The hottest Translation Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Literature Topics

🟧 Book publisher as curator

One Thing • 336 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
📚 Literature Book Publishing Translation Classics
  1. Consider book publisher subscriptions as a way to receive curated reading recommendations and discover new writers.
  2. Independent publishers like Fitzcarraldo Editions, New Directions, and NYRB Classics offer monthly book subscriptions with unique selections and beautifully designed books.
  3. These subscriptions provide access to a diverse array of literature, including obscure classics and contemporary works in different languages, helping readers to explore beyond typical Anglophone literature.

ChinAI #250: LLMs summarize China's 2023 in one word

ChinAI Newsletter • 589 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Translation Books Research China
  1. One of the biggest storylines in 2023 was the grim employment outlook for China’s 11.5 million college graduates.
  2. There was interesting variation between Chinese and international large language models when summing up China’s 2023.
  3. Different large language models had varied perspectives on the hot internet events of 2023 in China.

Huson Soft HuCAL

Computer Ads from the Past • 384 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software Gaming History Translation
  1. Hudson Soft was a Japanese company that started as an electronics store and later moved into game development.
  2. Hudson Soft created popular games like Bomberman, Adventure Island, and Bonk for various gaming systems.
  3. HuCAL, a product by Hudson Soft, was initially thought to be a word processor but was actually a spreadsheet used on Sega systems.
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a spirituality that transforms

Wellness Wisdom by Patricia Mou • 373 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality Transformation Authenticity Translation Enlightenment
  1. Authentic spirituality involves radical transformation and liberation, not just consoling beliefs for the self.
  2. Translation and transformation are two key functions of religion: one creates meanings for the self, the other shatters the self for radical change.
  3. Communicate your authentic spiritual vision with passion and courage to prompt discovery and transformation in others.

Diary: Maria Stepanova on Nadezhda Mandelstam, Literature and Truth

Book Post • 412 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
📚 Literature Memoir Fiction Poetry Translation Book review
  1. Nadezhda Mandelstam's memoirs led to a significant shift towards nonfiction in contemporary prose.
  2. Authors like Mandelstam faced criticism for not fitting the established narrative, challenging traditional concepts of truth.
  3. Mandelstam's bold and unapologetic writing style defied caution and fear, offering a unique perspective on Soviet life.

Advice to Aspiring Apologists

The Worldview Bulletin Newsletter • 157 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Apologetics Christianity Spiritual growth Literature Translation
  1. Apologetics can help strengthen faith by engaging in debates and seeking evidence.
  2. Starting local, diversifying audiences, and continuous learning are important for aspiring apologists.
  3. Humility, genuine concern to help others understand, and embodying Christianity's principles are crucial for successful apologetics.

ChinAI #253: Tencent Research Institute releases Large Model Security & Ethics Report

ChinAI Newsletter • 117 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Security Ethics Research Translation
  1. The report highlights security assessments for LLMs, such as prompt injection attacks and adversarial examples.
  2. Tencent developed a platform to evaluate large model security, focusing on automated attack sample generation and risk analysis.
  3. The concept of 'Blue Army' drills is discussed as a method to test the effectiveness of large models like Hunyuan.

H is for Hakluyt

All Visible Objects • 118 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
📚 Literature Authors Analysis Translation Historical context Interpretation
  1. The opening of Moby-Dick references a quote by Hakluyt about the importance of the letter H in the word 'whale,' setting an enigmatic tone for the novel.
  2. Melville's use of the Hakluyt quote without full context led to speculation about its meaning, with scholars exploring poetic interpretations related to breath, spirit, and hidden truths within the text.
  3. Investigating the origins of the Hakluyt quote reveals connections to a chain of translations and criticisms between Arngrímur, Münster, and Hakluyt, shedding light on Melville's intellectual and literary choices.

"Demon" by Mikhail Lermontov

The Ha'penny Papers • 39 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
📚 Literature Poetry Translation
  1. The post discusses a free translation of the poem "Demon" by Mikhail Lermontov, focusing on the first part.
  2. The poem describes a saddened demon reminiscing about past days of purity and joy.
  3. The Demon's journey shows a contrast between his past happiness and present state of oblivion and weakness.

Beginning the Iliad, Once, Twice, and Again

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 159 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
📚 Literature Analysis Translation Epic poetry Scholarship
  1. The initial lines of the Iliad set the stage for the epic story by invoking themes like rage and heroism, preparing the audience for what's to come.
  2. In addition to the well-known 8 lines, there are shorter alternate beginnings for the Iliad found in manuscript traditions, offering different perspectives to set up the audience for the epic story.
  3. The variations in the beginnings of the Iliad highlight the complexity of the oral tradition, showing how different versions can be equally valid in starting the epic poem.

Two Ways to Decline Zeus

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 99 implied HN points • 10 Nov 23
📚 Literature Analysis Translation Myth History Scholarship
  1. Book 5 of the Iliad provides speeches that explore theomachy and the poem's connection to other traditions.
  2. The flexibility of Homeric verse allows for two ways to decline Zeus in metrical shape.
  3. Dione's speech in the Iliad serves as a good example of a paradeigma, using past examples to persuade characters, and can be compared to other epics for structure and content.

