Netflix's lavish new adaptation of Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem is the latest 'translation' of one of this century's best, and best-selling, sci-fi novels. In this episode, we track the role of translation—on screen and on the page—in the global rise of Chinese sci-fi. Our guide is reporter and sci-fi aficionada Lydia Emmanouilidou who talks with several people involved in the Chinese literary scene, notably The Three-Body Problem's English translator Ken Liu. 



More about Lydia Emmanouilidou <a href="https://lydiaemman.com/">here</a>. Music in this episode by Ambre Jaune, Medité, Pearce Roswell and Trabant 33. 



Read a transcript of the episode <a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/how-do-you-translate-for-the-page-and-the-screen-the-sci-fi-of-another-language-dbb88c07e152">here</a>. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter <a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/">here</a>.

<description>&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Netflix's lavish new adaptation of Liu Cixin's &lt;em&gt;The Three-Body Problem&lt;/em&gt; is the latest 'translation' of one of this century's best, and best-selling, sci-fi novels. In this episode, we track the role of translation—on screen and on the page—in the global rise of Chinese sci-fi. Our guide is reporter and sci-fi aficionada Lydia Emmanouilidou who talks with several people involved in the Chinese literary scene, notably &lt;em&gt;The Three-Body Problem's&lt;/em&gt; English translator Ken Liu. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;More about Lydia Emmanouilidou &lt;a href="https://lydiaemman.com/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Music in this episode by Ambre Jaune, Medité, Pearce Roswell and Trabant 33. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Read a transcript of the episode &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/how-do-you-translate-for-the-page-and-the-screen-the-sci-fi-of-another-language-dbb88c07e152"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Netflixs lavish new adaptation of Liu Cixins The Three-Body Problem is the latest translation of one of this centurys best, and best-selling, sci-fi novels. In this episode, we track the role of translation—on screen and on the page—in the global rise of

Netflix's lavish new adaptation of Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem is the latest 'translation' of one of this century's best, and best-selling, sci-fi novels. In this episode, we track the role of translation—on screen and on the page—in the global rise of Chinese sci-fi. Our guide is reporter and sci-fi aficionada Lydia Emmanouilidou who talks with several people involved in the Chinese literary scene, notably The Three-Body Problem's English translator Ken Liu. 



More about Lydia Emmanouilidou here. Music in this episode by Ambre Jaune, Medité, Pearce Roswell and Trabant 33. 



Read a transcript of the episode here. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter here.

Chinese sci-fi has crossed the translation barrier

The French language is replete with words borrowed from English, like 'weekend' and 'podcasting.' But French speakers' use of 'black' is in a category of its own: this one short syllable tells the story of France's racial and colonial legacies and how they stack up against U.S. history, from slavery to Black Lives Matter. Both countries are idealistic, rooted in 18th-century revolutions and grand principles. But while many in the US value racial and ethnic difference, France sees itself as a color-blind society that rejects the race-based policies of its past. So, using the French word noir is almost un-French—prompting many Black French citizens to embrace 'black.'  Reporting this episode is former Paris resident, Emma Jacobs. 



More about Emma Jacobs <a href="https://www.emmaatlarge.com/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.emmajacobsillustration.com/">here</a>. Music by Martin Klem, Medité, Trabant 33, Podington Bear and Blue Dot Sessions. Photo by Lea Dasenka. 



Read a transcript of this episode <a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/why-the-english-word-black-became-the-new-noir-in-france-9fec1b3d6f50">here</a>. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter <a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/">here</a>.

<description>&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;The French language is replete with words borrowed from English, like 'weekend' and 'podcasting.' But French speakers' use of 'black' is in a category of its own: this one short syllable tells the story of France's racial and colonial legacies and how they stack up against U.S. history, from slavery to Black Lives Matter. Both countries are idealistic, rooted in 18th-century revolutions and grand principles. But while many in the US value racial and ethnic difference, France sees itself as a color-blind society that rejects the race-based policies of its past. So, using the French word &lt;em&gt;noir&lt;/em&gt; is almost un-French—prompting many Black French citizens to embrace 'black.'  Reporting this episode is former Paris resident, Emma Jacobs. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;More about Emma Jacobs &lt;a href="https://www.emmaatlarge.com/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.emmajacobsillustration.com/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Music by Martin Klem, Medité, Trabant 33, Podington Bear and Blue Dot Sessions. Photo by Lea Dasenka. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Read a transcript of this episode &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/why-the-english-word-black-became-the-new-noir-in-france-9fec1b3d6f50"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The French language is replete with words borrowed from English, like weekend and podcasting. But French speakers use of black is in a category of its own: this one short syllable tells the story of Frances racial and colonial legacies and how they stack

The French language is replete with words borrowed from English, like 'weekend' and 'podcasting.' But French speakers' use of 'black' is in a category of its own: this one short syllable tells the story of France's racial and colonial legacies and how they stack up against U.S. history, from slavery to Black Lives Matter. Both countries are idealistic, rooted in 18th-century revolutions and grand principles. But while many in the US value racial and ethnic difference, France sees itself as a color-blind society that rejects the race-based policies of its past. So, using the French word noir is almost un-French—prompting many Black French citizens to embrace 'black.'  Reporting this episode is former Paris resident, Emma Jacobs. 



