I'm sorry

Today I've taken some pics that I have to upload here, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the cat, subject of my pics, cause she didn't stop miaowing for help while I couldn't stop taking pictures of her. I'm sorry for myself, cause right now all the pet associations of the world must be charging me for psychological damage to my pet cat. And I'm sorry for He Who Holds the Cat While I Take Pictures, for all the scratches he's gotten. All this is because we're trying to get the cat used to the water, so she doesn't see it as a threat, but something normal and natural and nothing to be scared of. Tigers bathe of their free will, but our cat only gets into the (empty) washing machine of her own will. All about the bath is on us. At the end, after all the trauma, here she is, licking herself as if possessed by some evil force just to comb her hair right where it was. Only now she'll be puffier, brighter and her neck will smell wonderfully, as every time we bathe her.

Lo siento

Hoy he hecho unas fotos que tengo que colgar, lo siento. Lo siento por la gata, objeto de mis fotos, que no paraba de maullar para que la sacara de allí mientras yo no podía dejar de hacerla fotos. Lo siento por mí, porque ahora todas las sociedades protectoras de animales del mundo estarán poniéndome una denuncia por maltrato psicológico al gato. Y también lo siento por Aquel Que Sujeta a la Gata Mientras Yo Hago Fotos, por los arañazos que se ha llevado. Pero es que intentamos que la gata se acostumbre al agua, que no lo vea como algo amenazante, sino como algo normal y natural y que no tiene nada de peligroso. Los tigres se bañan por voluntad propia; nuestra gata sólo se mete en la lavadora (vacía) por voluntad propia. Lo del baño corre de nuestra parte. Al final, después de todo el trauma, aquí está, lamiéndose como una posesa para volver a dejarse los pelos como los tenía antes, sólo que ahora estará esponjosa, brillante y le olerá el cuello divinamente, como siempre que la bañamos.

Translation rules

At last somebody speaks of what needs to be spoken of. The other day, a coleague got flabbergasted when told that some translation agencies send you tests, without paying of course, and then use it as valid translations. It's clear to me that is cheaper to hire a proof-reader to unify texts that to hire several translators. Obviously, this is not a widely used practice, but you have to count on it just in case. Today, after months hearing of the MTM Translations scandal, I've found this little article by Màrius Serra in La Vanguardia. I have taken just part of it, and it says universal truths about the translator work, truths that probably someone not related directly or indirectly with translation knows.
Even though, before you can translate "cock-a-doodle-doo", some of those affected have started getting paid and the agency has changed its name showing some new creativity. The thing with translators is outrageous. They work very hard, get badly paid, most of the times without a contract, always on the run, without social recognition and with the constant fear of getting paid even less. The undeniable advances in applied linguistics within the field of automatic translation offer them very powerful tools, but they've gotten the public to think that translation is an automatic activity; machines do the job for them and then they revise one or two things. Nothing further from the truth. The complexity of translating a text from one language to another not only needs technique. You need some criteria to decide how to translate such and innocent phrase as "debajo de la cama tiene la mano María" from Spanish to Catalonian. (This lasts sentence is tricky to explain. The only thing you readers need to know is that when you translate that sentence without proper care, you get something that sounds very offensive).
Well, I think it's time we stand up for ourselves. We don't need to demand anything, we just need to have a little more self-steem, always thinking that the customer is always right. I know it sounds complicated, but out there there's people translating, producing high-quality texts and getting well paid. If they can, we do too. Besides, they're not even using secret weapons to reach that, just sign on to any translation forum, ask them and they'll tell you right away. Ladies and gentlemen, let's get it done!!

Good kitty

Today I had to leave the terrorist cat home alone all day. At first it's not a problem, I've left her alone several times and she just sleeps until I come back, so she's no danger. But today it was different. I got scared yesterday cause she overcomes architectural barriers, meaning she can jump up to the kitchen counter. That is dangerous cause usually there's food on it and the sole purpose of this little terror is eating everything that gets on her way, including fruit and vegetables, something unseen in cats. As she jumps on top of things, she now eats toilet paper from the bathroom counter as well. Well, today's problem was that I didn't realize she got locked in the bedroom. I thought she was in the bathroom, where she usually stays with all her stuff. But today she got locked in. The surprising thing comes from the fact that she's been locked in for 12 hours and she hasn't even pissed all over the place... good kitty!!

Minina buena

Hoy he tenido que dejar a la gata terrorista todo el día sola en casa. En principio no hay problema, ya la he dejado más veces sola y se dedica a dormir, así que no hay peligro. Pero hoy ha sido distinto. Ayer me asusté porque ya supera barreras arquitectónicas, es decir, ya se sube de un salto a la encimera de la cocina. Eso es peligroso porque suele haber comida y el único propósito de este bicho es comerse todo lo que le salga al paso; come hasta fruta y verdura, algo que yo no he visto nunca en un gato. Y como se sube a los sitios, también le ha dado por comerse el papel higiénico de la encimera del baño. Bueno, el problema de hoy ha sido que se ha quedado encerrada en la habitación sin que me diera cuenta. Yo pensaba que estaba en el baño, que es donde se suele quedar, con sus cosas; pero hoy se ha quedado encerrada. Lo más alucinante de todo es que ha estado más de 12 horas allí encerrada y ni siquiera se ha hecho pis... ¡minina buena!

Oddities

Today I've seen an old lady caressing the bossom of a 4-year-old. If everybody did that, all guys would be much happier and girls, less snooty.

Rarezas

Hoy he visto en la calle a una señora mayor tocarle las tetas a una niña de 4 años. Si todos hiciéramos eso, los tíos serían mucho más felices y las tías, menos estiradas.