is a single-payer national health care program.” —Bernie Sanders A family making $50,000 per year currently pays $6,273. Under Bernie's plan they would pay $466. That's a savings of $5,807. “If the goal of health-care reform is to provide comprehensive, universal health care in a cost-effective way, the only honest approach is a single-payer approach.” —Sen. Bernie Sanders Other industrialized nations are making the morally principled and financially responsible decision to provide universal health care to all of their people—and they do so while saving money by keeping people healthier. Those who say this goal is unachievable are selling the American people short. Under Bernie’s plan, Americans will benefit from the freedom and security that comes with finally separating health insurance from employment. That freedom would not only help the American people live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives, but it would also promote innovation and entrepreneurship in every sector of the economy. People would be able to start new businesses, stay home with their children or leave jobs they don’t like knowing that they would still have health care coverage for themselves and their families. Employers could be free to focus on running their business rather than spending countless hours figuring out how to provide health insurance to their employees. Working Americans wouldn’t have to choose between bargaining for higher wages or better health insurance.	Medicare para todos “La asistencia sanitaria debe ser reconocida como un derecho, no un privilegio. Cada hombre, mujer, niña y niño de nuestro país debe poder acceder a la asistencia sanitaria que necesita, sin importar el nivel de sus ingresos. La única solución a largo plazo, a la crisis en el acceso a la asistencia sanitaria en Estados Unidos, es un programa de asistencia sanitaria nacional con pagador único.” —Bernie Sanders Una familia con ingresos anuales de $50,000 paga ahora $6,273. Bajo el plan de Bernie pagaría $466. Esto representa un ahorro anual de $5,807. “Si la reforma del sistema sanitario tiene como meta ofrecer una asistencia sanitaria integral y universal de una manera económica, entonces la única propuesta honesta es la propuesta de un sistema de pagador único.” —Bernie Sanders Otros países industrializados ya han tomado la decisión honesta y solvente de ofrecer asistencia sanitaria universal a todos—y al hacerlo han ahorrado dinero y mejorado la salud del pueblo. Los que dicen que esta meta no se puede alcanzar subestiman al pueblo estadounidense. Bajo el plan de Bernie, los estadounidenses se beneficiarán de la libertad y seguridad que vendrán cuando, por fin, rompamos el vínculo entre el seguro médico y el trabajo. Con esta libertad, los estadounidenses no solo gozarán de vidas más felices, sanas y plenas, sino que también les será más fácil fomentar la innovación y el espíritu emprendedor en todos los sectores de la economía. Podrán fundar nuevas empresas, quedarse en casa con sus niños o dejar trabajos desagradables sabiendo que seguirán teniendo seguro médico para sí mismos y para sus familias. Los dueños de las empresas podrán enfocarse en cómo mejor llevar sus negocios, en vez de tener que pasar innumerables horas liando con el problema de cómo ofrecer seguro médico a sus empleados. Los trabajadores estadounidenses ya no tendrán que escoger entre negociar por un mejor salario o negociar por un mejor seguro médico.

More improved translations coming soon, si Dios quiere.

Estimated data about (U.S. Spanish) translators and ATA certification, along with a few concluding remarks, advice, and words of warning for aspiring or beginning translators

First the disclaimer. I have no actual knowledge that any of the following data are true.

O.K. Now that that is over with, today I was more curious than usual about what percent of Spanish translators in the United States are ATA Certified Translators in both directions, as I am (English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English). Fortunately, I am pretty good at math (780 out of 800 on my math GRE), and I did have access to some data (the ATA membership directories), but there are also some key things I do not know. I do not know how many Spanish translators there are in the United States. And I do not know what percentage of those U.S. Spanish translators are members of the American Translators Association. Also, the number of members listed in the membership directories appears to be a little less than the number often reported. (I am sure there are reasons for that, and probably even very valid ones, but I just don't happen to know what they are.)

