Eventually, this journal will have a definitive purpose. Until then, I'm just creating the obligatory backdated entry as a space holder while I indulge in other things.

I  must be seriously crazy! For whatever insane reason, I'm pulling my "fiction" muse from the closet again and I'll submit a 20,000 word piece for the Star Trek Big Bang 2010. Last year's experience was more successful than I could have imagined because I met some great women during the posting/discussion process.

My most glaring failure was not writing the piece the way I intended the FIRST time. It took quite a few rewrites to make it acceptable to me and the darn thing still needs to be edited. This year, I've begun early (as opposed to waiting two months) and I have an official beta, plus my dear friends (if the God of Time frees them), so I'm pretty excited.

This year's exercise will focus on Nyota Uhura as a fully realized female character, plus put humanity to the test. Will Spock be there? Hell yeah! Since this is the only the third couple I've ever officially SHIPPED, I'll be damned if I'll forget about that element. There might not be any overt sex though. ;D If I fail to write sex, this might actually turn out to be a minor miracle.

More info forthcoming.

It has become painfully clear that my personality is not suited for blogging. I have five journals and only two are active. After spending 10 seconds puzzling this problem, I realized why. One journal is devoted to writing and it sustains itself and the other is my rather nutcase adventure in fangirling. The guy in question is such a sweetie. SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Thus, as long as the journal isn't about me, it survives. If not, it doesn't. Apparently, I'm quite private and secretive, so says many friends.  While they concede that I use a great many words, they admit that I never seem to slip up and tell them anything juicy. Of course, this makes sense. Any rantings and ravings I might undertake are first aired out to my husband. If he's not available, then poor mark_fan  is the recipient because I'm a high-maintenance best friend. I don't mean that in the sense of being needy. The reverse is true. People have trouble being friends with me because I don't need anything. It might sound crazy, but this independence actually hurts many relationships.

Anyway, even if I spare these two lovely people, I can bitch with other friends, colleagues or buddies. By the time I get online, there's really nothing to say or bitch about.

A majority of people have a social group of 150 people (friends, family, colleagues and so forth). My social group is approximately 250-400 depending on the time of year.

Verdict: Journal!Fail

I always find it amusing that I actually make a New Year's resolution list. As if someone like me could actually stick to any list about any thing. I'm simply not organized enough. I make lists all the time. I even ponder them deeply. Too bad nothing comes of it. Maybe this is the year. ( The 2010 list )

Is translation an art, a skill or a means to learn another language? All three, I suspect.

There are a few problems with translating from one language to another and I wish to list them here. While the original text I generated also included examples, I've opted not to include them because I wish to engage the people who read this entry. I've only listed five problems and a conclusion based on my own experiences. You may have a completely different set and it would be great if you told me yours. If you know of any examples that reflect these problems based on any languages you speak and/or have studied, please share.

Warning: I'm not a linguist. I just know a few of them. ;)

• Problem 1:　Equivalents do not always exist.

People frequently assume that everyone does, thinks, or feels the same things even in different languages. This is not true. Every society has different societal rules and that extends all the way to greetings. Therefore, some words, phrases, or concepts in one language simply will not exist in another.

• Problem 2: The same grammar rule may not be used in the same way.

Hint: The passive voice in one language might function differently from the passive voice in another language. If this happens, the translator may need to give up a portion of the original sentence when translating into the target language. Otherwise, the translation will be a cluttered mess. Japlish, Chinglish, Spanglish, and so forth are simply unacceptable as good quality translations. Save explanations for the notes.

• Problem 3: Similar vocabulary covers different meaning.<

Another false belief is that words which share the same basic meaning can be used in the same context in both languages. In other words, word-by-word vocabulary memorization is sufficient for language learning. Some words in one language may need to be split in another language. Hint: Think high and tall.

• Problem 4: Different language speakers may have different assumptions. People understand language by guess, predicting and verifying what others say. Think of the many different ways to say toilet.

Common sense is different from language to language. What is normal and ordinary for you, might be completely different somewhere else, thus, you need to understand a person's culture in order to make sure they understand you.

• Problem 5: If they don't say it, they don't say it.

Collocations (or idioms) are not logical. If you try to understand them by reasoning, you will most likely fail. Logic does not always help us understand authentic language use. You may wonder why they don't say this or that. There's no reason why. They just don't.

• Conclusion: Translating from one language into another is never an easy task. Miscommunication is not only caused by a person's lack of target language ability, but also by a person's lack of knowledge regarding the target culture.

Part 2 of the image heavy interview.

Disclaimer: This interview (King’s Brunch aired on May 30, 2009) is the copyright and intellectual property of TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System). Zachary Quinto と Lilico - 王様のブランチ ２００９年５月３０日　TBS

This post is image heavy and contains no real substance. Just a spastic ZQ and Lilico.

If you're interested in non-English languages, this post might be of interest to you. Below is a comparison of the written (subtitled) elevator scene and the verbal (dubbed) scene in Star Trek 2009.