Exploring Whisper's Multitask Interface: A Closer Look at its Speech Transcription and Translation Capabilities

Amgad’s Substack • 19 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Speech Recognition Translation
  1. Whisper, a versatile AI tool, can transcribe speech accurately in various languages, not just English.
  2. The multitask interface of Whisper guides the decoder to generate desired outputs by using special tokens in the input sequence.
  3. Users can prompt Whisper by adding custom vocabulary and previous predictions to help achieve more accurate transcriptions and translations.

Chronicles: an antidote against literary navel-gazing?

The Leftovers • 59 implied HN points • 30 Oct 23
📚 Literature Translation
  1. Chronicles have a prominent place in Latin American literature and were one of the first forms of written journalism in America
  2. Writing chronicles can be seen as an antidote to excessive self-absorption in literary works
  3. Mario Vargas Llosa highlights the significance of the early chronicles and their impact on Latin American writing

The Plan, And Imperfect Translations

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 59 implied HN points • 21 Sep 23
📚 Literature Translation Epic Mythology
  1. The author plans to focus on the Iliad in upcoming content, offering various types of posts for educators and learners.
  2. The concept of 'The Plan of Zeus' in the Iliad relates to Zeus' grand design unfolding over the story, bringing about pain and conflict.
  3. Thematic words and echoes in early Greek poetry, like the works of Ibykos, highlight recurrent themes such as war and heroism across different genres.

Polysymphonic

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 59 implied HN points • 20 Sep 23
📚 Literature Interpretation Translation Mythology Narrative
  1. Metaphors help us better understand complex concepts by providing multiple perspectives.
  2. Interpreting and translating Homer's epic poems is challenging due to their intricate layers of meaning and cultural nuances.
  3. Translators face difficulties in capturing the full essence of Homer's works due to the intricate wordplay and themes that resonate differently in various languages.

All the (Epic) Rage: Free Tools for Reading Homer's Iliad

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 59 implied HN points • 15 Sep 23
📚 Literature Classics Translation Tools Resources
  1. Translations of Homer's work can be creations of their own, offering unique insights and serving different audiences.
  2. Studying and understanding Homeric language and meaning requires repetition, reflection, and discussion with others.
  3. Online tools like the Scaife Viewer and the Homer Multitext Project provide valuable resources for studying Homer's works, offering lexicons, manuscripts, and commentaries.

#15: Maybe You Should Invest in Translation

Loeber on Substack • 6 HN points • 19 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Translation Internet Labor Market Investing
  1. Translation is the next big thing in AI with significant global impact
  2. Advancements in speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and style transfer technologies are converging to revolutionize language translation
  3. Ubiquitous translation will greatly increase global connectivity, impact labor markets, and present investment opportunities in software, hardware, and geographic levels

🙄 The AI is coming for my UX job

Counting Stuff • 54 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI UX ML Translation Market Impact
  1. A startup is using AI to create fake personas for product testing, but it misses the point of user testing.
  2. Usability studies run by project managers may be biased without proper training, focusing on understanding user motivations rather than specific actions.
  3. Like machine translation disrupted the translation market, AI in UX may provide some value for simple tasks but human experts are still needed for complex nuances.

Japanese aesthetics: A podcast(!) and Q&A

Kyle Chayka Industries • 55 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Aesthetics Podcast Translation Cultural critique Literature
  1. Kyle Chayka published his first audio project discussing Tanizaki's 'In Praise of Shadows' with Nate Gallant, exploring Japanese aesthetics and its relation to modernity.
  2. Tanizaki's essay delves into personal taste, the impact of technology on art, and the cultural implications of aesthetics in Japan.
  3. The essay critiques Western ideals of perfection and light, praising the beauty of shadows and imperfections in Japanese aesthetics.

Heroes Can't Read (But We Can)

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 19 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
📚 Literature Analysis Translation Epic poetry Communication Symbols
  1. In the Iliad, there's a passage about 'painful signs' that raises questions about the use and impact of written communication in ancient times.
  2. Ancient scholars had varying opinions on whether the 'painful signs' mentioned in the Iliad were actually a form of writing or symbolic messages.
  3. The story of 'painful signs' highlights the power of language and messaging in shaping events, with implications and effects that might not always align with the author's intentions.

Tippets #187

Tippets by Taps • 2 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Chips Translation Social Issues Education
  1. AI advancements continue to impress, like OpenAI's Sora being able to generate videos from text.
  2. Big players like Masayoshi Son are looking to invest billions in AI chip ventures.
  3. The decline in social interactions and rise in loneliness in America can be linked to a shift towards face-to-screen tech over face-to-face interactions.

Please stop translating like this

The Leftovers • 119 implied HN points • 24 May 22
📚 Literature Translation
  1. Literature in translation is gaining recognition and praise for the quality of English translations.
  2. Translators play a crucial role in expanding the world of possibilities for readers and making works accessible.
  3. While a translated piece may be an approximation of the original, it still provides value by allowing access to works in different languages.

On not reading (in English)

The Leftovers • 79 implied HN points • 11 Aug 22
📚 Literature Fiction Non-fiction Translation Critique Language
  1. Taking a break from Anglophone literature and exploring works in different languages can introduce fresh themes and perspectives.
  2. Reading works by authors from various backgrounds, like Alberto Prunetti's, can provide unique and endearing storytelling experiences.
  3. Exploring literature in original languages, like Italian in the case of Prunetti's book, can offer a deeper understanding of the language nuances and cultural diversity.