So, other than lacking three key pieces of information that would be necessary to arrive at accurate numbers, I think we're ready! (Also, I don't know to what extent ATA membership directory data is meant for non-member consumption, so I am going to be deliberately vague on some points, just to be on the safe side. Be assured, however, that I have been as accurate as I could be with the data I had.)

Not knowing the previously mentioned key pieces of data (number of U.S. Spanish translators, percentage of same who are members of the ATA, and overall precise number of ATA members), I started with some assumptions, applied what I do know to those assumptions, did the corresponding calculations, compared the results with the actual data, calculated the degree to which the computed results differed from the real data, modified my original assumptions so that recalculating would yield computed data as close as possible to the real numbers, and I was able to come to within about +/- 3% of the real numbers. If my assumptions are off, though, I could actually be quite a ways off on certain parts of this, so don't quote me (looking at you; yes, you). : )

My modified assumptions (again, see all caveats above): 1) That there might be approximately 5,486 Spanish translators in the U.S. 2) That perhaps one third of them (33.3%) are current members of the American Translators Association ($190 per year to be a member), and 3) That, therefore, there might be about 1,829 U.S. Spanish translators who are members of the ATA. Any of these assumptions could be off. The third number is knowable, but would require either direct access to the ATA member database or, for example, clicking on each Spanish-to-English translator's name to see the full profile and determine whether s/he also claims to be an English-to-Spanish translator. I just don't have the time.

Just going off the membership directory data (with no need for any assumptions), about one eighth (13%) of ATA Spanish-to-English translators are ATA Certified Translators (CT) for that direction, and about one fourth (26%) of current ATA English-to-Spanish translators are ATA CTs for English-to-Spanish translations. (So 87% and 74%, respectively, are not yet certified in the direction(s) they translate.)

Relying on the assumptions listed above (5,846 U.S. Spanish translators, one third of whom are ATA members), we could calculate that about 5% of all U.S. Spanish translators are ATA CTs for Spanish-to-English and 8% are ATA CTs for English-to-Spanish. Further, the percentage of U.S. Spanish translators who are ATA Certified Translators in both language directions would pencil out to be about 1.3%.

If, however, it turns out that only one fifth (20%) (not one third (33%)) of U.S. Spanish translators are ATA members, then there would be about 9,145 U.S. Spanish translators (5 * 1,829) and the percentages of U.S. Spanish translators who are ATA CTs (Sp-En) would be about 3% (not 5%); En-Sp, 5% (not 8%). The percentage who are ATA CTs in both directions would then calculate to be about 0.75% (1 out of every 133 U.S. Spanish translators, rather than 1 out of every 77). [And should more than one third of U.S. Spanish translators happen to be current members of the ATA, then the numbers would swing the opposite way.]

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics does estimate (2014) that there are 49,460 translators and interpreters in the United States. In addition to Spanish translators, that number would include translators of other languages, interpreters (any language) who are not also translators (not everyone is both) and, I would assume, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters or other sign interpreters as well. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf claims 16,000 members (not all of them interpreters, but all of them paying members [$15 to $160, for individuals]). About 24% of ATA translators are Spanish translators, so if there were 5,486 Spanish translators in the U.S., there might be 22,941 U.S. translators total (all spoken languages). Adding 16,000 RID members (I know, I know, but no idea how many are interpreters or how many ASL interpreters are not members, so it works as a guesstimate), we are at 38,941, leaving 10,519 U.S. interpreters (all spoken languages) who are not also translators. (There would actually be more interpreters than this, because so many translators are also interpreters.)

So there you have it. Clear as mud, and about as precise, too. But still interesting.

Again, please don't quote any of these as factual. If you do have factual data for the three assumptions in the "My modified assumptions…" paragraph, I would be interested.

