LangFM

LangFM

By Alexander DrechselSociety & CultureTechnologyEducationLanguage Learning
Download on the App Store

LangFM episodes

  • 8: Today's special with Andrea Alvisi
    I talk to Andrea Alvisi - an Italian translator, interpreter, interpreter trainer and foodie based in Leeds - about his journey from Italy to Kaliningrad to Leeds.

    Show notes: www.adrechsel.de/langfm/andrea-alvisi

    I talk to Andrea Alvisi - an Italian translator, interpreter, interpreter trainer and foodie based in Leeds - about his journey from Italy to Kaliningrad to Leeds.
    Show notes: www.adrechsel.de/langfm/andrea-alvisi

    46 min
  • 7: No one left behind - with Robert Ham
    My guest, Robert Ham, is a two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker and former Army combat documentarian. He spent time in Afghanistan as a soldier and relied heavily on the work of an interpreter. Robert now runs a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for a...

    My guest, Robert Ham, is a two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker and former Army combat documentarian. He spent time in Afghanistan as a soldier and relied heavily on the work of an interpreter. Robert now runs a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for a short film about the story of his Afghan interpreter.

    Show notes: www.adrechsel.de/langfm/no-one-left-behind

    33 min
  • 6: Patrick Kendrick and the beautiful game
    Listen in as Patrick and I explore his work as a football commentator and interpreter oscillating between the UK, Italy, France and Portugal.

    Show notes: www.adrechsel.de/langfm/o-jogo-bonito-com-patrick-kendrick

    Listen in as Patrick and I explore his work as a football commentator and interpreter oscillating between the UK, Italy, France and Portugal.
    Show notes: www.adrechsel.de/langfm/o-jogo-bonito-com-patrick-kendrick

    54 min
  • 5: Rocking the boat with Jonathan Downie

    If you don't know Jonathan yet, you're in for a treat. Find out about his PhD and his upcoming book "The successful interpreter" - and many other things, including monkeys, church interpreters and chocolate teapots.

    Quotes I liked - very shareable!

    • "A good interpreter is someone who can't get enough information about whatever."
    • "We need to care about the outcome of the event that we're at."
    • "If we play the 'invisible interpreter' card for too much longer, we will be replaced and it will be our own fault."
    • "Let's work to together to improve the value we add to our profession."
    • "I almost wish that every interpreter would do a PhD."
    • "If you could change one thing about your practice now, what would you change?"
    • "Until someone asks you an uncomfortable question, you're probably not growing."

      • Links:

      • Music: Duddle O'Frumble, by Lee Rosevere
    • Glass Ping Sound, by Go445
    • Origin of "as useful as a chocolate teapot / fireguard" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
    • CLW Bonn – Internationale Kirche in Bonn
    • Interpreting Performed By Professionals Of Other Fields: The Case Of Sports Commentators
    • Jonathan's business website
    • Rock Your Talk | Public Speaking for the Social Media Generation
    • Jonathan's Twitter
    • Jonathan's LinkedIn
      • 49 min
    • 4: A conversation with Holly Behl

      In this episode, we have the pleasure to meet Holly Behl. She is an interpreter and translator for English and Spanish based in Dallas, Texas. Holly and I talk about how a volunteering opportunity in Mexico led her to become an interpreter, what her job looks like and how she uses her Samsung tablet and a handful of clever apps to be more productive.

      Links:

      • Holly's Twitter
    • The Paperless Interpreter Experiment: Part II
    • The Paperless Interpreter Experiment: Part I
    • Evolution of a Dictionary Project: Interview with Legal Dictionary Author Javier F. Becerra | Preciso Language Services LLC
    • Holly supports: Camp Summit | Barrier-Free Camps in Texas
    • Holly supports: Human Rights Initiative
    • App tip: Expensify - Expense Reports – Apps on Google Play
    • App tip: Timesheet - Time Tracker – Apps on Google Play
    • App tip: Clockwork Tomato – Apps on Google Play
    • Music: Duddle O'Frumble, by Lee Rosevere
      • 31 min
    • 3: Das Alexander-Doppelpack

      Diese Ausgabe von LangFM ist auf Deutsch: Ich spreche mit meinem Namensvetter und Kollegen Alexander Gansmeier aus München. Er erzählt darüber, wie er zum Dolmetschen gekommen ist, was das Gute an Berufsverbänden ist und warum er nach Umberto Eco eingeschlafen ist.

