July 28 2022 - Pope Learn English - 10 Apps to Try

 

So today's headline "Lost in Translation"  makes me wonder about learning English and the possible benefits for a Pope to speak the supposed language of international communication.   What are the best apps for learning English?  There are lots. Duolingo – The best all-rounder. Quiz your English – The best for exam prep The British Council – The best for grammar. 6,000 Words – The best for vocabulary Beelingu – The best for reading HelloTalk – The best for speaking Grammarly – The best for writing But then this isn't the issue for Pope Francis, as he's likely too busy to use an English App.  If he didn't learn English among all the other languages he knows, then he's not likely to start now. What do you think of the following?   "Although Pope Francis is a learned man in the field of language and culture, it is quite understandable for one to favor a language in order to avoid any issues with misinterpretations, misquotations, or incorrect contexts. According to the Vatican, the Argentinian Pope’s primary language is that of Spanish but after picking up various languages over the years, he is also known to be fluent in Italian, Piedmontese (a language found in the northern region of Italy), Portuguese, Ukrainian, French, German, and of course, Latin (the official language of the Holy See). While he can speak most of these languages without a translator, it has also been noted that the Pope may be rusty in some of them, which is why he prefers to be quoted accurately by an interpreter to assure that the people understand the heart of his speeches with clarity and sincerity."  That's from daytranslations.com This says volumes - lots of promotion of the great talents of the Pope, while giving him an out  to stick to his preferred language. So much was made of the translation to come in this visit.   "a team of translators is dedicated to making sure no words are lost for those receiving the apology.  Henry Pitawanakwat, who comes from the Three Fires Confederacy of Manitoulin Island in Ontario, is on that team and will translate the Pope's words into the Ojibwa language." "Francis, who is from Argentina, speaks Spanish, so Pitawanakwat says another interpreter will translate what the Pope says into English before he and other interpreters translate those words into a dozen Indigenous languages. Web links for each language will then be available for people to listen to the translations in real-time." This is not the first lost in translation headline for the Pope. An article from 2015 says that the Pope's "unscripted use of Spanish-Italian phrases sometimes causes confusion."  It says that Vatican officials prefer Italian as the language of ecclesiastical bureaucracy over English.   And yet, here we are with the Pope delivering his apology in Spanish.   The CBC says it was translated into English by a priest.  No name appears in the articles that I've looked at.  I wonder what fate awaits this person. What is this in a garden display?  A Narwhal skull.  The Marine Museum in Hamilton was decommissioned a number of years ago and the garden owner was given it.  It resides on a garden "beach" now.

R