The "takeaways" (English business-speak for lessons or conclusions):

• Many translators are not even members of the American Translators Association, probably the majority ($190 is not cheap, but it is a good investment; it at least signals to clients that you take your profession seriously, which is a benefit for you [greater client confidence] even before you achieve certification).
• Roughly 5% of U.S. Spanish translators are ATA certified in just one direction, for a total of about 10% when you add the translators in each direction together.
• Roughly 1% of U.S. Spanish translators are ATA certified in both directions.

The certification exams are said to have a less than 20% pass rate (even after restricting admission to the exams to experienced translators only). The current (August 2015) cost each time you take one of the exams is $300 (if that doesn't signal commitment to the profession!). As you can see, if the passing rate were an odds (probability) proposition, you would be out over $1500 before you could get certified. Thankfully, that is not at all how it works. In my experience (and that of other translators I know), people tend to take the exam for the first time full of confidence, only to fail it and to think long and hard before daring to attempt it again, by which time those years of translation experience will have increased your chances of passing considerably!

The best way to prepare, in my opinion, would be to practice translating short (250 word) published articles on various topics, and then find a way to get an ATA certified translator to offer you feedback—without getting furious at them, by the way—but instead taking the attitude that you might actually still have something to learn! (I still have things to learn!) Getting to the point where you can abandon the beginner's tendency to do word-for-word translations, and can instead achieve meaning-for-meaning translations that sound natural in your native language (and not like a native-language imitation of the original article's sentence structure and word order) does take practice! Letting go of false cognates (e.g., embarrassed/embarazada [which really means "pregnant," not embarrassed], crime/crímen [="murder"], involve/envolver [="to wrap or surround"]) also is a struggle, and most people do cling to them, tightly. And you have no idea, none, of the amount of research that is involved to translate a term in one language with the proper term having that same meaning in the other language (e.g., "propiedad horizontal" is not "horizontal property" [no such thing in English!], it is "condominium"). Too many people see a two-word term in one language and think it is enough to just translate each of the words in the term separately to make a translated equivalent (see previous example). But I digress.

In short, to be a good translator requires knowing everything there is to know in one language (and culture), knowing everything there is to know in the other, and also knowing how to move meanings (not words!!) smoothly from one universe to the next. Good luck learning how to do that. (It is possible, to a point, but it is not, at all, easy.)

Alternate translation of Uruguayan President José Mujica's comments at the White House

Reading the official English version of Uruguayan President José Mujica's comments at the White House, I noticed they were difficult to understand. The comments, posted on the White House website as "as interpreted," are practially a word-for-word translation from Spanish into English. What English speaker, for example, would ever end a sentence with "yes or yes"? What English speaker would even understand what "yes or yes" means? In the interests of having a clearer translation out there, I offer my translation here:

Nuestro reconocimiento al pueblo norteamericano y a sus instituciones representadas por usted señor presidente Obama. Nosotros vivimos en el sur, tenemos alma del sur. Pertenecemos a un conteniente que habla más o menos el castellano. Vivimos un tiempo en el que tendremos que aprender inglés sí o sí. Y ustedes tendrán que ser un pueblo bilingüe sí o sí. Porque la fortaleza de las mujeres latinas es admirable y van a llenar este país de gente que habla castellano y también portugués. Hemos estado mirando para todos lados. Tenemos que mirarnos más a nosotros. Dentro de la humildad de nuestro Uruguay, mi pueblo está allí en el medio de una zona enormemente fértil, con agua, y venimos a buscar conocimiento e investigación en todos los grupos de las ciencias biológicas, particularmente agrarias que necesitan investigación local. Aquel conteniente (por América del Sur) tiene que producir mucha comida para el mundo. Este es el país más avanzado que hay en el mundo en ciencias biológicas. Pero no podemos seguir mandando estudiantes solo, porque se nos casan y las empresas americanas pagan mejores salarios y perdemos los mejores calificados. Tenemos que llevar profesores americanos, aunque sea para que estén un tiempo. Pero tenemos que arreglar las cosas de seguridad social para que puedan seguir cobrando sus derechos sociales acá. La sabiduría hay que ir a buscarla donde está. Le tengo que contar que esto mismo le pedí a la señora (Ángela) Merkel en Alemania y con esa eficiencia de los alemanes formó un plan de 10 mil jubilados calificados que están a la orden para estar un tiempo y transmitir conocimiento. Pienso que a la larga esto vale más que la plata y todo lo que se pueda pedir. Tenemos que luchar por las capacidades de nuestros hijos y de las nuevas generaciones. Va a ser la mejor manera de afirmar la libertad, la independencia y los derechos. Señor presidente. El que está hablando es un viejo fumador. Pero se nos están muriendo 8 millones de personas por fumar por año. Esto supera toda la segunda guerra mundial y la primera y todo. Es un asesinato en masa. Uruguay está en una pelea muy dura. Durísima. Tenemos que luchar con intereses muy fuertes. Los gobiernos no tienen que participar en pleitos privados. Pero acá hay una batalla por la vida. En esta batalla por la vida nadie tiene que hacerse el distraído. Porque de todos los valores, el más importante es la vida. Gracias de todo corazón. Me estoy poniendo viejo y estar viejo es no querer salir de casa. Quisiera tener unos años menos para recorrer el maíz, conocer la lechería de Los Ángeles y otras cosas. Pero transmita un abrazo a todos los agricultores de su nación. Muchas gracias