      Links:

      • Alexander's website
    • Alexander's Twitter
      • 33 min
    • 2: A podcast about podcasts

      This episode is a meta-podcast. A podcast about podcasts. That's right. I'm on a mission to making podcasts hugely popular among interpreters.

      What is a podcast, you ask? The short answer is: LangFM is one. And here is the long answer, according to Wikipedia:

      A podcast is a digital medium that consists of an episodic series of audio or digital radio, subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device. The word is a neologism and portmanteau derived from "broadcast" and "pod" from the success of the iPod, as audio podcasts are often listened to on portable media players.
      Broadcasters, like the BBC, produce content for the airwaves. Once aired, that content is put online and can be subscribed to as a podcast. This way, you don't have to wait for an episode of your favourite programme, you can just download it and listen to it when you have time.

      Podcasts are not a new phenomenon, they have been produced for years. But recently, there has been a spike in popularity because of outliers like NPR's Serial murder mistery podcast. And just recently, US president Barack Obama, was a guest on an independent podcast. Well worth a listen, if you ask me.

      Now for some etymology. Pod-Cast. What's with the portmanteau? It's a combination of iPod - Apple's widely popular music player - and broadcast. And the term was not coined by clever PR people in California, as you may think. No, it was British journalist Ben Hammersley who just made it up, when he had to stretch a Guardian article way back in 2004 when all that internet stuff was still new and unknown. (BTW: If you want to know more about this story, you can - what else? - listen to this podcast.)

      So much for the word podcast. Are there any other important words? Yes!

      (News)feed - a stream of new things (text, like on Twitter; photos, like on Facebook or Instagram; audio/video)

      Episode - one item in the feed, like an episode of a radio series
      Show notes - more information about an episode, including links, images, videos etc. so you can get more information about the people and topics in an episode. Will often show directly in the player, else on the podcast homepage.
      Client - the app used to play podcasts and subscribe to them
      Most podcasts have a website, so you can just go to that page and listen to the programme in the browser. Using a podcast client, or app on your smartphone, however, is much more convenient. You can manage your podcast subscriptions, discover new shows and make sure that recent episodes are downloaded automatically, ready for your listening pleasure. As an iPhone or iPad user, you can just use the built-in Podcasts app to get started. It covers all the bases. On Android, there is no default app, so head to the Google Play Store and check there. Free options are available, but my personal favourite is Pocket Casts, which costs a few euros.

      Now you know what a podcast is and how you can subscribe, how about some recommendations? You don't have to subscribe to dozens podcasts, like I do, but the following programmes are definitely worth your time.

      First of all, there are the usual suspects, i.e. the broadcasters. Depending on which languages you speak and/or listen to, you will certainly find something to listen to. There are also many excellent smaller, independent podcasts on all kinds of topics. Do check out The world in words and The Allusionist. If you want to learn more about the brave new world of technology, What's Tech? is a good choice. Lastly, if you enjoy TEDTalks, you can also get them delivered regularly as audio or video podcasts.

      Did I wet your appetite? I certainly hope so. That's it for today, please tune in again for the LangFM podcast. Bye!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlYXJz56DLg

      6 min
    • 1: A conversation with Barry Olsen

      In this first instalment of the LangFM podcast, I talk to fellow technology enthusiast Barry Slaughter Olsen. Barry is an interpreter, interpreter trainer at MIIS, General Manager of Multilingual at ZipDX and one of the co-founders of InterpretAmerica. Our topics range from the past of lost luggage to the future of technology-enhanced interpreting.

      Links:

      • Barry's MIIS page
    • Barry on Twitter
      • — go.miis.edu/barrysolsen
    • Audio Conferencing Call Provider | ZipDX
    • InterpretAmerica
    • KUBI Telepresence Robot | Welcome
    • Voiceboxer | Multilingual Web Conferences | Easy Online Interpretation
    • Episode music: Duddle O'Frumble, by Lee Rosevere
      • 41 min

    About LangFM

    From the publisher's feed

    A podcast about language and what people do with it: Conversations and stories with interpreters, translators, copywriters, and other fun professions and passions.