NATO forces Lost in Translation
As Nato-led forces try to establish security in Afghanistan, another lesser-known mission is happening - to make sense of the place names for English-speaking people.
As Nato and Afghan forces try to overcome the Taleban, with help from Afghan forces, western officials behind the scenes are also trying to standardise the names of every town and village.
At a conference in London, US and UK officials discussed how important it was that western translations of Arabic place names in the country should be consistent.
The process of transliteration - translating from one alphabet to another, such as Greek to Russian - has so far happened in a rather ad hoc way in Afghanistan and can leave the English-speaking armies and NGOs a little confused.
Although the well known cities and regions - such as Kabul, Kandahar and Helmand - have a clear and common translation in the western Roman alphabet, many Afghan villages have multiple spellings, even in their original forms, and many villages in different areas are called the same thing.
Read more >> Afghanistan
Related posts:
- Language holding back Afghan armyNATO should urgently step up the teaching of English to...
- More Chinese use transliteration of Western namesMore Chinese are given names in western style or just...
- Migrants’ safety getting lost in translationMany employers are risking migrant workers' wellbeing by not providing...
- Cross-Cultural Coaching for US troops in Iraq US officials say the military is transforming to meet...
- Arsenal dressing room lost in translation?Arsene Wenger has responded to claims English players are alienated...
Entries (RSS)