Our thanks to the American people and their government, represented by you, President Obama. We live in the South; we are Southerners at heart. We belong to a continent that, generally, speaks Spanish. We live in a time when we will have to learn English, no matter what. And you all will have to be a bilingual people, no matter what. Because the strength of Latin women is remarkable, and they are going to fill this country with people who speak Spanish, and also Portuguese. We have been looking everywhere. We need to look more within ourselves, within the humility of our Uruguay. My people are there, in the middle of an immensely fertile area, with water, and we come seeking knowledge, and research, in all areas of the biological sciences, particularly agricultural sciences, which are in need of local research. That continent [meaning South America] needs to produce lots of food for the world. This is the most advanced country in the world in biological sciences. But we can not continue to just send students, because they end up getting married, and American companies pay better salaries, and we lose the most qualified people. We have to bring in American professors, even if they just stay for a while. But we have to arrange the details of their social security, so they can continue to receive their social benefits here. One must go to seek wisdom where it is found. I must tell you that I made the same request of Mrs. [Angela] Merkel in Germany and, with that German efficiency, she created a plan of 10,000 qualified retirees who are offering their services to stay for a while to transmit their knowledge. I think that in the long term this is worth more than money or whatever else could be requested. We have to fight for the abilities of our children and the abilities of the new generations. This will be the best way to secure freedom, independence, and rights. Mister President, the one who is speaking is an old smoker, but 8 million people are dying from smoking each year. This exceeds all of World War II and World War I and everything. It is mass murder. Uruguay is in a very difficult fight. Extremely difficult. We have to fight against very strong interests. Governments do not need to participate in private litigation. But here we have a battle for life. In this battle for life, no one should pretend to not pay attention. Because of all the values, the most important is life. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I am getting old, and to be old is to not want to leave home. I would like to be a few years younger to tour the cornfield, to see the dairy in Los Angeles, and other things. But please send my greetings to all of your nation's farmers. Thank you very much.

For the Spanish text, I relied on the one found at http://www.elobservador.com.uy/noticia/278325/los-discursos-completos-de-mujica-y-obama-en-la-casa-blanca/. I have corrected "la fortalece la de las mujeres latinas" to read "la fortaleza de las mujeres latinas" and "esto supera toda la supera guerra mundial y la primera" to "Esto supera toda la segunda guerra mundial y la primera," as these seemed to be obvious errors with similarly obvious corrections.

The official White House "as interpreted" English version of President Mujica's comments can be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/12/remarks-president-obama-and-president-mujica-uruguay-bilateral-meeting.