More about Emma Jacobs here and here. Music by Martin Klem, Medité, Trabant 33, Podington Bear and Blue Dot Sessions. Photo by Lea Dasenka. 



Read a transcript of this episode here. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter here.

Why the French use the English word ‘black’

Irish is among Europe's oldest languages. It's a near miracle that anyone speaks it today. Patrick talks with online Irish teacher <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mollieguidera/?hl=en">Mollie Guidera</a> whose students include a Kentucky farmer who speaks Irish to his horses; also with Irish scholar <a href="https://people.ucsc.edu/~mcclosk/">Jim McCloskey</a> who developed a love of the language when he spent a summer living with Irish speakers. Irish is changing fast, with far more of its speakers learning it as a second language, while the native-speaker population declines.



Music by Elliot Holmes, Zorro,Hugo Paquette, Medité, and Fleurs Douces. Photo courtesy of Mollie Guidera. 



Read a transcript of this episode, with more photos <a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/studying-the-irish-language-can-be-fraught-for-irish-school-kids-but-its-increasingly-popular-d5defddb05b7">here</a>. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter <a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/">here</a>.

<description>&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Irish is among Europe's oldest languages. It's a near miracle that anyone speaks it today. Patrick talks with online Irish teacher &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/mollieguidera/?hl=en"&gt;Mollie Guidera&lt;/a&gt; whose students include a Kentucky farmer who speaks Irish to his horses; also with Irish scholar &lt;a href="https://people.ucsc.edu/~mcclosk/"&gt;Jim McCloskey&lt;/a&gt; who developed a love of the language when he spent a summer living with Irish speakers. Irish is changing fast, with far more of its speakers learning it as a second language, while the native-speaker population declines.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Music by Elliot Holmes, Zorro,Hugo Paquette, Medité, and Fleurs Douces. Photo courtesy of Mollie Guidera. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Read a transcript of this episode, with more photos &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/studying-the-irish-language-can-be-fraught-for-irish-school-kids-but-its-increasingly-popular-d5defddb05b7"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Irish is among Europes oldest languages. Its a near miracle that anyone speaks it today. Patrick talks with online Irish teacher Mollie Guidera whose students include a Kentucky farmer who speaks Irish to his horses; also with Irish scholar Jim McCloskey

Irish is among Europe's oldest languages. It's a near miracle that anyone speaks it today. Patrick talks with online Irish teacher Mollie Guidera whose students include a Kentucky farmer who speaks Irish to his horses; also with Irish scholar Jim McCloskey who developed a love of the language when he spent a summer living with Irish speakers. Irish is changing fast, with far more of its speakers learning it as a second language, while the native-speaker population declines.



Music by Elliot Holmes, Zorro,Hugo Paquette, Medité, and Fleurs Douces. Photo courtesy of Mollie Guidera. 



Read a transcript of this episode, with more photos here. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly newsletter here.

The Irish language renaissance

Israel Jesus used to be ashamed of being from the Mexican state of Oaxaca and speaking the local indigenous tongue, Triqui. When he moved to Salinas, California, a kid in his high school told Jesus he was destined to work in the fields nearby. But it was his knowledge of Triqui that sent him on a different path. A hospital in Salinas recruited Jesus to interpret for the increasing number of Triqui-speaking patients. It's part of an effort in California and beyond to expand medical interpretation to Mexico's many indigenous languages. 



This episode was reported by Nina Porzucki. Music by Alexander Boyes, Blue Dot Sessions, Grupo Sin Control, Medité, and Podington Bear. Photo of Israel Jesus by Nina Porzucki. Read a transcript, with many more photos, <a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/from-linguistic-shame-to-pride-the-story-of-a-medical-interpreter-in-salinas-california-751290730970">here</a>. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly(ish) newsletter <a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/">here</a>.

<description>&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Israel Jesus used to be ashamed of being from the Mexican state of Oaxaca and speaking the local indigenous tongue, Triqui. When he moved to Salinas, California, a kid in his high school told Jesus he was destined to work in the fields nearby. But it was his knowledge of Triqui that sent him on a different path. A hospital in Salinas recruited Jesus to interpret for the increasing number of Triqui-speaking patients. It's part of an effort in California and beyond to expand medical interpretation to Mexico's many indigenous languages. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;This episode was reported by Nina Porzucki. Music by Alexander Boyes, Blue Dot Sessions, Grupo Sin Control, Medité, and Podington Bear. Photo of Israel Jesus by Nina Porzucki. Read a transcript, with many more photos, &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/from-linguistic-shame-to-pride-the-story-of-a-medical-interpreter-in-salinas-california-751290730970"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly(ish) newsletter &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Israel Jesus used to be ashamed of being from the Mexican state of Oaxaca and speaking the local indigenous tongue, Triqui. When he moved to Salinas, California, a kid in his high school told Jesus he was destined to work in the fields nearby. But it was