World Press Freedom Day

A classic but little known (in English) essay in defense of the freedom of thought, speech, and the press, by the Mexican intellectual José María Luis Mora:

"If some authority were to be granted the power to regulate [opinions], it would very soon abuse such power. And whom would be put in charge of prohibiting us from erring? Him who is exempt from it? But governments do not find themselves in this category.

Quite the contrary, when the causes are sought which have done most to spread error and contribute to perpetuating it, they are always found in prohibitive institutions. Moreover, if governments were authorized to prohibit all errors and to punish the stupid, the world would very soon be missing a great number of its men, the rest being reduced to eternal silence. We will be told that not all opinions must fall under the inspection of the authorities, but if one opinion is subjected to it, the rest are not secure; laws cannot make a precise classification, nor an exact enumeration, of all of them. Thus, such a power is necessarily arbitrary, and in most cases will become a reason for persecution. These are not unfounded suspicions; look back to the barbarous centuries and you will see universities, parliaments, chancelleries, and kings and queens determined to banish the wise who were making some discoveries in physics, and who were attacking the doctrines of Aristotle. Petrus Ramus, Johannes Trithemius, Galileo Galilei, and other luminaries, would go on to suffer what would not be believed if we did not possess solid proof of it. And what were the fruits of such proceedings? Did governments achieve what they intended? Not at all. The number of proselytes grew day after day, perhaps because of that very persecution."

"Indeed, if one wishes to lend credence to a doctrine, he need do nothing more than ban it. Men will of course suppose, and in this they are not mistaken, that it cannot be combated by reason when it is being attacked by force."

http://spanishprontotranslationblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/discourse-on-freedom-of-thought-speech.html

Spanish interpreter (Olympia)*

State-certified medical interpreter and American Translator Association (ATA) Certified Translator (certified for Spanish-to-English translations and for English-to-Spanish translations), offering interpreting services in greater Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia. Over ten years of experience.

Areas of specialization: health care, immigration, education.

Preferred interpretation mode: simultaneous

Rates: $80/hour ($60/hour for schools, governments, or non-profit agencies), including travel time (per mapquest, usually to and from Olympia) and any wait times between scheduled start time and actual end time; no minimum charge (except for no-show of one of the parties, or for cancellations received after travel has begun); charges billed by quarter hour (0-15 min. = 0.25 hr, 16-30 min. = 0.5 hr, etc.)

American Express, MasterCard (Maestro), VISA, Discover, and UnionPay welcome

Call for availability. (If you are still scheduling a meeting with a client, for best results, pick three dates and times that will work for you, and chances are that one of those will also work for your client and for me.)

Thank you.

Chris Marquardt, CT
Spanish Pronto
Olympia

*Time from posting to "flagged and removed" on Craigslist: 92 minutes (10:27 p.m. on a Friday night to 11:59 p.m.) Posted correctly in the Olympia section of Seattle craigslist, and in translation section of "services offered" (there is no "interpreting" section, and virtually everyone calls interpreters "translators"). The rates are my true and customary rates. The service area is the one clients are willing to hire me in at these rates. There is not so much as a link to my website (even though a normal reading of the TOU would have allowed it). Meanwhile, overposters (same ad posted daily, or same ad posted in many cities simultaneously) in the same category remain untouched.

Verdict: Craigslist continues to be plagued with overzealous flaggers who flag for reasons other than violations of the TOU. Craigslist continues to be ineffective against them, unnecessarily driving out legitimate advertisers offering legitimate services in an open and honest way.

It was worth another try. Even restaurant reviewers go back more than once to the restaurant they are reviewing. Unfortunately, nothing has changed since the last review.

Lorem ipsum in English, according to Google Translate

Granted, "Lorem ipsum" is nonsensical garbage to begin with. It is still difficult to see how Google Translate gets what it does out of it. You have to wonder if someone has been systematically feeding the Google Translator false translations of Lorem ipsum text, à la Google bombing, for it to come up with the English translation that it does. However it has happened, it makes for some interesting reading. Enjoy.:

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