Israel Jesus used to be ashamed of being from the Mexican state of Oaxaca and speaking the local indigenous tongue, Triqui. When he moved to Salinas, California, a kid in his high school told Jesus he was destined to work in the fields nearby. But it was his knowledge of Triqui that sent him on a different path. A hospital in Salinas recruited Jesus to interpret for the increasing number of Triqui-speaking patients. It's part of an effort in California and beyond to expand medical interpretation to Mexico's many indigenous languages. 



This episode was reported by Nina Porzucki. Music by Alexander Boyes, Blue Dot Sessions, Grupo Sin Control, Medité, and Podington Bear. Photo of Israel Jesus by Nina Porzucki. Read a transcript, with many more photos, here. And sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly(ish) newsletter here.

From linguistic shame to pride

Mastering six languages sounds like a slog, right? But in some corners of Europe, it happens—maybe not effortlessly, but more easily than in, say, Ohio. Gaston Dorren grew up speaking Limburgish at home, and Dutch at school. He fell in love in German and picked up Spanish in Latin America, all the while keeping English and French in his back pocket. He tells Patrick about his love of verbing nouns, and Dutch people's unconsciously sexist choice of pronouns. Also, Gaston is a fabulous multilingual (of course) singer. 



Gaston Dorren has written several books including <a href="https://bookshop.org/contributors/gaston-dorren-d5a542b1-e8e5-478b-8671-d07c04f024df">two translated into English</a>. The photo shows him in in a typically multilingual moment on vacation in Turkey. He is reading the German translation of book originally written in English: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. (Photo credit: Marleen Becker) 



Music in this episode by Medité, Magnus Ringblom, Podington Bear and Trabant 33. Read a transcript <a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/how-dutch-pronoun-choices-became-sexist-and-other-euro-linguistic-tales-9daee3402b82">here</a>. Sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly(ish) newsletter <a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/">here</a>.

<description>&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Mastering six languages sounds like a slog, right? But in some corners of Europe, it happens—maybe not effortlessly, but more easily than in, say, Ohio. Gaston Dorren grew up speaking Limburgish at home, and Dutch at school. He fell in love in German and picked up Spanish in Latin America, all the while keeping English and French in his back pocket. He tells Patrick about his love of verbing nouns, and Dutch people's unconsciously sexist choice of pronouns. Also, Gaston is a fabulous multilingual (of course) singer. &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Gaston Dorren has written several books including &lt;a href="https://bookshop.org/contributors/gaston-dorren-d5a542b1-e8e5-478b-8671-d07c04f024df"&gt;two translated into English&lt;/a&gt;. The photo shows him in in a typically multilingual moment on vacation in Turkey. He is reading the German translation of book originally written in English: &lt;em&gt;A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian&lt;/em&gt; by Marina Lewycka. (Photo credit: Marleen Becker) &lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;Music in this episode by Medité, Magnus Ringblom, Podington Bear and Trabant 33. Read a transcript &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod-62956.medium.com/how-dutch-pronoun-choices-became-sexist-and-other-euro-linguistic-tales-9daee3402b82"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. Sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly(ish) newsletter &lt;a href="https://subtitlepod.com/newsletter/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p class="has-normal-font-size"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Mastering six languages sounds like a slog, right? But in some corners of Europe, it happens—maybe not effortlessly, but more easily than in, say, Ohio. Gaston Dorren grew up speaking Limburgish at home, and Dutch at school. He fell in love in German and

Mastering six languages sounds like a slog, right? But in some corners of Europe, it happens—maybe not effortlessly, but more easily than in, say, Ohio. Gaston Dorren grew up speaking Limburgish at home, and Dutch at school. He fell in love in German and picked up Spanish in Latin America, all the while keeping English and French in his back pocket. He tells Patrick about his love of verbing nouns, and Dutch people's unconsciously sexist choice of pronouns. Also, Gaston is a fabulous multilingual (of course) singer. 



Gaston Dorren has written several books including two translated into English. The photo shows him in in a typically multilingual moment on vacation in Turkey. He is reading the German translation of book originally written in English: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. (Photo credit: Marleen Becker) 



Music in this episode by Medité, Magnus Ringblom, Podington Bear and Trabant 33. Read a transcript here. Sign up for Subtitle’s newsy, nerdy, fortnightly(ish) newsletter here.

Easing into multilingualism

Language unites and divides us. It mystifies and delights us. Patrick Cox and Kavita Pillay tell the stories of people with all kinds of linguistic passions: comedians, writers, researchers; speakers of endangered languages; speakers of multiple languages; and just speakers—people like you and me.

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